It was Flora Smith’s only treat of the week since she was an aspiring model, God, all she wanted was to indulge in her favorite stir fry with noodles and spring rolls from her favorite Chinese takeout. Since it was so cold in November, especially in New York City, she couldn't walk to her favorite Chinese restaurant because of the intense weather, she instead needed to order from the takeout menu. She missed the warm sun, and California breeze. Nevertheless, she didn't mind the takeout menu because she would also get around three to four trusty fortune cookies. Flora actually thought she was obsessed, always going to fortune tellers, only eating at the same Chinese restaurant every Wednesday just because she wanted to read her future and invest in fortune cookies. Flora loved them, it was more than just a fake fortune, it would bring her mind to ease. She did, in fact, know that these fortune cookies were dishonest and sometimes she would get two cookies in a row, saying the same thing, but just the fact that there was a piece of paper describing things that might transpire in her life really just made her feel calm and less stressed about the unknowns of everyday things.

For some reason, having a lot of followers on social media, and everyone knowing all about her life all the time, made her feel as if she needed to know about her future before anyone else could share it with the world online. Everybody wants to be her or be seen with her, this may seem great, but it had its ups and downs. With her life on full display, all the time, there was just so much pressure on her, especially because she wanted to join the tough modeling world. That one, peaceful, night a week she could finally relax. Her mind and her body would be aloof. Flora felt as if she had control that one night a week.

Just like every Wednesday, Flora ordered her favorite Chinese takeout. Sat down with her favorite soft, yellow blanket, the only thing that reminded her of the sunshine back at home. Lastly, Bubbles, her pet cat, jumped up to join Flora on the coach, and then she turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, making sure her food did not get cold, she stopped on a channel she had never come across before. A crime show called, “The Murders We Never Forgot” appeared on her 50-inch television. After around 30 seconds of just devouring her spring rolls, she turned her attention to the television which was on the crime show she flipped to before she could no longer resist her food. The story displayed on the show that day was about an 18-year-old girl, named Emily who was killed by her own brother when her parents loved her more than they had loved their son. After minutes of showing graphic images and evidence of her death, Flora realized that she has never liked these shows and no longer wanted to watch this gruesome content after being scared, of almost everything, as a kid. After grabbing the cold remote and flipping through at least ten channels she came across one of her favorite show, “Gossip Girl” she grabbed her fortune cookies while letting her hot noodles cool down. After cracking the cookies open, and making a mess on her white couch, she unraveled her fortune for that evening, noticing that the cookies containing the fortune were more dry than usual. It stated, “I see you. You can’t hide your past forever.” Flora paused in fear.

Suddenly in awe of the situation, she nervously felt very alone in her apartment. She felt a sense of vulnerability and felt, all of a sudden, extremely cold and exposed in a weird way. Every cell in her body was frozen, her heart seemed to be the only thing able to move, beating out of her chest, the sound of her heart was so loud she had to brace her hands on her chest as if her heart was going to fall out. She noticed small movements, ones she didn't see before. She heard the windows rattling, her heart beating, what she thought were light footsteps on her wooden floor. “No, this couldn't be,” Flora seemed to say out loud. She turned to face the TV where she had left her favorite show on. “No. This isn't possible. It’s all in your imagination Flora.” She said out loud to calm herself down after the TV was turned off. She thought back to the moment of her locking her door after coming in. After Bubbles greeted her at the door, she remembers the keys rattling in her hand after pushing it into the keyhole. She was almost certain that she had locked her door. But what if she didn't? What if someone was in her apartment at this very moment? That must be the reason for the TV to have switched off, that must be why she heard the rattling of her window and the heard the light footsteps around her apartment.

Flora was strong, she wasn't going to let the rattling of her window, or even the TV turning off make her feel afraid. The window only rattled because of the heavy snow pounding on its thick glass layer. She must have turned off the TV when trying to concentrate on what her fortune cookie was saying. The footsteps must have been Bubbles just wandering around. Bubbles always ? hears footsteps ?“Bubbles? Is that you. Come on out now Bub?.”

“It’s not Bubbles” whispered a faint voice coming from the kitchen.

Flora turned around to find a figure standing in the dark. She could tell it was a muscular man, around six foot five. After a stiff 10 seconds of pure silence, finally, he made his way out of the dark kitchen, suddenly approaching Flora. She immediately knew who this person was. Brad Wilston, a boy who went to Flora’s high school in California.

“Flora… don’t be scared, it’s just me, Brad.”

“No, get out of my ho?”

“I would recommend you stay where you are. I don't want to hurt you, but you?” Pulls out a knife.

“Please stop right now Brad, okay, the past is behind us, we?”

“Don’t even try to pretend all the things you did and put me through will just disappear. You ruined my life! I had no friends, and just because you were popular meant you thought you could emotionally torture me every… single… day. *gasps* I was just a small kid then, but now I am all grown up. Now, I can do whatever I want becau?”

