The Mysterious Hero

The Mysterious Hero: Chapter 10

            I dragged myself through the school hallway, feeling completely tired. I couldn’t go to sleep at all last night because of what had happened to our house. Right after Luke had left, the police showed up. Even though I already checked the house, the police went through it and found nothing. I was uneasy when they talked about The Mysterious Hero right in front of me. They were wondering why she didn’t show up when the crisis happened.   

            After the police had left, Adam came right away. Like always, he hugged me to his chest, saying that he was glad that I was safe and sound. Adam couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the state that our house was in. And he couldn’t even believe that the intruder didn’t take anything at all.

            Adam and I had stayed up late, cleaning up the mess and rearranging the furniture back to its original spot. We were still worried and confused about what had happened. Who would want to break in and take nothing? It didn’t make any sense.

            That man that was in my house, he was the intruder, but what was he looking for? This was the first time that something like this had ever happened. My mind was clouded with anxiety because I didn’t know what to do. 

            My eyes were still puffy from crying, but it wasn’t noticeable because my glasses hid them. No matter how much I cried for my parents, they weren’t coming back. I sighed out loud and yawned. I just wanted to crawl back to my bed and go to sleep. But I couldn’t do that. I had to endure school first.

            Squeezing through throngs of people in the hall, I clutched my books to my chest. When I got to my locker, I lazily opened it. Switching out my books, a small white envelope fell from my locker. My eyebrows scrunched in curiosity and I slowly picked up the envelope. There was nothing written on the envelope, and I wondered if it was even for me. But then why was it in my locker? Closing my locker, I slowly opened the envelope. There was a small slip of paper, and I warily unfolded it. The words on the note made my blood freeze.

            Did you enjoy the mess?  

            An image of the man dressed in black appeared in my mind. This note couldn’t be from him. It was impossible. He didn’t know me, and I didn’t know him. But I didn’t see his face. No one in school would be bold enough to even break into my house in the first place. Who was this guy? Was the note even from the intruder? Or could it just be a coincidence?

            I reread the note over and over. Was this a crazy joke? No one knew about the intruder in my house, except for my three friends. But they wouldn’t do this. They weren’t even here to be able to slip a note in my locker. I hesitated before crumpling the note in my palm. It was just some sick joke that someone was playing on me. It was just a cruel joke.

            A cruel joke that made my heart beat even faster.  

***

            I couldn’t focus at all in class because of the note that I found in my locker. It was creepy and disturbing at the same time. What was I supposed to do? Laugh and just forget about it? Of course, I couldn’t just let the issue slide. But then again, there was a chance that it could just be some random kid pranking me.  

            A crumpled ball of paper hit my head, and I turned in my seat to catch the perpetrator. Luke smirked at me and raised his brows, daring me to say something. I narrowed my eyes at him, but didn’t say anything and turned forward in my seat.

            The note was definitely a prank. The kids in this school were desperate to find someone to pick on. I remembered that a few years back, Eric found a note in his locker that said he was an annoying nincompoop. I admit that it was kind of funny, but it was still unpleasant and immature. I also thought that Emily was the one who secretly planted it in his locker.