4. Ghost Attack
4
Ghost Attack
“ W ho are you, and what have you done to my best friend?”
Alexa turned from the mirror in the girls’ bathroom to see Daphne paused at the doorway, gaping in shock.
“Well, what do you think?” Alexa gestured a hand to her appearance with a smirk and tossed the lip-gloss into her bag.
“I almost thought you were some new girl.” Daphne composed herself and walked to her.
Alexa arched an eyebrow at her and looked back to the mirror. “Have I overdone it?”
“No, no. Absolutely not.” Daphne shook her head and reached into her bag for her favorite brown lipstick. “You look… new. And it’s really good, both in appearance and in the case of the change we talked about yesterday. Truly, you did surprise me.”
“I’m determined to show Jude I’ve moved on from him less than twenty-four hours after our breakup.”
“I can see that,” Daphne mumbled, focused on applying the lipstick. “When was the last time I saw you with eye makeup? Those sharp wings of your eyeliner look ready to slay Jude if he dare approach you, or even look your way.”
Alexa chuckled. “Cassie said I looked bold too.”
“You are bold,” Daphne corrected her and put the lipstick tube into her bag. “But hey, you could’ve gotten blue highlights instead and matched with me.” She ran her fingers through her short hair, messing them into her signature, almost Alice Cullen style.
“Your highlights are starting to fade. Why not dye them red and match with me ?” Alexa grabbed her bag from the counter and slung it over her shoulder.
“Um…” Daphne’s groomed, dark eyebrows knitted together as she pretended to think. Then she smiled. “You’re right. Why didn’t I think about it?” She linked their arms.
When they walked out of the restroom, Daphne cleared her throat dramatically. “Presenting, Alexandra Ford, single and ready to mingle.”
“You’re lucky you are being quiet,” Alexa threatened her playfully. “If you were any louder…”
“What would you have done?”
“I would’ve quit the club.”
Daphne snorted. “You think that’s a threat? I’d gladly quit too.”
Alexa stopped and turned to her. “You would do that if I did?”
“Why so surprised?” Daphne swayed back a little, as surprised as she sounded.
“Nothing.” Alexa tugged at their linked arms and walked them toward their lockers. “I gotta tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“I mingled with someone yesterday.”
Daphne stopped them and stepped in front of her. Her eyes were wide and curious. “And?” she drew out. “Who is he?”
“His name is Tristan.” Alexa blushed, and wished she had some control over it.
“So, that explains why you are so different—”
“No, my hairstyle and my makeup are—”
“I’m not talking about your appearance, silly,” Daphne cut her off, her eyes twinkling. “I’m talking about how different you seem from the Alexa of the last few months—even the one I saw only last Friday. You seem different today; there is a glow about you—and no, it isn’t the highlighter on your cheeks. There is a twinkle in your eyes when you speak. I didn’t point it out earlier because I didn’t know if I was imagining it. But now I do! Tell me everything. I want every detail.”
And Alexa told her everything, like she told Cassie, who when she returned from her date, found her younger sister belting out Taylor Swift’s Enchanted . It was something Alexa hadn’t done in months.
“It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since your breakup, and you already have someone hooked on you.”
Alexa laughed. “He’s not hooked on me, Daph.”
“He is —you just laughed.” Softness replaced the mischievous twinkle in Daphne’s eyes. “I haven’t heard this sound in ages. He didn’t tell you his last name?”
Alexa deadpanned when she realized when he didn’t. Though, it wasn’t like he would’ve told her if she did ask; he liked to be mysterious. It was a wonder Alexa learned his first name. “I didn’t ask.”
“Way to go, Lex.” Daphne rolled her eyes sarcastically. “Did you ask him where he lives?”
Alexa bit her bottom lip and gave her friend a sheepish smile.
Daphne groaned. “You’re officially the worst flirt.”
“I wasn’t flirting,” Alexa defended. “He started it.” And ended it, too, without a promise to continue.
“Still—”
“I haven’t disclosed the best part yet.” She reached into her bag for his note and handed it to Daphne.
“What’s this?” Daphne asked and read it in an undertone, before spluttering a laugh. “ What? ”
Alexa tried to hide her smile and failed. “Cassie thinks he’s a stalker and almost considered calling the police yesterday.” She laughed at the memory. Cassie had gone paranoid after Alexa told her he had been at church, too.
