There he is again. Juniper narrowed her eyes, raising her binoculars once more. What could he be up to this time…?

Ever since the strange night at the karaoke bar, Juniper had been keeping a close eye on all the goings-on around the neighborhood. Something just wasn’t sitting right with her. The fuzzy memories from that night, the photo someone tampered with on her cellphone…

It wasn’t the first time she’d had this sort of feeling, but Juniper had always known her neighbors were a little… quirky. It was easy enough to brush off the occasional odd behavior.

But lately, things had seemed to be more bizarre than ever before, and she couldn’t figure out why.

The strange visitor had been the first thing Juniper noticed. Every single morning she’d seen him going from house to house in the neighborhood, but never actually knocking or going inside. Just kind of lingering around on the sidewalk. How had she not noticed him before now?

Maybe he’s the one making everything so weird lately… But what could he be DOING?!

“Good morning, Miss Joy.” The mysterious man gave her a somewhat uncertain wave.

Juniper jumped, and practically threw her binoculars to the ground. “H-hi!” She replied nervously. Crap! He saw me! And how does he know my name?!

The young woman watched in confusion as he opened her mailbox and placed something inside before continuing on down the street.

Next door, Juniper noticed that Cole was standing motionless in his driveway, watching as the mysterious stranger drew closer. It was almost as though he’d been expecting him. Cole was another person she’d been studying closely lately. It seemed that everything had gotten so much stranger than usual ever since he moved to the neighborhood… But why?

He was so hard to read… Always so stiff and expressionless. Watching everyone, but never saying much. What’s his deal?! Juniper wondered. And why did he look like he knew this mysterious stranger? Are they in cahoots or something?!

She continued staring as the man left a cardboard box and a small stack of papers at Cole’s feet, gave him a smile, and continued on his way.

Furrowing her brow, Juniper quickly headed off down the sidewalk toward where her new neighbor stood. She couldn’t stand by any longer. She had to say something, didn’t she?

“Did you know that guy?” She asked Cole as she drew closer.

“No.” He replied simply. “Not exactly.”

“It looked like you were expecting that box he gave you though… What’s in it?” Juniper’s tone was almost accusatory.

For the briefest moment, Cole almost seemed to hesitate. “Electronics.” He replied at last in his usual monotone. “I will see you later, Juniper.”

Cole bent down stiffly to pick up the box from the ground. A sharp metallic clang rang out with each step he took up the steep stairs toward his front door. “Do not forget to check your mailbox.” He called down to her before closing the front door behind him.

He must have seen that weird guy put something in there. But why would..? Juniper’s eyes widened as the realization hit her. “Oh my god. DUH!” She cried out loud, laughing at her own foolishness.

It was so obvious… The mailman! Still giggling to herself, she headed back toward the mailbox. I’ve gotta stop letting this paranoia get to me… It’s making me act like an idiot!

Underneath the small pile of bills, Juniper was intrigued to find a black envelope, addressed from the LeBlancs. Inside was invitation to attend their baby shower in a place called ‘Forgotten Hollow’. A baby shower! Fun!

Juniper happily headed back inside to call Jane and tell her about the shower, her previous suspicions forgotten… For now, at least.

She still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something really weird going on… And maybe Cole and this ‘mailman’ had something to do with it…

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“This place is so cool and old-timey… Isn’t it neat, Jane?” Juniper asked happily as they approached the huge Victorian manor. She knew that Jane hadn’t been too keen on attending the baby shower, but Juniper hoped she would change her mind now that they were finally here.

Her girlfriend nodded. “This building is rather aesthetically pleasing.” Jane agreed. “But Juniper… Before we enter, I must advise you of something.” She reached out to take her girlfriend gently by the arm as she spoke.

The other woman stopped, turning curiously toward her. “What is it?”

“Please stay close by my side tonight. Or John’s, if he is able to join us.” She said seriously.

Juniper couldn’t help but laugh softly at Jane’s concerns. “Oh no… is all my paranoia starting to rub off on you?” She asked. “I know Cole’s coming tonight… but I promised I’d cool it. And I meant it.” She assured her.

