You know how I question what was going to happen next? Well, I got my answer in the form of posters of the deceased girls floating around the school. I tore one down and looked at it.
"Okay, I like horror, and all but even that is too creepy for my tastes," Abby said, standing next to me.
"This isn't creepy. It's disturbing. Who has a dance in remembrance of murder victims?"
"Lakewood high does," Jasmine countered.
"Yeah, I think I will pass," I said to them.
As we walked and talked, Jasmine said, "Speaking of creepy, why is Simon looking at you?"
I looked to see Simon staring at me, "I don't know."
"Maybe he has a thing for you," Abby said.
"God, I hope not," I said.
"I think it's cute in a stalkerish kind of way," Jasmine said.
I gave her a look, "What?"
I just rolled my eyes as I headed for my locker. While the girls talked, I opened it to find a single red rose and a note. I opened the letter, and it read:
Your beauty is like a flower. And flowers tend to die. Just like you.
I dropped the note and rose.
"Malia?"
I looked at them wide-eyed. Oh no. I started to panic, and when that happens, my OCD goes into overdrive.
"Malia, look at me," Abby said, grabbing my arms. "You'll be okay. Jas get Luka."
Jasmine took off to find Luka as I started to freak.
"I-I need to clean. I-I need to clean my hands," I stuttered.
"Malia, breathe. Deep breaths. It's okay," she said, trying to calm me.
Jasmine found Luka and told him what was going on with me. He took off out of the classroom with Damon and Niko right behind him and ran down the hallway.
He found Abby and me in the hallway, and I was trying to push her off of me, "I got it."
He pulled me to him and said, "Shh, I'm here. I got you." He held me and stroke the back of my hair.
"Luka, I need to wash. I feel so dirty."
"Malia, you're just stressed. Deep breaths. Breathe, baby, breath."
I took deep breaths and started to calm down. Niko picked up the note and showed it to Damon, who showed it to Abby and Jasmine. As Luka calmed me down, they hid the letter from me.
"Come on; I'll take you home."
I nodded as he walked me out of the school.
"Who the fuck would do this?" Damon asked.
"Someone with a sick sense of humor," Abby said.
*****
I sat on the couch while Luka brought me a hot cup of tea.
"Here."
I took it from him and took a sip, "Thanks."
He sat down, and I put the cup down then snuggled into him.
"Mal!" Dad came in with mom and over to me. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Wait, how did you know?"
"Abby called Charlie. What happened?"
"Of course, she did." I let out a big sigh and rubbed my forehead. "Someone put a single red rose in my locker with a note. Dad, they said I was going to die."
He looked at Luka, who nodded in agreement. Then looked at mom. "Gabe, this is getting out of hand."
"I know, Missy. I know."
"So, what now?"
"I need the note, and I want this kept quiet. If the person has access to your locker, then they have access to you."
"Abby has the note, and Malia can share a locker with me for the time being," Luka said.
"I guess that could work," I said to them. Dad kissed me, and he and mom walked into the kitchen.
I looked at Luka, "What do you think?"
"I think the minute I find out who this is, they're going to wish they never messed with my girl," he said.
******
Charlie got the note from Abby and took it to Dad. The only fingerprints on the card were ours, which was no help. Whoever was doing this was watching our every move.
As I met up with Luka to walk to class, the Lakewood serial killer watched from a distance seething.
******
Halloween was finally here, and the weather was starting to get a bite to it. You got to love the lake effect. We decided to skip the dance. We didn't want to chance it.
Dad was working late as was Charlie and Joe, so our mothers decided to spend time together at my house. They stayed in the kitchen while we all hung in the living room watching horror movies.
"That's terrible," Maria said.
"Tell me about it."
"Well, I asked Charlie, and he said only the kid's fingerprints were on it," Claire said.
"Gabe wants to keep it quiet. The fewer people know, the less chance it has to tip-off whoever is doing this," mom told them.
"I don't know if that's good or not," Maria said.
"I don't know, but I do know one thing Luka has been a godsend to us," she said.
"Yeah, it was rough at first when I first met Luka. He thought I was trying to take his mom's place."
"I heard he lost his mom at a young age," Mom said.
"Malia?"
"No. Joe told Gabe. I remember he would call and ask advice on how to help Luka. Gabe would talk him through it."
"That's good because I had to reassure him no one would take her place. Then Henry happened, and that's when Luka's protectiveness kicked in with both Niko and me," she said.
"He already lost one mom, he doesn't want to lose another," added Maria.
"Yeah. I feel for Luka, you know? But I will say this much, ever since he met Malia he is so different."
"Good or bad?" Mom asked.
"Good. I don't know what it is about your girl, but he's happier than I have ever seen him." They looked out into the living room to see my face buried into Luka and him grinning.
"I have never seen him smile so much. It's kind of scary," Claire said, causing them to look at her. They both rolled their eyes at her as they went back into the kitchen.
After the movie, Niko popped in another one.
"Can someone please explain to me why they make women so dumb in these things," Abby asked.
"Here we go again," grumbled Damon.
"Again?" I asked.
"Every time we watch a horror flick, Abby has to pick out everything wrong with it," Luka said.
"Not everything just the fact these women is so dumb. I mean, why would you go into a room and yell, hello anyone in there? What is the killer going to do, yell yeah want a sandwich? Or they run up the stairs instead of out the front door. Or they try to fend off the guy when physics says it's inherently impossible," she said, pacing back and forth.
"Abs you read too much into these films. Everyone knows they are fake," Niko said.
"It's still the point, us women are made to look dumb, and I'm truly offended by it," she said.
"Then why do you watch them?" I asked. They all looked at me.
"The spirit of Halloween, duh."
"Of course," I replied. Luka chuckled.
"Can we watch another one now before Abby does her little tirade again?" Jasmine asked.
"How about Poltergeist?" I suggested.
They agreed, and we settled into watching another movie. Midway through, mom got a phone call from dad. When she got done, the mothers came in and about scared the living shit out of us.
"Mom?"
"Your father just called. There's been an incident at the dance."
We all looked at each other. That meant only one thing, another murder happened.
"Who needs horror films, when you have your very own serial killer lose in real life," I said.
They all looked at me.
"Too soon?"
******
The girl found was in the girl's bathroom. She had been discovered by another student. Her neck broke. Whoever was doing this was targeting teen girls.
After this, any events or social functions canceled until further notice. A early curfew was put into effect. Basically they had us on lockdown. The only way we could leave was either for school or if a parent dropped us off.
The town had become a ghost town within a matter of hours.
As the days grew shorter and colder, we carried on as best as we could. Dad, Charlie, and Joe were working non-stop hours trying to figure out who was behind the murders, but the bodies kept coming.
I guess small towns don't just carry big secrets but also killings. I had to wonder if, at some point, I would come across the killer myself. That sent a cold chill through my body just thinking about it. Whoever was behind it, was closer than I thought.