While my father and Abigail were shaking me, it felt as if my body had lost all strength, until we heard the sound of a car speeding away. Only then did I snap back to reality and remembered that Adam might be in serious trouble. I said,"I don't know… We saw someone outside. Adam grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went out."
My father ran outside, and Abigail followed him. I ran too. When we reached the pool area, we found Adam lying on his back over several pieces of broken glass. He was conscious.
"Adam, what happened?" my father asked, helping him to his feet.
Abigail rushed over to check if Adam's back was injured. Seeing that he was fine, she said,"Let's go inside. We'll lock the doors and call the police."
So the four of us went inside.
"When I went outside, I didn't see anyone… until a man ran from the side of the house and pushed me onto the glass table. I couldn't breathe when I fell. He took the knife from my hand, and when he heard Mia scream, he ran," Adam explained.
"Oh my God, I'm calling the police!" my father said, nervously pacing back and forth.
"I told you there was someone lurking around the house! I've seen him twice already!" I said, anxious.
"Sorry for not paying attention, sweetheart. We'll take care of it," my father said.
He called the police and tried to calm Adam and me. Adam seemed calm and said,"I leave the outskirts and come here to deal with this… the irony of fate!"
We all laughed nervously.
When the police arrived, they bombarded us with questions, but we didn't know much. The sketch they made based on Adam's information wasn't very accurate because the man wore a hood, and the shadows prevented Adam from seeing his face clearly.
Near the end of the statement, a police officer looked at Adam and asked,"Son, you come from a place with a lot of dangerous people. Did you tell anyone that you came here?"
Adam, sitting, stood up nervously and said,"Now you're going to blame me?"
Abigail approached him, smoothing his arm, and said,"Calm down, Adam. These are just questions."
Still irritated, Adam looked at the officer and replied,"No. Nobody knows I'm here, just my mom."
My father intervened,"Look, leave the boy out of this. My daughter told me she saw a man lurking around the house, and I didn't pay attention."
The questions and conversations didn't seem to lead anywhere. The officers filed the complaint and said they would keep a patrol car nearby. Before leaving, Abigail spoke to them:"Wait! I don't know if it's connected, but I can't stay silent. I came to the United States because I was being pursued by my ex-husband in Italy. He's capable of anything."
At that moment, one of the officers interrupted her:"Delinquents don't enter the United States. We'll follow another line of investigation. That's nonsense. Excuse us, now we must go."
After the officers left, Abigail seemed nervous. She kept talking:"Guys, I think I should quit… I don't want to put you at risk."
I looked at my father and said,"No!"
He tried to calm her:"Relax, Abigail. Kids, go upstairs to sleep. Go into your rooms and lock the doors. I'll talk to Abigail."
Adam and I started going upstairs. While climbing, I looked back. Abigail was sitting, and my father knelt beside her, holding her hand, and they began to talk.
Curious, I listened secretly from above. Adam saw and said,"Mia, you're so nosy!"
I gestured for him to be quiet. He then came closer and whispered,"I want to hear too."
"I'm leaving here tomorrow! I can't risk your safety!" Abigail said, when my father interrupted her:"I don't think it's your ex-husband…"
Abigail interrupted him:"You don't know him…"
My father then stroked her hair and said,"I really don't know him, but I know you, and that's enough. I will protect you. Mia likes you so much. And don't worry, if it is your ex-husband—which I think is almost impossible—we'll handle it together."
My father gave her a long hug. While holding her, Abigail rested her head on his shoulder for a few seconds. After they pulled away, they looked at each other. Abigail stood up and said,"I'll lock the house and activate the alarm."
"Thank you," my father replied.
"The pleasure is mine. Now go rest," Abigail said.
"And you too, alright? Take care. Good night," he said, beginning to walk upstairs.
Adam and I rushed to our rooms. I covered myself up to my head and tried not to die of fear. Soon, I received a message from Adam:"If anything happens, shout my name!"
