"Another case? Again?"

𝔸 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕

It was cold. A cold night, per say. It was always cold though, so it wasn't much of a surprise to anyone. Anyone could wear a pair of shorts and a short sleeve and would be fine if they had lived here long enough. It was around 25 degrees outside, but you could wear a jacket if it's too cold for you.

Mark was wearing a hoodie, like most days. The only times of when he did was when he was actually going to some fancy place, he might put of a turtleneck or something to keep him warm. Really the only times of when he did go to a fancy place was with his friend, Cesar. Cesar, having 'at least a thousand dollars' as described by Mark, went to fancy restaurants every week. Sort of the normal for Mark, as he often tagged along.

"Why can't we just go to the Burger Kind at the end of the street and not have to walk like, 5 miles to some fancy place?" Mark complained.

"Because Mark, the Burger Kind doesn't serve my favorite anymore. We can get some down at Maddison if that's alright." Cesar replied, his thumbs hooked is his pant pockets.

"Yes please! Anything else besides the regular shrimp.." Mark sighed, and walked back up to Cesar, walking on the same pace. Maddison Avenue wasn't far from either of their houses, a few blocks away. It was in town, but town wasn't very large, so you could walk around and only get at least a fifth mile into your walking spree.

"So, how's your sister doing? Is she feeling better?" Cesar asked, and glanced at Mark.

"Oh yea, she's doing better. She still has a sore throat, but she's alright." Mark replied, smiling at the thought of his sister.

Cesar glanced over again, and frowned.

"Is something wrong, Cesar?" Mark asked, as he noticed Cesar frown beside him. "No, no, everything's fine. My mother just popped into my head, she isn't feeling the entire best right now." Cesar sighed, but continued. "But look on the bright side, she'll get better like your sister." Cesar smiled at Mark, and Mark smiled also.

The two continued on their trip to Maddison for a nice burger, with little speech going here and there every few minutes while they walked. They finally arrived at Burger Kind, and Cesar payed for the order.

"You didn't need to pay for it, I could have." Mark was standing beside Cesar, who was looking at the dessert section.

"Says the one who only has $5 in his pocket at the moment." Cesar chuckled, as he handed Mark as $5 bill. It was his, mainly cause he recognized his intricate folding style.

"Did you legit just pick-pocket me?" Mark was staring at Cesar, smiling. "Maybe, or maybe not." Cesar smirked, and Mark knew the answer was yes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was around 10, when Mark was gonna get ready for bed. He put on his slippers, headed up the stairs, but heard his doorbell ring a soft melody. He turned around, shocked that someone even bothered to use his doorbell anymore. More so, even go to his house. He went down the stairs at a slow pace, and went to the door.

He turned the doorknob, and saw no one. He looked on the ground, and saw a tiny box with his name attached. It was a pale blue, soft, but not soft to the touch. He looked around once more as he had the small box in his hand, and shut the door as he saw no one.

"God, who's delivering packages this late?" Mark rubbed his eye, and yawned. He set the box on his table, and opened it carefully. It wasn't addressed to anyone, which made him more uneasy. Inside was a bracelet attached to a card, and Mark lifted the bracelet out and read the card.

"For a troubling situation, just remember this. Also, beware of something. Or someone, maybe your family will fall apart." It wasn't signed, and there was a little smiley face at the bottom of the card. Mark frowned, he thought it was just some joke. He put the card to the side, and attached the bracelet to himself. It actually was pretty, and Mark smiled a tiny bit before it faded. He sighed, threw the box out, and went back upstairs.

He was prepared to just sleep out the rest of tomorrow, considering his messed up sleep schedule. But we couldn't, the note bothered him too much. He did get some sleep though, and it was morning before he knew it.

                          and the doorbell rang once more