"Oh my god," Evelyn whispered, unable to show the emotion in her voice. 

They had driven for what could have been three minutes and the entire time, her mind was in the basement. She had tried to shy away from her thoughts but it seemed to be impossible. She had kept to herself, unwilling to turn her focus on Levi. 

However, that served her purpose. As she thought back to all the strong evidence that tied back to her, she forgot about the one damning proof against Levi. 

Andrew's phone. 

"Levi, I fucked up!" she said, louder this time. 

"What's wrong, Evelyn?" Levi asked, his focus on the road. 

"I called you from a number, didn't I? That was Andrew's and it's still there, in the basement!" Evelyn said and a ghost of realization settled on Levi's face. 

"If she raises a complaint, which she probably will, they might check his phone and you're the last person he called!" Evelyn exclaimed. All the adrenaline that left her the moment she entered the car came rushing at her all at once. 

"Add that to my ever-growing list of crimes," Levi said bleakly. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Evelyn said, her voice growing each time, "I screwed up! Oh my god, I'm a dumbass! What will we do now? I'm so sorry, Levi!" 

Levi didn't respond. He tried to joke about it but couldn't. Escaping house arrest was one thing but assault was something he didn't want to be involved in. He wanted to ask Evelyn to calm down, but how could he?

He might've learned how to mask his fear but it was ever present, now more than ever. 

"I thought we could blackmail them again, have them give away Andrew's phone and anything else that I might've left behind," Evelyn said, but there was no sense of enthusiasm in her voice, "but if we ask for items that would keep us out of trouble, they'll know that we were the ones blackmailing them."

Levi stared at the road in front of them. Just a few more blocks and they would reach the hospital. He should have known that wouldn't be the last of his problems. As his mind turned its focus to Evelyn being alone in the hospital, he remembered someone else who was alone. 

Andrea. 

"I know you think my plans suck," Levi said pointedly, "but I think I know what to do."

Evelyn jumped up immediately, "well, what is it?"

"You said you hit Andrew on the head. Iris is probably heading to the hospital right now, just like we are. This is kind of a long story, but Andrea was in the police station for a while. I'm not sure if she still is but she definitely wasn't home and Iris hadn't reached out to her," Levi said.

"If we message Andrea now, chances are she'll listen to us. We know for a fact that she's afraid of what this blackmailer can do and we're going to have to use it. With the off chance that Iris might call her, we can advise her against it."

"But my burner phone is at home," Evelyn said. 

"That's fine, I take mine everywhere," Levi said, pulling it out of his pocket. 

"But she'll know that it's not the same number since a different chat window would appear," Evelyn said. She really wanted it to work but couldn't help but find flaws in the plan. 

"Does that really matter? Now we have even more evidence against her! I'll let her know about the vial and the shoe, at that point, she won't give a fuck," Levi said. 

"You're right, Levi! This might actually work!" Evelyn exclaimed. 

"Yeah, looks like I'll be paying for the anonymous texting thing you did," Levi said. 

Evelyn looked around. As they neared the hospital building, the street got busier. The flash of headlights filled the road and she knew Levi couldn't accompany her further. 

"You should drop me off here," Evelyn said, "don't want to be seen around with a felon."

"Ah, of course," Levi responded, having loosened up, "will you be alright alone?"

"I'll see if I can reach my parents or Noah with someone else's phone. Also, I know it's too much to ask for, but can you make Andrea find my phone? It's somewhere in the basement, at least I hope so," Evelyn said. 

"Did you not see it?" Levi asked. 

"I wish I had, but no. I'm just hoping Iris didn't take it with her," Evelyn said. 

"If the opportunity presents itself, I'll take it," Levi said. 

"Thank you, Levi. For everything. And I'm sorry for-" she began. 

"Not now, Evelyn. You head to the doctor. When your head is uninjured and you begin to think straight, you can give me the apology I deserve," Levi said. 

She couldn't tell if he was being passive-aggressive but she chuckled either way, "that I'll do."

