Trembling uncontrollably, Meghan's shaking fingers opened the slip of paper. A sob escaped her lips as she read it.

ʍʏ աaʀռɨռɢ աas օռċɛ, aռɖ ʏօʊ ċast ɨt asɨɖɛ. քʀɛքaʀɛ ʄօʀ քʊʀɛ aɢօռʏ, tɦɛʀɛ's ռօաɦɛʀɛ tօ ɦɨɖɛ.

"Meghan!" She didn't notice as Gordon barreled into the room. "Did you scream? Are you okay?"

Meghan dropped the note, burying her face in her hands as sobs overtook her body. What even happened? What was happening? She felt Gordon's arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight hug. She didn't stop him. Instead, she buried her face in his chest.

It wasn't a prank. Someone was going to hurt them.

❄️⛄️❄️❄️⛄️❄️

"You didn't see anything?" Meghan begged, grasping the police officer's arm.

"Ma'am, as I said, I only saw Mr. Byer walk out of the house and down the streets," the police officer told her, bemused by the terrifying state she was in.

"But I never went outside last night," Gordon told him for what seemed like the fifth time. He held the paper up. "And how do you explain this?"

"Look, I'll report this to the station," the police officer assured. "We will see what we can do."

Gordon hugged Meghan as the officer retreated down to his car. They watched him drive away and tears brimmed Meghan's eyes. She avoided looking at the paper grasped in Gordon's hand.

"Mom?"

They both turned around. Ryder and Carly were standing behind them, clearly only having just woken up. Meghan hadn't even gotten breakfast going. She quickly tried to hide her panic as she smiled at them. "Hey, you two. Ready for breakfast?"

"Did he see anything?" Ryder asked, ignoring her question. "The officer?"

"No, he didn't," she answered.

"What is that?"

Meghan followed Ryder's gaze as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on the paper in Gordon's hand. The man moved to slip it into his pocket. "Nothing."

"Don't lie!" Ryder's quick reflexes allowed him to snatch the paper from his father who moved to get it back. Ryder moved back, reading it out loud. "My warning was once, and you cast it aside. Prepare for pure agony...there's nowhere to hide."

Both her children's faces paled. Carly whimpered out loud. "That person is going to hurt us, aren't they?"

Gordon scooped Carly into his arms, hugging her tightly and casting his son a glare for having read it out loud. Meghan wrapped an arm around Ryder as he dropped the note, his face stricken with disbelief.

"No, ladybug," Gordon told her. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt us."

"But what if they do? What if they kill me?" Carly sobbed into his shirt, her soft voice muffled. "I'm not even eleven years old yet."

Hot tears once again burned Meghan's eyes. She blinked them away, though, wanting to be strong for them all. Ryder shook his head, his jaw set tight. Something he inherited from Gordon.

"Hey," Meghan soothed shakily. "Let's take Comet and Vixen out for a walk, okay? People are out and about, so we can't be hurt."

Carly gave her a skeptical look. "You can't walk baby deer."

"We can hold them," Gordon pitched in. "We need fresh air anyway."

"Can I stay home?" Ryder asked.

"Why?" Gordon turned to him. "This is a family activity. And I don't think it is wise for you to be home alone."

"If the person shows up, I'll run," Ryder promised. "I will lock the doors and windows if you want. I wanted to work more on my short story. Please. I'll come with you next time."

"Well...I guess," Meghan said, her hesitance noticeable. "But you have to promise you will go on a father-son outing with your father then."

A scowl quickly replaced his pleading look. He shot Gordon a hard glare. Gordon glanced at Meghan, and Carly gaped at her too. She ignored them as she waited for her son's answer.

"Fine..." he gave in. "I will."

Meghan smiled feebly. "Good. You can stay home."

She couldn't help but feel excited about her accomplishment. Whoever was threatening them, though, she worried about. A good parent would never let their child stay home, but he was fourteen and it would only be briefly. Carly pulled away from her father's embrace to go and get her coat.

"Are we going to eat breakfast first?" Meghan asked with a laugh.

"No," Carly answered. "We can eat when we get back. Please?"

Meghan grinned, adjusting her glasses and retrieving her coat. "Okay."

She watched Carly scoop Comet up and cuddle him to her. He didn't seem to like it but didn't try to flee. Gordon picked Vixen up, doing the same thing as he adjusted his large coat to cover the fawn too. Meghan buttoned down her coat and pulled her boots and gloves on. Ryder settled down on a chair, having retrieved a stack of paper.

He loved writing short stories in his spare time, and Meghan approved because she loved seeing the rare smile that seemed to dwindle subconsciously on his face as he wrote about beautiful places and action-packed battles. He had yet to let her read one, but she didn't pry. In his own time, he would come to her with them.

"Ready?" Gordon asked.

Meghan nodded, her stomach clenching at the thought of going outside where something stalking them was on the loose. There were people out and about, though, and crowds could occasionally call for a good thing when it came to someone not wanting to make a huge scene. Whatever was stalking them better not want to make a huge scene either.

As they slipped out of the house and began treading down the porch steps, Meghan turned to Gordon. "Do you think we should move?"