For the past two weeks, Juniper had been confiding some of her concerns to both her girlfriend and best friend… And both John and Jane had tried to assure her that she was just letting the stress from her latest bout of writers’ block get to her. Still, Juniper hadn’t been so sure.

She was still keeping a close eye on the mailman… And Cole too. Her memories from that night at the karaoke bar were still so fuzzy, but she was sure she’d seen Cole there, hadn’t she?

It can’t just be a coincidence… And he’s SO into electronics. Could he be the one who hacked my phone and messed with that picture John and Jane left me?

Juniper shook her head. She’d vowed that she wouldn’t let her suspicions ruin her time at the baby shower. And that was a promise she intended to keep.

“It is not your paranoia that concerns me.” Jane continued. “It is your well being…” She bit her lip. “I fear that the LeBlancs’ friends may be…” The woman appeared to be struggling to find the right word. “Unaccustomed to interacting with hu — um… I mean with…”

“You think they won’t like that we’re together?” Juniper asked, her brow furrowing in anger. “Well screw ’em, Jane! You’re my girlfriend and if they have a problem with that, then they can go to Hell!”

Jane’s eyes went wide at her outburst. “Juniper… I… I have never seen you so… passionate.” Her lips curled into a smile. “I like it.”

Juniper did her best to follow Jane’s advice, and stayed by her side for most of the party. Though she really couldn’t imagine what Jane was so worried about — All of the partygoers seemed so friendly!

They all complimented her on her perfume… Juniper couldn’t remember the last time so many people commented on the way she smelled! And they really seemed to love her earrings too. Everyone was always leaning in for a closer look.

Jane didn’t seem to like that very much.

She was acting really weird all evening. Protective, almost. At first it was kind of cute… But by the time Addie sat down to open her gifts, it was just annoying. And to make matters worse, John hadn’t made an appearance all evening.

Selfishly, Juniper had been really looking forward to seeing him at the shower. John had been so swamped with work lately, and she’d been spending more time with Jane than ever before. And she loved it. She loved spending time with Jane. She loved everything about her.

But she was really starting to miss having John around as much as she used to. She missed his jokes. She missed his smile. She missed…

There they were again. Those weird thoughts that kept popping up in her head whenever John crossed her mind. The type of thoughts she usually had about Jane. But they didn’t make any sense! Juniper had never been into guys. And she definitely wasn’t into John either. Not like that, at least. Not physically. Ew.

But… Every time they were together, she felt… Well, the same way she felt when she was with her girlfriend (minus the urge to jump on top of him and rip off all his clothes, of course. That one was reserved entirely for Jane).

Randy and Mr. Grimm kept telling her she should call him, but Jane really didn’t seem to think that was such a good idea. Could she be jealous or something? Was that why she was being so weird tonight? Juniper didn’t wanna push it, so she decided not to call.

Even without John though, Juniper still managed to have a fun time. She met a lot of interesting people, spent some quality time with her neighbors, had a blast with Jane (when she wasn’t being weirdly protective, of course)…

The only thing that felt truly ‘off’ about the whole evening was Cole.

Juniper had promised Jane she wouldn’t obsess over it, but she couldn’t help it.

He didn’t eat a single bite of food.

He was so obsessed with examining all the electronics in the house.

He was staring at everybody.

He even started beeping, at one point.

He was just being so weird... It was impossible not to notice. But no one said anything about it. And when she tried saying something to Jane, she just shrugged it off like she always did. It was so frustrating!

When she finally arrived home that night, Juniper stayed awake for a long time. Even her fun evening at the party hadn’t been enough to fully erase her concerns. It was all still so confusing — Her feelings about Jane and John, Cole’s odd behavior, Jane’s jealousy, all those fuzzy memories from the karaoke bar…

There was definitely something going on around the neighborhood.

And whatever it was, it wasn’t normal.

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Thank you to everyone who submitted a vampire for my casting call! They made some fantastic background extras for this chapter 😉