A/N: Hey, guys! Wow, hard to believe we're already on Chapter 13! Wow. Thank you guys for reading and reviewing, it's such an awesome feeling to know you guys like what I'm writing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush

Chapter 13: A Warning Sign

Leigh POV

I had never been to a funeral before. Well…not until today, that is. It had been a week since Cassandra was found dead. The medical examiner finally released her body, saying the cause of death was the knife slit to her throat, and that the symbol carved into her hand occurred post mortem.

The boys of Big Time Rush and I decided to attend her funeral. For the guys, they went for closure, to pay respects to a friend. I, on the other hand, was going out of guilt. I owed her that much. Of course, I couldn't tell anyone that was the reason.

The funeral was extremely depressing. A sea of black surrounded her gravesite as the preacher began his speech. Random sobs were emitted throughout the mourners as they lowered her coffin into the grave. The sun began to set, and a drizzle fell down from the heavens as the dirt was piled onto Cassandra's resting site. Grievers departed, one by one. Eventually, it was just Cassandra's family and me at her grave. I stepped back and silently waited, trying to not intrude on the family's intimate moment. I'm not sure how much time passed, but after one finally sob, they left and I was the only one remaining. Hesitantly, I made my way to where Cassandra laid. I knelt down next to her headstone, and placed the bouquet of roses I had been holding on to on top of the newly dug grave. I bowed my head, guilt getting the better of me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "I'm so, so sorry."

My thoughts consumed me, and I become oblivious to the world around me. I don't know how long I was there for, but after some time I felt hand on my shoulder. I flinched, finding myself back in reality. Looking for the source, I turned around to see Logan, James, Kendall, and Carlos looking down at me. James' hand moved from my shoulder as he extended it toward me. Gratefully, I accepted his hand as he helped me up. The boys continued to eye me sadly, and judging by the red rings around their eyes, they had only recently stopped crying.

"Are you ok, Li-Li?" Carlos asked, his concern radiating off of him.

I nodded. "How are you guys?"

Logan glanced at the rest of the guys before he responded. "We're coping. Better than you, at least. Don't you realize that it's been three hours since the funeral ended?"

I looked up at the sky, startled by the fact that it was pitch black, save for a couple of stars that littered the night. "Oh, I must've lost track of time," I replied lamely.

Kendall put his arm around me, giving me a reassuring squeeze. "C'mon, let's go home."

The drive back home was a quiet one. I think it's safe to say that everyone was reflecting on the funeral and how unfair it was that someone so young died in such a brutal way.

We arrived at the Palm Woods, and silently made our way upstairs. I was about to say goodnight to the guys when I noticed something odd.

"I remember locking my door," I stated, pointing to my front door that was currently ajar. Something is amiss. Putting my guard up, I made my way to the door. I didn't make it very far because someone grabbed my hand, roughly jerking me backwards. My back pressed up against someone's chest, and an arm wrapped around my waist, keeping my in place.

"What are you doing?" Logan hissed in my ear. "Someone could be in there!"

"Logan's right," Kendall said, his eyes wide. "I'm going to call 911."

At the boys' insistence, we waited for the cops inside apartment 2J. After about fifteen minutes, we heard a rapid knock on the door. The boys jumped, obviously distraught by the current situation. I opened it, revealing none other than…

"Officer Butler," I greeted curtly.

"We've got some officers in your apartment, looks like whoever broke in left," he responded, not bothering with the pleasantries.

I shook my head, and joined Officer Butler outside the hallway. We were about to go inside my apartment, when I detected four presences behind me.

"Why don't you guys stay inside your apartment?" I suggested without looking back at the boys. They began to protest, but were interrupted.

"She's got a point," Officer Butler concurred, noticing the guys behind us. "The less people in there the better." With that, Officer Butler and I entered my apartment, ignoring their objections.

For a moment, I couldn't even believe this was my apartment. I was shocked at what I saw. It looked like a tornado had blown in, leaving a huge mess in its wake. Seeing my apartment in such a state made me feel violated. Self consciously, I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling exposed.

"We need you to look around and see if anything's been taken," Officer Butler explained, after giving me a few minutes to process everything.

