Chapter 62 The packages
By the time Detective Mara dropped her back on campus, the next morning, the sun had barely risen. The air was cold and damp, and a thin fog hung over the paths, clinging to the bare trees like cobwebs.
Lila hugged herself as she stepped out of the car, her fingers trembling inside her sleeves.
She hadn’t slept at all at Mara’s apartment. Not a second. The rose petal she’d found on the detective’s windowsill still haunted her the way it had rested so gently on the inside, as if someone had placed it there after they’d both gone to bed.
She had wanted to tell Mara. She almost had. But what would she say? That a petal mean danger? That a color could kill?
Now, walking across the quiet courtyard, she could feel eyes watching her, invisible but present. Every step back toward the dorm felt like walking into a memory that had already gone bad.
Inside, the hallway smelled faintly of cleaning fluid and stale perfume. Nora’s voice was the first thing she heard.
“Lila!”
The blonde girl appeared from their room, smiling brightly, her hair pulled up in a loose bun. She waved a small stack of boxes in her hands, wrapped in brown paper and tied with thin white ribbons.
“You’ve got fans, girl!” Nora teased, eyes sparkling. “Three packages. You’ve been busy while you were gone.”
Lila's eyebrows shot up.“Packages?”
Nora nodded, pushing one into her hands. “They came yesterday. The delivery guy said they were all for you. Your boyfriends are really trying to outdo each other.”
Lila gave a small, tired laugh. “Boyfriends? I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Oh, please,” Nora said, rolling her eyes. “You disappear for a whole day, come back looking like you fought a ghost, and now you’re getting mystery gifts? You’ve got a secret admirer, and I need the tea.”
Lila tried to smile, but her stomach had already begun to twist. The boxes were small, identical in size, and each had her name printed neatly on the label: Lila Rowan.
No return address. No handwriting. Just printed letters.
Her throat felt dry. Maybe they were harmless. Maybe a friend sent them. Maybe..
But she knew better. Every part of her body knew better.
“Let’s open them!” Nora said, already dragging one onto the desk. “Start with this one. It’s light. Probably chocolate or perfume or something expensive.”
Lila didn’t move. Her legs felt glued to the floor.
“Come on,” Nora teased. “Don’t act like you’re not curious.”
With shaking fingers, Lila pulled at the ribbon and lifted the lid.
The smell hit first, it was faintly floral, and oddly sweet. Then came the sight that made her knees go weak.
Inside lay a stuffed doll with its head torn clean off, its neck dark with something that looked like dried paint or rust. Beside it, carefully placed, was a single red rose. It was fresh and dewy.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Nora’s grin faltered. “Okay, that's creepy,” she said with a nervous laugh.“Someone’s got a sick sense of humor. Maybe it’s one of those campus prank things?”
But Lila couldn’t breathe. Her gaze stayed locked on the rose. Then, she laughed until tears flowed out of her eyes.
Nora swallowed. “That’s not funny.”
Her voice was thinner now, all the laughter gone.
Lila’s breath came shallow. “It’s funny.”
The room felt smaller like the walls were closing in, air disappearing. She stepped back, shaking her head, eyes wide. “Don’t touch anything else.”
“Who would even send this?” Nora whispered. “What kind of psycho?”
Lila said nothing. Her heart was hammering too loud to think. The rose looked too familiar.
It was the same shade of red as the ones they found near Serena.
Nora cleared her throat, trying to steady her voice. “Okay, maybe someone’s just trying to freak you out. You know how people talk about you lately.”
“This isn’t about the gossip,” Lila snapped, her voice shaking. “This is.”
But before she could finish, Nora grabbed the second box. “Let’s just see if the others are like this,” she muttered, her hands trembling. “Maybe the first one was a prank.”
She tore open the wrapping, and the thick smell of something floral hit them instantly, almost suffocating them.
The box was filled to the brim with red roses, perfectly arranged, every stem trimmed. In the center sat a single one tied with a silver ribbon.
Nora blinked rapidly, her breathing quick. “Okay, what the hell, Lila? What is this?”
“I don’t know,” Lila whispered. “I swear, I don’t know.”
But she did. She knew the rhythm of this, the signature, and the precision. It was him.
Whoever had taken Ruby. Whoever had taken Serena. Whoever had taken Ava and the others.
And now, he has intensified his gifts or threats.
Nora’s eyes darted between her and the roses. “Lila, you don’t think this is connected to those murders, do you? The red-haired girls?”
