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That night, Adrian slept in Sarah's room. Neither of them said much, but the silence wasn't awkward—it was heavy, the kind that clings to the walls. Sarah didn't mind having him there; she was too creeped out by everything that had been happening.
The next morning, Adrian's father was getting ready to leave. Adrian followed him to the door and said quietly, "Dad, please watch out today."
His father sighed and nodded. "I'll be fine, son. And don't say anything to your little siblings, okay?"
"I won't," Adrian said, "just… be careful."
Neither of them noticed Sarah standing on the staircase, watching. She couldn't hear everything, but she saw the look on Adrian's face—the worry, the fear—and something inside her twisted.
Maybe this was her fault. Maybe whatever was happening to them started because of her.
But how could she explain that without sounding crazy?
When they were done talking, she slipped downstairs and pretended like she hadn't seen or heard anything.
"Hey," she said cheerfully, "you remember tomorrow's my birthday, right?"
Adrian turned, his expression softening. "Of course I didn't forget. You said you're doing it in your house, right? Don't worry. I've got everything planned. I'll even hand out flyers."
Sarah smiled and hugged him. "Thank you… for letting me stay here."
Adrian laughed a little. "You don't have to thank me. And hey—no peeking. You'll ruin the surprise."
They both laughed and hurried off to school.
Later that day, Adrian kept his word. After class, he handed out the flyers, inviting people to Sarah's birthday. He even told a few friends, hoping it would be something special.
But somehow, Lila overheard. And she told Rose.
Rose smirked when she heard the news. "So, the little runaway princess is having a party?" she said. "Well… it'd be rude not to show up, right?"
Lila giggled nervously. "So what are you thinking—"
"Oh, I'm thinking," Rose interrupted, her voice dripping with mischief. "Let's make her birthday a night to remember."
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