It was afternoon. The air was warm and the soft breeze of wind was brushing Regan's hair gently. The sky was painted into shades of orange and blue. Regan was sitting on an old bench in front of her house, deep in thought. She couldn't believe her aunt didn't believe her a little. Even if she was imagining the voice and the presence, the roses were proof that it wasn't all in her head.
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She also texted Vesper to ask how she was doing but got no response. It was obvious, thay was why she always kept her strange experiences to herself and didn't tell anyone. No one would ever understand her. She was lonely, she knew, even though she didn't want to admit it.
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The air seemed to crackle with footsteps, loud footsteps of heels. Regan snapped of her thoughts and noticed it was Vesper, appearing from somewhere far the end of the road. She was dressed in expensive and fancy clothes. With an off shoulder tight blue dress that hugged her figure tightly. She had paired it with black heels and her hair was put up in a messy bun.
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"Why is she dressed like that?" Regan muttered to herself.
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As Vesper approached, she noticed Regan. Her features twisted into a frown, probably not expecting her here. But she was sitting in front of her house after all.
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"Vesper? Where you in a party?" Regan asked when Vesper got closer. She seemed restless.
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"I was at some event. Nothing important," she replied with annoyance.
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"Oh, well... about what I told you earlier..." Regan shrugged, her embarrassment showing.
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Vesper didn't say anything for a moment before a smile appeared in her face, "No, I believe you."
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Regan's heart raced at hearing this.
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"No, it's not a big deal after all. You can say that you think I need mental help," Regan dryly said, crossing her arms.
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"I said I believe you. Why are you so stubborn?" Vesper snapped back. She sat beside Regan and sighed.
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Regan looked at her surprised. Her heart felt a glimmer of hope. "Really? You really do?" she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
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"Yes, I do and stop asking me," Vesper said and pulled her into a hug, "and I'm sorry that I left like that before, I had this stupid party to go."
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"It doesn't matter, what matters is that you believe me," Regan said, breaking the hug. A smile formed on her face. Finally someone believed her.
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"What party did you go in?" she asked curiously, brushing her hair out of her face.
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"Uh...my sister had a party with her friends and I had to attend. It was dull and boring," Vesper said looking around the neighborhood. "Why are you so sad? If it's about these nightmares and the house..." she asked after some silence.
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"No, I just... I told my aunt everything," Regan admitted, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over her, "and she didn't believe any of it," she added with a voice filled with regret and sadness.
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"Why? She's your aunt after all. You're both very close. You told me that."
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Regan hung her head low, letting her hair cover her face. "Yes, we're close but that doesn't mean she believes in all I say. Anyway, I'll prove it to her," she added and stood up, fixing her clothes.
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"What are you going to do?" Vesper asked raising an eyebrow.
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"I have a plan," Regan's lips turned slightly upwards. "I'll tell you later, see you." And with that, she hurried inside.
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As soon as she entered, she sank on the couch, thinking of where to start. She had already thought about a plan to get evidence about the house. There were two things she could do.
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She could put cameras around the house and she could contact the previous house owners. The last one was a bit awkward for her but she would do it.
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She could buy the cameras using her own savings and install them on her own without any help. But it was better to do it when her aunt wasn't home.
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As for the house's owners, she didn't know them, but her aunt surely did. If she could ask about their names, their numbers could be found in Monica's phone.
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The sound of the door opening got to her and she flinched. She immediately stood up, alerted, and released a breath when seeing it was her aunt.
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Her aunt thankfully didn't notice her niece's behavior but she was worried for her. She knew she kept having nightmares but didn't know the matter was that deep. And if she only knew what nightmares Regan had. Regan wouldn't tell her anyway.
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And another thing, her hair. What was with her hair? Plus, the red hair dye box. Everything was so confusing.
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Regan looked at her aunt sitting on the couch as she turned on the TV, sensing the worry in her eyes. She wanted to calm her aunt's concerns, so she decided to change the topic and talk about something normal.
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"Hey aunt, they've opened a new bakery in the neighborhood. I heard they have the most delicious pastries. I've seen so many people buying from there," Regan said. She tried this because she knew that Monica liked pastries.
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Monica's face softened as she smiled. "Oh really? I'll give it a try later when I'll go out."
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Regan nodded and kept her aunt busy for sometime, talking about random stuff. She then decided to ask about the house's previous owners.
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"Um...I was gonna ask for something," Regan said trying to sound cool and calm.
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"Yes of course," Monica replied.
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"Who were the owners of this house before?" Regan asked, her voice filled with curiousity.
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Monica's expression turned confused but then she answered. "Some friends of mine. I told you before, they sold the house because they got better jobs in Texas."
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Regan knew that but she wanted a name at least. "And what were their names?" she pressed.
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"Her name was Blaire Thompson," Monica clarified, "but why are you asking for their names?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
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"Well...just out of curiosity, we should know the house's history, shouldn't we?" Regan cracked a nervous smile.
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Regan knew that her aunt would ask more about her true intentions, so she got up and told Monica she had homework to do and quickly disappeared from the living room.
