Mason gazed around too, but he mostly stood by the door. "Did they take anything?" he asked.
Skylar sniffed and wiped her tears. "I don't know. I'm afraid to look upstairs." She turned to Kayla who was also wiping her tears away. "Do you know if they took anything?"
"Nothing down here that I can see, but I didn't go upstairs yet. I'm afraid to."
"I'll go with you." Skylar looped her arm around Kayla's shoulders as they headed for the stairs.
"I'll escort you both, just in case." Mason followed behind them.
"Skylar, why are you holding your shoes?" Kayla questioned.
"My feet were sore from wearing these heels." Skylar felt bad for lying but it was partially the truth.
"Oh." Kayla continued to climb.
Skylar took several strides up the stairs and then stopped. Her legs wanted to give out and the bottoms of her feet were still achingly sore. Holding on to the rails, she moved forward, limping again. "How did you get home?" she asked Kayla.
"Nick dropped me off, but he got worried when he saw my car was parked in the driveway and you two were nowhere to be found. He went looking for you guys, since there was no text back from Mason and he couldn't reach him by phone. I should text him to let him know you're both okay." She pulled out her phone. Skylar watched Kayla's speedy fingers as they entered her room.
Mason took his cell phone out from his back pocket. "I have several missed calls and texts from him. Tell him I had my phone on silent."
Skylar didn't hear a word Mason had said. With a look of horror she started to tear up again. Her heart had been ripped apart and a feeling of being violated rushed through her. Her stuff was scattered everywhere. Drawers were pulled out, clothes that had been neatly hung were yanked off their hangers, and even her mattress had been flipped over.
"What the hell?" Kayla exclaimed. Her eyes swept the chaotic room. "I'll be right back." Kayla ran to her own room.
Skylar was stunned and speechless. She couldn't get her body to move. Why would they do this? What had they been after? Her thoughts were broken when Mason rested his hand on her back. "Are you okay?"
"They can't be real. Monsters don't exist," she stated numbly. Her eyes were glassy, looking straight ahead out the window, overwhelmed with everything that had happened. "I think I'm going out of my mind."
Mason spun Skylar toward him. "Skylar." Skylar snapped out of her trance. "They are real. They were looking for something."
"But I have nothing. I don't own anything expensive."
"Think. It could be an object."
Ignoring Mason, she spoke, "Thank you for taking me home. I think I want to be alone. I'm . . . " Her tone was soft and hardly audible, sounding more like an echo in her head. Then the room started to spin. She took a step forward, trying not to fall. Looking at Mason with uncertainty and wondering why this was happening, she saw three of him. Bewildered, she shook her head as white spots appeared in her vision, looking like fireflies dancing in her room. Her unsteady legs gave out and her body went limp. Just before she fell, she felt the weight of strong arms across her chest as she slipped into darkness.
Skylar opened her eyes and saw Mason sitting beside her bed. Startled to see him still there, she blinked her eyes and jolted upright. Strangely, all of a sudden there was no sign of him. Odd! It had to have been a dream or her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Recalling last night's incident, she thought about the mess she would have to deal with but when she looked around, to her surprise the room was spotless. There was no evidence of a robbery. How could this be? She couldn't remember falling asleep or even saying good-bye to Mason. Did it even happen? As these thoughts ran through her mind, there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in."
The door cracked open and Kayla stepped in. She stood by the foot of the bed, still in her nightgown, looking like she had been through hell.
"Did what I think happened last night really happen?" Skylar asked, hoping Kayla would give her the answer she was hoping for, confirming that it was just a dream.
"Yup, it's real." Kayla plunked her body down on the bed and tossed her hair to the side. "You know you fainted last night, right?"
"I did?" Trying to retrieve the memory, she paused.
Kayla giggled. "You fainted right into Mason's arms. He carried you to your bed. Actually, he fixed your bed first, then like a prince he carried his princess to bed. He even placed the blanket over you."
"He did not," Skylar said, blushing and thinking it did explain why she was still wearing the clothes she had worn the night before.
"Oh yes, he did. I saw the whole thing. You know me, I was spying. It was easy since your bedroom door was open, but what I can't figure out is how your room got cleaned up so fast. Hmmm, that I don't understand. Anyway, are you missing anything?"
"No, are you?" Skylar asked, looking around, though she couldn't remember. She didn't bring anything of value with her. In fact, she didn't possess any expensive items that were worth taking.
"Nope."
"I'm sorry this happened to you." Skylar pulled Kayla in for a squeeze and let go.
"It's okay. The police said the robbers are going from house to house and doing the same thing-breaking in and escaping without taking a thing. There has been a break-in every single day for the past week. The homeowners all report that nothing is missing. The funny thing is, they started the day you arrived in town." Kayla laughed out loud, teasing.
Not liking her remark, Skylar's brows angled into a hard line while her lips pursed crookedly.
"I don't get it," Kayla continued. "Why go through all that trouble, knowing there's a possibility that you could get caught, and not steal a thing? I mean, they could've taken my computer, the TV, or the camera that was on my desk. I even had a twenty inside my desk and they didn't take that. What kind of thieves are they?"
Skylar shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. The only clear picture that came to mind was the image of the hideous monsters as they came after her. She thought it was best not to mention them to Kayla for now, until she investigated further. The only person who could clarify anything was Mason. She needed to talk to him. "How's your mom?"
"She's fine. She already spoke to your mom about it. I'm sure you'll hear from her. From what I've been told, your mom gave the green light for you to stay. My mom said we were lucky we weren't home when this happened. Material things can be replaced, but we can't . . . which I totally agree with. You know me and my smart mouth. I told her you and I needed to go out more often then."
Skylar pushed Kayla playfully. "Do keep your mouth closed."
"Sure, I can do that, but I'll keep my lips ready for Nick." Kayla giggled.
"I'm sure you will." Skylar nudged Kayla and stood up. "We have work today, right?"
"Ugh . . . don't remind me. Okay, I'll go get ready."
"I better call my mom. She'll want to hear my voice and hear my side of the story."
After Kayla walked out of her room, Skylar carefully, achingly got out of bed. Her leg muscles were sore and the blisters on the bottoms of her feet looked unattractive. Moving toward the closet, she stopped when she saw the same shadowy figure in the window next door, just like the last time. However, this time she noted the length of his hair, down to his shoulders. Dirty-blond guy? As she moved closer to the window, the figure disappeared. Was she hallucinating? "What the -?" This had happened twice. She kept forgetting to ask her cousin about it. Making a mental note to ask Kayla, she headed for the shower.
"Good morning." Jack sprang cheerfully from the kitchen. The diner was empty as usual since the morning rush had just ended.
"Good morning? You mean good afternoon," Kayla said, throwing herself on the stool. Skylar did the same.
"Did you just wake up?" Jack asked.
"Yes," Kayla replied, feeling embarrassed that he knew.
"Then it's good morning."
"Oh, stop pestering the young ones," Mona said, walking out from the storage room. "Sorry about last night, girls. Your mom filled me in. That's just awful. Some people are crazy. You just never know."
"Thanks," Kayla said softly. "We were in shock, but I'm not going to let those assholes ruin my week."
"Hey, watch that mouth of yours," Jack reprimanded. "Pretty young girls don't talk like that."
"Sorry, Jack." Kayla shrugged sheepishly.
"Did they take anything?"
"Nothing . . . nada . . . zip." Kayla rested her head on the table.
"How about you, Skylar?" Mona asked.
"Nothing from me either. I didn't have anything worth much. Just my clothes."