INTRUSION (Whitney Holmes Series) (5 page)

“
Some guy has been stalking me, and leaving weird messages on my phone,” I said.

“
Have you seen him?”

“
No, and that is the creepy part. He is like some phantom that sees me and I cannot see him,” I said. “I don’t know who it is.”

“
Well, I will keep my eyes open,” he said.

I gave him a hug, I loved both my brothers the same, but Jacob was younger and not so sensitive to my feelings as Jordan.

That night, I woke up around two in the morning with my heart pounding. I was really afraid. I took a blanket and a pillow and I went in the boys’ room and slept on their floor. It wasn’t very comfortable, but at least I didn’t feel so alone.

The next morning, Jacob stepped on me when he got out of bed. He screamed, I screamed and my mom came running in from the kitchen. She was holding a spatula.

“What in the world?” my mom asked.

“
I got scared last night and came and slept on Jacob and Jordan’s floor,” I said.

“
My poor baby,” my mom said.

She walked over and awkwardly gave me a hug.

I got up and grabbed my blanket and pillow.

“
You know Jacob and I still have our BB guns,” Jordan said looking at me.

“
No BB guns,” my mom said.

Last summer, the boys had accidentally hit a bird, so my parents had put the guns away.

“Thank you, Jordan,” I said.

“
No problem,” he said winking at me.

We all trooped into breakfast, which was burning pancakes, I ate some burned pancakes with syrup. I was too hungry to mind.

Later, my dad took Chanda and me to school, I had my stupid backpack full of books, and I felt like a huge turtle. Classes were okay I had to keep getting the right book out of my bag, which was a hassle, in American Government I was asked a question I didn’t know the answer to, because I didn’t have that folder. I tried to explain to the teacher later why I flaked out and he didn’t seem to care that I had a serious reason.

I usually liked school but I kept getting the feeling of being watched. I would turn suddenly, but no one would be there and I had goose bumps on the backs of my arms.

My mom came and picked up Chanda and me.

Later, in my room, I was taking out my books when a note fell out of my bag. It looked just like the other one with cut-out letters from a magazine. It said, “I decided to forgive you for calling the police.” That was it.

I dropped it like it was on fire and my heart was pounding like crazy.

I went to my kitchen where my mom was starting dinner and I told her, “I got another note.”

“A note, what do you mean?” she asked distractedly.

“
From that weirdo. I got another note,” I said impatiently.

She stopped measuring water in a pan and looked at me.

“You don’t have a locker anymore,” she said.

“
I know, he put in my backpack,” I said.

She turned white.

“
He got close enough to you to put something in your bag and you didn’t see him?” she asked.

“
I guess so,” I said and then I burst into tears.

“
Aw, honey, it will be okay,” wiping her hands on her shirt and coming over to me to hug me.

“
Should I be scared?” I asked her.

“
I really don’t know,” she said.

“
I feel scared,” I said.

“
Well, when Dad gets home, we will show him the note. He will know what to do,” Mom said.

“
Okay,” I said.

“
Where is the note now?” she asked.

“
On my floor,” I said.

“
Well, pick it up and put it in this baggie,” she said, going over to the cupboard and getting out a baggie.

I went in my room and put the note carefully in the baggie where someone could read it.

We had dinner and the boys were being silly. They had sort of a game they played on each other when the other one gets in trouble. They kind of put their hand over their faces and close it and call out, “Facial!” I don’t know how it started, but I sometimes do it to them and they go nuts with laughter.

My father came home and had dinner and after dinner, my mom and I told him about the note. He said he would go late into work tomorrow to take it to the police station. I asked if I had to go and he said he didn’t see why I should.

When it was time for bed, I was scared, so I asked the boys if they wanted to sleep in my bed. I had a double bed. They both said no. I told them I would tell them a really good story so they said okay.

After we put on our pajamas, we went to bed. I started telling them a Cinderella story but then it got nice and gory about how the mom died. Then, when I got to the kissing part at the end, I called it, “Mooey, Mooey,” which is a funny thing to them, they laughed and we all went to sleep.

The next morning, we all woke up tangled around each other, I loved sleeping in a dog pile.

My mom took Chanda and me to school since my dad was going to the police station. I told Chanda in the car all about the note and she looked scared.

I kept looking for the weirdo all day to see if he put a note in my bag and I didn’t see anyone.

My friends at lunch were intrigued about this guy. They acted like it was some Lifetime movie and I was the star. I didn’t want to star in my own Lifetime movie, I wanted to be left alone.

My mom picked up Chanda and me and she told me to look in my backpack. I did and I had a red rose. All three of us screamed like little girls. I didn’t know how he was getting so close to me.

CHAPTER FOUR

When my father got home, he had a lot to say and so did I, I let him go first, “First of all, your fingerprints were the only ones on the notes. So, he is either using some sort of tool or he is wiping them down,” my father said.

“What kind of tool?” my mother asked.