She exited the car, her hand clutching the wound on the back of her head. The blood had dried up and so had the pain. She wasn't sure if she was numb, although it didn't seem like it. She found her way to the sidewalk and watched Levi's car drive away in the opposite direction. 

She walked towards the building with hurried footsteps. When she arrived, she ignored the bustling crowd, the cold marble floor, and the building as a whole. She pushed past the line by the reception and the first thing she asked was not for a doctor. 

"Can I borrow your phone?"

⋆ ★ ⋆

Andrea held her head low, staring at the gravelly road as she made her way to her house. Her hands were stuffed into the tiny space offered by her jeans pockets and she kicked every relatively huge stone that she found. 

She didn't know whether to feel dejected or worried. if it weren't for the call log, she'd have lost count of the number of times she tried her mother's phone. Twenty-three calls, all unanswered. She knew her mother, and this wasn't like her. 

But what could possibly make her ignore so many calls? she wondered to herself. 

Eventually, even the police grew tired. They didn't have any substantial reason to keep Andrea longer and she preferred to walk alone than spend another minute with them and their questions. 

She hoped that her mother was simply watching television when she reached home. She knew it would hurt her, but it was far better than all the scenarios that presented themselves in her head. 

She was nearing her house. From the distance, she could see that all the lights had been turned off. Dread began to grow at the pits of her heart while she tried to shove it further beneath. Her phone vibrated against her hand and as she picked it up from her pocket, she immediately wished she hadn't. 

All her attempts of oppressing her dread were thrown out the window. 

Remember me? the message asked. 

"Another unknown number," she mumbled to herself as she noticed that it wasn't in the same chat window. 

It appears that you and your family have been clumsy, she read from her screen. 

Who is this? Andrea asked in a vain attempt. 

Who I am does not matter, but what you can do does. 

Andrea waited worriedly for the next message and it felt like a punch to her gut. 

If you go home, you'll see that your black boots and vial are missing. Wouldn't want that to go to the police, would you? 

Andrea's heart stopped. She clutched her phone in her hands tightly as she ran towards her home, her safe haven. 

The messages didn't stop. Her hands continued to vibrate with each new message that arrived but she didn't feel safe out in the vast, open area. She hoped for a sense of familiarity to calm her down, however, the surroundings failed to provide that. 

A hundred meters away from her house, she spotted a blue land rover discovery. Its placement felt odd; it wasn't near any house even though there was plenty of parking space. It almost felt as if the bright car was trying to blend with the dull surroundings, away from the eyes of the houses' windows. 

When Andrea finally arrived at her doorstep, everything felt wrong. There was a vibe of uncertainty, but most of all, fear. The key fumbled in her hands as she inserted it into the lock and threw the door open. Only when she turned the lights on and sat on her rainbow couch did she pull her phone out. 

I can see you running away. 
Don't even think about calling your mother, or anyone. 
This stays between us, got it?
Don't ignore me for too long, Andrea. 
I see you've run into your house. 
Good, now we can talk business. 

Six messages, all of them filling her with the same unease. Promptly, she jumped off the couch and drew the curtains, hoping it would block this person's view. She found herself panting, hard. Sweat poured down her temple as she sunk to the floor. 

This stays between us, she replied, but her fingers took forever. 

Her mind couldn't concentrate on typing, not when there were so many other thoughts in her mind. Was there someone in her house, if so, should she check? Is this a new blackmailer since they scared her a lot more? What did they want from her and should she comply?

Before she could spiral into a world of her own, a message popped up. 

Good. 
Head to the basement and bring everything that I ask you to. 

Instantly, Andrea was on her feet. She heaved a sigh of relief for she knew one thing; the blackmailer wasn't inside. 

She walked towards the basement door and held on to its knob. Hesitantly, she twisted it open and descended the stairs, the only source of light being the moon. Her hands touched the wall as she searched for the light switch. 

Her phone buzzed again. 

The things I need:
Your brother's phone. 

The bloody rock.
A black backpack. 
A phone with a dark blue case. 
No questions and no peeking. Unless you want to face the consequences. 

