My phone lit up at 2:17 a.m. like it had a personal grudge with my sleep.
New notification:
Angel Vesper is LIVE - Kai's Perfect Day #47
I stared at the screen, half-sleep, thumb hovering over the dismiss button. Angel Vesper? Some random streamer. I didn't follow any streamers. I barely had time for my life.
But the thumbnail...it was a close-up of my desk lamp. The one with the cracked base I kept meaning to fix.
Curiosity won from the bizarreness of it all. So, I tapped.
The stream loaded instantly, it was high-quality video, crystal clear and there she was. The star of the show.
Pink hair tied in loose twin tails, big doe eyes framed by long lashes, and the softest, sweetest smile I'd ever seen on a girl. She looked like the kind of girl who'd bake you cookies then cry if you did not eat the whole plate.
She was sitting in what looked like a pastel gaming setup, but the background feed behind her...that was my room. Like my actual room. My unmade bed, my half empty energy drink cans, and my laundry pile in the corner that I swore a thousand times I'd deal with tomorrow.
"Good evening, my darling," she sang in that bubble, ASMR soft voice. "Tonight our sweet Kai finally went to bed early. Look at him trying to be responsible."
My blood in my veins turned to ice suddenly because eI felt a sudden cold take over my body, raising my goosebumps.
The camera angle captured the view from inside my room, appearing high up near the ceiling, as if someone mounted it on the smoke detector I never checked.
She leaned closer to her own camera, her eyes sparkling with mischief and pure affection. "Isn't he adorable when he thinks he's alone?"
I sat up so fast from my sleeping position on my bed that my head spun. The chat on the right side of the screen was exploding.
Angelfan69: he's so cute when he's confused lol
PinkprincessLover: 10k likes if she can zoom in on his as again
VesperObssessed: Kia you dummy, she's been watching for weeks
I muted the stream, then unmuted, then muted again.
This had to be a prank, maybe a hidden camera of a deep fake, or something. While I was still trying to figure out who from one of my friends could even think to play such a sick prank on me, Angel Vesper tilted her head.
Still smiling that gentle smile, a too perfect smile, and whispered straight into the mic like she was talking only to me.
"Kai...you're awake. So bad you weren't supposed to find out this early into the stream."
My stomach dropped.
That only meant she knew I was watching, and knew I was awake by now also knew my name.
The chat went wild on the revelation.
Gift received!
LunarRose donated 500coins: "For our favourite star. Make him squirm!"
Agel's eyes fluttered like she'd just tasted something sweet. "Thank you, LunarRose that was a big one. I am sure Kai is happy too."
Just when I was still trying to make heads or tails of what she just said my phone buzzed again. A banking app notification I did not remember installing.
+$47.00 deposited - Anonymous tip.
I stared at the number stupedified, it was forty seven dollars and the exact timestamp the stream started.
Angel giggled, covering her mouth with both hands like a shy idol. "See? the stream likes it when you pay attention."
She leaned in until her face filled the entire screen. That smile never wavered, but something in her eyes shifted.
"Stay with me tonight, will yah? The viewers love you, I love you, and the stream loves you. But if the viewer count drops because of you..."
She let the threat hang, still smiling like she'd just offered me candy.
I slammed the phone face-down on the bed.
Minutes later my heart was still hammering in my chest. I imagined myself ripping the smoke detector off the ceiling, checking my lamp and even my laptop and every surface or counter in my little abode trying to find the hidden cameras, but I knew not to play around with psychopaths. So I decided to see how it all unfolds before I decide to go to the police.
When I picked up my phone back up, the stream was still going. These people do not sleep at all seemed..
Angel was now doing a slow spin in her chair, humming happily. "He's thinking of finding the cameras. So cute when he's scared. Do not worry, my dear Kai, I'll always protect you from the bad parts of the world. Even if it means removing the bad parts myself."
The chat spammed hearts and knives.
I typed in the chat with shaking fingers, using the anonymous guest account, but my name appeared.
Guest_Kai: Who the hell are you?
The message appeared on screen instantly.
Angel's eyes lit up like Christmas. She clapped her hands together once, the sweet smile stretching wider.
"Oh! my favourite viewer finally said hi! Everyone, say hello to Kai. He's shy, but he's going to be our star forever."
The entire chat flooded with variations of "hi Kai" and "welcome to the family."
Then a new notification popped up on my screen. Not from the stream app. A blue holographic panel I'd never seen before materialized in the corner of my vision like augmented reality.
{Observer System - Star Interface Activated}
Host: AngelVesper
Current Viewers: 12,847
Your star Points: 0
First Fragment Unlocked - Passive Observation Detected.
Welcome, Star. Play along...or
The panel vanished as fast as it appeared.