Jewel's sore legs demanded she sit and relax. Instead, she gathered her last bit of energy and decided to retrieve the card from her mailbox. It was the least she could do for her best friend.

As she placed her apartment keys in her pocket, the sound of something sliding across the floor captured her attention. She turned in time to catch someone pushing a red envelope under her door.

'What is that?' Her eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at the foreign envelope. 'Pull yourself together. It's an envelope, not a snake.'

Footsteps leading away from her apartment echoed in the foyer. Picking up the envelope, Jewel stepped into the niche to thank the deliverer.

'Where did they go?'

She looked around at her surroundings. The unmoving elevator light steadily lit up the number three, her floor.

Jewel glanced around the dark, gloomy foyer. The coffee-colored walls and dark carpet made it difficult for the sixty-five-watt bulbs to brighten the area.

'Who dropped off this card?'

A prickly sensation crawled up her arms, and she shuddered.

'Eddie better not be up to his old tricks again.'

Her abusive ex-boyfriend, Eddie, often went out of his way to startle and frighten her. He liked to see the terror in her eyes. As fast as the idea popped into her head, she dismissed it. She had not seen Eddie in years.

Jewel thumped her fingers on the doorframe as her eyes roamed over the envelope. There were no tell-tale signs saying who the card was from or who had delivered it.

'Maybe, Mrs. Everly dropped it off!'

The third floor's mother hen, Mrs. Everly, lived across from Jewel. The lonely woman stopped receiving visitors years ago. She replaced her missing family members with her neighbors, who became her great-grandchildren.

Jewel decided to thank the woman for her thoughtfulness. Leaving her apartment door ajar, she crossed the poorly lit hallway and tapped lightly on her neighbor's door. After no one responded, Jewel knocked harder. It sometimes took the senior woman a while to shuffle around.

"Thanks," she said, hoping the aging woman would hear her through the door. Jewel dawdled in the hallway for a moment. The older woman never missed an opportunity to entertain visitors.

'She could be asleep; it is kind of late.' Jewel scratched her head and rubbed her stomach to ease the forming knots. 'I will check on Mrs. Everly in the morning. Maybe it will help alleviate this uneasiness I feel in my stomach.'

There were only three apartments on their floor: Mrs. Everly's, Ryan's, and Jewel's.

'If I am the only one home, whose footsteps did I hear in the hallway?'

An eerie silence echoed through the corridor. Jewel glanced around. 'If I'm alone, then why do I feel so uncomfortable?'

She could not shake he sensation of being watched. It made her shiver. With narrowed eyes, she willed Mrs. Everly's door to open. To her disappointment, it remained closed. Glancing over her shoulder, she moved swiftly across the hallway.

She turned toward her apartment and ran headfirst into her apartment door. Stunned, Jewel stumbled backward.

"Didn't I leave you open?" She asked, rubbing the knot forming on the side of her head. "The last thing I need is a concussion."

She pulled out her ring of jangling keys. Several times, the automatically locking door trapped her outside of her residence. She learned to take her keys with her when she stepped out.

Entering her quarters, the hairs on her arm stood on end. Cautiously, she glanced around. Jewel left the front door wide open; she may need to make a quick escape. Spying the bat Danny gave her, she darted across the threshold. She retrieved the wooden stick out of the umbrella stand. Carrying the weapon in front of her, thick end out, Jewel searched the living room. Satisfied it was intruder-free, she loosened her grip.

'Maybe, they are hiding in the closet.'

She sighed at her silliness.

With clammy hands, she clenched the bat as she jerked the closet door open, ready to assault whoever hid in between her clothes. Moving her coats around with the tip of the bat, Jewel searched for an uninvited visitor. She found no one. Taking a deep breath, she moved on to the next room.

Chills ran down her spine as she peeked around the corner of her bedroom door. Seeing the deserted room and no irregularities, the butterflies settled their rambunctious flutter to a slow dance in the pit of her stomach.

'Don't get too comfortable. You have the bedroom closet to check.'

Sweat beaded her forehead drenching her eyebrows with condensation.

'It's almost over.'

Jewel placed her sweaty hand against the door. Taking a moment to calm her shaking body, she flung it wide open, relieved to find only her clothes and shoes occupied the space.

She laughed at her foolish assumptions. Ryan probably returned, saw her door open, and closed it for her. Satisfied her apartment was intruder free, Jewel curled up on the couch, picked up the television remote, and flicked through the movies on Hulu until she found one to watch.

Beep. Beep.

Startled from her sleep, Jewel jumped.

'Is that the trash truck?'

She sat up, wiping the sleep out of the corners of her eyes.

'What time is it?'

The morning sun filtered through the curtains filling her living room with light. She'd fallen asleep during the movie. The clock on her PlayStation let her know she'd overslept. She had fifteen minutes to get to work. The ride alone took ten minutes, leaving only five minutes for her to dress.

'Why didn't I set the alarm?'

Jewel scrambled to take a five-minute shower- preferably less. Not bothering to dry off, she threw on a clean work uniform. Her stomach rumbled, complaining about the lack of food. Unfortunately, she did not have time to prepare anything; she would have to grab a sandwich at work. Rushing towards the front door, she took one last look around; her bag sat on the dining room table. Leaving her purse behind would have been a mistake. Her work badge, which doubled as her time card, was in her wallet. Approaching the table, Jewel noticed her lip gloss, facial tissue, and hairbrush lying beside her makeup carrier.

'Did I dump my bag out?'

Jewel stared at the pile of her belongings. She was tired but not enough to forget the night's unfortunate events. She never touched her purse.

Snatching her bag, she prayed.

'Please, please be there.'

She felt inside for her iPhone and planner, only to be disappointed by their absence. They were missing.

'Oh no. My wallet!'

Jewel's chest tightened as she assessed the contents outside her bag. She pushed the items aside until she found her wallet resting under her make-up carrier.

She flung the latch securing her wallet aside. With a bit of a squeal, she hugged the case to her chest. Her rent money was safe inside.

'Lindy was right. I need to switch to direct deposit.'

Tossing the items on the table into her bag, a white piece of paper fell to the floor. Thinking it was an old gas receipt, she prepared to throw it away when she noticed scribbling on the backside.

'You really shouldn't leave your door open!'

Her fingers trembled. Her heart thumped wildly, striving to suppress her anxiety.

'What?'

Awareness sank in, and her eyes darted around the apartment. Her daily planner and phone weren't missing. Someone stole them.

Despite the air conditioner, sweat dotted her forehead.

"Someone was in my apartment last night!"