“Great! Just great!” I responded with sarcasm.
A loud knock rapped at my door, making both of us look at the direction of the sound.
“You stay right there.” He pointed at me, as he slowly slid off the stool and made his way to the door.
He peered through the windows, but saw no one. He then inched his way closer to the door and looked through the peephole.
“Damn it,” he said under his breath.
He then opened the door. On my doorstep was a package similar to the two previous ones, but this one was larger. He picked it up and brought it in, locking the door behind him. He gently placed it on the counter. I reached for it, but he pushed my hands away.
“What? You think it’s a bomb? Just let me open it,” I cried out.
He pushed me aside and began examining it. Once he felt it was okay, he began opening the box.
Inside were all my books, each of them destroyed; pages were ripped, the covers slashed through. I picked up one page from my earlier books, and saw the person had highlighted dialogue and wrote notes in the margin. Jason then took out a larger piece of paper. He unfolded it. I took a step back and began to shake.
“Freaked out yet?” he asked, almost knowing how I was feeling.
“You don’t understand. It isn’t the first time I got these creepy kinds of things. I just never paid any attention,” I tried to explain.
“Yes, but now?” He pointed to the box.
“Okay, now, I'm freaked out.” I took the letter from his hand.
WhY?!?! WhY WoUlD yOu BeTrAy Me? I aM BeTtEr ThAn HiM. I KnOw YoU! I UnDeRsTaNd YoU BeTtER ThAn AnYoNe! HoW CoUlD yOu Do ThIs To Us? YoU BeLoNg To Me OnLy!!!!!
Jason grabbed my hand and started for the stairs, but I stood frozen. Fear slowly began to creep through me, like tiny needles prickling their way through my body. He saw me and let out a heavy sigh. He lowered himself and picked me up, carrying me three flights up to my bedroom. He then placed me down on my bed.
“Why would anyone do something like that?” I began to ramble, my mind trying desperately to make sense of what was going on.
Jason got busy going through my closet, finding a large piece of luggage I had and began throwing my clothes inside. He ran around my room taking everything he thought I needed or wanted.
“Why? I don’t understand?” Panic set in and I started to tremble. Jason stopped in the middle of my room. He threw my cosmetics in another bag and marched over to me. He lowered himself, kneeling in front of me.
“Don’t try to understand these people. Most are sick and need help, that’s why they latch onto anyone they think understands them.” He softly placed my hair behind my ear. His fingers gently caressed my face, following my hairline down across my chin. His thumb brushed lightly across my lips. “Kassia, we need to leave here.”
My eyes grew bigger and tears began to form, past emotions were emerging and I was trying fuckin’ hard to push them back.
“It’s only for now,” he reassured me. “What do you absolutely need?” he asked.
“My laptop and my external hard drive,” I said meekly.
“Okay.”
Jason made some quick calls and zipped up my bags. He took my hand and led me down the stairs.
“Is there anything else before we leave?” he asked me again, looking into my eyes. I shook my head. He placed my laptop bag on my shoulder and took my hand.
“Kassia? The alarm. Put it on.” He waited and I punched in the code.
He opened the door and moved me quickly towards his car. He placed me in first and put my bags in the trunk.
He shifted his car into gear and began driving quickly. He weaved in and out of traffic, making quick turns. I sat silent, lost in the idea that someone would go this far. Whoever it was, they were watching me. I shivered at the thought.
“You’re coming to my place. You’ll be safe there.” Jason broke the silence.
“Why your place? I could easily go to my brother’s.”
Jason shifted gears and shook his head.
“Whoever this is might go there too. At least with me, he won’t know who I am and it will be hard to find me. Plus, my place is a condo with security and a doorman.”
Jason didn’t bother to take what I thought into consideration. He made the decision for me and I had to be okay with it, which I wasn’t.
“Where do you live that you’re driving for over thirty minutes around the city?” I asked, annoyed that I was being man handled.
“I'm driving around to lose anyone who might be following us. I thought I saw a car for a few blocks, but I lost it.”
He turned one more time and drove into an underground parking lot. He backed into what looked like his spot and killed the engine. He looked over to me and smiled. “Let’s go.”