"I've already told you that," Gordon replies.

"No, I mean right now," she explained. "That way whoever is threatening us won't know where we are. It can all end."

Carly was listening to them but seemed keen on the idea of pretending she wasn't. Gordon furrowed his eyebrows. "Maybe. I have an apartment about an hour away from here, but it's small. Maybe while we work to get you a new house, we could all stay there just for the amount of time it takes. You could even try and rent this place out."

Meghan agreeably nodded. "What would be the best time for us to head over there?"

Gordon tucked Vixen closer to him, concealing most of the fawn from the people around them. Carly was having a harder time carrying Comet but waved Meghan off when she offered to help. She just hoped her daughter didn't accidentally drop the poor thing.

"Next weekend," Gordon answered. "I have repairmen over there right now painting, cleaning, fixing plumbing, and such that I would rather not be disturbed."

"But...but that thing got into our house!" Meghan said. "It could do it again! I refuse to be at that house another night."

"Then we can rent a hotel for a few days," Gordon assured her. "I can pay."

Meghan exhaled in gratitude. As she thought about the notes and how that thing got into their house, an awful feeling settled inside of her. She shouldn't have let Ryder stay home alone. That was a dumb move on her part, even if he did agree to go on an outing with his father. A good parent would never do that.

Carly stroked Comet's fur. Some passersby gave the fawn a wary look before glancing up at the family as if having two fawns was crazy - which it was. Meghan needed to get that call in about finding the fawns a better place to live.

"Need me to carry him?" Meghan laughed, watching her daughter tighten her grip on the fawn slipping out of her arms. Comet disagreed to the motion and flailed out. Meghan quickly grabbed him before he could escape and race down the streets, rocking him in her arms as if he was a human baby needing to be calmed.

Vixen had his eyes shut in Gordon's arms. Either he didn't mind the humans, he was very tired, or the cut on his leg was giving him problems. Meghan glanced down at Comet in her own arms. His ears twitched nervously, his black nose turning with his head as he looked around.

Are Vixen and Comet siblings?

Intrigued with the notion, Meghan found her mind wandering back to memories of her childhood. Her father loved teaching her about the animals. She wasn't able to put that skill to good use though before she grew up, got married, and had two children.

Two children of whom she would never give up for anything in the world.

❄⛄❄❄⛄❄

Meghan dialed the number and hit the call button as Carly watched her sadly, her eyes big and filled with sadness. "Don't call them! We can keep Vixen and Comet!"

"No, we can't," Meghan told her as the dial rang. "We're heading for a hotel tomorrow until we can get to your father's apartment while we earn the money for a new house."

"But this house is fine!" she argued, crossing her arms.

"No, someone is breaking into this house. That's not safe," Meghan answered. "We were going to move anyway. I guess we're just doing it early."

"But Vixen and Comet never did anything to you!" Carly exclaimed. "You can't make them live a lonely life behind bars!"

"Oh, for goodness sakes," Meghan huffed as her daughter stormed down the hallway. She called after her, "They can find their owner!" before the door slammed shut. Meghan shook her head, waiting for someone to pick up. Ryder sat at the table with Gordon, the both of them eating a snack.

Vixen and Comet were huddled by the fireplace. Meghan couldn't believe how well they had behaved, and how quickly the two had adapted to the family's home. It was almost as if, after the initial shock, they were easily comfortable around humans. A rare trait.

"Are we going to leave all of our stuff here?" Ryder asked.

"Just until my apartment is ready. Then you can bring most of your belongings there until you get a new house," Gordon answered.

"What about the Christmas tree?" Ryder narrowed his eyes at Gordon as he said this, irritated that his father answered when he had asked Meghan. Meghan was impressed with the response though. It seemed as if Ryder was slowly thawing around his father.

The woman looked over at the unplugged Christmas tree that sat against the wall. The decorations were always heartwarming to have around. Maybe they could bring them along?

"I suppose the Christmas tree can come," Meghan told him, but glanced at Gordon for his answer nonetheless. It was his apartment, after all.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, it can come. I don't have one anyway."

Noises echoed from Ryder and Carly's bedroom as Meghan's daughter began pounding on the wall. A child - no matter what age - still seemed to possess the ability to throw a temper tantrum. It was astounding how childish even a teenager could be. Meghan shook her head at the noise. "I'll be right back. I don't want her making a hole in the wall. Especially if we plan to rent this place out."

Not that anyone would rent it anyway.

"And Ryder and I can plan our day out," Gordon said, earning a slight scowl from their son. He chuckled at the reaction. "Not as bad as the reactions I have received in the past."

Meghan's eyes widened as, instead of getting upset, Ryder's lips quirked the slightest bit upward into a smile before quickly disappearing as he busied himself with sweeping the floor. Surprised by the reaction, Meghan bumped into the wall on her way down the hallway.

She opened the kids' bedroom door. Carly looked at her from her position on her back, her feet paused in midair as her brown eyes studied her mother. Meghan stepped inside to sit on the bed. "I know you love those fawns, but we really can't keep them."

