"Who is this?" I snap as I answer the call, my lips pursed together in annoyance. The other side of the line is quiet, like they're wondering what exactly to say. I know who it is, just by the fact that the number had been blocked, but I have to make sure before I decide to rip an innocent person apart, and yes, that has happened before. The poor bloke didn't even know what to say when I was finished screaming at him to leave me alone.

"If you don't answer me, I'm hanging up right now," I warn, grabbing the curtain to the window with my fist and peeking through. The street, as usual, is vacant; there's no person sight. There are a few empty cars, but other than that, there seems to be nothing to worry about.

"Fine," I say, letting go of the drape, which falls closed over the window. I then take the phone from my ear and almost hang up when the person on the other end of the line begins to speak.

I quickly push the phone back up to my ear, just in time to catch the last two sentences he pieces together before going silent again.

"Soon, I'll come for you Melanie," the caller pauses, like he's thinking of what to say. Then, "I'll tell you what your mother really did...you'll be glad I took you away from her."

My eyes flick over to the door, and since I can't trust Mom is still sleeping, put the phone back up to my ear. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would I be glad?"

"June 20th, 2000."

I shake my head, "What?"

The line is silent for a few minutes, and the seconds seem to trickle by incredibly slow. Finally he says, "Ask your mother about June 20th, 2000."

"Why would I do that?"

The line cuts off right after I ask my question, leaving me in utter silence. What does he want from me? Why is finding out about that night so relevant? I toss my phone onto my bed with a small thud. Will finding out what occurred on June 20th, 2000 reveal who my stalker is, and why he's coming after me?

"Stop it, Melanie," I scold myself, shaking my head. "Just ignore it, he's only playing games with you."

Just as I'm about to walk out of the bedroom, Mom opens the door, her face a little paler than usual.

"Skylar, the police are here," she says quietly, pushing the door open a little more. "They want to talk to you."

I nod, giving her a faint smile. "Okay, I'll be down in a couple seconds."

Mom returns my smile, but it's a little colder than usual. When she closes the door, I scrunch my eyelids together and try to regain my composure. I need to snap out of it. I can't let the cops see me shaken up, they'll just ask more questions, and I'll have no choice but to answer them.

Then, a thought runs through my mind. Am I going to tell them about the roses?

You have to Mel, they'll never believe that he's leaving you alone. You have to reveal something, and you might as well tell them about the note too.

After fighting with myself for a couple more minutes, I swipe the note from under my pillow, squeezing it into my fist. Then, I leave the bedroom and make my way down to the living room.

Although, before I step out of the hallway, I pause to listen in to the conversation being played out in the other room. By the sounds of the voices, Agent Callaway and Officer Jenkins are there, but I can't seem to place any of the others, besides Mom's, of course.

"--Mrs. Ann," Callaway uses our fake last name to address Mom. "I know you're worried about this boy, but he doesn't seem to be of harm. Skylar needs a friend, someone to forget everything else that's going on with. You could still keep an eye on this Xavier, but I wouldn't--"

"--You told them about Xavier?" I step out of my hiding place, not bothering to disguise my fury. "Mom, he's not my stalker. You can't just suspect everyone that ever talks to me!"

Mom looks startled. I know she hadn't realized I was listening in, even though she should have known, considering she just called me down to the living room. Officer Jenkins stands beside Agent Callaway, who's sitting in an armchair across from Mom. Jenkins' lips are pulled back in a grimace, probably from the fact I had just picked a fight with Mom. Callaway just looks to me thoughtfully, like he's analyzing my behavior. At this observation, I crumple the note further into my fist.

"Skylar, don't start, not now," Mom warns, giving me a piercing look. She's testing me, seeing if I'll blow up in front of the cops and Callaway.

I grit my teeth, trying to calm myself down. I can discuss this later with her, not where Callaway can profile my actions.

"Hello, Skylar. Please, take a seat," Callaway waves his hand to the spot beside Mom. "I feel that we have much to talk about."

"Not really," I mutter as I take sit down, keeping a safe distance away from Mom. She doesn't even glance in my direction when I finish making myself comfortable.

"Skylar, I hear you have transitioned rather nicely?" Agent Callaway gives me a pointed look, like he's trying to get me to open up about my new friendship. I don't want to tell him anything about it, it's not like it's any of his business.

"I guess you could say that."

Agent Callaway spreads his hands out, motioning for me to elaborate. Officer Jenkins rolls his eyes and says to Callaway, "Sir, this is pointless. We need to hear about her stalker and his activities, not her love life."

Agent Callaway glares at Jenkins. "Officer, I don't think I remember asking you to tell me what to do. Keep your mouth shut or I'll have one of my men escort you out."

Jenkins grumbles something incoherent as Callaway turns back to me expectantly. I take a shaky breath before speaking.

"When I first got here, things weren't exactly great. The first night...I--" I look to Mom for a moment before continuing. "I found something. I had awakened from a nightmare and I saw it."

Callaway's eyes widen in slight wonder. "Saw what Skylar? What did you see?"

Officer Jenkins looks more interested now. His eyes never leave mine as I continue to speak. "It was a rose...a white rose. It was just sitting there on my dresser, staring back at me. At first, I thought it had already been there, but then I wasn't so sure. I never recalled it when I first looked around the house, and it seemed like something he'd do."

Officer Jenkin's eyes take a glint to them, a glint that I can't place, and Agent Callaway tries to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Skylar," Callaway starts, "What did you do with the rose?"

I can feel Mom's burning gaze on mine. She's going to question why I hadn't told her earlier. She thinks he hasn't been contacting me, except for that one time I had broken down in her arms after he had called.

I stare Agent Callaway dead in the eye as I speak, my voice monotone, emotionless. "I threw it away."

_______________________________________________________

So sorry for the late update, I had a lot to do...but at least it's still on a Wednesday!

Deadly Obsession has 500 reads and is #43 in Horror already...wow!! Find Me has over 15K reads and has reached #21 in Horror...like what?

A new chapter comes Friday!

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