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Tuesday - September 14

Biloxi? I don't know anyone from Biloxi!

"Does it need a signature?"

"No, ma'am, it does not."

"Okay. Just leave it on the stoop, please. Thank you."

Claire watches the carrier bend down out of sight, hoping that he's placing the package where she asked. Within a few seconds, she sees the carrier without the package as he descends the stairs, saying, "Have a nice day, ma'am!" and jumps into his truck and drives away.

A few moments go by before Claire decides to open the door. She looks around to see if she notices anyone out of the ordinary. Quickly, she bends down to pick up the package and closes the door. Holding the package tightly in her hands, she goes to the kitchen and places it on the table.

Curious about its contents, Claire doesn't know whether to leave it unopened until I come home, or to go ahead and open it herself. Deciding to open it without me, she grabs a knife from the kitchen drawer and slices the side of the package open. Tilting the open end to see what lies within, an object falls onto the table with a loud thud. "What is this?" Feeling woozy, Claire sits, and intensely stares at the item.

Fingering the object, Claire wonders what it could possibly be. Seeing that it doesn't look harmful, she picks it up, and holds it to the light to see if it opens in any way. "What is it?" she whispers. She grabs the box to look inside to see if there's anything else. The box is empty. Trying to understand what it is, she hears a ding sound coming from the living room. Someone wants to chat with her. Taking the object with her, Claire goes to the computer and notices that Danielle wants to chat.

Do you remember the time and place?

Claire types:

Yes.

Danielle asks:

Did it come?

Not sure what Danielle's asking about, Claire assumes it's the package she received.

Yes. It just came.

Danielle finalizes by typing:

Bring it with you. Tell no one.

The chat is ended.

"Damn, what does this object have to do with everything that I've encountered since yesterday?" Claire asks herself.

Totally confused, Claire decides to take a shower to relax, and to not become frustrated. The last thing she wants is stress to interact with her pregnancy.

Completely relaxed after her shower, Claire examines the object more intently. She turns it around slowly in her hand to see if there is any sort of writing, or a stamp of origin, or a mark of manufacturing. The object is completely blank and clueless.

Feeling hungry, Claire notices that her bowl of cereal has turned into a ball of mush. As she reaches for it, she begins to feel dizzy, and then realizes that she's about to vomit. She quickly grabs the mushy bowl of cereal and vomits basically nothing into it, except bits of stomach fluid. She continues to heave, and then her stomach muscles begin to relax.

Claire empties the bowl's contents into the trash, and lets out a small giggle saying, "So, this is what being pregnant is all about." Still somewhat queasy, Claire decides to take a couple of deep breaths and begins to feel better. She rubs her tummy, thinking how lucky she is. But yet, she wonders what turmoil we can expect to go through if I don't get that paper from Stan Roberts.

Claire picks up her cell to see what time it is: 9:30 a.m. She realizes that she better get ready to meet Danielle at Wyler's, since the walk will take forty-five minutes.