“Why?”
“Because he knows my name, why else?” Then she realized Daphne hadn’t taken the bait. “Daph, I refused to tell him my name, remember?”
Daphne’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ and her eyes widened in realization. “So, you have a secret—or, not really secret —admirer!”
“Maybe. But my sister thinks otherwise.” Alexa laughed again. They stopped in front of her locker .
“Well, my best friend is laughing again and again, so pardon me for calling the person who made her laugh for the first time in three months a secret admirer .” Daphne leaned sideways against the locker next to Alexa’s.
“But I don’t get it. How come he knows my name?”
“Lex, it doesn’t take one to be a genius to learn your name when you are the sweetheart singer of your church. He probably asked around—and you are a YouTuber.” Daphne handed back the note.
“So what if I’m a YouTuber? It’s not like my channel is famous or something.”
“Oh, Alexa! There you are!”
Alexa turned toward the familiar female chirp and saw Melissa and the girls in their mean girl circle marching toward her and Daphne with beaming faces. The crowd of students parted like the Red Sea before them, making way.
Alexa forced a smile and added a fake note of enthusiasm to her voice as Melissa reached them. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Wait until you hear what we just came up with!” Melissa clasped her hands together under her chin, and her icy-blue eyes gleamed. “I have the perfect idea for you, Lexi!”
Melissa was the leader of their so-called club, which Alexa had been part of for the last seven years. But before her dad’s departure, he had her vow that she would no longer be a part of the mean girls, and Alexa had avoided spending time with them as much as possible. They hadn’t pressured her to join them either, because they knew she needed time and space .
But today, the beam on Melissa and the girls’ face spelled disaster.
Alexa’s eyebrows rose. “Okay…?”
“To cheer you up, of course! To get you back on our weekly routines. You’ve been missing out on them for months now, and of course I know why that was. So, as your friends, it is our duty to help you move past your grief and get a new start. I’m sure that’s what your dad wants for you.”
Alexa opened her mouth to interrupt but clamped it shut at the mention of her dad. How dare she mention her dad! Was it to make her agree to whatever ridiculous scheme Melissa had come up with?
“I don’t get it—what are you planning?” Daphne asked, baffled.
“A party, of course! At Alexa’s house. She’s going to be our host. Our circle will be the only attendance, plus of course, her sister Cassie. We’re going to have a girls’ night, crash at your place, and… yeah. Like that, we’re gonna help you get back to your old self.”
So, Melissa would plan a party for Alexa that Alexa should host at her house, all for the fuss of cheering her up. How pathetic was this girl?
Alexa’s blood boiled. First of all, she was doing just fine; she didn’t need help, especially from a self-righteous, I-know-everything, spoiled brat. She couldn’t keep this up anymore. This mean girl pretense should end here.
“That’s so thoughtful of you, Melissa,” Alexa began with a fake sweet smile. “But I’m good, thank you.” She wanted to see if she was treading on thin ice before she dropped the bomb; she wanted to see Melissa’s reaction to her rejection .
“Oh, but you’re not good.” Not to her surprise, Melissa’s smile tightened, and her icy-blue irises turned even icier.
Alexa crossed her arms and tilted her head. “And who are you to decide that?”
“Because I’m done seeing you moping around.”
Alexa dropped her arms and glared at the other girl, losing her cool completely. “What’s your problem?” she asked at the same time Daphne stepped up to her defense.
“Leave her alone, Melissa.”
Alexa could practically see Melissa boiling in rage; a storm brewed in her eyes. She stared Alexa down. “You’re lucky you’re one of us, girl, and you better—”
“I’m quitting the circle.”
There was a collective silence. Someone next to Melissa gasped, but no one spoke.
“I’ll give you time to cool off, Alexa. Don’t jump to a conclusion and regret your—”
“I know what I want, Melissa. I was long done with you and your so-called mean girl club. I’m actually a little late to let you know this.”
No one dared to cross Melissa unless they wished to be her sworn enemy or the target of her harassing. Alexa knew what she was doing.
A mocking glint entered Melissa’s eyes. “So you’ve officially become mopey.” She crossed her arms and laughed, casting a side-glance at the girls around her, and they joined her.
Alexa refused to let the rage take her. She had played this game several times over the years; if Melissa thought it could deter her, she was a fool.
