I woke up the next morning with the sun's glistering golden gleams gently nudging my eyes through the white fairy curtains alongside my bed. I stretched my arms thinking how pleasant the atmosphere was that day until the cruel processor in my head rebooted back the memories of all the bitter incidents that had been happening in my life recently. Unfortunately, the atmosphere in my family was not that pleasant.

Before I could freshen up, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Sebastian, our caretaker, with a tray inundated with food.

"Breakfast, ma'am."

I took the tray from him and kept it on the table adjoining my bed, preparing to go to freshen up when my hand suddenly knocked down the mug of milk. And CRACK.

All of a sudden, Bruno jumped down from the bed and started licking the milk that spilled on the floor.

"Bruno, stop licking that!"

I struggled to get my stubborn pet away from the milk. I put Bruno back on the bed and rang the bell on the table to call Sebastian. When I looked back, Bruno was lying still. That angel fell asleep again?

"Bruno, get up baby," I joked as I tried to wake him up. He wasn't moving.

"Bruno?" I called out again, but he lay motionless. Fear crept into my soul as I continued my efforts to wake that puppy up. His heart was beating really fast, I could say that from his pulse which I could normally never feel. I couldn't control my tears. I lost my father in the same way.

"What happened ma'am?" Sebastian inquired as he came near the door. I had forgotten to close it.

"Ask the driver to get the car out, fast!" I exclaimed.

"The driver isn't here yet ma'am," Sebastian replied in a worried tone.

Why did everything have to happen on the same day?

"Get the car keys out quickly! I'll drive."

I carried Bruno in my arms and sprinted after Sebastian to the main entrance. He handed me the keys to Pappa's car which was parked in the garage. Just when I was about to get into the car, someone called out from the back.

"Miss Amyra!"

I turned around to find Mr. Xaviers. Oh please, not now at least.

"Where are you going?"

"Can't you see that my dog is in a terrible condition? I don't have time to answer your questions now!" I almost yelled.

"Wait," -he paused a little- "Jonas go with Miss Amyra."

Mr. Jonas hopped out of the house and got into the car within the next minute. I knew I would be wasting time if I tried to protest, so I got into the car and left for the Veterinary hospital with Jonas. It was actually good in a way since I didn't have to drive myself with Bruno in my arms.

I remained accommodated in the same position on the steel bench of the waiting room as minutes stretched into hours. With every passing minute, loneliness seemed to stretch its arms wider, ready to embrace and engulf me inside it in such a way that I could never come out again. I stood up when the vet came out.

"Your pet got saved by a mere percent, Miss Valdez," she answered even before I needed to ask my question. "You had brought him just right on time."

I finally felt a sense of relief. Thank god, Bruno was safe.

"What was wrong?" I inquired hastily.

"There was probably something in the food," she replied. "But don't worry, we have drained all of it out of his stomach, and now we're sending a sample of the blood for the test."

She left in a hurry before I could inquire further. Something in the food.

Jonas seemed to appear into view out of thin air although I knew he was coming back from the restaurant just opposite of the veterinary hospital where he had gone about half an hour ago.

"There you go," he said, handing me one of the chicken wraps in his hands.

I turned my head away as a response.

"What happened now? Aren't you hungry?" he questioned in a way that proved his utmost disbelief about the fact that someone can even vent their anger and agony on food.

I was indeed hungry.

"Someone mixed something with my milk," I gave away.

"Hmm, expected."

"But you don't think that I've mixed something with this wrap, do you?" he asked, trying to raise his eyebrows like his brother but he was nowhere near.

I didn't say anything.

"Wait."

With that being said, he took a bite from the chicken wrap and then handed me the rest.

I frowned.

"Now you know that I haven't mixed any poison in it," he chuckled a little. "Well, unless I die sometime soon."

Although I was still not in a fine mood, that made me giggle at least a little. I took the wrap from him and appeased the mice in my stomach.

We left the veterinary with Bruno in my arms after a few more minutes. Jonas promised me that he would come to collect the reports at night and give them to me later.

I decided to sleep in Pappa's room that night with Bruno. I missed him. Sierra had asked me, when she bumped into me in the hallway earlier that evening, if she could sleep in my room since she needed to use my computer till late night for her assignments. She didn't get her own one yet, so I let her use mine whenever she needed it. Everyone in the house knew that Bruno suddenly fell sick due to an upset stomach. I didn't want to disclose the real thing to them yet. I kept rolling in the bed with unsuccessful attempts of falling asleep for what seemed like hours.

At last, when my eyelids almost drooped to sleep, there was a loud scream. I recognized it distinctly to be Sierra's voice. I looked at the clock. It was 3 am. I took Bruno and hurried towards my room. Everyone was already present there. I pushed myself through the crowd to find Sierra sitting on my bed with her hair all messed up, and sweat beads pooled around the edges of her pale face. She was panting heavily.

Oh Gosh. My bed was in a terrible mess with the bedsheet strewn down badly and the pillows scattered all over the bed, even on the floor. My fairy white curtains were not in a good condition either.

"Sierra what-" I shrieked with terror.

"He tried to-" she uttered the words in between her short breaths, "-kill me!"

"Who-"

Aunt Lucy came rushing from the crowd, and embraced Sierra tightly, trying to calm her down.

"But what are you doing in Amy's room, dear?"

"Sierra had to use my computer till late night to finish her assignments, so I told her she can sleep in here," I answered since Sierra was not in a state to answer herself.

Uncle Josh seemed terrified beyond measure. Natural, I thought. My father would be too if something like that happened to me. If he was alive. Uncle Josh called Mr. Xaviers, asking him to come straight away. I sat beside Sierra with the effort of comforting her.

About an hour later, Mr. Xaviers arrived with Jonas at his heels. Mr. Xaviers was in his usual formal attire while Jonas wore a prussian blue T-shirt with bleached black pants. Mr. Xaviers looked down from the little grandiose balcony near my bedside from where the attacker had gained entry. He went on examining each detail of my room meticulously while Jonas was sent to question Sierra in the next room. I went after them. Uncle Nick and Uncle Josh stayed with Xaviers.

"He tried to-" Sierra struggled to give her statement, "-stifle me with the pillows."

"Miss Sierra, calm down. It's alright now," Jonas tried to ease her.

"Did you see his face?" he inquired when she had calmed down a bit.

"No, he was masked and-" she was probably in short of words due to the shock. Couldn't blame her.

"And?"

"-He was wearing a black hoodie."

"His height, body structure, or anything?"

"I didn't-" she couldn't complete the sentence in one go, "-I didn't get the chance."

"So you didn't see anything else?"

"I-" she tried to recall.

Just then, Aunt Lucy emerged into the room and flung her arms around Sierra again.

"Will you stop bothering my poor girl? What's up with you detectives huh? Can't you see she's traumatized from the shock?" she bawled.

Aunt Lucy was always protective of her children; I recollected how she wouldn't let Mr. Xaviers interrogate me in the hall room. She took Sierra away from the room, and I was left alone there with Jonas.

"The attack," I whispered, "was meant for me."

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