The Neighborhood Watch

The sound of thunder crashed against my ears with the same fervor as my heartbeat. I moved away from the living room window, the curtain shifting back into place and shutting out the angry weather. It was the first time I’d experienced a thunderstorm this bad and it had to be on the night Aliyaah was driving over. I pressed redial on my phone and sighed in frustration when it went to voicemail again. If there was one thing I could count on my sister to do it was drive around with a dead phone. I collapsed onto my sofa and must have dozed off at some point because I was startled awake by the sound of the doorbell ringing. I pulled my door open, admittedly a bit too quickly considering it was the middle of the night, and was greeted by an exasperated Aliyaah. I wasn’t worried though, the only thing I had to fear in this neighborhood were Mrs. Samuel’s consistent attempts at setting me up with her son.

“It’s about time, I’ve been ringing that thing for like 100 years!” Aliyaah exclaimed while grabbing her suitcase and a black parcel off the porch.

“And I’ve been calling you for an eternity, so we’re even. Now get in.” I responded as I took in her appearance.

She passed me, dropping her suitcase by the stairs and then moving into the kitchen with the black parcel still clutched under her arm. I took one last look outside before shutting the door and joining her. Aliyaah was already fixing a quick meal and the parcel lay on the countertop literally begging for my attention. Finally, my curiosity won and I moved over to it and stared as though I could magically determine its contents.

“What’s with the package Ali?”

She looked over at me, brows furrowed, “Oh that’s not mine. It’s yours.”

“You got me a gift? I won’t lie it’s not the best presentation but…”

“It was by your door when I got here,” she says, rolling her eyes before turning back to her sandwich.

I looked down at the package in my hand quizzically, there was no shipping label so it couldn’t have been left by one of the regular delivery companies and no one I knew would be crazy enough to brave this weather to deliver this.

“Please just open it and stop acting as if this is a case for Nancy Drew,” Aliyaah’s voice cut through my thoughts.

Hopping onto the counter, I cut through the bubble packaging and reached in for what lay behind it. My confusion increased tenfold as I pulled out a small, hardcover, black book. I turned it over trying to determine which side was the front but that proved useless when I realized both sides were completely blank. Aliyaah grabbed the book out of my hand and opened it. I watched as she flipped through the pages, her eyebrows appearing to rise higher on her face until she thrust the book back into my hands.

“What kind of neighborhood is this Ria? Honestly that’s just creepy!” she exclaimed as she moved out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?”

“To make sure all your doors and windows are bolted.”

I stopped in the hallway and opened the book to the first page. My breath caught in my throat as I took in the words displayed in elegant cursive across the slightly yellow page.

‘Hello Aria, I’m glad you received my present. This may seem alarming but I have a task only you can complete and believe me when I say it would be in your best interest to continue reading.”

I flipped the page and continued reading. I’d never been the best at minding my own business.

‘St. Augustine has always been known for its perfect, law-abiding inhabitants. The only thing perfect about them, however, is their ability to hide their true nature.’

‘Everyone gets a choice when they move in. Play the game and secure your home or Run as fast as you can. Which will you choose, Aria?’

“What are you going to do?” Aliyaah asked, perched against the wall across from me.

“You don’t actually think I’m taking this seriously do you? One of the neighbor’s kids probably left this as a prank.” I said with more conviction than I felt.

“Seems awfully thought out for a prank, especially one that just keeps on giving,” Ali stated as she handed me a letter, “This was on your desk upstairs.”

My fingers tightened around the book before I took the letter, quickly opening it. I tried, but failed, not to think about the fact that someone had been in my house without even my slightest awareness.

‘Your decision time ends at 7pm. Unfortunately, for you, if my estimation is correct you won’t read this until 8:30pm-’ I glanced at the clock. 8:29pm. ‘-which means you’re well over your limit. So, let’s play. Riddle me this, are roses truly red? Are violets truly blue? Be careful or this person’s drug habit might just rub off on you. Even years of study cannot ensure perfection. What will your answer be?’

