28 - A note of fear

Lilly woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring in her ear. She groggily reached over to turn it off and sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. It was Monday morning, and she was supposed to go back to school with Aiden and Ethan today. They lay beside her not moving a muscle and Jason had already left headed to work. She remembered the events of the previous night, and a shiver ran down her spine. Tiffany had been so creepy and unpredictable.

Lilly got the guys up to get showers and as she got dressed and ready for the day, Lilly's mind kept wandering back to the strange woman. She couldn't shake the feeling that Tiffany was still out there, watching them.

When Aiden and Ethan were dressed and ready, they found Lilly downstairs packing up their lunches.

Aiden came to her side wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to him tightly. “Did you get any sleep last night?"

Lilly sighed looking up at Aiden, “Not enough, that ‘s for sure.” Lilly stretched and yawned confirming her tiredness.

Ethan kissed her cheek, “Me too. I am so tired; I hope I don’t fall asleep in any of my classes.”

“We may need to run by the coffee shop on our way to class, I could use a shot of caffeine,” Lilly said as she finished packing up their bags.

As they headed out to grab some coffee at the campus coffee shop. The sun was shining, and the campus was bustling with students rushing to their morning classes. Lilly tried to shake off the lingering unease, focusing on the familiar routine of their daily lives.

In their first class of the day, Professor Thompson lectured on the importance of effective communication in business. Lilly listened intently, trying to push thoughts of Tiffany aside. Ethan dozed off mid-lecture, earning a playful elbow from Aiden. Lilly chuckled, grateful for the distraction.

After lunch, they had a free period before their psychology class. They decided to grab some fresh air and take a walk around campus munching on the sandwiches Lilly had made for them this morning. The quad was filled with students socializing and studying together. Lilly felt a sense of normalcy wash over her as she watched the carefree students laughing and chatting.

Their psychology class was more engaging than usual, with a lively discussion on cognitive biases. Lilly found herself participating in the conversation, forgetting about Tiffany's ominous presence.

As they left class, Aiden suggested they head back to their house. The twins didn’t have football practice today and they needed an afternoon nap.

But when they arrived at their house, Lilly noticed that something was off. The front door was slightly ajar. Aiden and Ethan exchanged concerned glances.

"Aiden, look!" Lilly said quietly, pointing to the open door.

Aiden pushed it open slowly, and they entered the house together. The twins were cautious yet ready to fight if there was an intruder inside. Lilly's heart sank as she saw that her room had been rummaged through. Her clothes were scattered all over her bed, and her laptop was open on her desk.

"Oh no," Ethan breathed.

On her nightstand, they found a note in red ink: "You're not done with me yet. I will get Jason back."

Lilly felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Tiffany must have been back to their house while they were out, leaving this menacing message.

"This is getting out of hand," Aiden said grimly. "We need to report this to the cops.”

Lilly nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of unease wash over her. They decided to call the police immediately to report the incident.

As they waited for someone to arrive, Lilly couldn't help but wonder what Tiffany's true motives were and what she wanted from them. The note seemed to imply that she wasn't just interested in causing trouble; she had a personal vendetta against her thinking she had stolen Jason from her.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the police searching the house and taking statements. As they sat in their living room, trying to process what had happened, Lilly couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Suddenly, Jason burst through the front door.

His eyes wide with concern scanning the room and his surroundings. When his eyes landed on Lilly, he ran to her scooping her up into a hug. “Thank goodness you are okay. What happened?”

Aiden spoke first, “Tiffany was in the house while we were at school. She ransacked Lilly’s room and left her a threatening note.”

Jason pondered for a moment, “Wait, no alarms were going off when you got home?” The three hadn’t thought about that. That means she knew the password and could get inside.”

“What the hell? How is that even possible?” Ethan questioned. "Let's stay vigilant," he said finally, breaking the silence. "I am going to call my friend who installed all of this yesterday and see what he says."

Jason sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “I am so glad that you guys stayed together today. We cannot be too safe.”

Lilly nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of determination wash over her. She knew that if they had each other's backs, they could face whatever lay ahead.

The police finally finished up their questioning and left for the evening. One of the detectives offered for one of his officers to stay set up outside for the night just in case Tiffany showed back up. Lilly felt slightly more at ease knowing they had someone watching after them tonight.

Jason ordered some Chinese food to be delivered to the house. It had been such a stressful evening he didn’t want anyone to worry about cooking. Lilly picked at her food. She was in her own world when Aiden stood before her holding a blue velvet box out for her to open. Lilly had been so consumed with her thoughts she had not noticed that Aiden had gone to their room and brought this gift back to her.

Lilly looked up at Aiden in awe, “Aiden, what is this?”

