By the time Elara found herself back in her apartment, another hour had passed, the feeling of those holes burning in the back if her head just wouldn't go away, not to mention how suffocating the overall silence was wherever she went.

A deep breath filled her lungs, only to drag back out a long sigh the moment her apartment door closed behind her. Her back pressed against the door while her gaze scanned the familiar walls and halls.

Being home alone used to be so relaxing, allowing her to shake off the days wear and decompress from the social expectations.

Now though..

Now, it just  reminded her how alone she truly was, how vulnerable she was...

"You don't have to retend with me,"

Those words kept replying in her mind, like a broken record. Whoever that was could read her like an open book during that whole interaction. 

A shiver ran down her spine despite the lack of cold air in the darkness of her home.

Elara turned the light switch on, allowing her poorly hung up kitchen light to chase the darkness away, the sudden brightness blinding her, forcing her eyes to readjust yet what it revealed only made the knot in her gut tighten even more.

Another rose.

Laid out perfectly on her kitchen counter like it had just been plucked from the garden. The thorns glistening in the light like the morning dew had still been able to touch it before it ended up here.

Then young woman sucked in a breath before whipping her head around, in a moment of panic, she quickly switched on every light switch she could find, checked every closet or cupboard big enough to hide a Person. Big enough to hide him..  she could almost hear his laughter in her head while she tore her place inside out.

Yet her apartment was void of life apart from the exceptional spider feasting on the flies that ended up helpless in its web.

Running a shaky hand through her hair, Elara eventually plopped down on the couch, her back to the wall as her gaze drifted down to the blankets and pillows strewn about from this morning, her heart hammering down in her ribcage.

Reaching down with trembling hands, the college student grabbed a pillow and a blanket, settling in her position on the couch, facing the doorway to the kitchen and the front door.  That rose still sat in the counter, a dark red reminder that a locked door simply wasn't enough..

____________________________________________________________

Class the next day was a whole different kind of torture. Elara hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and listening to the teacher lecturing about the biology of sharks wasn't really helping her stay awake either.

Just when the teacher was ending his lecture, the young woman pulled out her phone, the screen lighting up for what felt like the thousandth time that day, she had tried texting and calling Becky before school that morning but it she had yet to receive a reply.

Becky probably needed to get her phone fixed. Still, the radio silence was so alien coming from the bubbly ball of chaos that Elara couldn't help but worry. Not to mention the situation with her mother.

How could so much go so wrong in such a short amount of time?

A long sigh escaped her lips, rubbing her eyes to try and rub the sleepiness out if her but of course it didn't work.

"Are you okay?"

Elara nearly jumped out of her skin, her eyes wide with alarm as she spun her head around to see where the voice was coming from. Only for relief to fill her body when Roger's concerned eyes met hers.

"O-oh! Roger you scared me, yeah I'm okay."  She quickly answered before her gaze wandered around the classroom and she realized that everyone was already gone. Only the teacher remained, cleaning up the desk of his stuff.

"Are you sure? You look like you haven't slept in weeks."
He looked her over a bit his eyes traveling down her figure, the concern growing on his face.

Elara however, ran a hand through her hair, the words stuck in her throat for a moment too long before she managed to spit out an answer.

"Yeah I just lost track of time last night, went to bed later than I should've but I'm fine."  She replied, smiling back at him, although it never quite reached her eyes.

Roger didn't seem convinced, his concern grew as he wafched het gaze dart around the place a couple of times but regardless he didn't dwell on the issue and changed the subject.

"Alright just make sure to take care of yourself, a happy body is a happy mind and all that. " He stated and handed her a piece of torn paper with his number scribbled on it.

"If you ever wanna talk or hang out, just call me." He stated with a friendly smile. She reached out, her fingers brushing against the thin paper as she accepted it.

"Thanks.."

"Of course, and Elara was it?"

She nodded.

"Please be careful out there." And with that, he gave a small wave, slung bus backpack over his shoulder and left the classroom.

She watched him leave, the paper still in her hands while his warning echoed off in her head.  A deep breath blew through her nose as she turned to look at her messy desk, hesitant to collect her stuff, yet did so anyway.

The fear of returning home made her legs feel like they're made of lead, and her fingers trembled around the paper that now sat crumbled in her palm.

Twice now a stranger had entered her space. This rose killer had been there, in her home. And tonight was another night she would be home, on her own and most likely not alone...