Chapter 1: New Neighbors
 

There were three words to describe Rhea Everson’s current predicament as she peered into the box. 

WHAT THE FUCK? 

She dropped the box in horror and fell to the ground. All her senses forced her to scoot away from the scene as if it were some crime scene that would have one thrown straight into jail. 

So before you start calling her a thief and judging how irrational and unjust her actions were, listen to her story. On this day when the storm waged upon her peace in the beginning of the week, Rhea Everson accidentally opened her neighbor’s package. 

It was an ACCIDENT. 

A terrible, terrible accident in which she wished she could turn back time. But time always kept going. Rhea knew that the most as her past continued to haunt her like ghosts beckoning at the door. 

It all began earlier in the week when her new neighbor’s moved in. 

Now first off, Rhea is what you would call a twenty nine year old shut in. What is a shut in? Rhea was the exact embodiment of a shut in. She made her living under the pen name Faye Wolfe as the number fifth most popular romance novelist in New York. The only time she went out was when she had to attend the award ceremonies, such as getting dragged out by her editor. 

She was like the English Ivy plant that didn’t particularly need sunlight. All she needed was water, food, and the comfort of her own home. Rhea lived in a stylish one person condo. It was styled lavishly with all the necessities a lone person could need. She had packages delivered straight to her door so there was no particular need to step outside into the real world. 

There was no need for social interaction, sunlight, or whatever the normal person needed. Rhea had everything right in this condo of hers that allowed her to immerse herself solely in her work and hobbies. 

That all changed however when her neighbors in the condo next door moved in. 

The first day sort of went like this as she awoke to loud sounds disrupting her sleep. Rhea knew the condo next door was vacant and when she peered through the door hole, she saw two men in the distance carrying boxes across the hall. 

She didn’t bother to look and resumed sleeping. She however, woke again due to someone knocking on her door. Rhea slowly rubbed the sleep from her eyes and moodily sat upright in bed. It was late into the afternoon. It couldn’t be her editor Sasha as she swore she turned in the manuscript last night. 

“Excuse me!” 

Rhea sluggishly draped the blanket over her head and body, looking like some blanket monster in the twenty first century. She stuck her eye in the hole and watched as two men stood outside of her door. It seemed to be the same men from earlier on in the morning. The one that has his face glued to the peep hole had hair as pitch black as the night with the most peculiar shade of violet hues. 

The other one looked similar, yet stood off to the side idly waiting. Her eyes widened as she observed the two men. Judging by their looks, they seemed to be brothers, identical almost save for the fact that there were a few differences here and there which drew them apart. 

“…Hello? My brother and I just moved in and we forgot to buy salt. We were wondering if we could borrow your salt…” 

Rhea was a shut in but she wasn’t entirely a mean person. She mostly just wanted these men to go away. So, she walked over to her cabinet to grab the salt and quickly opened the door. However, the moment she opened the door, she slid the salt out and then slammed the door shut so they couldn’t even catch a glimpse except for her dark circled eyes glowing at them. 

She watched through the peep hole as both widened their eyes in surprise or blinked in confusion. 

“…Thank you?” the man said but then turned to his brother as they walked off with her salt. “That was so scary!” 

“Aziel. Your ugly voice must have frightened them.” 

“Shutup Zeven. I swear, you’re returning it when we’re done with it.” 

Rhea observed that the more aloof looking twin was named Zeven while the more rowdy one was named Aziel. Whatever. She didn’t care about them but she hoped they would give her salt back. The only reason she gave it to them was so that they could leave her alone and understand she didn’t like to socialize with others. It gave her huge anxiety. 

That first night was the strangest as she heard a woman’s screams from her new neighbor’s condo. It was unfortunate but their bedrooms were connected by the thin walls. What she heard that night made her blush yet angered that one of the men were so loud in their private affairs. She heard male and female sounds groaning and panting as obscene sounds filled her ears. 

The next two mornings, she ordered soundproof earphones because the sex from next door went something like, ‘Please fuck me harder baby’ or ‘More’ or ‘Oh god, it’s so good!’. The list went on and on to things she wished she could unhear. It was at least three different woman each of the mornings and nights they had their rough and wild sex. 

Rhea came up with a realization of how to paint her new neighbors. Her new neighbors were crazed sex addicts that she would by all means possible, definitely stray away from.