MATED TO A SERIAL KILLER

CHAPTER 8: THE TODD NEXT DOOR

***ANNA***

“Anna?” I heard my mother call from behind the door.

“Yes please open up mum,” I said weakly from behind the door, it was freezing out here and I was beginning to get weak from all the cold since I’d been out here for close to ten minutes now, when mother was asleep, it’s always hard to wake her.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I hope you’ve not been out for too long,” she said as she worked to get the door open, soon, it’s open and I ran inside and locked the door behind me.

“Oh, the breeze out there is demonic,” she said as she walked in behind me. I walked to my room immediately, climbed into my bed, and got under the blankets.

“Oh hiney, I’m so sorry, were you out there long?” I nodded instead of talking.

“Oh my, I had my ear plugs on, didn’t hear a thing till you came to knock at my window,” she explained but I just turned to the other side, I needed rest and not her excuses even though I found no offense in them.

“Well then, I’d leave you to rest now, let’s talk later uh?” She said, patted my leg and walked out, I sighed in relief and closed my eyes to sleep, in no time, I was gone into dreamLand.

****

My eyelids fluttered open, and I just stretched. I felt refreshed, the sleep was needed, and the cold from earlier this morning was all gone. I felt rejuvenated and ready to start my search around town. I got out of bed with a clear head and positive energy since I’d decided to take control of my life like the cab woman from the night before had hinted at me to do, but firstly, I was thirsty and needed a cup of water, so, I walked out of my room to the kitchen, took a cup of water but realized it’s unusually quiet around the house.

So I checked in on mum, but she wasn’t in her room, then I walked to the sitting room, and as I got closer, I could hear voices.

“Oh Todd, please, I don’t need no hot chocolates,” I heard mother whine, she’s standing by the door and talking to her neighbor, I tried to sneak in on her and get a good look at him, but I couldn’t.

“Is there someone in there with you Helena?” Todd asked and Mother just went quiet.

“Come on Todd, leave now, didn’t I tell you I had a visitor uh?” Mother said.

“But, I mean, why is there someone in there? I’ve shown you how much I love you, and you just, you just disregard my feelings for that…that…”

“My life isn’t your business!” Mother said to told, hands akimbo, she looked like a reali life cartoon drama queen with that gesture of hers.

“Oh really?” Todd said then without warning, he pushed mother aside and before I could hide, he’s standing right in my face with mother trying to get past him but him blocking her off.

“You do women?” Todd slowly said. He wasn’t bad-looking, and I wondered why Mother wouldn’t give him a chance.

Mother slapped his back, making him yelp in pain a bit, and I could understand why, I had a firsthand experience of getting hit with her hands that felt as hard as rocks, told got out of the way and Mother walked in past him.

“Not that my s****l life is your business, but this is my daughter!” She said firmly, standing beside me, I watched Todd’s face go from suspicious to realization and then to guilty and awkward, all in a matter of seconds, he couldn’t dare to look us both in the eye, he just stared down, and that’s when I realized he was holding something, a jug of steaming chocolate.

I walked uo to him and grabbed the jug by the handle so I wouldn’t burn myself, he looked up then and I smiled at him, trying to stop the awkward tension the room.

Mother threw me daggers with her eyes as I walked back to her side, but I couldn't care less, the smell of the hot chocolate made me crave it.

“You should leave now!” Mother said as I walked towards the kitchen. Then I turned, ready to help my prideful mother’s dead romantic life.

“Actually, Todd, do you care to join us for breakfast?” I asked, his eyes lit up like a teenager who just scored a date with his first live, why he as cute to watch.

“Of course,” he answered ecstatically, mother turned and mouthed some words that I knew weren’t nice to me, wheezing her face as though she was taking raw lemon fruit, but I just shrugged.

“I saw some food in the kitchen earlier, I’m sure it’d be enough for us three, and trust me, you’d enjoy it, my mum’s cooking skills are like the best!” I said to him, and he smiled hard.

The man himself didn’t wait for anyone to tell him to sit, he walked fully into the sitting room and took a seat on a sofa himself, the turned on the TV.

I walked into the kitchen, and my mother walked in right behind me.

“What did you just do back there?!” She half yelled.

“You continue shouting like that and he’d hear you, remember, the walls of your home are thin,” I reminded her and she threw her hands over her mouth to cover it.

“Do you think he heard that?” She asked carefully, seemed she did care about him, I thought.

“Maybe?” I shrugged and smirked at her.

“Come on, let’s microwave the meals and get it out, the old man must be starving,” I said to her and she nodded, kot arguing further.

“Not like I have a choice,” she mumbled, but I wasn’t surprised, I’d expected that, I knew she’s a woman who couldn’t do without spilling her thoughts, so i just didn’t reply.

She got to work and I poured myself some hot chocolate, I was beyond famished, then I remembered I didn’t really take anything much the day before. My heart skipped a bit at the realization, wishing my nonchallant attitude hadn’t out my baby in some sort of jeopardy or put it in one in the future.