I twisted the note over in my hand, reading it over and over again. "What . . . Guys, read it," I said.
"I'm watching you . . . Love, Aunt Debby." Grace read out loud. "Didn't your aunt pass away a few years ago?"
"Yeah! This is just . . . Creepy." I said.
"What the hell," Jaden mumbled. "Does this make any sense at all?"
I spun around to face Jaden. "Nope. I don't get it. This is starting to scare me."
"Bella, we have to go get on the bus. We'll talk about this later, okay?" Grace suggested.
I hesitated before replying. "Okay. Jaden, I'll call you tonight."
"Alright. Hopefully you guys can figure out what this means," he said with a smile. I slammed my locker closed and followed Grace out of the school, not knowing that someone was following us.
***
As the bus turned the corner leading down Grace's street, Grace and I stood up. But it wasn't until we reached her front door that either of us said a word.
"What happened in the office during sixth period today?" Grace asked.
"Oh, right." I explained everything that the secretary said. "I was so pale because I was shocked about it all. And that note . . . Well that was just plain weird."
"So is your aunt dead or alive?"
"I wish I knew. I mean, I heard about how she died in a car accident a few years ago. So how the hell could she still be alive?"
"Hmm . . . I really don't know. Maybe it's not really your Aunt Debby that called the school. Maybe someone else is using her name to . . . Hurt you."
"I was starting to think that, too. But I can't think of anyone that would really want to hurt me. Do you think the note was a joke from someone?"
"I don't know. Even if it was, we still need an explanation for your aunt calling the school."
By now, Grace and I were upstairs in her bedroom. I sat down on the edge of her bed with one leg dangling down. Grace was leaning up against her pillow. "Bella . . . Do you think we should let Jaden get involved with this? This seems pretty serious. Maybe we should call the police."
I sighed. "I don't want to call the police. The whole 'I'm watching you' thing is really scaring me right now. What if something bad happens when I call the police? What if the person that left the note does try to hurt me? And I was going to ask you the same thing about Jaden . . . I'm not really sure if I can trust him yet. We've haven't known each other that long."
"Do you think we should tell my mom when she gets home?"
"Well . . . I'd rather just keep this as our secret right now."
***
It was seven o'clock and my stomach was growling like crazy. Ms. Farrell knocked on Grace's bedroom door just a few minutes later. "Hey girls! Sorry I got home so late. The traffic has been really bad this week."
"It's okay, Mom." Grace said. "What's for dinner tonight? We're starving."
"Honey . . . I'm too tired to cook. Would a pizza be okay? If I order it now it should be ready by 7:30," Ms. Farrell said while looking at her watch.
"Sounds good."
"Okay." Ms.Farrell turned around to head downstairs but then spun back around to face me. "Oh, Bella, a relative of yours called me while I was at work. I couldn't answer the phone but they left a message. They said your parents had to work really late tonight . . . They asked if you could spend the night here. They also said you shouldn't go home tonight at all . . . I guess you could just borrow some of Grace's clothes tomorrow morning."
Suddenly, my face began to burn again. It was that same burning feeling I had after I talked to the secretary. Grace looked at me and I could see her eyes widening. "A relative of mine?"
"Yes . . . I think it was . . . Your Aunt Debby," Ms. Farrell replied.
The few minutes after that were nothing more than a blur to me. In fact, the only other part of that night I could remember was a knock on the Farrell's front door. Grace and I answered it, but only to find another envelope waiting for me.