“Just open it up first and we will explain,” Jason said. Lilly opened the blue velvet box. Her eyes widened at the beautiful locket that lay inside. It looked very old with its beautiful designs carved into the silver heart. As she pulled it out of the box, she realized it opened and inside was a picture of the four of them.

She looked to the guys for an explanation of what this was, Jason started the story. “This locket that Aiden gave you is an heirloom passed down through generations of our family. It was said to have been crafted by a mysterious artisan who imbued it with ancient magic. Legend has it that the locket was created by a powerful sorceress named Elara, who lived centuries ago. Elara was our great-great-great-grandmother, and she was known for her extraordinary abilities and her quest to balance the forces of light and darkness. She created the locket as a symbol to keep her grounded during her visions. Over the years, the locket changed hands many times, always passing from one generation of our family to the next. Each owner was said to possess a unique gift or ability, which was connected to the locket's magic. The locket became a symbol of good fortune, protection, and guidance for our family. Our mother was the last to own it before she passed away.”

Lilly was engrossed in Jason’s story listening intently when Aiden continued the rest of the story, “To make the locket work, you place pictures of yourself and the ones you want protected inside. Mother of course had us three, dad, and herself inside.” Aiden took the locket from Lilly’s hand and started to place it around her neck. “Now this is yours to keep the tradition going.”

Lilly reached up touching the necklace, “But I am not family, shouldn’t one of you have it.”

Ethan shook his head grabbing her hand, “Lilly you are our soulmate so yes you are family, plus it will only work with a woman.”

Aiden finished clasping the necklace around her neck, and he stepped back to admire it on Lilly’s neck.

Suddenly, her eyes glazed over, and she saw a vivid vision:

She was standing in a dimly lit room, surrounded by old family photographs and mementos. The guy’s mother’s voice whispered in her ear: "Lilly, beware of Tiffany. She's not what she seems. Her intentions are dark, and her power is growing."

In the vision, Lilly saw herself walking down a long, winding staircase, the walls adorned with cobweb-covered portraits of people she didn't recognize. The air was thick with the scent of decay and rot. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Tiffany standing in the center of the room, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

Tiffany's face twisted into a cruel smile as she spoke in a voice that sent shivers down Lilly's spine: "You're so predictable, Lilly. You think you can outsmart me? I've been waiting for you."

Lilly felt a surge of fear as she realized that Tiffany was standing in front of an ancient-looking bookshelf, filled with leather-bound tomes and strange artifacts. The books seemed to be whispering to each other, their pages rustling with an eerie energy.

The vision shifted, and Lilly saw herself trying to grab Jason, Aiden, and Ethan's hands, but they were pulled away by an unseen force. Tiffany cackled maniacally as she began to chant in a language Lilly couldn't understand. The air around them began to distort and ripple, like water on a hot day.

Suddenly, the vision ended, and Lilly jolted back to reality. She was now lying on the couch, her head in Aiden’s lap, Jason at her feet, and Ethan pacing beside her. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. What did the vision mean? And how was she having visions while awake?

“What the hell happened, Lilly?” Ethan fell to his knees beside her grabbing her hands.

Lilly explained her vision to them, and Jason’s face was full of concern, but he didn’t speak.

“What is it, Jason? Why do you look so concerned?” Lilly sat up staring at Jason.

A shiver ran through Jason’s body. “Lilly, you looked just like our mother when she would have a vision. Her eyes would glaze over as she stared into space for what felt like an eternity. It was like DeJa’Vu watching that happen to you.” He placed his hands on either side of her face. “It used to scare the shit out of me when it happened to her, and it didn’t feel any better as I watched it happening to you.”

Lilly sat in bewilderment twirling the locket in her hand, “Do you think it is because of this locket?” The guys all looked at her as they shook their heads yes.

“Let me have the locket back Lilly, I apologize for causing this to happen to you. We will put it away.” Aiden tried to take the locket from Lilly, but she pulled away from him with a frown on her face.

“No, Aiden, I want this. Maybe your mother can help me figure out how to handle Tiffany through these visions. Plus, you said this locket protected us.” Lilly reached up running her hand alongside Aiden’s face pulling him into a kiss. “How about we all go to bed? We had a long night last night and a long day today. The police are guarding the house so if she does try something again, they will catch her this time.”

The guys all yawned and agreed with Lilly’s suggestion. They were exhausted, so they climbed the stairs up to the master bedroom. They each stripped themselves of their clothing and crawled into bed wrapping around each other like a pretzel. It made Lilly feel safe being in between the three guys. She knew they would do anything to protect her. They all drifted to sleep praying for no more excitement or visions for one night.