I replied,"Thanks, friend."
He then sent:"I think you'll soon have a stepmother 😘"
I just sent smiling emojis—he was right, the chemistry between my father and Abigail was undeniable. Trying not to think about everything that had happened, I eventually fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up to my father knocking on the door. I opened it, and he entered.
"Mia," he said, serious.
I looked at the clock: 7:30 AM. Alarmed, I said,"Oh! I'm late!"
"No, today you don't go to class. I'll see if the police have any information about yesterday. If there are no answers, starting tomorrow a security guard will take you to school. Adam won't go either. I asked him to stay here until I arrive. When I return, I'll take him home and talk to his mother about what happened. After all, yesterday he could have been hurt, and he was under my responsibility."
"Okay, Dad," I replied.
He came closer, kissed my forehead, and said,"I'm leaving now. There's a security guard at the door. Call me if anything happens."
I nodded in agreement. I changed my clothes, and when I went downstairs, Adam was there with Abigail, eating a slice of pizza.
"Yay! Pizza in the morning!" I cheered.
With his mouth full, Adam said,"Abigail made it. It's great, Mia! Wow, your dad is really bossy, huh? He ordered me to stay here until he arrived."
While getting some milk from the fridge, I replied,"He really is, and he doesn't like to be contradicted."
We had breakfast and took the opportunity to finish the History project. When we finished, it was already 2 PM.
"Emma will be happy when she finds out we finished," I commented to Adam.
"Yeah, and with good reason! Now, what do we do?" he asked.
"Let's go to the pool!" I suggested.
Adam agreed and jumped into the pool wearing swim shorts. While we were having fun, Emma and Chad arrived by surprise.
"Hi! Looks like skipping class for health reasons didn't happen, huh?" Chad teased.
We got out of the pool to greet them.
"We were worried and decided to come here. Although I thought it was just Adam making up a story about what happened yesterday," Emma said.
I confirmed everything, and Emma and Chad were stunned. Adam, seeing a distracted moment from Emma, pushed her into the pool. She got furious while Chad and I laughed. I went to the edge of the pool intending to pull Chad out. When I looked at him, he quickly realized my intention and said:"Don't even think about it, Mia! You're no match for me!"
I left the pool and started chasing him. He scooped me up, and I tried to get free, but he approached the pool. Just as he was about to push me in, Adam pushed him from behind, and we both fell into the water.
After the splash, still in Chad's arms, he asked,"Are you okay?"
I smiled and replied,"Yes."
We stared at each other for a few seconds. I got lost in his eyes, until I heard a familiar voice:"Hi, Mia! Didn't invite me to the little party?"
I moved away from Chad and, looking closer, saw it was Brandon. With him was a girl.
"Hi! Actually, it's not a party… It wasn't planned," I replied, getting out of the pool.
I greeted Brandon and introduced everyone.
"This is Jhenna, my cousin," he said.
She greeted everyone politely. Abigail appeared, bringing juice and cookies for us.
Chad said,"Guys, I have a project to do. I'll be going now."
I held his hand and asked,"Wait!"
At that moment, my father arrived.
"Daughter, you're having a party and didn't tell me?"
He fixed his gaze on my hands holding Chad's. Embarrassed, I let go quickly.
"Dad, it's not like that…" I tried to explain.
"It's okay, Mia. We'll talk later. Adam, I'll take you home. Change clothes so we can go."
Abigail asked,"Any news?"
My father took a deep breath and said,"Yes, the police called me."
We all fell silent, waiting for him to finish, but each second felt like an eternity.
I remembered a moment on the farm with my grandfather, when I held a tiny injured hummingbird. Its little heart was beating too fast. My grandfather explained,"The heart of a hummingbird beats very quickly! Depending on the species and its activity level, it can beat between 10 to 20 times per second, which equals 600 to 1,200 beats per minute."
I was fascinated. The human heart doesn't beat that fast, but at that moment, my mind was working like a hummingbird's heart.