Chapter Four
Alissa sat down in front of her computer and logged on to AOL messenger service. She and Natalie talked online all the time. Sure enough, Natalie's screen name popped up a minute later to show that she was on.
Alissa: Hey
Nat: Hey
Aliss: Bad storm eh?
Nat: Yeah, kinda like the night Vincent was at your house.
Why would she say that? She liked to bring up things that had happened before just to make me suffer it seemed. She had been terrified that night too, she had run just as fast as Alissa if not faster to Ty's house. She thought Vincent was there to kill them both, but now that it was over, she pretended as if Alissa was the one that was afraid and she was tough and knew nothing was going on. And also, nothing had been found in the house that night, no evidence that Vincent had even been there.
Alissa: I guess
Nat: Are you scared?
Alissa: No
But Alissa was scared. Thunder was booming in the sky and lightning cracked every few seconds. The storm seemed so real and close. It felt almost like that night.
Nat: Gotta go
She logged off before Alissa could answer. Natalie was acting like that a lot lately. Always avoiding Alissa and being inconsiderate when they were together. She had changed. She had always been a little insensitive but now it seemed like she was doing it on purpose just to be mean.
A door slammed and Alissa jumped in surprise. Footsteps came running up the steps and Alissa's little brother Jeremy catapulted himself onto her bed.
"Wanna play soldiers?" he asked.
"After dinner okay?" Alissa said.
"Okay," he said cheerfully and he left to entertain himself before dinner. The one thing that had cheered Alissa up during the Vincent thing was Jeremy. They had been close since he was old enough to talk. She played with him whenever she could and they always had fun together. Alissa would do anything for her brother and even though he was so young he would do anything for her. Alissa told him some of her secrets and he told her his. He was very good at not telling secrets.
Alissa had been terrified after the threatening notes started coming that Vincent might try to hurt Jeremy to get back at her, but thankfully that never happened.
Alissa stood at her bedroom window gazing out into the pouring rain. It was starting to let up a little and Alissa was grateful for that. She looked down at the street and for a minute she thought she saw a black blur run behind the big oak tree
It's nothing she told herself, but she wasn't so sure.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A couple of days had passed and Alissa hadn't got anymore letters or poems on purple paper. She was starting to think that the others ones were some kind of coincidence when she received another one.
It was tucked inside her coat pocket when she was getting ready for school one morning. Her heart pounded as she unfolded the note.
There are no perks Where I lurk I will watch you For now, that's all I'll do
The piece of paper drifted out of her hand as Alissa stared into the closet. There was a single red rose in on the floor. Wrapped around the stem was a purple ribbon holding a photograph to it. With shaking hands she picked up the flower and looked at the picture. It was a photograph of me holding Jeremy as a baby but Jeremy's head had been cut out.
I dropped the picture in disgust and let out an angry yell.
He could threaten me, but I would NOT let him threaten my little brother. He was going to pay for this. Whoever did this was going to pay.
Alissa sat down in front of her computer and logged on to AOL messenger service. She and Natalie talked online all the time. Sure enough, Natalie's screen name popped up a minute later to show that she was on.
Alissa: Hey
Nat: Hey
Aliss: Bad storm eh?
Nat: Yeah, kinda like the night Vincent was at your house.
Why would she say that? She liked to bring up things that had happened before just to make me suffer it seemed. She had been terrified that night too, she had run just as fast as Alissa if not faster to Ty's house. She thought Vincent was there to kill them both, but now that it was over, she pretended as if Alissa was the one that was afraid and she was tough and knew nothing was going on. And also, nothing had been found in the house that night, no evidence that Vincent had even been there.
Alissa: I guess
Nat: Are you scared?
Alissa: No
But Alissa was scared. Thunder was booming in the sky and lightning cracked every few seconds. The storm seemed so real and close. It felt almost like that night.
Nat: Gotta go
She logged off before Alissa could answer. Natalie was acting like that a lot lately. Always avoiding Alissa and being inconsiderate when they were together. She had changed. She had always been a little insensitive but now it seemed like she was doing it on purpose just to be mean.
A door slammed and Alissa jumped in surprise. Footsteps came running up the steps and Alissa's little brother Jeremy catapulted himself onto her bed.
"Wanna play soldiers?" he asked.
"After dinner okay?" Alissa said.
"Okay," he said cheerfully and he left to entertain himself before dinner. The one thing that had cheered Alissa up during the Vincent thing was Jeremy. They had been close since he was old enough to talk. She played with him whenever she could and they always had fun together. Alissa would do anything for her brother and even though he was so young he would do anything for her. Alissa told him some of her secrets and he told her his. He was very good at not telling secrets.
Alissa had been terrified after the threatening notes started coming that Vincent might try to hurt Jeremy to get back at her, but thankfully that never happened.
Alissa stood at her bedroom window gazing out into the pouring rain. It was starting to let up a little and Alissa was grateful for that. She looked down at the street and for a minute she thought she saw a black blur run behind the big oak tree
It's nothing she told herself, but she wasn't so sure.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
A couple of days had passed and Alissa hadn't got anymore letters or poems on purple paper. She was starting to think that the others ones were some kind of coincidence when she received another one.
It was tucked inside her coat pocket when she was getting ready for school one morning. Her heart pounded as she unfolded the note.
There are no perks Where I lurk I will watch you For now, that's all I'll do
The piece of paper drifted out of her hand as Alissa stared into the closet. There was a single red rose in on the floor. Wrapped around the stem was a purple ribbon holding a photograph to it. With shaking hands she picked up the flower and looked at the picture. It was a photograph of me holding Jeremy as a baby but Jeremy's head had been cut out.
I dropped the picture in disgust and let out an angry yell.
He could threaten me, but I would NOT let him threaten my little brother. He was going to pay for this. Whoever did this was going to pay.