Anthony sneaks into the garden in the morning

It was just after dawn when Anthony arrived at Lynn Odenfell's residence dressed in a black sweatshirt and an old paintball mask. The last thing he wanted was to be sprayed down by those flowers.

In a strange way, Anthony was feeling calmer now that Bonnie had explicitly requested a flower. Truth be told, he had been strongly tempted to do this for a while, but now it was above board. There was nothing sneaky here...for the most part.

I just need to make sure the flower is shaken out completely. No pollen funny business.

Anthony carefully slipped past Lynn's house, hoping to God he wasn't noticed. He felt a little guilty about going behind Lynn's back. She was a sweet woman, even if she had kissed him. And fondled his crotch.

Focus, Anthony.

Anthony turned the corner and readied himself to see a small field of crimson blooms. Instead he saw...nothing.

"What the fuck?" he muttered.

Anthony ran forward and glanced around feverishly, trying to see if he had missed the garden somehow. There wasn't a single red flower to be seen in the patch of dirt. What Anthony _did _see were several footsteps running through the garden, as if someone had been trampling through the place.

"Shit, what am I going to do?"

Anthony looked around desperately, trying to find an alternative. Bonnie was counting on him for a desk plant. A special, magical desk plant that defied all modern science. His eyes scanned the barren patch of dirt and suddenly noticed a green spot where fresh growth was pushing through.

"Hello there," Anthony said, crouching down to observe a little green bulb pushing out of the earth. "You must be the baby version of the flowers. Whatever, I'll take anything I can get."

Using a trowel he brought from home, Anthony carefully dug up the little bulb and transplanted it to a decorated pot he had bought from the local department store. It looked surprisingly cute. Unassuming. In a way, it was even better than a flower. It wasn't as obvious and on the nose.

Meanwhile, the power inside the little bulb continued to gestate.