“No, please, Brad, I am sorry, I already told you that I was stupid and self-centered back in high school. I was a horrible person. I admit that, but I can't do anything about what happened?”

“Don’t you act all innocent all of a sudden. I have been following your every move for weeks now, you haven't changed at all. Your still a selfish pig! I have seen how you treat people, your posts on social media. I do not want anyone else to have to go through what I went through. You are never going to hurt me, or another person ever again.”

“Brad, please, let's try to work this out. I know you liked me and I was so awful to you, but now I know that what I did wa?”

“NO.”

“Brad just liste?”

“Stay still, this won’t hurt” Approaches Flora and he covers her nose and mouth until she was unconscious.

Four Hours Later

    Flora opens her eyes when she realized what just happened. Trying to look around the room, she lifted herself out under the plastic material of what was meant to be bed sheets. Someone tucked her in bed, and put different clothes on her. Where was she? She planted her feet on the dusty carpet, looking around the outdated wall designs and the brown ugly furniture she realized this was not her apartment. She tried to think back and remember what had happened. Suddenly after seeing a small window in the top left side corner of the small room, her immediate reaction was to try and open it. Unfortunately, the window would unfortunately not open, the snow must have been too thick that it got trapped. After looking around for something to break the window’s glass, Flora came across some sort of sharp object, she started pounding it against the glass. Yet Flora used all her strength, after hitting it seven to eight times she realized it was no use. The window just would not budge.

“Ch’trik, ch’trik.” *cough cough*.

After finally realizing that Brad was coming, she quickly made her way back into bed trying to replicate the way she was when she woke up. Still holding the moderately sharp object she tried to break the windows glass with, she held it with her under the covers. Suddenly, Flora heard Brad’s, or what she thought was Brad's, heavy boots enter the room which was moving closer and closer to the bed she was lying on. Almost feeling as if he had forgotten she was there, Brad dropped his keys, and what she thought was a wallet, on the other side of the bed she was lying on.

“Florrraaaa,” said Brad “Wakey wakey.” Moving towards her side of the bed.

Flora tried to stay as calm and as normal as possible.
   
“Wake up” Brad continued to raise his voice.

“What,” Flora said. Pretending to have just woken up from a long sleep.

“Honey, I got us some coffee and nice sandwiches from a place a couple blocks away.”

“Brad…. stop your scaring me! I am not your honey. GET AWAY.”

“Calm down dear. I love you and you love m?”

“Stop it. What do you want? Where am I? Brad Wilston, tell me where I am! Just take me home. What do you wa?”

“Now we can be together forever, just like how it was meant to be in high school.”

“Brad think about what you're saying. I don’t love you. You're being crazy.”

Brad tried to calm Flora down and assure her that he would never hurt her. Brad just wants them to be together forever.

Brad goes in for a light embrace.

Flora takes the sharp object and tries to push it into his chest. Not being sharp enough it just bounces back, just like it did to the window. Brad gets extremely aggressive and pushes Flora against the bed, knocking her head on the backboard. Seeing blood, from the back of her head, drop down on the white sheets, she can’t allow herself to back down.

Stumbling off the bed to the ground, Brad tried to grab Flora and drag her back. Flora trying to make her way to the door, of what she presumed was a Motel room, suddenly, got tugged back by Brad’s strong arms.

“Ahhhhhh” Flora screamed.

Some vigor and power came over Flora at the moment. As time seemed to flash before her eyes, Flora ripped Brad's hands off of her and pulled his head down, and presumed to hit it against the side of the Motel rooms desk corner. She doesn't remember how many times she did it, but by the time she was too tired to continue, she stopped, looked down and saw Brad's bloody head laying there, lifeless.

Running, unlocking the door, she, for a slight second almost felt safe and free taking her first steps out of that dark motel room. Almost forgetting the eerie gash Brad had given her on the back of her head. Flora collapsed.

“Ma'am are you okay…..” Approached Flora. “Oh lord, somebody calls the ambulance quick!” said the voice of a woman exiting her room.

Using her last breaths and muttering inarticulately, before becoming unconscious once again, Flora stated, “Help me, I think I’ve killed Brad Wilston, I killed a man.” 

10 minutes later

"Whee-yoo, whee-yoo," as the sirens wailed by. Unable to have the strength to open her eyes. Flora just lay there in the back of the fast-moving ambulance. Incapable of thinking about the events of the last couple hours she lay there dazed. Did she just kill a man? Is Brad Wilson dead? Slowly slipping back into a dark sleep she concluded that if he was dead, it was all her fault. He may have done these things to her, but it was because of her and her past. Everything. She couldn’t take away her previous behavior. This day will now haunt her because she haunted him. Everybody will know her secret, know how awful she was to people, she can no longer pretend or forget. Flora just wanted to die. She thought she deserved to die. Everything she did will endlessly remain, and she can no longer pretend that her actions will dissolve into thin air, they will always linger.

Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing could make her forgive herself a second time. Her fortune could never have predicted the crisis that was about to unfold this unpredictable day.