She held her ground and crossed her own arms .
“So you’re no longer one of us?”
“That’s what I said.” Alexa matched her menacing smile. Oh, she knew this game too well to be deterred.
“Should I make an announcement so no one will bow to you anymore as you pass?”
“The honor is yours.”
Melissa gave her one final impish smile before turning on her heels. “Come on, Daphne. We’ve got work to do.”
“And who said I was coming with you?” Daphne asked, with steel in her voice.
Alexa brimmed with pride.
Melissa turned to Daphne, astonished by her response. Before she had the chance to open her mouth, Daphne lifted her chin and said, “I’m quitting, too.”
Melissa’s eyes rounded in disbelief. She stepped closer. “I think I heard you wrong, didn’t I, Daphne?”
Daphne sighed dramatically and tilted her head. “When was the last time you cleaned your ears, Mel?”
Melissa ignored her wit. “We are friends, Daphne! Best friends since childhood!”
“ Alexa is my only best friend; you were my childhood playmate , yes, but we were nothing more. So, if Alexa is leaving, I am too.”
“What, are you her pet now?”
“Do you even know the first thing about friendship?” Daphne retorted. “Even if it was me who quit first, Alexa would’ve done the same, without hesitance. She is the reason I lasted this long in your so-called club despite being the first member after yourself.”
Daphne was not only an early member of the circle but more like a right hand to Melissa, as her childhood friend and neighbor. But when Alexa joined the club, she and Daphne became close and then best friends. Years later, they began to flout the club’s rules by hanging out with each other outside of their circle, particularly at each other’s houses.
Melissa glared at her silently, and then at Alexa. Her nostrils flared, her chest heaving and cheeks growing increasingly to resemble a lobster in spring molt. Then suddenly, she gained composure like a switch had been flipped. A smirk curled her lips and wickedness filled her eyes.
“Congratulations on making enemies with the queen of Harmony Hills High.”
“Your compliment flatters me, Your Majesty,” Alexa mocked, knowing very well she was walking a dangerous line.
“Oh!” Melissa burst out laughing, stepping back and grabbing the attention of everyone present in the hallway. “Says the one who hasn’t stopped moping yet!” Her voice rose. “Always wearing nothing but black, not letting a pair of scissors touch her hair, not wearing any makeup. And suddenly she’s all back and thinks she can talk all she wants!”
“Leave her alone, Melissa. Now.” Daphne advanced a step forward, clenching her fists.
But Melissa continued, unfazed. “Oh, I also heard that you and Jude haven’t been on a date in—what, months? You two are barely even seen together around school. Are you about to lose one of the coolest guys in the school with your moping attitude as well? Oh, Alexa, I’ve always known you were such a boring brat.”
“I said—”
“Let her say all she wants, Daph.” Alexa placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder and held her back. “She’s just trying to accept us quitting from her circle.”
Melissa laughed bitterly. “Oh, Alexa, we all know how much you loved being part of our circle. Now that you’re not, I bet you feel utterly lost.”
Alexa wasn’t always a part of the mean girl circle. It wasn’t until after her parents divorced and she was embarrassed in front of the entire class by one of the girls in English. Everyone thought Melissa’s group of girls was intimidating, so Alexa had gone straight to Melissa to join her.
Melissa, of course, didn’t take it kindly to her; she first tested her capacity to carry the mean girl title. After a few days of testing, during which Alexa tried her utmost to act like one of them, she passed and made it into the circle.
So now, Alexa only smiled. Pretense was never a challenge; being part of the mean girl circle had molded her into an expert at masking her true feelings.
Melissa continued her onslaught.
“And speaking of loss, I still see that your precious YouTube channel is practically nonexistent. No views, no followers. It’s almost as if no one cares about your little passion project. Maybe you’re not as interesting as you thought.”
Those words stung.
Melissa had never ever brought up her YouTube channel before, even when she rambled about her own.
For the past two years, Daphne had claimed that Melissa was acting competitively toward Alexa. It started with Alexa gaining a large number of followers on her Instagram account, where she published reels of her song covers, book reviews and recommendations, and random lifestyle stuff.
Melissa began making reels of her own not soon after that, and ordered all the girls to share them in their stories.
