Dan's note played on repeat in my head all night as I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time I started to doze off, a familiar vision appeared in my mind, filling me with dread and fear. My corpse. Tara was standing beside it- me- sobbing, and Caleb had his arm around her, a horrified expression on his face.

Before I could speak or move, I woke up. It was the same cycle over and over again- I dozed off; I had the nightmare; I jerked awake. Honestly, I don't even know how I managed to drag myself out of bed the next morning.

My hands were trembling as I pulled on a T-shirt and shorts. Luckily, it was Saturday, so I didn't have anything pressing to attend to. What little homework I had, I'd already finished. I flinched at every noise, expecting Ross to appear in front of me. When Tara knocked on the door, I screamed and dropped the glass of water I had no recollection of filling a few moments ago. I barely heard the shattering of glass, barely felt the water pool at my feet as I walked to the front door.

Tara's gaze was worried as I opened it. "Are you okay? I heard a scream." My hands shook as she walked in and I shut the door beside her. I forced a smile, nodding. When was the last time I had really smiled? Or laughed? A jolt went through me as I realised I didn't know the answer. I busied myself with cleaning up the spilled water and the broken glass before facing her.

"How's Caleb?" I asked, wanting to change the subject. A smile appeared on Tara's face.

"Great. We talked on the phone for hours last night. He's so funny!" Tara continued speaking, but her words faded into the background as Ross's note resurfaced in my head. My mouth opened and closed a dozen times before words finally came out.

"I-I got a note from Ross last night." The words came out in a rush, but the shaking in my voice was clear. The concerned look reappeared on her face as the words hung in the air. My hands shook as I grabbed it out of my pocket and handed it to her.

Her face was expressionless, but various emotions flickered in her eyes: anger, worry, fear. The latter was the one that scared me the most. I knew she was thinking about Caleb and Adrian. I put my head in my hands, pushing down the sob rising in my throat. She glanced at me, her mouth tightening. "Did you have the dream again?" was her only response.

I nodded, fear written plainly on my face. "What if he comes after Dad? Or Grandma? He's already hurt her once. I don't think I could bear it if-" I couldn't finish the sentence. Tara bent down in front of me, taking my hand.

"Look at me." Tears welled in my eyes as I did so, quickly spilling down my cheeks. Her gaze was fierce, her voice unwavering as she spoke. "I won't let him hurt you. Any of you." She hugged me, rubbing my back as I cried.

"I'll let Caleb know, and he'll tell Adrian. I won't let him hurt you, Bella," she repeated.

Dad came home a few minutes later, looking exhausted. I ate dinner in my room that night, not really in the mood for company. My phone buzzed just as I was finishing. I was pleasantly surprised to see a text from Adrian. 'Hey, Bella. Meet me in the park tomorrow morning, okay? I've got a surprise for you.'

Excited butterflies swarmed in my stomach as I texted back. 'I'll be there.' If only I had known what the 'surprise' really was. It took me hours to fall asleep that night. I finally dozed off sometime around midnight.

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