Clara S

                      The Nameless Note

Chapter 1

It all started when Eleanor got that note: You don’t know what we are capable of. What did it mean? Could it be a prank? Or a note from the bullies at school? Or could it be something completely different? Whatever it was, it was scaring her. 

“Eleanor? Are you here? Mom and Dad want to talk to you!” her sister, Olivia, said from outside her room.

“Coming! Just a sec!” Eleanor called back. She put the note away and flopped onto her bed. Eleanor sighed and closed her eyes, appreciating this moment of silence. Eleanor just wanted peace, but Olivia was always annoying her, her parents expected so much from her and now she had to figure out what this note meant. Eleanor sat up and tied her silky brown hair into a messy bun. She walked over to the fan and turned it on. Why was summer always so hot? 

“Eleanor! It’s been more than a second! Come on! Mom says it’s important! Oh and when you’re done, come play dolls with me!” Olivia yelled, banging on the door. Eleanor sighed and headed downstairs.

“Hey Mom, hi Dad. What did you want to talk about?” She asked, sitting on the plush white couch across from her parents.

“Well, Olivia told us she wants to see you more but that you’ve been in your room too much,” her dad told her.

“So? Why did you have to talk to me about this? Olivia told me it was important,” Eleanor asked.

“We were thinking that you would spend more time with her if you saw her more so we decided that for now, you and Olivia will share a room,” her mom said.

“What!? I’m thirteen! I can’t share a room with a six year old! It’ll be torture! What are you even going to do with my room?” Eleanor asked.

“We’re going to make it a temporary guest room,” her mom said

“Ugh! This is going to be horrible!” Eleanor exclaimed, standing up and heading toward the stairs.

“We really appreciate you doing this, sweetheart. Olivia will be so happy,” her dad said, smiling almost apologetically.

“Yeah, yeah…” Eleanor muttered. She got to her bedroom door when Olivia came up behind her.

“Boo! Remember how you were supposed to play with dolls with me? C’mon!” Olivia said.

“Not now… I don’t feel very well… besides, I’m already going to share a room with you for now,” Eleanor told her. 

“YOU ARE!? That is the best news EVER!!!!” Olivia yelled, skipping away happily. Eleanor opened up her bedroom door and went in. She went over to her nightstand and took out the note. She studied it for a minute. The note had a yellowish tint to it and it was crinkled. It had a weird texture, like softer sandpaper. The letters were starting to fade but it could still be read. She looked at it for a little while longer until she noticed a little mark in the top left corner. It looked like a skull surrounded by dead flowers. It looked…familiar for some reason, but what was it and where had she seen it?

“Eleanor? We’re here to move some stuff to Olivia’s room but we’ll finish the rest in the next few days. Olivia promised to try not to annoy you while you are there. She looked really happy. She really loves you. You’ve been a great sister to her so thank you.” Her mom said with a big smile spread across her face as she walked over and gave her a giant hug.

“How long will I be sharing a room with Olivia?” Eleanor asked. -“ We were thinking about a month.” Her mom told her.

“A MONTH!? That’s WAY too long!” Eleanor complained.

“For now, that’s yes, but we can think about it longer if you want. Don’t worry about it though. It’ll be fine. You should get some sleep. It’s getting late. Good night honey, I love you. Sleep well!” her mom said, kissing her forehead. Eleanor lay down on her soft pillow. She pulled the blanket on her and she closed her eyes. As soon as she fell asleep, all she could dream about was a group of people in black costumes appearing in front of her and kidnapping her.

Chapter 2

Eleanor woke up on the floor. She stumbled down the stairs and sat down at the table. Her mom handed her a plate of scrambled eggs and a bowl of yogurt .

“Morning kiddo. Rough night?” her mom asked as Eleanor sat down. 

“That’s an understatement. I had nightmares all night.” Eleanor grumbled.

“I’m sorry sweetie,” her mom said, kissing Eleanor’s head.

“At least it’s summer so I can still get good sleep.” Eleanor said.

“Oh yeah, that reminds me. We have to go shopping for school supplies. School starts next week.” Her mom told her. Eleanor sighed. She left for her room. When she opened her door, her room was empty. She stared at it, shocked, but only thinking about how fast that was. She crossed the hallway and quietly entered Olivia’s room. She quickly grabbed the note and left. 

“Hey what’s that? Can I see? Please? Please please please?” Olivia said behind her. 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t annoy me,” Eleanor said through gritted teeth.

“Only when we’re in my room,” Olivia reminded her.

“Fine then I guess I’ll sleep on the couch for an entire month,” Eleanor said.

“No wait! Fine I won’t annoy you, but what’s the note?” Olivia asked again.

“It’s none of your business, that’s what,” Eleanor replied. Olivia sighed and walked away. Eleanor went into her now empty room and sat down on the dusty, cold floor. She pulled the note out of her pocket and reread it over and over: You don’t know what we’re capable of. She sighed she hadn’t discovered any new information about this mystery. Eleanor decided to focus on the mark instead. If she couldn’t figure out what the note meant, she could at least figure out where she had seen the mark. When she looked closer, she noticed the flowers were roses.

“Oh my gosh!” Eleanor yelled out loud by accident. She remembered where she had seen the mark: At the botanical garden. Last month, they went to the botanical garden. Eleanor always loved roses so she wanted to go see them but when she looked at the dirt, she saw the mark. Maybe it leads somewhere? She had to figure it out.

Chapter 3

“Mom! I have to go to the botanical garden!” Eleanor yelled from upstairs.

“Why?” her mom asked.

“I’m…meeting a friend,” Eleanor lied.

“Oh okay. Be back by dinner.”

“Can I borrow a shovel and gloves? We’re gardening,” Eleanor said.

“Sure. Does your friend need tools?” her mom asked.

“Nope. It’s okay, but thank you! I’ll see you later. I’m going to be late,” Eleanor left quickly to avoid questions but before she could make it out…

“Which friend are you seeing?” her mom asked.

“Um…Sophie,” Eleanor said. Before her mom could say anything else, she ran out and exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She grabbed the tools and headed for the botanical garden. She arrived twenty minutes later. When she entered, Eleanor sprinted toward the roses, hoping it was there. When she got to the roses, she dropped down to her knees and searched the dirt. She couldn’t find it. This changed everything.

The Signal

It was a normal day. Robert was sitting in his chair, looking out the window when he started to doze off.

"What do we do now?" Robert's head snapped up.

"The mission went well. Boss, what's next?" Robert didn't understand where it was coming from. Was it the TV? Or the radio? Or his hearing aids?

"We attack. Tonight." Robert dropped the TV remote, turning it on. An ad started playing about buying these hearing aids which were apparently better if the one they owned started malfunctionning somehow, but Robert was to scared to care. Although he did need new ones. Robert had to do something.

"We already have some information. We know where Robert lives." Were they going to attack Robert?

"If we leave now, we can get there by tonight." Robert looked out the window. The sun was already setting. Whoever they were, they were close by. He hid in silence for about an hour when he heard a knock on the door. It was already nighttime so he was sure it was the people who were going to attack him.