Shattered Appearances ✓

f o r t y: Well That Was Anti-Climatic

A house can be a home but it could also be something else. It could be a spot you hold close to your heart or your loved ones. Even if you're miles apart from your actual house, if you're with the people you live, then you're home.

I'm not a writer, and I'll never be a writer. It took me hours to compose the first draft of the letter and another two to edit it until it was somewhat decent. I wasn't good with words but I do hope that I can clearly portray what my mouth can not.

It had been a couple of hours since graduation, and I arrived home a few minutes ago. I expected Stephanie to still be out celebrating. I didn't know when she would arrive, so I decided to just leave the letter by her door. She would see it as soon as she comes home and read it.

As I raced upstairs to my room, I saw a box with a bow on it. Perplexed on who it was from, I picked it up and read the address box. My name and address were on the box but there was no return address. My dad must have thought it was a present for me and put it on my doorstep.

The only information that I could gather about the sender were two letters.

R.T

I put the box on my bed and went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife so I could open it. The box was medium sized and was covered in a Happy Graduation wrapping paper. Carefully opening the box, I smiled when I looked at the contents.

Inside the box was a bouquet of Lilies. The flowers were a great contrast to the rest of my dull room. Lilies were one of my favorite flowers, contrary to Sunflowers, which were my mothers. There were also two other items. I picked up the black Jewelry box from the corner and looked at it. It was rather odd that someone would send expensive gifts yet not want to be acknowledged. I looked at the brand name to maybe get a sense of who it was from.

James' Jewelers.

I nearly threw the box to the other side of the room. Realization quickly hit me as I recognized how it was from. Only one person would be so twisted to send me something from that place.

R.T. Ryan Thompson.

I opened the box and there lay a small gold necklace. This necklace was encrusted with small sunflowers around it. It took a couple of seconds before I realized where I knew this from. It was the necklace that I was about to steal the day that Ryan and I went to that jewelry store.

I quickly put that necklace back in the box and hid it in a drawer. Although it was beautiful, it was tainted with memories and I didn't want to go near it.

The last thing is the bigger box was a letter. With shaking hands, I opened it.

Dear Zoe,

I may be ruthless but that doesn't mean I don't remember small details. I knew that your favorite flower were Lilies and that you wanted to get your mother that necklace the day we went to James' Jewelers. Although you didn't end up taking it, I saved it. Think of it as some graduation present of the sort.

It's getting kind of boring sending you these letters without getting any response. Maybe I should stop. Nah, I like seeing you squirm.

You may try doing everything you possibly can from seeing me, but it won't work. One day, very soon, we'll come face to face. That's going to be a good day for me. Anyway, have a good day today considering you've been waiting for this day for four years.

Love,

R.T

Before I had time to react to that letter, my phone vibrated with an incoming text.

Unknown: Did you get my present yet? I think it was very well pieced together.

Immediately I looked up to my window and looked through it. Seeing no one nearby, I shut the curtains and sunk to the floor. There was no way he could've coincidentally known that I just opened the box. I quickly grabbed the papers from Officer Cordero and looked through them. I knew I should have waited two or three hours but this was the perfect time to respond.