Chapter 8 Something Is Watching the Window

And it has been there longer than she thinks.

The house became quieter after dinner.

Not immediately. Elias still complained dramatically while helping Mira clean up the kitchen and Mira threatened repeatedly to throw him into the ocean if he dried one more plate incorrectly. Music still drifted lazily through the speakers. The sea still moved beyond the windows in long silver-black lines beneath the night sky.

But underneath it all, something had changed.

Caelith felt it most clearly in Zara.

The moment the word Jessica had been spoken, something inside her had sharpened.

Not fear.

Recognition.

And now she moved through the beach house with the alertness of someone waiting for a second gunshot after hearing the first.

Caelith noticed every bit of it.

The way Zara checked the locks without drawing attention to it.

The way her eyes lingered too long on the darkened windows.

The way she kept glancing toward Mira when she thought nobody was paying attention.

It settled uneasily beneath Caelith’s ribs.

______

By eleven, rain had begun lightly tapping against the glass walls.

Not a storm yet.

Just enough to blur the distant shoreline into shifting darkness.

Elias stretched dramatically from where he had claimed one end of the couch.

“I’m officially exhausted.”

“You’ve done nothing all day,” Mira muttered.

“Surviving is work.”

“You carried one bag.”

“A heavy bag.”

Zara looked up from her seat near the window. “You complain professionally, don’t you?”

Elias grinned lazily. “Thank you for finally appreciating my talent.”

Caelith almost smiled.

Almost.

Then Mira suddenly frowned slightly.

Small enough most people would’ve missed it.

“You okay?” Caelith asked.

“Yeah.” Mira rubbed briefly at her temple. “Just another headache.”

Zara’s attention shifted instantly.

Too instantly.

Mira noticed this time.

“Okay, seriously,” she laughed nervously, “why is everybody acting weird around me?”

“No one’s acting weird,” Elias said.

Caelith and Zara looked at him.

“…Okay,” he corrected, “some people are acting weird.”

Zara stood abruptly.

“I need air.”

Then walked toward the sliding glass doors before anyone could stop her.

Caelith watched her disappear onto the deck.

Rain misted softly against the ocean wind.

___

She found Zara leaning against the railing outside.

The sea stretched endlessly behind her, black and restless beneath the cloudy sky.

“You want to tell me what that was earlier?” Caelith asked quietly.

Zara didn’t look at her.

“No.”

“Very helpful.”

“You asked.”

“I'm still wondering why you came”. Caelith folded her arms. “You reacted when Mira said that name.”

Silence.

“Jessica means something to you.”

“No,” Zara said calmly. “It doesn’t.”

“You’re lying.”

That finally made Zara glance toward her.

Not defensive.

Not angry.

Just tired.

“You should go back inside.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting tonight.”

The rain picked up slightly.

Far out near the shoreline, lightning flickered silently behind the clouds.

For half a second, the beach illuminated pale silver. And Caelith saw it.

A figure standing near the dunes. Tall. Motionless. Watching the house.

Her breath caught.

The darkness returned instantly.

“…Did you see that?”

Zara went still.

“What.”

“There was someone out there.”

By the time Zara looked, the shoreline was empty again.

Only rain. Only ocean.

But Caelith’s pulse had already begun climbing.

“That’s the third time,” she whispered.

Zara looked at her sharply. “Third?”

Caelith immediately regretted saying it. Too late.

“The apartment,” she admitted quietly. “And before that outside campus.”

Zara stared at her for a long moment.

Then: “Don’t look at it if you see it again.”

Caelith frowned. “That’s your advice?”

“I’m serious.” Something about the way she said it made the air feel colder.

Before Caelith could ask another question, the lights inside the house flickered once.

Then again.

A sharp crash echoed from indoors. Mira screamed.

Both of them moved instantly.

They found Elias standing halfway out of the kitchen looking alarmed.

“What happened?” Caelith asked.

“Mira dropped a glass,” he said quickly. “I think she……” He stopped. Mira stood near the counter completely motionless. Blood ran slowly from her nose.

“Mira?” Caelith stepped closer carefully. Mira blinked once, slowly. Then looked directly past Caelith toward the dark windows.

Her expression emptied slightly. Like someone listening to a distant voice.

And very softly…almost gently. she whispered:

“She’s outside.”

Silence swallowed the room. Nobody moved. Then suddenly Mira frowned hard, pressing a hand against her temple.

“What the hell…” she muttered weakly. “Why do I feel so sick?”. Then she laughed. Brought out a fake blood. “How was my acting??

No one answered.

“Jez, common…”

“That was a bit much”

“It wasn't funny “. They spoke over each other.

Outside the massive glass windows, something moved slowly past the house. Tall, feminine silhouette. And smiling.