I acknowledged what he said with a mumble, as I walked around my apartment. My apartment was relatively small so it didn't take too much time to look around. I had searched the majority of my apartment in no time flat, and it appeared nothing was missing. I only had one more place to look: the bedroom. Entering my bedroom cautiously, I did a quick inventory check. I didn't notice anything missing, but I did notice something on my bedside table. In three long strides, I reached the table and picked up the paper, reading its content. As I read, I felt myself grow cold and I began to tremble. Realizing that the cops were still here, I tucked away the piece paper into my purse and returned to where Officer Butler was standing.

"Anything missing?"

I composed myself. "No, everything seems to be accounted for."

Officer Butler made a few notes in his notepad before he called to the policeman searching my apartment, telling them that they were done. As the cops and I walked back out to the hallway, Officer Butler signaled for the other cops to leave. After they were gone, he looked over at me.

"Are you not telling us something?"

I covered my surprise, as I coldly retorted, "No. Why would you think I'm not telling you something?"

Officer Butler lifted his shoulder casually, "Well, it seems a lot of strange events have been occurring lately, and you seem to be in the middle of it." He then stared at me, his gaze hard. If Officer Butler was hoping to get a rise out of me, he was sadly mistaken.

I returned his gaze with a steely one of my own, not backing down. Our staring match lasted until the officer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well, should you discover you are missing anything, you know my number."

"I will," I promised, secretly knowing I'd never call.

He waved and then ambled toward the elevator. He pushed the button, and waited for said elevator to arrive. After about five minutes, the elevator door opened, but Officer Butler lingered. He turned around and eyed me, his expression unreadable.

"Just…be careful, ok?"

I hesitated, but reluctantly answered, "Of course."

He bade me goodnight and walked into the elevator. Moments later, I heard a door bang open and was met with a flurry of words.

"Whoa, calm down guys," I spoke patiently, waiting for the boys to stop talking over one another.

"Was anything taken?" Carlos asked once their simultaneous chattering ceased.

"No, nothing was taken."

"What are you going to do tonight?" James piped up.

My eyes flickered on James. "What do you mean?"

"I think he means…you're not going to sleep in your apartment tonight, are you?" Logan inquired, his voice squeaking at the end of his query.

"Ummm…"

"Of course you won't!" Kendall cut in. "I already asked my mom, and she said you can spend the night."

"But-"

"My mom wouldn't have it any other way," he insisted.

I sighed, rubbing my temple with my finger, knowing that once Kendall had his mind set on something, he would never let it go.

"Fine." I muttered.

The boys cheered as they steered me to my apartment to gather some clothes for the night.

"Damn, Li-Li," Carlos whistled as he surveyed the damage. By the looks on the other three's faces, I deduced that they shared the same sentiment.

I ignored them as I maneuvered around the apartment, going into my bedroom to gather some pajamas and my toothbrush. In a matter of minutes, the boys and I were out of my apartment and inside theirs. As soon as we entered 2J, Mrs. Knight hugged me.

"Oh, you poor, poor dear!" she exclaimed. "You must be scared!"

"Umm…thanks for letting me stay here tonight," I responded, uncomfortable by the physical touch. Sensing my discomfort, Mrs. Knight let me go and smiled sympathetically.

"Boys, it's time for bed. You have an early day tomorrow," she ordered, entering mother mode. She sent me a concerned glance. "And I'm sure Leigh's exhausted."

The boys griped, but did as she advised. I offered them a sympathetic good night, for which I was rewarded with a chorus of farewells. Mrs. Knight handed me a pillow and few blankets, and I made myself comfortable on their couch.

I tried to fall asleep, but I wasn't successful. I kept thinking about the note I found. And as much as I didn't want to, I knew what I had to do.

A/N: So, there's Chapter 13! Did you like it? Are you getting more and more curious with each chapter? I hope so! I might have to slow down my updates, because I've decided to change a few things about the story. I was discussing this story with my best friend, and she and I both agreed my original idea wasn't entirely plausible. So, I'm trying to figure out how to make it more realistic. My apologies in advance.

Anyways, review if you'd like!