She ran down the stairway. She'd accept anything but a bloody rock? That's where her throat constricted itself and all the worry came rushing back at her. The moment she got down the flight of stairs, she was greeted by a mess. She'd accept papers thrown around and juice spilled but not this - blood collecting in one corner of the room and on tables and walls. 

Wtf is this? she texted back, unable to keep to herself. 

With no one around, she had no choice but to seek companionship from the person that brought her to the very situation. Oh, the irony. 

I said, no questions. And once you're done, clean the place up thoroughly, an instruction arrived. 

She took a black garbage bag off the shelves as she collected the items. Her brother's phone lay alone in the center of the room. She picked it up and any urge of peeking was long gone. She tossed it into the garbage bag. 

Next, she reached for the plain, black backpack which she knew she didn't own. For this, she hesitated slightly. 

If I peek in, I'll know who's behind it, she thought to herself. 

That thought was tempting. She wanted to reassure herself that this person couldn't see what she did inside the basement. Still, there was no way to know what they were capable of and the stakes were too high. 

Not only will I be in trouble, but I'll also let mom down, she thought. 

That, she couldn't allow. 

She threw the bag in and turned around to reach for the bloodied rock. She walked, pausing between each step. 

What the hell happened here? she wondered. 

It was much too easy to ask her not to ask questions but there was no way for her to do that. Being in the know would have given her a lot more security than she had. This wasn't something she wanted to do alone, not without her mother's master mind. 

But she was alone and helpless and failing herself would mean failing her mother. 

She deserves to have this victory against Evelyn, Andrea thought, convincing herself. 

The rock felt heavy in her hands. The blood was dry in a few spots and the others glossed at the rays of the lightbulb. The hair on her hands stood up as semi-fresh blood made contact with her sweaty palms. She placed it in carefully in order to not tear the garbage bag. 

She was strained beyond words. Her eyes scanned the room quickly and she realized - she couldn't be sure that they had the vial unless she checked. 

Hope came rushing to her at once as she ran to the second drawer on the table. She pulled it open only to find papers and nothing more. 

Her hope receded just as quickly as it arrived. 

She sighed before messaging again, where's the other phone?

You have all the time in the world, look for it, they responded. 

She was growing scared and impatient but she bit her tongue. She returned to the bloody table and moved the papers around. When she found nothing, she took to the floors. She crawled on her knees and moved around, checking each corner and furniture as she passed. 

She opened the junk drawer located beside one of the tall cupboards and pulled it open. Inside, there were used batteries, broken headphones and extension boxes, wires, charges, and all the electronic waste really. But a singular item stuck out; a phone Andrea had never seen before. She flipped it around and to her relief, it had a blue phone case. 

This nightmare is coming to an end, she thought as she tossed it into the bag. She secured it with a white zip tie and set it aside in one corner. 

Now what? she asked. 

The three dots appeared and disappeared multiple times and she sat anxiously, crushing her phone. 

Drop it off at the gate of your house. 

Don't forget to clean the room. I want a picture for proof. 

And be generous with the chemicals you use. 

She sighed. The nightmare wasn't over just yet. 

She picked up the bag and walked out of the basement. Each step was filled with uncertainty but she carried on nonetheless. She placed it adjacent to their sliding gates and ran back inside. 

She wasn't willing to face whoever it was, not even if it would give her answers. Her safety was something she would never take for granted again. Still, she peeked through the curtains once she reached the safe confines of her house. 

When she heard her phone vibrate again, she groaned. 

Good. Now go clean up and stop peeking, the message said.

Sighing, she walked to the bathroom and collected the dish soap and scrub daddies. She filled a bucket with water before struggling down the basement stairs. She looked at the mess and sighed. 

She tried to stay irritated and bratty about the situation. She tried to worry about ruining her nails and getting wrinkles. She tried to worry about doing peasant work, as she put it. 

For that was far better than worrying about what happened. 

And whose blood was splattered on her basement floor.