A Cure for Moonlight Ch. 03

She propelled herself forward, listening to the icy little flakes falling around her. She avoided the gallery that had so enraged her the night before. A few blocks after she left the coffee shop, she felt that safe presence fall over her. She stopped and turned around, and the sidewalk, as far as she could see was empty. Still, she felt watched, but not in a scary way as she did every time she let herself think of the intruder in her apartment. It was almost like a feeling of a child's safety blanket. A warm, soothing presence, just at the edge of her consciousness, the feeling stayed with her until she got home. Amelia was gone, but had left a note saying she would check in on her tomorrow.

All was right with the world for just a few hours. Staying up later than usual, she began knitting a shawl that she had been drooling over and had finally gotten the pattern for. She listened to music and in the middle of counting stitches and rows, got lost in her thoughts. She began to feel tired, so she put the shawl, needles and yarn back in the basket by the sofa, locked the door and began brushing her hair, and getting ready for bed.

In the middle of brushing her hair, she heard it. The door knob began to turn slowly, slightly, before catching on the locked tumbler. She flicked the lights in the entryway on hastily, limped toward the door and looked into the peephole.