Mistaken for you

CHAPTER3

“Give me that phone.”

“No.”

I didn’t even think about it. It just came out.

“Vanessa”

“No,” I repeated, pulling the phone closer to me like that would somehow protect me. “You don’t get to just take it. It’s mine.”

His expression changed a little. Not dramatic. Just enough for me to notice.

“It’s not safe for you to have it.”

I stared at him. “That’s not on you to tell me”

“It is right now.”

“Why? Just because you locked me in here?”

“I did not” He stopped, like he caught himself. “That’s not the point.”

“It is the point,” I said. “You don’t get to control everything just because things does not go your way.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but didn’t.

That’s good.

Because I was not in the mood to lose another argument I didn’t even ask to be part of.

I stepped back, putting a little more distance between us.

The room suddenly felt so tight.

So quiet.

Like everything was waiting for me to mess up again.

My phone vibrated.

I froze.

Not even exaggerating I actually froze for like two seconds before I looked down.

Another message.

I didn’t open it immediately.

“Don’t,” he said.

I looked up at him. “You don’t tell me what to do’’ I said

“It could make things worse.”

“It’s already worse.”

I opened it anyway.

It was a video this time.

My stomach dropped before I even pressed play.

“Vanessa!”

I ignored him.

I played it.

For a second, it was just darkness.

Then movement.

The same girl.

Same chair.

This time her head lifted slowly, like it took effort.

Her face

God.

She looked…

I don’t even know. Tired? Drugged? Scared? All of it at once.

“Please…”

Her voice was barely there.

I felt something twist hard in my chest.

“Please don’t”

The video stopped playing

Just like that.

I stared at the screen for a second longer than I should have.

Then I looked up.

“What the hell is this?”

No one answered.

“Don’t stand there like this is normal,” I snapped. “Say something.”

Tiffany stepped forward this time.

“It’s pressure,” she said.

I let out a short, dramatic laugh. “Pressure?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what you’re calling it?” I held up the phone. “This is not pressure, this is this is” I couldn’t even finish it.

“I know what it is,” she cut in.

“Do you?”

Her expression didn’t change. “Yes.”

“Because you don’t look like this bothers you.”

That landed.

Not loudly.

But I saw it.

A move. Small, quick, but there.

Good.

“At least one of you should act like this is insane,” I muttered.

He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a sigh. “We’re trying to handle it.”

“No,” I said. “You’re managing it. There’s a big difference.”

“What do you want us to do?”

“Tell me the truth!”

That came out louder than I expected.

Silence.

Again.

I laughed under my breath. “Of course.”

I started pacing. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I turned too fast and had to stop myself from bumping into the table.

“Okay… okay,” I muttered, more to myself than to them. “Let’s think.”

“Vanessa”

“No, let me think,” I cut in.

Because clearly, whatever they were doing wasn’t working.

“They want me,” I said slowly. “That’s what ‘bring her’ means.”

No one corrected me.

I nodded once. “Right. So why?”

Still nothing.

“Am I just… a replacement?” I asked.

“That’s not”

“Then what?” I snapped. “Because I need something that makes sense.”

He hesitated.

That hesitation again.

I hated that hesitation.

“They think you’re someone else,” he said finally.

“I know that.”

“And if they realize you’re not”

“What? They’ll kill her?”

Silence.

I swallowed.

“Say it,” I said quietly.

“They might,” he admitted.

That hit harder than I expected.

I looked back at my phone.

At the last frame of the video, frozen on her face.

“She doesn’t even know what’s going on,” I said.

“No,” Tiffany said.

“And somehow I’m supposed to fix it?”

“We didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

I stopped pacing.

Everything felt heavy all of a sudden.

Like no matter where I stood, it wouldn’t matter.

“This is not my problem,” I said, but it came out weaker than I meant it to.

“It is now,” she replied.

I closed my eyes for a second.

Of course it was.

Because apparently my life just does that now drops me into things I didn’t ask for.

My phone buzzed again.

I didn’t move this time.

“Check it,” he said.

I gave him a look. “Now you want me to?”

“Yes.”

I hesitated.

Then opened it.

Another message.

A photo.

I frowned.

Zoomed in.

Then my stomach dropped again.

“That’s…”

I looked up at him. “That’s from here.”

No one spoke.

I turned the phone toward them. “This room. That’s this room.”

The angle was off, but I recognized it.

The chair. The corner.

Even the stupid scratch on the wall.

“They’re close,” I said.

No response.

“They’re close,” I repeated, louder this time.

“I heard you,” he said.

“Then react!”

“We are reacting.”

“No, you’re not,” I snapped. “If they can see this room, then what are we even doing here?”

That landed.

Harder this time.

Because now they didn’t have a quick answer.

Tiffany looked around, like she was checking things she should have checked already.

That didn’t make me feel better.

“That’s not possible,” she said, but it didn’t sound certain.

“Well, it is,” I said, holding up the phone again.

Another buzz.

I opened it immediately.

Clock’s running.

I felt my chest tighten again.

“How much time do we have ?” I asked.

He checked his watch. “Forty minutes.”

“Forty” I let out a breath of fear . “That’s not enough.”

“For what?”

“For anything,” I said.

Silence again.

I looked between them.

“You don’t have a plan, do you?”

No answer.

That was my answer.

“Wow,” I said. “So this is it? We just stand here and wait for something worse to happen?”

“We’re not waiting,” Tiffany said.

“It looks like waiting.”

“We’re thinking.”

“Well, think faster.”

Another buzz.

I didn’t even hesitate this time.

I opened it.

A video again.

Shorter.

Closer.

The girl looked straight at the camera this time.

Her eyes were clearer.

Focused.

And for a second just one second

It felt like she was looking at me.

“Help me,” she said.

The video cut.

I stared at the screen, my heart beating.

Then I looked up slowly.

“They’re going to kill her.”

No one argued.

That was the worst part.

“They’re actually going to kill her,” I repeated.

He exhaled, running a hand over his face.

“We’re running out of time,” he said.

“No,” I said. “She is.”

That shut him up.

Good.

Because I was done pretending this was anything else.

Another message came in.

I opened it.

Just three words.

Last chance now.

I felt something shift in my chest.

Not panic.

Not exactly fear either.

Something else.

Something colder.

I looked up at them.

“Tell me exactly what happens if I go,” I said.

Neither of them answered immediately.

And that pause

That tiny, stupid pause

Told me everything I needed to know.

“…You don’t know,” I said quietly.

Silence.

Of course.

Of course they didn’t.

I let out a breath, shaking my head.

“This is crazy,” I whispered.

Another buzz.

I looked down.

And my heart dropped straight to my stomach.

Because this time

It wasn’t a picture.

It wasn’t a video.

It was a live feed.

And the girl on the chair…

She wasn’t alone anymore