Lila didn’t answer. The silence was more than enough answer to silence Nora..
“Okay,” Nora said shakily, “I’m calling campus security.”
But before she could move, she noticed the last box, slightly heavier, its corner torn. Something dark had leaked through the paper, staining it faintly brown.
Nora hesitated. “What’s that?”
“Leave it,” Lila whispered. “Please, Nora, just leave it.”
But curiosity and fear tangled together. Nora grabbed it anyway, her hands trembling as she pulled at the paper.
When she opened the lid, a sharp gasp escaped her throat.
Inside was a knife.
Its blade gleamed silver under the dorm lights, streaked with something thick and brown like melted chocolate, by the smell.
It dripped slowly, like blood pretending to be sweet.
Nora stumbled back, her face draining of color. “Oh my God! What is this, Lila?!”
Lila could barely stand. The room spun around her. “It’s him,” she whispered. “It’s him again.”
Nora looked at her, horrified. “What are you talking about? Who is he?”
Lila pressed her hands to her temples. “The one who…who sent roses before. The one who..” Her voice broke. “He killed my sister, he killed Ruby, he even killed Ava during the field trip.”
The silence after that was unbearable.
Nora’s expression shifted from fear, to shock, and to anger.
“Your sister?” she said, her voice rising. “You mean the one from the news? The red-haired girl who” She stopped herself, shaking her head. “Oh my God, Lila.”
Lila’s throat tightened. “I didn’t know he’d find me here. I didn’t..”
Nora’s voice cracked. “You brought this here.”
Lila blinked. “What?”
“You brought him here!” Nora shouted, pointing at the boxes. “You…you knew someone was following you, didn’t you? You knew! And you just moved in here like nothing was wrong?”
“Nora, please.”
“No!” Nora’s hands were trembling, her voice breaking with every word. “I could’ve died in my sleep! You could’ve.. you're putting me in danger!”
Lila stepped closer, reaching for her. “I didn’t mean to..”
Nora slapped her. The sound echoed through the room.
Lila froze, her cheek stinging.
Nora’s eyes filled with tears, but her anger burned hotter than fear. “You should’ve told someone. You should’ve told me!”
Lila’s voice was a whisper. “I didn’t want to drag anyone else into this.”
“Well, congratulations,” Nora said bitterly. “You did anyway.”
She backed toward the door, snatching her jacket from the hook. “I’m not staying here,” she said. “I’m not dying because of you.”
Lila’s chest ached. “Nora, wait please”
But Nora was already halfway out the door. She paused only once, her voice lower, colder.
“I should’ve known,” she muttered. “I never liked red-haired girls. Trouble follows them.”
The door slammed behind her.
The silence that followed was worse than any scream. Lila stood there, staring at the boxes, the roses, the doll, the knife glinting faintly under the light.
Her whole body shook.She wanted to cry, to scream, to disappear. But all she could do was breathe, her breath was shallow, uneven, terrified.
She sat on the bed, the world blurring around her. Her hands clenched into fists, her pulse beating in her ears. Who sent the gifts? Nora had said to her boyfriends.
Could it be Roy? Was it Damian? Or Asher?
Who amongst them sent those ridiculous gifts?
She didn’t even notice the room darkening as the sun fell. She didn't hear the muffled voices outside the hall. All she could hear was the echo of Nora’s slap, the sound of her footsteps fading away.
When the first vibration came, it was so quiet she almost missed it. Her phone buzzed once, twice, against the bedsheet.
She stared at it for a long moment, afraid to touch it. Then, with trembling fingers, she picked it up.
A new message. No name. No number. Just the text as usual. “I hope you love the gifts. You’re next, my darling red.”
Her breath caught. The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
For a long moment, she didn’t move. The words burned behind her eyes.
The killer hadn’t just found her.
He was watching close enough to know she was alone now.
A cold chill ran through her spine.
Outside, the wind pressed against the window. The world felt too quiet, like the night itself was waiting for her to react.
Lila’s vision blurred, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. Her voice cracked as she whispered to the empty room. “Why me?”
The phone buzzed again, one faint pulse against the silence.
She didn’t look this time.She already knew there’d be no answer.
The screen flickered once more, a faint red glow lighting the dark. Out of curiosity and fear. She looked at it, the message repeated this time with an added word.
“I hope you love the gifts. You’re next, my darling red. Don't make me wait like the others.”
Lila's breath hitched. This was no longer funny. It's now a crazy threat. The text canceled her suspicion about the three guys.