Then Alexa created a YouTube channel dedicated to her love of cooking. Her dad and sister had been quite supportive; her dad even did some kitchen upkeep for Alexa’s filming. Not a month later, Melissa created a channel of her own, where she shared her cooking.
That’s when Alexa actually realized there was a competition between them. She was irritated at the time, especially because Melissa’s channel increased while hers went ignored despite the viewers’ compliments. But then, her dad stated she shouldn’t be upset.
“Take it easy, my darling. You’re not in a competition. You started this channel for fun, your passion, and that’s what you should focus on. Enjoy what you do.”
And she had, though she didn’t completely let go of her resentment for the other girl.
“You know, Lexi , maybe this is the universe’s way of telling you that you’re better off blending into the background. No one wants to see you, no matter how hard you try.”
Alexa felt the weight of the words, but she maintained a steely composure, refusing to show weakness. Daphne, however, couldn’t hold back her anger any longer.
“Enough, Melissa! You’re just bitter because Alexa doesn’t need your toxic circle anymore. Her passion isn’t defined by your approval.”
Melissa, unfazed, took a step back, her smirk still intact. “We’ll see how long that passion lasts when she realizes the world isn’t as forgiving as our little circle.”
“Back off, Melissa.” A new voice joined.
Alexa groaned inwardly as Jude’s icy-blonde spikes appeared behind the girls in front of her.
“Jude! Hey…” Melissa turned, and her voice took on a sugary note, one that Alexa knew always made Jude want to gag.
Jude glared at Melissa, one hand gripping the sling of the bag on his shoulder and the other clenched into a fist at his side. “Leave her alone.”
Alexa opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t need his help; him playing her knight was the last thing she wanted. But Daphne nudged her in the ribs and sent her a meaningful look, as if to say, not now .
“Leaving…” Melissa singsonged and brushed past him, sending Alexa a warning glare behind his back. Her entourage followed as she sauntered away, leaving behind a silenced hallway.
Jude turned to Alexa the moment they were out of earshot. A surge of emotions, a blend of frustration and resentment, rushed through her. All the feelings she had managed to set aside since her encounter with Tristan came flooding back.
“I didn’t need your help.”
Jude’s eyebrows rose. “It didn’t look like that to me.”
The silent storm within her intensified. “I’m not your damsel in distress, and I don’t want you to play my knight in shining armor.”
Jude sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. “We need to talk.”
“No. We. Don’t.” Alexa gritted through her teeth. “I told you I don’t want to see you again.”
“We’re in the same school and share classes, so how is that going to happen?” Jude sounded exasperated.
“Just stay out of my way, alright?” Alexa turned from him and shut her locker.
“Lex, please… We have onlookers, thanks to Melissa. Let’s not make a scene.”
“Oh, you better wish I don’t punch you in the face and make the scenario worse for you, White.” Daphne snapped, but with a fake smile for the said onlookers. “You’re tempting me.”
Jude recoiled. He took a step back and glanced at Alexa, his eyes pleading with hers. “Lex—”
“I can’t believe you have the audacity to try persuading her after what you did, you snake!” Daphne hissed at him. “If I see you trying again, I won’t hesitate to throw you a punch. It’s only for Alexa’s sake I’m holding off now. Come on, Lex.”
Daphne grabbed Alexa by the arm and turned away from Jude.
But his words stopped her.
“You look amazing by the way, Lex.”
Alexa glanced over her shoulder, meeting his eyes with summoned boldness while keeping any emotion out of her face. “Thanks,” she said and walked away.
The hallway slowly returned to normalcy, with students resuming their activities and conversations, but Alexa was sure without having to look that they were peering at her as she passed by them.
The weight of their attention pressed on her shoulders, along with it, the sense of helplessness and frustration. A pang of empathy for every victim of Melissa’s bullying went through her. Was this how every victim of Melissa’s bullies felt? It was a sobering realization that, while Alexa hadn’t directly bullied anyone, her silent complicity in Melissa’s cruelty over the years weighed heavily on her conscience.
The realization that she had stood by, laughed, and agreed with Melissa’s cruelty hit her with a force that transcended the immediate confrontation.
The mean girl circle that was once a toxic refuge would no longer confine her. Alexa took a deep breath. She had to redefine her identity and make amends for every instance she had sided with Melissa to hurt others now that she knew what it was like.