“
Like tweezers or something that will pick up the letters to glue them. There was absolutely no DNA so he didn’t lick them. He must be using regular glue or rubber cement.”

“
What do the police think?” my mom said.

“
Well, they think two notes are more serious than one, and that he got close enough to put it in her backpack—they are concerned,” my father said.

“
Dad, he put a red rose in my bag today,” I said.

My dad’s face turned red in anger.

“I don’t like this, he is playing with you,” he said. “He means to terrify you.”

“
I am not having any fun,” I said.

“
I know, sweetheart,” my dad said, hugging me.

“
Do you think he is dangerous?” I asked again, with my lip trembling.

“
I sure hope not, because I still have my Navy training,” my dad said.

“
Thank you, Dad,” I said, kissing him on the cheek.

I went to my room and made sure my windows were locked and my curtains shut. I wanted my brothers to sleep with me again, but I decided to brave it out.

I woke up with my heart pounding, did I hear something? I started to sweat. I laid there in my bed for about a minute. Then, I grabbed my pillow and blanket and ran to my brothers’ room. I shut their door and locked it.

I didn’t know what was happening to me, was I just having a panic attack or did I really hear something?

I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. I looked at the clock and it said five a.m. so I decided to get up.

I decided to make breakfast for everyone. I knew it was early but I didn’t feel like reading. I was really good at making scrambled eggs and toast, they really smelled good.

After the eggs were finished, I put them in a large serving bowl. I set the table for five. I put the scrambled eggs in the middle of the table. I went back and buttered the toast. I had eight pieces of toast, I figured that should be enough.

I poured five glasses of orange juice and five glasses of milk. This was going to be a healthy meal.

After I put a napkin next to each plate, I went to wake up the gang.

I knocked lightly on my parents’ door my dad was a light sleeper.

“Who is it?” he called.

“
It’s Whitney, I made breakfast.”

My mom said something quietly to my dad.

He called out, “We will be right there.”

I then went and woke up Jordan and Jacob. They were not as easy to wake as my parents, but they decided to come to the breakfast table, even though they were tired.

My parents came in and my mom said, “How nice, Whitney, what is the occasion?”

“
I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to make breakfast. I am sorry it is so early,” I said.

“
The food looks good and your brothers need a nutritious breakfast,” my father said.

“
So does Whitney,” my mother said, smiling.

“
Of course,” my father said.

We all sat down and ate. After breakfast, I did the dishes and then went to the living room and sat. I was still nervous and now, I was a little nauseated from eating.

My mom came in and sat by me. “Honey, are you okay?” she asked.

“
I don’t know, I woke up with my heart pounding and I thought I heard something,” I said.

“
What did you think you heard?” she asked.

“
I didn’t know,” I said.

“
I am concerned for you,” she said.

“
I hate this stalker thing so much. I wish he would just leave me alone,” I said.

“
I think he might get bored with the whole thing and stop,” my mom said.

“
I sure hope so,” I said.

“
Why don’t you curl up on the couch and sleep a little bit? You still have an hour before Dad has to take you to school,” my mom said.

“
Okay,” I said.

My mom got me a blanket and pillow and I laid down and fell asleep. In an hour, she woke me up. It felt like I had only been asleep for a minute or two, I felt like crap,  I never liked to fall asleep once I am awake I went in my room and got dressed.

On a whim, I decided to go outside my window to see if there was someone out there last night. We have sort of a muddy area by our windows where my dad waters the bushes, my heart almost went out of my chest; there was a footprint in the mud, just one. It looked like about a size ten. Too big for my brothers. It also looked like a tennis shoe and my dad didn’t wear tennis shoes.

I sort of half screamed and ran into the house and called for my parents. My mom and dad came running to me.

“I think there was someone outside my window last night,” I said again I burst into tears.

“
What do you mean?” my dad said.

“
There is a footprint outside my window. It is in the mud.”

“
Let me go look,” my father said.

He left the living room then went outside. When he came back in, his face was white as a ghost.

“Whitney, we need to call the police,” he said.

“
Call Chanda and tell her you are going to go to school late and she needs to get her own ride today,” my mom said.

I called Chanda and she was very concerned. I told her I would tell her all about it when I got to school.

My dad called the police and told them about the footprint. They said they would send over a photographer and a police officer, right away.

“
At least they are taking this seriously,” my father said when he got off the phone.

I was shaking, visibly shaking, my mother got me a blanket and wrapped it around me. We waited for the police in silence. I was so nervous I was feeling like I would throw up my breakfast.

Jacob and Jordan were in the other room playing video games. My mom said she would take them to school so they wouldn’t be at the house when the police came.

They complained about having to go to school early. They wanted to know why they had to go so early. My mom said she would explain in the car.

After my mom and the boys left, my father came over and hugged me and he wrapped his arms around me, we sat like that until my mom came home from taking the boys to school.

Pretty soon, there was a knock at the door, my mom went to answer it. A photographer and a different police officer from the other day came in; they were both male.

“We understand there is a footprint we need to look at,” the police officer said.