Page 55 of Her Alien Neighbor

Aunt Franny, you creepy old bird!

I’m a widow. Don’t you judge me.

Fair enough.

All you have to do is open your eyes, sweetheart. You don’t need the Pacific Ocean by your side in order to pursue your art. Your life begins now, just be brave enough to start. Be willing to put yourself together as well as fall apart. I dare say, this kind of stupidity is actually quite smart, especially when a forever kind of love has been sparked.

All my love,

Aunt Franny

That’s it? That’s the riddle? How am I supposed to solve that? It doesn’t include even a hint at a location or even a general area. It’s just a confusing poem telling me to stay.

Granted, Aunt Franny deserves some serious props for playing matchmaker. She knew Axil and I would hit it off, which we did, eventually, but a “forever kind of love”? I’m not sure about that.

I fold the letter and shove it into the front pocket of my hoodie. Having no clue where to begin looking for the final clue, the “WHY” of this treasure hunt that will hopefully lead to the cash, I decide to set the hunt aside for now.

Plus, the wording of the riddle left me feeling unsettled. It was too… pushy? No, that’s not the right word. Intimate? Yeah, it was too intimate and on the nose, given what happened last night.

I wish there was someone I could talk to about this whole thing. Aunt Franny would be the best choice, given that she knows Axil, but she’s the one person I can’t speak to. Sam might be a good sounding board, but I wouldn’t be able to share many details. That goes for Willa too. There’s also part of me that’s in dire need of comfort right now. Sighing, knowing I might regret it later, I grab my phone and call my mom.

She picks up after two rings. “Did you find it?” she asks before even saying hello.

“Find what?”

“The necklace. The emerald necklace I told you about. Was Aunt Franny hiding it from me?” she replies in an impatient tone.

“No, Ma, I didn’t find the necklace,” I tell her. “I was actually calling bec––”

“Bev! Bev!” she pulls the phone away from her face and yells to someone in the background. “Would you grab me another towel?” And then, “Sorry, sweetie. I’m at the pool,” she says to me, “what did you need?”

Her lack of attention throws me off, and I completely forget what I wanted to talk to her about. Or why I thought to call her in the first place. “I, um…”

“Vanessa?” she shouts into the phone. “I’m having trouble hearing you. Why don’t I call you a bit later, yeah?”

“Uh, sure. Okay,” I mutter, knowing she won’t call me back. It’ll be days before I hear from her again.

“Okay, bye, sweetie.”

She hangs up before I can say good-bye, and I stand there, staring at the phone. Here comes the regret.

Luckily, I have no time to wallow in my disappointment because the doorbell rings. I don’t think it’s any of the guys. They don’t want to push me while I’m in such a delicate state, and I expect them to follow Axil’s lead. If he’s not coming over to see me, which I highly doubt he is, they won’t either.

When I open the door, I find a very cranky Willa, whose presence I’m surprisingly delighted by. “Move! It’s fucking freezing out here,” she shouts, pushing me aside so she can get out of the rain.

“Morning, sis,” I say cheerfully. “How goes it?”

She hangs up her raincoat and gives me a deadly side-eye. “What’s wrong with you?”

I shrug, maintaining my smile. “Nothing, why?”

“Because you’re not a morning person,” she says, slowly turning to face me. “And you’re all,” she scrunches her nose in disgust, “happy and shit. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” I repeat.

“Are you on drugs?” She puts her hands on my shoulders, then grabs my face. “What is it? Edibles? Cocaine?” She yanks on my eyelids, peering into them. “Acid? Ecstasy? What?”

I push her off, rubbing my now watery eyes. “The hell? I’m not on anything.”

---