Carly sat up, scooting to get closer to Meghan. She dropped her gaze to the floor as she pressed her knees to her chest. "I know. But can't we find their owners?"

"We're too busy," Meghan apologized. "We seem to be in a spot of trouble and we need to settle it down. Please, Carly. We need to send them away."

Carly sighed as Meghan ran her hand through her daughter's curls. "Will we be able to visit them?"

"Depends on certain circumstances," Meghan replied. She understood her daughter's sadness. Even with someone breaking into their house, saying goodbye to the baby deer was the thing worrying her the most. It's just how children think sometimes.

Carly tilted her head up to look at Meghan with a tight smile. Meghan smiled back and pulled her daughter into a hug, the creaking of the bed going unnoticed as they embraced. Carly rested her head on Meghan's shoulder. "Was someone banging on the wall?"

Meghan gave her a startled look. What? "I thought that was you kicking the wall in anger."

Carly shook her head. "No, I kicked back once right before you walked in. Someone was banging on it from the other side."

But there was no "other side" of that wall. Not unless one counted behind the sink in Meghan's bathroom. But no one could fit there. "Were they kicking higher up?"

Carly shook her head. "No, it was down by the ground."

Meghan swallowed and released her daughter from her arms. She stood up, tugging Carly along with her as she left the room. Someone was kicking the wall right after Carly stormed into her room. Gordon and Ryder had been out in the dining room with Meghan the few moments Carly had been gone.

Did that person-thing break into the house again? Meghan swallowed in fear at the thought. They needed to get out of the house as soon as possible.

Carly complained a little as Meghan dragged her down the hall, but she hardly noticed.

"Gordon, we need to rent a hotel now," Meghan said as they entered the kitchen. She tried to hold back a quiver in her voice. "We can't stay here. This is like a horror movie and we're letting it happen!"

"What? What happened?" Gordon asked.

"Someone was kicking the wall," Carly slowly answered, her eyes glazed with fear. "Can we leave? I don't want to...to feel...ag, uh, agony."

Her words caused Meghan to think back to the second note. Prepare for pure agony, there's nowhere to hide. Meghan swallowed, gripping Carly at her side. "Let's get to a hotel today."

"What about the fawns?" Ryder asked, earning Meghan a look from Carly.

"I called WASART. They have our address so we can leave the fawns on the porch and they can just pick them up when they arrive later today," Meghan replied, subconsciously glancing around, looking for any signs of a stranger in their house. "Let's pack some bags and get out of here. Please."

Gordon nodded. "Alright. Where do you have the suitcases?"

"In my closet," Meghan answered.

As Gordon disappeared down the hallway, Carly knelt beside the fawns at the fireplace. She stroked their fur and whispered softly. Meghan caught the sad tone in her voice. Ryder just leaned against the wall, staring at the clock in the kitchen. Meghan approached him and nudged his arm. "You okay?"

Ryder jerked out of his thoughts to look at her worriedly. "I just can't believe what is happening to us. And with someone breaking into our house and leaving creepy notes you'd think they would have done something to hurt us already."

His words were true. Someone kept getting into their house, but the only thing threatening they had done so far was leave notes. Was someone just pranking them at an extreme level? One that might get them sent to jail? Even though it would be a sick prank, Meghan suddenly hoped that that was all it was.

"Here we are," Gordon said, re-entering the room with two suitcases in his grip. Meghan noted the subtle dark bags underneath his eyes. Had he not been sleeping well? "Carly and Ryder can share one. Meghan can use the other." He looked at her for confirmation. "Is that alright?"

Meghan gave a small start. Ever since he got back, he had settled down like that was his own home. He hadn't asked Meghan for confirmation on anything up until then. Was he trying to respect that he didn't live there anymore? "Yes, that's fine. Hurry up and pack whatever you're going to so we can get out of here."

Ryder quickly exited the room with no need for more badgering, but Carly's hesitation was noticeable from her position on the floor by the fawns. Her brown eyes met Meghan's and she gave her a sharp nod. Carly sighed, rising from the floor and skulking out of the room as Gordon disappeared as well to grab his things. He already had his bags so he was not in need of Meghan's suitcase. She rolled her suitcase back down the hallway to her bedroom.

A draft of cold air swirled about her room. Her eyes found the open window that allowed the wind to whip into the house and she moved to close it. The snow was still heavy but it had stopped falling from the sky. Hopefully, it wouldn't snow again for a while. All they needed was to be snowed into that house and Meghan would lose it. They were leaving that day, though, so being snowed in would most likely not happen.

As Meghan packed up what she needed and made her way back down the hall, she could hear Ryder and Carly talking together in their bedroom. Based off their tone of voices, Carly seemed more optimistic about their leave than Ryder.

As she entered the main room, a thumping at the door caused Meghan to freeze. Gordon joined her moments later, looked between her and the door, and moved to open it.

"No, don't!" Meghan objected. What if it were that thing?

Gordon slowly opened it. It wasn't the thing.

It was a fawn.

❄️☃❄️

It's the first day of July! The year is really zooming by. :/

A pretty uneventful chapter, but the previous ones were eventful, so...any feedback?

Question: Is it wise of them to want to leave the house right away?