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She felt a mix of excitement and apprehension, and retreated to the backyard instead of her haunted room. She got her laptop and sat on a comfortable couch. Then, she fell deep in thought. She knew she couldn't keep her true intentions a secret for long.
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The house's haunting and her haunting nightmares were connected, she was sure of it. She hadn't had these nightmares before moving to this house. Surely it was haunted....right? She needed answers. Since the day she moved there, weird things started happening.
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She searched for any information about the previous owners, especially Mrs. Blaire Thompson.
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She scrolled through online records, hoping to uncover any clues or stories related to the house. But there weren't any records of the house or informations she was looking for.
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How frustrated she was.
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She was sure she wasn't going anywhere with this so she thought another way: sneaking in her aunt's phone and finding Blaire's number.
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"Yes that's it!" Regan exclaimed.
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It wasn't hard to get into Monica's phone. She could get it while Monica was working, showering or whatever.
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So Regan closed her laptop and got up. She left the laptop on a table beside her and walked inside to find no Monica.
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"Maybe she's in her room?" Regan said to herself.
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She kept looking around and when she went upstairs to Monica's room, she peeked through the door to see her working on her laptop.
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"It's the right time," Regan thought.
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But at the same moment, Monica had her phone there. Regan knew she couldn't get it now so instead she gave up for now and decided she'd try later, when Monica would sleep. At least she could call Blaire in the morning.
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As Regan looked at the time, it was late and she furiously cursed herself for not finishing her homework. Apart from finding the house's secret, she wasn't willing to do anything else. She was still terribly bored of thinking to do anything else. That house investigation thing was thrilling her for a while.
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The notes, books and pens were thrown in the table and Regan felt heavy to go and study with them. However, she knew it was a responsibility and decided she'd do it a little bit later.
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As another wave of dullness spread over her, she didn't dare to play games or read books. She eyed the messed books on the table, feeling it heavy enough to fix them. She grabbed her laptop, scrolling through the games she had installed. She always played action or adventure games. But now, she found it stupid.
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Then, she turned to do her homework. At least she could do them, if not study at all. She didn't want to get worse grades than B.
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Just an hour later, she was dying from boredom. She decided not to read at all but it was driving her crazy. The homework were difficult and she had it hard to do them, from not paying attention to the classes. And then, as if the book taunted her, she grabbed it and opened it to read. The book was fantasy, called "Destiny of Witches." It had witchcraft and creepy themes. She had brought it years ago but never fully read it.
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"Stupid fairytales," she muttered, but still wanted to read.
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Leaving her room, she went downstairs and sat down on the cozy couch, stretching her legs still.
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After some time she was right in completing at least the quarter of the book but she drifted off to sleep without even knowing.
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The next morning, the sunlight woke Regan, her eyes opening lazily only to find herself in her room. Her eyebrows furrowed and she pushed the covers away from her. She remembered falling asleep in the couch, not in her room.
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Why would she even go to sleep there when the room itself made her shiver? She looked around to find her phone no where of sight, but rather a red rose on the bedside.
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"Damnit," she cursed under her breath. She grabbed the rose by the petals and threw it out of the window. It was terrifying, waking up and finding roses. And her aunt had the nerve to say it was from 'some boy from the school'.
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She looked down at her clothes, they were the ones from yesterday. That made her relieved because she didn't remember changing.
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It was around 6 AM and she let out a breath. At least there was time for the homework.
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After sloppy homework, she did the usual in the mornings. Although she had no wish to go anywhere, she wasn't calm with staying in the house either.
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She dressed up in jeans and a tee shirt and then went to comb her hair.
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Monica had left early for work just minutes ago. Regan was going to install cameras, but she knew her aunt would be concerned about it.
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However, she couldn't miss school. She decided she'd deal with it later. Grabbing her backpack and a bottle of water, she walked out of the house, locked it securely and walked to school by foot.
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The halls of the school were filled with students rushing and talking loudly. Regan walked through them trying to keep distance but it was nearly impossible. She hated having others near and it only served to raise her already unease.
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She made her way to the class and sat on the backseat. She fell lost in thought, confused about her thoughts. She couldn't make anything a fact. If the house was haunted, wasn't she supposed to be haunted only inside the house? Why she was haunted everywhere? Why she couldn't help but feel watched everywhere? It was infuriating.
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The more she thought about it, the more questions rose. What if it was more than just a ghost? What if it possessed her? She was terrified at the thought. She regretted moving out of her old flat.
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The bell's ring interrupted her for a while. How much she wanted to run away from here...but even if she did, where would she go? She kept being haunted everywhere for no apparent reason.
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Just as she was lost in her own musings, her best friend, Vesper appeared beside her, breaking her reverie.
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"Hi," Vesper greeted with a warm smile, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, "So, yesterday you said about a plan in your house, what was it?" she asked, leaning on her elbow.
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Regan couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. Vesper hadn't forgotten about her plan, and it seemed like she was genuinely interested in knowing more.
