Clay spent the remainder of the weekend working and catching up on homework assignments, his thoughts always shifting back to the strange, and somewhat disturbing, letter. He knew himself to be an overthinker, but this seemed to be the top of it all. At first, he had assumed it to be a prank of some sort but then realized neither one of his friends would have done that. They were both consumed with their weekend activities and surely would not have had time to write a prank letter. But Clay also didn't know anyone with the initials O.K. He additionally thought about taking the letter to the police, claiming that he had a stalker, but then reasonably told himself there was nothing they could do anyway.
Every thought of his was occupied with the neat, twisty writing from the letter, no matter how hard he tried to push it to the back of his mind. It always seemed to crawl back to the front.
'I have noticed you...'
'A matter of time...'
'A killer is afoot...'
O.K.
Clay repeated the words over and over in his head, they were etched into his brain. And by Monday, he had convinced himself to forget about it, for now at least.
***
Monday, August 25
Clay walked down the sidewalk watching other students pass by, but not really paying attention to them. It was a cloudy day with winds blowing just enough to make leaves rustle in the trees. The campus was bustling with activity, with all students rushing to their classes. Beside him, Elora and Jax were having a conversation, but Clay didn't have the energy to listen or join in today, especially when heading to biology class.
Clay finally looked up when he heard his name. "What?"
"I asked you if you're okay today?" Elora asked, apparently again, looking at Clay with curious eyes.
Clay shoved his hands in his jacket pockets instinctively. "Yeah, I... I'm fine. Just tired from working the weekend," he responded.
Elora nodded at him, understanding. "You just seem quieter than usual," she observed with a shrug.
"What do you mean? He always acts like he has a stick up his ass," Jax teased, laughing loudly.
Elora snorted. "Cut him some slack," she responded, nudging Jax's arm. "He only acts like that fifty percent of the time."
"Gee, thanks," Clay mumbled, rolling his eyes.
Elora and Jax both laughed, before continuing their previous conversation. They were getting closer to the science building when they all saw a large crowd gathered off to the side where there was an opening. Clay noticed the out-of-place black SUVs parked off to the side and yellow tape crossed around the area, cutting it off from the crowd.
"What's going on?" Elora questioned, stopping in her tracks, along with Clay and Jax.
"Nothing good by the looks of it," Jax responded, his eyes scanning the area. "Maybe someone's getting arrested," he suggested, a little excited.
Clay was staring at the scene, and eventually, his curiosity got the better of him. "Come on, let's see," he said, starting in the direction of the crowd.
"What? No way. Bad idea, Clay," Elora responded quickly, but Clay was already walking to the edge of the crowd. Elora and Jax exchanged a look before sprinting to catch up with Clay.
They started pushing their way to the front of the thick crowd, growing more and more eager to see what was happening. All around them, people were talking in hushed voices, all sharing looks of concern.
YOU ARE READING
Flowers of Desires
Mystery / Thriller"Dear Clayton Wicker, You have not noticed me, but rest assured, I have noticed you with a watchful eye. It is not often that someone catches my attention, but you are surely something else. I long for the day you finally notice and see me, as I hav...
