"Aria! Get down here for a minute?"
I breathed deeply, pushing against the bed to stand up. When I came into the living room, my father was at the table. "I wanted to give you notice that your new tutor is coming by today to meet you," he told me.
I was shocked at the unexpected news. "A tutor? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I exclaimed, a combination of shock and worry running through my head.
But then I suppressed those thoughts. "Okay, fine," I said, "I could do with some help."
My father smiled and seemed to relax with my answer. "Your mom and I know things have been intense lately, but it will be okay." I nodded.
A few hours later, the doorbell rang. I shared a concerned look with my father as he got up to open the door. I had a weird tightness in my chest as if something was going to happen.
When my dad opened the door, I felt my blood freeze. There, on the porch, was the man—the same man who had been stalking me. Fear coursed through me.
"Aria? Is it?" he asked, his voice smooth and unnerving.I leapt from my chair, screaming as the terror consumed me.
My mother burst into the room, her eyes wide with fear. "What's happening?" she yelled, but her look switched immediately to the man at the door. My father was surprised with my reaction.
"Get back!" I screamed, retreating, my heart racing in my chest.The stalker moved forward, a hungry gleam in his eye. He shut the door. "I am your new tutor".
"No, it's not you. Your voice is not the same as the voice I heard over the phone. Move away from her!" my mother screamed. He kept on moving forward. My mother picked up a frying pan that was on the dining table in front of her. She hurled it at him, the contents of the frying pan spilling all over him, and chaos broke out.
The stalker sidestepped her second blow, but my mother did not give up. I could see my father trying to step in, but the fight soon turned out of control.
"Mom!" I screamed, horrified as the stalker shoved her aside. My father charged at him, but in the fight, he was knocked to the ground, a pained grunt on his lips."Dad!" I shouted, helpless to stop the madness.
I was cornered in the kitchen. At that moment, a rush of adrenaline coursed through my body. I took hold of a knife from the kitchen counter, my hands trembling as I readied myself to fight back. "Fuck you!" I yelled, my voice shaking with rage and fear.
But before I could attack, time slowed down. A glitch? An odd pressure was on my chest, and I couldn't catch my breath. My eyes blurred, and I felt sucked into a black hole.
"Aria" the stalker's voice whispered, icy and mocking.