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"I'm going to install a security system. I purchased some cameras online," she answered before taking a sip of water.
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Vesper's expression turned thoughtful. "Do you need help?"
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Regan hesitated for a moment, feeling like Vesper didn't really mean what she said. She didn't know why she felt so, but she just did. She left the bottle on the desk, "No, I can do it myself."
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Vesper nodded understandingly, though a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. "Okay, sure. But I have to admit, I've felt some strange energies around your house. Negative ones as you said."
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Her friend believed her, and that meant a lot to her. Little did she know, Vesper was playing a game of deception, but for now, Regan basked in the comfort of having someone by her side.
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The teacher was giving the results from the last week exam and Regan was worried. She knew she didn't do well. There had been times when she had scored high without studying, but she had paid attention to classes at least. Now, she didn't even pay attention to classes. She had only studied a bit at home that time.
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Regan waited for her paper, but Vesper's came first. Regan's eyes bulged out when she saw the score.
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"71%?!" Regan almost yelled and noticed making herself embarrassed.
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Vesper shot her a glare. "Yeah whatever," she said uninterested and folded the paper harshly, leaving it on the side of the desk.
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"Did you hit your head? Your scores were always high!" Regan said to her, not even believing why her scores were always high.
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"Well, a problem happened last week and..." Vesper trailed off.
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"Oh....okay," Regan said. She didn't want to pry anymore. Soon, her paper got on the desk and Regan gasped at the grade. She had gotten 95%. She couldn't believe her eyes.
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She expected much less than that. She glanced at Vesper, who was on her phone. She was thankful for the score she got but couldn't make it out why Vesper scored that low.
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Undeniably, there would always be something suspectful about Vesper but what it really was, it wasn't clear in her mind. Not now, at least.
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Her day passed on and the whole time she either tried to focus or just get lost in thoughts.
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She went to her locker to get her things and leave. Those few students that were around had left. Regan was meant to leave earlier but Vesper had told her to wait so they could leave together.
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Regan was busy with fixing her bag but from the corners of her eyes she got a glimpse of someone who caught her attention. And she really felt like this someone was staring at her.
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So that, she turned to her right side and she couldn't believe what she saw. She unconsciously dropped the book she was holding.
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There she saw him. She saw what haunted her. He was just like in her dreams. He still had that handsome smirk on.
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Regan blinked fast a couple of times only to lose him from her vision. She ran to that direction and turned around to see no one in sight.
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"If he was really there, he couldn't have disappeared like that," Regan thought.
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"Oh, really? Like what you saw?"
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Regan felt her blood boil, her hands shaking both with anger and fear. What the hell was all that?
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She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She couldn't believe it. Wasn't it enough of seeing him as a nightmare, now she saw him straightforwardly in her reality?
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She had to make sure if her house was really haunted even though she wasn't in her house now. Maybe she was haunted.
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"Why are you still here?" she heard a familiar voice and turned around to see Vesper with a confused face.
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"To leave, why else?" Regan answered. She was still shocked to see Sirius but she wasn't going to tell Vesper that.
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"You look like you've seen a ghost," Vesper teased by looking at her pale face. At the very moment she looked far behind Regan just like someone was there.
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"What?" Regan asked turning around and following where her eyes were. She saw no one here. Of course she would see no one.
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"Nothing, let's go," Vesper said and walked away.
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Regan looked once more around, wondering if she imagined who she saw. She walked back to her locker, picked up the book and stuffed it inside the bag. She zipped the bag, closed her locker and walked away. However, as she walked away, she couldn't help but feel watched.
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"You don't have your car?" Vesper asked when she wasn't seeing Regan's car anywhere.
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"I didn't drive today. We can go on foot, it's not that far anyway," Regan replied, unfazed.
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"Oh, well...right. I forgot that I was going to go to Walmart," Vesper said, her gaze distant.
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"Well, I can't come. I need to save time...you know."
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"Yeah, see you then."
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"See you."
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They separated ways and Regan started to hurry to get home so she could get the security system done.
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While walking, her eyes went on the ground and she noticed some money. As Regan looked if there was anyone around, no one was really walking near. Only a few people were passing on the other side of the urban road. She grabbed the money and counted them, there were approximately 100 dollars. Then she assumed that someone who passed by must have lost them.
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But no one seemed to care. She couldn't give the money back to a random person and she couldn't search the person who had them lost.
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After a while thinking, she decided to donate ninety to the charity. Knowing that she couldn't do it now, she put the money on her bag and continued on her way. The order had arrived at the door of her house and she threw the bag inside, hurrying to grab a ladder from the backyard. She had to finish that before Monica came home.
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After she was done, she looked at her work. She had placed two in the living room and one in her room. The whole time she felt watched.
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She settled up the necessary software to view and monitor the camera feeds, allowing her to keep an eye on her home from the convenience of her laptop. After what felt like an eternity, she finished setting up, relieved that her aunt hadn't arrived yet.
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She grinned in triumph, proud of her achievement. Her aunt would not be happy about it, she knew, but she couldn't dismiss her own concerns.
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