"Don't move, Alessia."
The voice came from somewhere behind me, not from the silhouette still standing motionless in the hallway. I froze, every instinct screaming at once, unable to tell which direction the danger actually lived in.
I glanced toward the figure again. Something about the way he held himself, one hand tucked behind his back, shoulders squared with a discipline I'd seen somewhere inside this house before, told me I knew him. Not his face. Something deeper, something my body recognized faster than my mind could process.
I took one step toward my door.
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the hallway completely. I heard movement, a door easing shut somewhere close, footsteps retreating fast and sure. My hand found the lamp on instinct, flicked the switch, nothing. I gr
