The Envelope
1522 Words
Lexie’s POV:
I couldn’t explain what had happened. The memory had come out of nowhere. It wasn’t even a complete memory. Just fragments. A man’s voice, a hand, fear, gunshots. I sat at my desk and rubbed my temples.
Five years ago. I hated thinking about that night, there were pieces of it I remembered vividly. My father’s body, the blood, the men chasing me. But there were other things that were strangely blurred, like the face of the man who helped me escape. I remembered his voice, his hand and being terrified. But his face? No.
I had always assumed the trauma had affected my memory.
“Lexie?”
I looked up. James stood in my doorway.
“You okay?”
“Yeah”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t look convinced. Then his eyes moved toward Michael’s office.
“What happened?”
“Nothing ”
James’ expression changed.
“Did he say something?”
“No”
I smiled.
“He just corrected a mistake.”
“Good”
“Nothing”
This company was full of mysterious people and that pissed me off.
That evening, Damon called. I answered while walking toward the parking garage.
“Hey.”
“How was your day?”
“Interesting.”
“Interesting good or interesting bad.”
“Both.”
He laughed. “That’s not an answer.”
I told him about the presentation. Then I told him about Michael. Damon became quiet.
“Lexie”
“Yeah?”
“Something about that man bothers me .”
I sighed.
“You’re judging him because he’s intimidating.”
“No”
He paused. “I don’t think he’s intimidating.”
“Then what?”
“I think he is just weird.”
I stopped walking.
“What?”
“I noticed it when we video called yesterday.”
I frowned.
“You’re imagining things.”
“Maybe.”
His voice softened. “But promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will.”
“And don’t stay late alone.”
“Damon!”
“I’m serious.”
I smiled.
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
We hung up.
I slipped my phone into my bag. Then I heard footsteps behind me. I turned. Nothing. The parking garage was almost empty. I stared into the darkness.
“Hello?”
No answer. I took another step. Then I heard it, a faint metallic sound, like something hitting concrete. My heart began pounding. I turned around again. Still nothing. I hurried toward my ear. As I reached it, I noticed something on the windshield. A small white envelope. My name was written on it.
I froze. I hadn’t given anyone at work my home address. I hadn’t even told most people where I lived. Slowly, I reached for it. My fingers trembled as I opened the envelope. There was only one sentence inside with six words.
HE IS NOT WHO YOU THINK
I read it twice, then a third time. A cold sensation crawled down my spine
I looked towards the dark end of the parking garage. Someone was watching me, I knew it. I just couldn’t see them. And suddenly, the warning Damon had given me didn’t sound paranoid anymore. It sounded like the beginning of something, something I wasn’t ready for.
I didn’t tell Damon about the envelope. Not that night. I told myself there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Someone at work was playing a stupid prank. Someone had heard me talking to Damon. Someone had found my name online. There were a hundred explanations. And yet none of them explained why my hands were still shaking when I got home.
I threw the envelope into the bottom drawer of my bedside table and shut it. Out of sight, out of mind. At least, that was the plan.
“You’re hiding something”
I looked up from my coffee. Margot was sitting across from me at the kitchen table, staring.
“Oh my God, Margot, when did you get here?”
“I wanted to keep this as a surprise, thanks to Uncle Martin.”
“I’m so happy to see you for real.”
“Same here, babe. ”
“So…”
“I’ve been here for twelve minutes.”
“And?”
“You’re acting weird.”
“I’m tired.”
“You’re always tired.”
She took a bite of my toast. I stared at her.
“That’s mine.”
“You weren’t eating it.”
“I was going to.”
“You’ve been staring at it for five minutes.”
I reached for it. She moved it away.
“Tell me”
I sighed. This was why Margot had been my best friend for almost eight years. She could tell when I was lying before I even knew I was doing it.
“It’s nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“Lexie”
“Fine”
I pulled out my phone and showed her the picture I’d taken of the envelope. She stopped chewing.
“What the hell is that?”
“I found it in my car hours ago.”
Her expression changed immediately.
“And you’re telling me now?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Well congratulations, I’m officially worried.”
I laughed weakly.
“See? This is why I didn’t tell you.”
“Who would send something like that to you?”
“I don’t know”
“Does Michael know?”
“No”
“Why not?”
I hesitated.
“Because I don’t even know if it has anything to do with him.”
Margot leaned back.
“Okay, let’s think.”
She always did. When something went wrong, she didn’t panic, she made lists.
“Who knows you work there?”
“Damon, you, my uncle and my mum.”
“Anyone at the company?”
“Obviously”
“Anyone who knows you personally?”
I shook my head. Margot tapped her fingers against the table.
“Then there’s another possibility.”
“What?”
“Your father’s case.”
My smile disappeared. I hated when she did that.
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t know that.”
“It’s been five years.”
“Exactly”
I stared at her.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying people don’t usually send mysterious threats because they’re bored.”
She picked up the envelope.
“Someone wants you to think Michael Woods is dangerous.”
“Maybe he is.”
She looked at me.
“Do you think he is?”
I didn’t answer. Because the truth was… I didn’t know. And that bothered me more than the envelope.
By lunchtime the next day, Margot had somehow convinced me to meet her after work.
“You’re coming.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere with alcohol”
“I have work”
“After work.”
“No more excuses, Lexie.”
“You’ve planned this already, haven’t you?”
“Obviously.”
She smiled.
“We’re celebrating”
“Celebrating what?”
“My best friend surviving her first week at work.”
“It’s only Friday.”
“Exactly, you survived five days.”
“You’re ridiculous.”
“ And yet you love me. ”
Unfortunately, she was right.
The restaurant Margot chose was warm, small and crowded. Nothing like the polished restaurants around my office. There were candles on the tables and music playing softly in the background. For the first time all week, I relaxed.
Margot was halfway through a story about a woman she’d met at work when the waiter came to take our orders.
“Lexie?”
I looked up. Margot was watching me.
“You disappeared for a second”
“Sorry”
She reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
“You okay?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, enough depressing conversation.”
She pulled a small envelope from her handbag.
I frowned.
“What’s that?”
“Your first week present.”
She slid it across the table. I opened it and inside was a concert ticket. I stared at her.
“You got us tickets?”
“Yep, I did”
I looked at the date, next Saturday. I hadn’t realized how much I needed something normal until that moment.
“Thank you”
Margot grinned.
“You’re welcome.”
For the first time, that evening, I genuinely smiled.
We were leaving the restaurant when Margot suddenly stopped.
“Wait”
“What?”
She pointed across the street. A man was standing beside a black SUV. He was looking directly at us. Or maybe at me. I couldn’t tell. I stared but he didn’t move.
“Do you know him?”
“No”
The man turned away. Then he got into the SUV and it pulled away. My stomach tightened and Margot looked at me.
“Lexie”
“I’m fine”
But I wasn’t . Something about the car felt familiar. Not the car itself, the feeling.
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