with another text from Stephan and I open it with unsteady fingers.
Unknown Number: You should be receiving a gift from your father.
A knock sounds on the door and I stare up as my assistant, Jessica, walks inside carrying something in her hand. “This came for you, Ms Harper.”
My eyes widen as I make out the wooden box. It’s so similar to the ones I received Alicia’s messages in.
Oh, God.
No.
All this time, I’ve been coming to terms that the entire debacle with the messages was a hallucination. I’ve become paranoid and had to check things twice and even take pictures so that type of incident never happens again.
If there’s another box, then…it’s real. It wasn’t my imagination, after all.
Was this my father’s game all along?
“You saw me with the box, Jessica, okay?” I take it from her fingers, and she nods with a quizzical expression before leaving.
My fingers shake as I unclasp the box, and sure enough, there’s a flash drive. However, what’s different this time is the note neatly folded underneath it.
I open it and read the writing I would recognise even a hundred years from now. The neat writing and his way of curving his S’s and C’s are still the same from when he helped me with my homework.
Dear Claire,
You must’ve received similar packages to these in the past with Alicia’s voice on them. I have, too. Probably at the same time as you. That’s why I’m breaking my silence.
I dislike being shoved in a corner, just like I’m sure you do. Someone is after us, my little muse. If you want evidence, listen to my own recording of that day.
Then we’ll talk.
If I had any doubts, they vanish after reading Dad’s letter. He received Alicia’s messages, too? But why would he? They were directed at me.
It takes me a minute I don’t have to spare to plug the flash drive into my laptop. Soon after I hit Play, there’s a rustle of sounds, like a car revving to life or something. Then there’s the sound of a crash, a loud one that deafens my ears.
“Fuck.”
Dad. That’s Dad’s voice. The sound of a car door opening, then slamming shut echoes in the air. I assume it’s his truck.
The rustle of running and the harsh gliding against a surface is the only thing that can be heard. It’s like he’s sliding down dirt or a harsh surface.
More rustling comes through before Dad’s booming voice fills the air, “Alicia! Give me your hand!”
Alicia? My sister?
“Alicia!”
“N-no…” Her voice is brittle and she sounds far away and in pain. “You’re the reason behind this.”
“I’m fucking not. I would never hurt you or Clarissa.”
A small chuckle comes from her before she coughs, and her distant breathing catches as if she’s gurgling blood. “Why? Because we’re Mum’s daughters? Your original muse? I know, she left it for me in her will. She told me to cut all ties with Clarissa because of you. My own mother wanted her daughters apart because of no one other than you! She said that something unlocked inside of you after you met her and that she created a monster. You told her that you loved the challenge of killing people who looked like her because you couldn’t hurt her. You can’t hurt me and Claire either, because we look like her, but we inspire you to kill, don’t we?”
“And yet, you kept coming back.” Dad’s voice is stone cold. “You came to Leeds all the time when you could’ve stayed away.”
“I didn’t want you to use Clarissa as a muse instead of me.”
“Give me your fucking hand, Alicia. You’ll die in there.”
“Maybe it’s better if I do — just like Mum did. I thought she killed herself because of Dad, but it was because of you, Maxim,” she snarls. “She willingly left this world to not carry on your sins with her.”
“So you’ll leave your role for Clarissa?” His voice turns calm in an almost manic way.
A sob tears from her throat. “Leave her alone. She’s your daughter. At least she’s your daughter.”
“Which will make her a better muse than you and your mum ever were. After all, she shares my and Bridget’s DNA.”
“M-Maxim…leave her…”
“Then give me your fucking hand, Alicia. Take responsibility for both Bridget and her.”
“I can’t.” She sounds defeated, numb almost. “My own husband thinks I’m crazy, and even my son believes it sometimes. And now, he left me. Aiden and Clarissa are the only bright things in my life, but I’m not theirs.”
“You’re not