I'm Already Here
[Private Chat: Ava ⇄ Noah | 1:47 AM]
UKNOWN
Ava. Draw the curtain. I’m already here.
(Her phone nearly slips from her hands. The glow of the clock bleeds across her room—1:47—casting her face in red. She stares at the message, her heart hammering against her ribs.)
Ava
They just said my name.
(Her hands tremble. She never gave them her name. Her contact info is private. She never uses her full name online. Her throat burns.)
Ava
How do they know who I am?
Ava
Don’t panic?? SOMEONE IS OUTSIDE MY ROOM AND THEY KNOW MY NAME.
(The phone buzzes again. She doesn’t want to look, but her eyes drag down to the screen anyway.)
UKNOWN
You look smaller than I thought.
Ava
Noah they’re describing me.
Noah
Don’t touch the curtain. Don’t give them more.
Ava
More?? How much do they know already know??
(Her skin crawls. She’s scanning the walls, the ceiling, her desk—half-expecting to see a hidden camera lens blinking red. She presses the back of her hand to her mouth to keep from sobbing.)
UKNOWN
Your hair is darker than Lily’s.
(The name hits her like a blow. The room sways around her. She almost drops the phone again.)
Ava
Noah. They know about Lily.
Noah
Ava. Don’t let it get to you.
Ava
Don’t let it get to me?? They know my NAME. They know about LILY. What aren’t you telling me?
(The silence stretches. The tick of the clock is too loud. Ava grips the phone so tightly her nails dig into the case. Then another buzz.)
UKNOWN
You won’t hide from me, Ava. The fabric doesn’t matter.
(Her gaze snaps to the curtain. The faintest outline presses against it—a curve, a shadow. Someone standing there. Close enough to touch. She digs her nails into her palms until they sting.)
Ava
Noah. It’s not my imagination. Someone’s really there.
Noah
Don’t look that’s how they take you.
Ava
What do you mean take me??
Noah
Just keep the curtains closed. That’s the only thing keeping you safe.
(Her phone buzzes again. One new message. Short. Final. Her blood turns to ice.)
UKNOWN
I’m smiling at you. Right now.
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