There was no doubt Melissa would seek revenge on her for the talkback and quitting, especially for being the reason for Daphne’s decision to quit as well. Until she graduated and left the school for good, Alexa was going to be Melissa’s prime bullying target.
* * *
Alexa woke up to her phone ringing that night. She opened her eyes; it was still dark. Who was calling her at this hour?
She reached for the phone from the nightstand. The glaring light of the screen blinded her as she tried to read the caller ID. She sat up and blinked into the dark until her vision adjusted, before glancing at the screen again.
Melissa .
Alexa blinked a few more times to make sure her sleepy eyes hadn’t read it wrong. But no. The caller ID still showed Melissa’s name.
She checked the time on the top left of the screen; it was 12:12 am.
What game was Melissa trying to play at midnight?
Alexa fell back into the bed snorting and tossed her phone safely to the side. The ringing ended, only to start again.
Groaning, Alexa silenced it. A moment later, it began ringing again.
She grabbed the phone and glared at the caller ID in irritation. What did Melissa want to tell her at this time of night so urgently?
She answered, “Yes?”
“Alexa! I’m so sorry to bother you, but I want to apologize for what I said earlier today. I’m so sorry. I was so wrong to do it, I was bad. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I was pissed then, I acted on impulse—”
Alexa froze in shock, surprise, and disbelief, but Melissa went on with her apology in one breath, not giving her a moment to speak. Not that she was going to; she felt too shocked to utter a word. Her mouth parted and closed, but she listened to Melissa’s venting.
And Melissa was practically wailing. Wailing! What happened to her?
Alexa’s first impression was that she had an encounter with Jesus. Even with her faith fading, there was nothing else Alexa could possibly think of that made a person like Melissa cry and apologize.
One could bend an iron rod easier than Melissa humbling herself to say a simple sorry to her declared enemy .
When Melissa was done venting and caught her breath shakily, Alexa asked, “Melissa, why are you crying? What happened?”
“Please tell me you forgive me, Alexa. Please, please, please.” She sobbed.
This was so unlike Melissa. On second thought, was she drunk?
Oh, Alexa knew drunk Melissa; she was worse than her sober self, especially toward her nemesis.
“What happened?” Alexa pressed. “Why are you crying like this?”
“Promise me I have your forgiveness first!” Though shaky, Melissa’s voice took on its all-too-familiar demanding tone.
“No, first tell me what’s going on,” Alexa insisted with the same ire in her voice as she sat up on the bed and crossed her legs.
“I’m scared.”
“ What? ” To Alexa’s credit, the breathy laugh that threatened to escape her lips, one that developed due to the irony of Melissa’s words, barely made it out.
Something was up, because Melissa wasn’t being herself. And she most definitely didn’t have an encounter with God. First of all, they weren’t scary. Second, why would God ever prompt Melissa to apologize to a person He had stopped caring about?
“Don’t think I’m crazy, because I’m sure I’m not.” Melissa’s voice dropped as she sniffed and said the next words, “There’s someone in my house.”
Alexa’s spine straightened in alarm. As much as she loathed Melissa, she didn’t wish her ill. “What?” she hissed in disbelief. “Where are your parents? ”
“They’re on a vacation in Vegas, remember? They won’t be back until the weekend.”
“Then call the police, Melissa! Why did you call me instead? Call them now!”
Melissa’s voice dropped even lower. “I-It’s… It’s a ghost.”
Alexa blinked into the darkness of her room. Had the queen of Harmony Hills High gone crazy overnight?
“Alexa, I’m not crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Melissa said, her voice tinged with frustration at Alexa’s prolonged silence. “It’s a ghost; I saw it, I saw it moving. Alexa, I’m scared, it’s still here. It won’t go until I call you and apologize.”
That caught her attention despite listening to every word. “What?”
“I think it’s your dad’s ghost…”
Alexa stiffened at first, and then she clenched her jaw. “Nice try, Melissa. I’m not playing your game. Do you really hate me so much that you want to call me in the middle of night and tell me my dad’s ghost is in your house?”
Melissa’s sobs reverberated through the speaker. “Alexa, I swear! I swear on my life! I’m telling the truth. I saw it, it was a dark shadow, it moved like vampires in movies. It’s roaming all around my house. There was a crash in my kitchen first, I woke up and went to check, but there was nothing amiss. Then I saw this passing dark figure, like a vampire. I screamed and came back to my room immediately, and I found a note on my bed; it said, I should call you right away and apologize—”
“A note?”
