CHAPTER FIVE: The Nightmare Letter

The next day she awoke from another nightmare. As usual, because of her constant paranoia, she
went in to check on Jaime. She ran into his room and he wasn't there. She ran into the kitchen. No
cereal mess, no Jaime. She checked the bathroom, no Jaime.

"Jaime?" She screamed. She turned at a noise and saw him coming through the front door.

"Sorry mom. I was just going to get the mail." He walked to the table without noticing the disturbed
look on her face. He sat down and scanned the mail. "Bill, bill, bill, junk, ad. Oh, this looks like a
letter mom, but it doesn't have a return address on it." He handed Caitie the letter and started
skimming through a catalog on camping equipment they had received. "Hey mom, could we go
camping?"

"One day honey when we get enough money." She answered as she opened the curious envelope.

She unfolded the paper and starred in horror at the inscription written over smudged dirt and
cigarette ash stains, and messy hand writing.

Dear Caitie,

I'll be coming for you soon. You and the boy. We will be a family again. I need you back. I need you
now. I want you both. Be expecting a visit shortly.

It wasn't signed, but she new who it was from.

"Jaime," she cried and looked to her son who was still looking through the catalog. She ran and
picked him up and quickly headed out the door.

"Momma, where are we going?"

"To aunty Val's and uncle Tyler's."

"But you said we were going to spend the day together?"

"We are honey. We just got to make a stop there first."

"But I'm still in my jammas!"

"It's O.K. We need to go now."

She got to her car in record speed, cranked on the engine, and hurried over to Val's in record speed.