Are You Dead?

3-Admired

When we got home, Luke went straight for my bedroom. I went into the kitchen and made some Kraft macaroni and cheese. I brought him a bowl, but as I opened the door he was already sound asleep on my bed. I didn't want to wake him, so I went to the living room and ate both the bowls of macaroni and cheese.I turned on the TV and layed down on the couch. My stomach was starting to hurt a little so I figured laying down should help. When I started drifting off to sleep, someone rang the doorbell. Wishing Luke was awake, I weakly made my way over to the door.

When I opened the door, all that was there was a package. I looked at the brown box, it had the words: Arianna Lilith Grant. My address looked as though it was hand written sloppily and was smeared by my name. There was no return address, but there was a marking. I've never seen it before. It looked like a devils trap, also known as a star in a circle, with flames around it.

The tape had been the decorated kind you could get at Walmart or Target. It was blue and red zebra stripes and had a black border on the sides. When I tore it off, the box flew open and inside was a box of chocolates, a shoe box, and a card. I opened the card and read it to myself. It said:

"Dear my lovely Arianna,

I'm keeping my eye on you. I'll see you soon.

Signed, J.C."

I opened the shoe box. Inside was a dead rose. The petals had hints of red in it but it was mainly a grayish yellow. Underneath that was a picture of me and Luke inside a coffee shop. In the picture we were just talking, and it looked as though the photo had been taken from across the street. Nothing else was in the box, but on the back of the photo was another note.

"If anyone but Luke finds out about this--cause Lord knows you'll tell him-- I'll come after both of you."

I immediately ran upstairs and tried to wake him up. He just rolled over and waved his hand at me. I tried a few more times, but when he wouldn't get up i just sat on my floor. My anxiety began to kick in. My breathing felt forced, as though there was a tight band around my rib cage and someone was sitting on my chest. If I didn't control it my asthma would start up.

I tried getting a drink, and breathing slowly to relax. I tried to sit down and and stop thinking about it. Was something going to happen to Luke? I thought about it for a while. My breathing wouldn't go back to normal and as soon as I was about to leave my room, Luke woke up.

"That was great. I totally needed that nap!" He had a groggy sense in his voice and his eyes were half open. "Ari?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?" He sat up and put a hand on my shoulder. His eyes peered into mine when I turned around and looked at him.

"Yeah I'm fine. I think.." I looked at him with concern and curiosity.

He got up off the bed and pulled me to my feet. His warm hands radiating heat into my whole body. He had that effect In me and it always made me calm down and relax.

"C'mon. Let's go set up the beach house." And then he pulled me out of the house and into the car.