Intrusion: A Novel Part 5

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 backpacka"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 b.u.t.tered the toast. I had eight pieces of toast, I figured that should be enough.

I poured five gla.s.ses of orange juice and five gla.s.ses 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 c.r.a.p, 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.

"Yes, it is outside my daughter's window," my dad said.

"Let's go take a look," the photographer said.

We all went outside and walked to where the footprint was located and It was still there.

The photographer immediately started taking pictures of it at different angles. When he was finished, the police officer took out a measuring tape and bent down and measured the footprint. He measured the length and the width. He wrote down something in a little notebook. When he was finished, he asked us if we wanted to go in the house to talk.

"Yes, we would," my father said.

I wanted to go in because it felt creepy to be out here where the stalker had been just hours before.

When we got inside, my mother asked everyone if they wanted some coffee. Both the photographer and the officer said they would. Just black coffee, no cream or sugar.

My mother left to go get the coffee and my father asked everyone to sit down. I sat at the end of the couch, hugging myself.

"I know you have been through this before, but could you tell me what is happening?" the officer said.

"Whitney, do you want to tell him or would you like me to?" my father asked.

"Please tell him," I said.

"Someone has been either playing pranks on my little girl or he is serious," my father said.

"What sort of pranks?"

"Giving flowers, sending weird texts, destroying hundreds of dollars' worth of books, putting strange notes in her school backpack, and now this footprint," my father said.

"What did he write in the text message?" the officer asked.

"One time she went to the movies and some guys were bothering her and that night she got a text saying that the person was glad she didn't sit by them," my father said.

"Okay, did you see who sent the text?" the officer asked.

"No, it was blocked. They first tried to call me and I didn't take the call because it said unavailable," I said.

"Did anything else happen?" the officer asked.

"He put a flower in my locker, then when I threw it away, I got a note saying it wasn't nice for me to throw it away," I said.

"It was put together in magazine cut-outs," my dad said, "like a ransom note."

"After that, we called the police and I got a text message calling me a Witch," I said, embarra.s.sed.

"Anything else?"

"Later, I got a note saying he forgave me," I said.

"Sounds like a stalker," the police officer said. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No," I said, and felt the heat rising to my face.

"Do you have an ex-boyfriend or anyone you may have rejected?"

I was even more embarra.s.sed. "There's a boy named Brendan. I was going with him for a while, but I broke up with him a few months ago."

"What's his last name?" the officer pressed.

"Please. It's not him. He wouldn't do that. We are still friends. We say hi every day."

"You're sure?"