"Joon, please call me back. We're not mad, or upset. We just want you to come home. That's...That's why we've sent out-" Her thumb pressed against the end call button so hard, her finger tip turned white.
She hadn't slept in over a week. Every time her eyelids fluttered close, Joon saw blood, and striped pants, and her father. Colors began to mix together before her eyes, her red hair greasy with lack of washing. Foot steps echoed down the hallways of her apartment, police still lingering from the Halloween turned nightmare murder party.
There was a knock on her heavy metal door, keeping her safe from people and predators. If only there was a way to keep out the thoughts. Joon's body floated towards the sound, unlocking the latch and revealing a brown cardboard box. She took it inside, colors mixing together in front of her.
Suddenly, the box barked. Joon's eyes flew open at the sound. She opened the box, that held a small brown puppy, no more than a month old. It barked again. Joon's stomach leaped forward, and she grabbed onto the table so she wouldn't fall. The note attached simply read: From your Secret Santa.
Joon promptly took the box still carrying the puppy, opened her door, and put it back outside of her apartment. And then she blacked out.
-
When Joon reopened her eyes, she immediately shivered. Wind blew against her bare arms, goose bumps multiplying. She looked up and saw the huge rusty water tower, WINTHROP PLACE written in black. She heard her father's scream pierce the air, and Joon whipped her head towards the noise. In the distance, she saw red and green lights hanging on a Christmas tree, surrounded by people. Was is already December? She grasped at her hair, trying to remember how she'd gotten here. Her vision blurred, ears ringing from her father's voice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Snow crunched underneath her shoes as she walked home, shivering uncontrollably. Jingle bells rang softly near the old abandoned pool. She placed her shoes by the door of her apartment, and put in her ear buds, David Bowie blasting out the voices in her head.
Joon didn't hear the hard knocks on the door. She didn't see the officers come in, but she felt the cold metal handcuffs around her wrists, and suddenly the words rang out in her ears; "Joon Rawlings, you're coming with us."
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