Summers' Heat

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The petty pranks just continue over the rest of the week. Her trash cans being kicked over, garbage strewn over her front steps and pig's blood over the first floor windows. All annoying, granted, but nothing that overtly threatens her life. From the kind of crimes they appear to be Makayla figures the perpetrator's got to be a teenager. Male, most likely and someone who's from the victim's family. It definitely feels too personal for it not to be.

She doesn't pay it too much mind, reassuring herself it'll stop as soon as this kid has worked through their anger. So why she doesn't tell her friends at brunch and laugh it off like she normally would is an action Makayla doesn't want to dwell on.

Luckily Sunday morning when she wakes up there's not another surprise left for her. It's the third time there's been a break from the vandalism. Laughing softly to herself, Makayla gets ready. See, it probably was a kid and either their parents found out or they decided to stop. Either way grateful for it, she gets on with her Sunday.

That night as she returns home from dinner with a friend, Makayla's nerves prickle. Something feels wrong. She checks the home alarm system which she had definitely set before leaving. That had been her mom's housewarming gift to her. Probably because she knew Makayla wouldn't have dropped the bucket load of cash it costs on something a few deadbolts could do. Still, she is grateful for it now. She carefully makes her way to the little closet under the stairs where she keeps the vacuum and other forgotten items, including some golf clubs. Silly her, she'd had the ridiculous idea if she took up golf, she could hang in the boys' club. Turns out not only was that not true but she also hates golf. Thank God she kept the clubs though. Pulling out the driver, she wields it close to her body and creeps around to the lounge first.

Slowly she stalks through each room of her house, deflating with relief as she finds nothing each time. Too much wine, she figures, setting the club beside her bedroom door and stripping out of the dress. She just needs a hot shower and to get to bed. Tomorrow will come soon enough and it'll be just like any other Monday.

Taking off her make up, Makayla brushes her teeth and gets ready to hop in the shower. Again, her nerves stand on end. Irritation overwhelms her this time. What the hell is going on? She already checked the bathroom and everything was fine. Is fine. Her hand lands on the counter, fingers gets pricked by her hairbrush.

Makayla frowns at it. She's not a very messy person but her bathroom is definitely the messiest room in her house. In her morning rush, she tends to leave her makeup there on the counter and clear it in the evening. The hairbrush though? It's a detangler. She only ever uses it in the shower once she's washed her curly hair. She washed her hair yesterday but she would have put it back in the shower stand. Right? Yes definitely. Nonetheless Makayla inspects it.
There's no hair on it which means she cleaned it so if she cleaned it she would have put it back. Did she put it back? She tries to recall her movements from yesterday. It's no use, she's just not sure. Could the kid have somehow broken into her house? Maybe he saw her key in the alarm before she left for work and figured it out. But if he's happy destroying the front of her house, why wouldn't he destroy the insides too then? To scare her? Makayla's deliberates her next move. Indecision is not one of her traits. Her mom had called her headstrong on some days and stubborn on others but that woman's who she got it from.