I screamed so loud it felt like my throat might rip apart. “Get out! Who’s there?” My voice trembled as I scrambled back against my headboard, my eyes glued to the dark figure standing by my window.
“Lila? What’s wrong?” My mom’s voice cut through my panic, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
The door burst open, and the light flicked on, flooding the room with harsh brightness. I blinked, squinting, and finally saw the figure clearly.
“Tessa?” I gasped, my chest heaving with leftover terror.
There she was, Tessa, standing awkwardly by my window, wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans, her designer bag slung over her shoulder. She looked completely out of place, like she’d stepped into the wrong movie scene.
“Uh… hi?” she said, giving a small, embarrassed wave.
My parents stood frozen in the doorway, staring at her. My mom was the first to recover. “Tessa, what are you doing here? It’s the middle of the night!”
“I’m sorry,” Tessa said quickly, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I didn’t mean to scare anyone. I just… needed to talk to Lila.”
“At this hour?” my dad snapped, his face dark with irritation.
Tessa nodded sheepishly. “I know. Terrible timing. I didn’t think it through. I’m really sorry.”
My mom sighed, her voice tight. “Tessa, you need to go home. Whatever this is, it can wait until morning.”
I turned to my mom, my eyes pleading, “Actually, can you give us some privacy, Mom?”
Mom glanced at me, her expression unreadable, but she nodded. “Fine.”
Mom shot me a concerned look before ushering my dad out of the room. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow, Lila,” she said, her voice stern, before closing the door behind her.
The moment the door clicked shut, I turned to Tessa, my fear quickly morphing into anger. “What the hell are you doing in my room?” I hissed, my voice low and sharp.
Tessa smirked, leaning casually against my desk. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Relax? You broke into my house! How did you even get in here?”
She tilted her head, her smirk growing wider. “The window, obviously.”
I blinked at her, dumbfounded. “You climbed through my window? Are you insane?”
Tessa shrugged, looking completely unbothered. “What can I say? I’m resourceful.”
I stared at her, my anger bubbling over. “Are you my stalker?”
At that, her smirk faltered, and something flickered in her eyes. She straightened up, her tone suddenly serious. “You have a stalker?”
I hesitated, caught off guard by the change in her demeanor. “I don’t know… maybe. I’ve been getting these notes, and—”
“Just like Evelyn,” Tessa interrupted, her voice quiet but sharp.
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “What are you talking about?”
Tessa’s gaze locked onto mine, her usual arrogance replaced by something darker. “Evelyn had a stalker too. Said she felt like someone was always watching her.”
A chill ran down my spine. “And you didn’t think to tell anyone?”
Tessa rolled her eyes. “I did, but no one cared. And then she vanished, and everyone pretended it never happened.”
I crossed my arms, trying to steady my voice. “So what? You think whoever was stalking Evelyn is stalking me now?”
Tessa didn’t answer right away. Instead, she walked over to the window and stared out at the dark street below. “It wouldn’t surprise me,” she said finally. “You’re in way over your head, Lila. You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”
I stepped closer, my frustration boiling over. “Then why don’t you tell me? Instead of breaking into my house and dropping cryptic hints, why don’t you actually say something useful?”
She turned to me, her eyes narrowing. “Because you wouldn’t believe me if I did.”
“Try me,” I shot back, my voice rising.
Tessa took a deep breath, as if preparing herself. “You need to hear the real truth about the Cross family.”