her
ear. “No,” she gasped as she pushed the end button and tossed the
phone on the bed.
She had to get out. She couldn’t be alone in
the house, not if this was going to continue. She would end up
losing her mind if she stayed. She ran back down the hall towards
the bathroom. She couldn’t just leave the water running. She might
be scared but she wasn’t stupid.
Hurrying into the bathroom, she reached for
the knob to turn off the water and froze. Rose petals. They were
completely covering the top of the water like a flowery
blanket.
She turned off the water in a daze. Her heart
seemed frozen in her chest. Those petals had not been there before.
Someone had put them there.
Someone was in the house.
Candy turned and ran out of the bathroom. She
grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket as her feet pounded down
the stairs. Quickly dialing 911, she made her way to the living
room.
The line rang once and then there was a
click. “911. What is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.
“Doreen,” she panted into the phone as she
stepped into the kitchen. It had to be Doreen. She would be the one
manning dispatch at this hour. “Doreen, someone’s in my house.”
“Who?” she asked. “Are you okay? What’s going
on?” Her voice sounded frantic as Candy passed into the dining
room.
She stopped in shock, taking in the scene in
front of her. The phone slid from her hand and hit the floor,
bouncing away. “What the…”
Candles flickered on the table, trying to
entice her forward. The flowers she had thrown away were back in
their vase, carefully arranged into a centerpiece. The necklace sat
on the table sparkling just as brilliantly as before. The teddy
bear sat in a chair facing an empty chair pulled back from the
table, as if begging her to sit with him. There, directly on the
place setting of the chair, was a box of chocolates. The lid was
off and the chocolates sat there, demanding attention. A note laid
next to the box.
She shivered as her eyes drifted over the
words on the note. Candy for my Candy?
“Oh my god,” she muttered as she darted for
the front door. She made it there as fast as her feet could carry
her and threw the door open.
Candy stumbled out onto the porch, looking
around in shock. Her whole entire porch was covered with flowers.
Bouquets of flowers. Flowers in pots. Flowers just thrown on the
wooden floor. Flowers were everywhere.
The smell was overpowering, cloying in her
nose. She had to get away from those flowers. She fled the porch,
running down the walkway to the street.
She looked up and down the street, trying to
decide what to do. She had to get out of here. She turned and
looked at her car. She needed to get in it and head to the police
station or her parent’s house, anywhere that wasn’t here right
now.
She turned and sprinted for her car. A dark
shape seemed to step away from it as she got close. She stopped
short as a figure came into view.
“Hey, what’s a matter?” the man asked as he
stepped closer to her.
She felt the breath hitch in her throat as
she looked up at his face. It was Kevin, her next door neighbor. He
always seemed to show up when she was outside.
“What do you want?” she asked him.
“What’s wrong, Candy?” he asked her. “Where
are you going?”
She instantly took a step back. Kevin would
have had the perfect opportunity to leave those things on her
porch. Plus, here he was, lurking outside her house in the dark.
“I’ve got to go,” she whispered, turning around.
“Wait,” he called. “What ever is going on, I
can help you with it. A girl like you shouldn’t have to be alone on
Valentine’s Day.”
Her eyes grew wide. It was him. She took off
on a dead run down the street.
“Come back, Candy.” Kevin’s voice seemed to
follow her as she ran.
She ran faster, shivering in the cold night
air. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him following. Her
heartbeat kicked up another notch. She couldn’t let him
ear. “No,” she gasped as she pushed the end button and tossed the
phone on the bed.
She had to get out. She couldn’t be alone in
the house, not if this was going to continue. She would end up
losing her mind if she stayed. She ran back down the hall towards
the bathroom. She couldn’t just leave the water running. She might
be scared but she wasn’t stupid.
Hurrying into the bathroom, she reached for
the knob to turn off the water and froze. Rose petals. They were
completely covering the top of the water like a flowery
blanket.
She turned off the water in a daze. Her heart
seemed frozen in her chest. Those petals had not been there before.
Someone had put them there.
Someone was in the house.
Candy turned and ran out of the bathroom. She
grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket as her feet pounded down
the stairs. Quickly dialing 911, she made her way to the living
room.
The line rang once and then there was a
click. “911. What is your emergency?” the dispatcher asked.
“Doreen,” she panted into the phone as she
stepped into the kitchen. It had to be Doreen. She would be the one
manning dispatch at this hour. “Doreen, someone’s in my house.”
“Who?” she asked. “Are you okay? What’s going
on?” Her voice sounded frantic as Candy passed into the dining
room.
She stopped in shock, taking in the scene in
front of her. The phone slid from her hand and hit the floor,
bouncing away. “What the…”
Candles flickered on the table, trying to
entice her forward. The flowers she had thrown away were back in
their vase, carefully arranged into a centerpiece. The necklace sat
on the table sparkling just as brilliantly as before. The teddy
bear sat in a chair facing an empty chair pulled back from the
table, as if begging her to sit with him. There, directly on the
place setting of the chair, was a box of chocolates. The lid was
off and the chocolates sat there, demanding attention. A note laid
next to the box.
She shivered as her eyes drifted over the
words on the note. Candy for my Candy?
“Oh my god,” she muttered as she darted for
the front door. She made it there as fast as her feet could carry
her and threw the door open.
Candy stumbled out onto the porch, looking
around in shock. Her whole entire porch was covered with flowers.
Bouquets of flowers. Flowers in pots. Flowers just thrown on the
wooden floor. Flowers were everywhere.
The smell was overpowering, cloying in her
nose. She had to get away from those flowers. She fled the porch,
running down the walkway to the street.
She looked up and down the street, trying to
decide what to do. She had to get out of here. She turned and
looked at her car. She needed to get in it and head to the police
station or her parent’s house, anywhere that wasn’t here right
now.
She turned and sprinted for her car. A dark
shape seemed to step away from it as she got close. She stopped
short as a figure came into view.
“Hey, what’s a matter?” the man asked as he
stepped closer to her.
She felt the breath hitch in her throat as
she looked up at his face. It was Kevin, her next door neighbor. He
always seemed to show up when she was outside.
“What do you want?” she asked him.
“What’s wrong, Candy?” he asked her. “Where
are you going?”
She instantly took a step back. Kevin would
have had the perfect opportunity to leave those things on her
porch. Plus, here he was, lurking outside her house in the dark.
“I’ve got to go,” she whispered, turning around.
“Wait,” he called. “What ever is going on, I
can help you with it. A girl like you shouldn’t have to be alone on
Valentine’s Day.”
Her eyes grew wide. It was him. She took off
on a dead run down the street.
“Come back, Candy.” Kevin’s voice seemed to
follow her as she ran.
She ran faster, shivering in the cold night
air. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him following. Her
heartbeat kicked up another notch. She couldn’t let him
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