I sank down on the bottom step of my staircase, my sister’s quizzical gaze following my movements. Despite trying to convince myself that this was just a prank to test the new girl in the neighborhood, my mind had already begun running through all the people on my street trying to match the riddle. There was an uncomfortable feeling in the back of my mind telling me that this was very much real and there was way more to the people who had welcomed me these past two weeks. I zoned back into reality as Ali snapped her fingers in my face. She was saying something to me but I was still too far in my thoughts to make sense of her words. I got up, moving into the living room to grab my laptop and pull up the town’s directory. I scrolled through the page until I found the Finley’s. Pulling up their page, I considered the five-person family. That riddle wasn’t about a teenager, that would be much too easy, it had to be about someone who had a lot to lose and would do anything to ensure their secret never got out. That left me with Mr. Finley, a Corporate lawyer, and Mrs. Finley, a Neurologist. The perfect family, I’d never even seen their dog cause trouble and they’d been extremely welcoming when they invited me to dinner the other night. The riddle did mention years of study and both their professions warranted that, plus there had been a split second at dinner that could’ve been a red flag but I hadn’t considered it before. I had excused myself to take my daily pills and Mr. Finley had followed me to the patio. His eyes had been glued to my pill organizer until he noticed my gaze and resorted to tapping his fingers against his pants leg until we returned inside. This riddle had to be about him, but now I faced another issue. How was I supposed to give whoever sent this my answer? Quickly an idea came to mind. I tore a blank page from the black book and wrote Mr. Finley’s name across it before rushing to grab a raincoat from my closet. Heading towards my front door, Aliyaah stepped in front of me before I could open it. I’d almost forgotten she was here.

“Where are you going?” she asked. I could tell she thought this situation had triggered one of my infamous panic attacks.

“I’m answering the riddle. I need to put this in my mailbox.”

“You said you thought this was just a prank.”

“Not anymore. You were right, this is way too specific and it didn’t say there was a consequence for wrong answers so I’m going to play along.” I stated before sidestepping her, heading outside. The thunderstorm was still raging on but that wasn’t going to stop me now. The rain beat against my skin as I reached the mailbox. I quickly opened it and shoved the piece of paper in before heading back in. It was a waiting game now.

I joined Ali, who had moved back to the living room, and sank down in the seat beside her. Five minutes under my sister’s concerned gaze passed before my cell phone lit up with an incoming text.

‘I knew you were a smart one Aria. I wonder how Mr. Finley will feel now that you know his secret? Of course, you’ll be compensated for your quick response.’

Before I could stop myself, I texted back asking who was this. Another message popped up. I quickly realized I wouldn’t find the answer to my question.

‘Riddle me this: Is love in the air? Or are you too cautious to venture behind those walls? You could be victim number 100 or the saving grace. What will you choose?’

Suddenly I felt as if I’d been dropped into ice water. I knew who this was about without a doubt. Before I dove further into the riddle, I sent another message, once again asking who I was speaking with and how they got my number. I didn’t have concrete evidence, it was more to do with my intuition, but I knew the answer to this riddle. My phone lit up again.

‘Check your bank account.’

I quickly logged into my account and my eyes widened as I looked at my total. Twenty thousand dollars had been transferred to my account and the sender had been listed as James Finley. What the hell was going on? Another message flashed across my screen.

‘Time is ticking. Maybe you’ll be equally compensated.”

I tore another page out of the black book and scribbled Andrew Samuel across it before rushing out to the mailbox. Once I was back inside, I leaned my head against the wall. I’d only met Andrew twice but that had been enough for me to decide that something wasn’t quite right about him. He was devastatingly good looking, always well dressed and obviously came from money, which was why I’d been confused the first time around as to why his mother had to set him up with women. The look I’d seen in his eyes the second time around, however, had set me on edge and if what that riddle was suggesting had any truth to it then I needed to create even more distance between us. A message came in.

‘Another correct answer. This riddle’s prize is tied in with the next one so let’s not waste time. Riddle me this: They say blood is thicker than water but at least with water you can clearly see. The past two are saints compared to this one.’

My gaze drifted to Aliyaah. Blood is thicker than water. But this didn’t make sense because Aliyaah had never been to this town before I moved here. Yet she’d never had to ask for directions, during a storm nonetheless. Her concerned gaze followed me as I tore another page and wrote my answer. Aliyaah Josephs. This time my entire body shook as I placed the paper in the mailbox. This time I stayed on the porch. I tensed when I felt the next message come in, but I hadn’t seen anyone go towards the mailbox.

‘You have two options. Take what’s under the flower pot and run or head inside. Choose wisely.’

I grabbed the key I knew was under the pot and headed to my car. As I reversed out of my driveway, I saw Aliyaah rushing out of the house and into the storm. If I learned anything these past weeks it was to trust my instincts and currently they were telling me to get the hell out of that house. So, I ran.

A message popped up on my phone.

‘Good choice, Aria. Thank you for playing.’