Surprise on the Doorstep

Chapter X

Chapter 10

I bound down the stairs, the bottoms of my white converse clicking against the hardwood as I go.

I enter the kitchen where Kiara is currently sitting at the island counter on a stool, eating a bowl of lucky charms cereal. I spot a bowl and spoon sitting on the island in the spot next to her, along with the box of cereal and the jug of milk, so I make my way over and take a seat next to her.

"Hey," I greet as I begin to pour cereal and milk into my bowl.

"Hey Addy," she greets in return, her mouth stuffed with a spoonful of the cereal.

We both sit there in silence for the next few minutes as we enjoy our breakfast. Once she finishes, she stands up and places her bowl in the sink, then turns around to face me.

"Cute outfit," she compliments, her eyes scanning over my outfit choice.

I look down to see what she's talking about, before responding with a simple, "Thanks."

Since I was going to be with Detective Carlisle today, I decided to put on a pair black ripped skinny jeans, a loose dark maroon v-neck t-shirt, and a light colored jean jacket to go over it. To top it all off, I wore my white converse and a simple silver necklace with a dreamcatcher on it. Also, my hair is in a loose ponytail, with a few loose strands hanging out here and there.

I check the time on my phone, and upon seeing it's 10:30, I stand up, place my bowl in the sink, before turning towards Kiara and saying, "Well, it's 10:30 now. Detective Carlisle should be here any minute."

As I say this, a car horn is sounded from outside in the driveway.

"That must be him," I say, grabbing my phone and slipping it in my pocket before getting ready to head out the door.

She nods and says, "Be careful, Addy. Okay?"

I nod my head, sending her a small reassuring smile, before heading out the door and towards the car sitting in the driveway with Detective Carlisle sitting in the driver's seat.

We drive the 10 minutes it takes to get to my house in silence. Once we arrive, Detective Carlisle pulls over to the side of the road on the opposite side of the street as my house and parks there, shutting off his car.

I turn to him, and he nods, signalling that it's okay for me step out and see my house for the first time since the accident. I slowly step out of the car, not once glancing up because then I'll see the damage done to my house, making this whole messed up situation all the more real.

I walk across the street and stop once I'm on the sidewalk that is directly in front of my house. I take one deep breath and then slowly lift my head up to take a look at what once used to be my home.

I hear myself let out a small gasp at the sight of my destroyed home. This can't be real. This can't be real. I repeat this over and over in my head, not wanting to believe what I see right in front of me.

My once beautiful home is now in complete shambles. From the front porch to the garage, everything was completely crumbled into pieces. I couldn't even recognize it as my home.

I take one last look at the house as a whole before slowly walking along the pathway that would normally lead up to my front porch. I raise my hand up to rest upon the railing of the steps on my front porch that was somehow still standing after the explosion. I keep my hand there for a moment as my mind unwillingly thinks back to that very moment when I opened that box that showed up at my doorstep.

I sense Detective Carlisle's presence behind me, so I turn around to face him.

He opens his mouth to say something before he's interrupted by the shrill ringing of his cell phone. He checks the caller I.D. and lets out a sigh.