“It was signed by Lightning Knight . ”
“Lightning Knight?” Alexa’s heart hammered for no reason.
“Yes, do you know who that is?”
Alexa’s mind refused to process what was going on. “No, I’ve never heard of it. You’re not… pranking me, are you?”
“ Alexandra , my life is hanging on a cliff! Pranking you is the last thing I want, especially with your dad’s ghost threatening me.”
“Ghosts don’t exist, silly.”
“Then who is this Lightning Knight? ”
“I don’t know!” Alexa threw her free hand in the air exasperatedly.
“I don’t care, because whoever or whatever it is, it won’t leave until I have apologized.”
“Did it tell you that?” Alexa couldn’t believe she was actually discussing ghosts with the person who thought fiction and fictional stuff were immature.
“No, I… I actually refused to call you at first. And it banged on my door, as if it read my mind or something. So I called you immediately; it hasn’t banged or made a noise again… yet.”
“Well, since you have apologized, it should be gone now.”
“I hope so.” Melissa sighed, but Alexa could tell she wasn’t assured.
“So, that was why you apologized, though I still don’t get what or who could be inside your house.”
“Don’t you believe me?”
“That there’s someone in your house? Yes, I do. I have no other choice. It made you apologize after all. But, one question, did you actually mean it? The apology? ”
Alexa’s question was met with a beat of silence, until she heard a bang coming from the other end of the line, followed by Melissa’s deafening shriek, and, “Yes, yes, I mean it. I mean it now . I swear not to bully you again. I’ll let you be and clear your reputation if my actions have ruined it. I promise!”
Melissa was sobbing again. Alexa sighed. “I forgive you.”
“Thank you,” Melissa choked out. “I’m truly scared, Alexa. It’s still here, and I’m alone. I have no crucifix with me!”
It wasn’t as if crucifixes could actually keep ghosts away. Alexa’s fingers reached for the cross pendant around her neck and clutched it in her palm. Only Christ living in you could; no human-made object has such power even if it resembles a sanctified sign —she thought absentmindedly.
If this thing was a ghost at all. And, her dad’s ghost? As much as Alexa wanted to believe it—it was touching more than she could express—she knew ghosts didn’t exist. Neither did vampires, or any other mythical creatures, as much as she loved fiction and wished they had.
“Hold on, I’ll call Daph.”
“What can she do?”
“You can sleep in her house.”
“She’s mad at me after what I did to you. She won’t let me in. Even if she agrees, I don’t know how to get past a ghost to make it out of my house first.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll listen. She’s not heartless.” Like you would have been, she added in her mind, but refused to voice it. Alexa wasn’t one to step on someone who had fallen already.
“Please don’t hang up on me,” Melissa pleaded.
“I won’t,” Alexa promised. “Now, listen to me. Get up and move out of your room. Once you’re out of your house, I’ll call Daph and ask her to let you in.”
“But Alexa, didn’t you hear it before? The ghost is outside my door!” Melissa sounded like a frightened little girl that it softened Alexa’s heart slightly toward her.
She softened her voice, almost crooning-like. “Don’t worry, Mel. It won’t hurt you. If it’s in your house to bring me justice, it will surely listen to me. I’ll tell it to not stand in your way. Alright?”
“Alright,” Melissa agreed. There was a shuffling noise and Melissa said, “I’m ready—I’m not ready , but I’m going to open the door. I’m putting you on speaker. And don’t hang up on me until I reach Daphne’s.”
“I promise.”
“You’re on speaker.”
Alexa took a deep breath. It felt silly, amusing, and strange altogether as she opened her mouth to speak.
“Hey… there, whoever you are that is haunting Melissa.” She paused, getting a strange feeling that someone was listening. Why did it feel like a he ? Was it really her dad’s ghost? “She has apologized to me and I have forgiven her. Please leave her alone and never haunt her again. Don’t hurt her, please. Let her go.”
Melissa thanked Alexa, and then she heard her break into a run, all while talking aloud to Alexa for her own assurance. When she reached Daphne’s doorstep—located four houses from hers—Alexa promised to call her right after she had called Daphne.
She hung up and stared at the phone screen, releasing the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. What the heck just happened?