We made it back to my apartment, but the air inside felt heavier than the night outside. Jess was pacing near the kitchen counter, hands tugging at her hair, eyes wide and frantic, while Daniel hovered near the living room, arms crossed, jaw tight, still trying to process everything I had just told them in the alley.
I perched on the edge of the couch, my phone clutched like a lifeline, fingers trembling slightly. "I know this is a lot," I said quietly. "I didn't tell anyone else because… he's dangerous. More than you can imagine."
Jess spun to face me, eyes wild, voice trembling. "Dangerous? Clara… Ava… whatever your name is—he had a knife in an alley! You could have been killed!"
"I know," I said, pressing my palms to my face for a second, trying to calm myself. "But I'm okay. He ran. That's what matters. Right now, you two are safe."
Daniel finally spoke, voice low and hesitant. "Okay… so you're telling us you were… a magician? Like… famous?"
I held up my phone. "Look."
Jess and Daniel leaned in as I unlocked images I had saved from my past: old posters, photos, news clippings. The pictures were unmistakable—me performing daring illusions, chains, water tanks, fire… the kind of magic that had made headlines and made me infamous.
Jess's hands flew to her mouth. "OH MY GOD. Clara… Ava… you're the famous magician who…"
Daniel staggered back a step, blinking at the screen like it would magically change itself. "Wait… wait… you're telling me… you're… you died?"
I nodded, my throat tight. "I faked it. Two years ago. To get away. From him. From everything. The stage, the pressure, the fame… I had to disappear. I became… Clara."
Jess spun around, pacing, muttering under her breath. "This… I… I can't… you were alive all this time? You were right here… living a normal life, and we had no idea?"
"Yes," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "I had to be invisible. I couldn't risk him finding me. But tonight… he did. And now you know."
Daniel's hands flew to his face, eyes wide. "I… I can't… You're telling us the quiet girl who works at the bookstore and lives in this tiny apartment is… Ava? The Houdini girl? The one everyone thought was dead?"
I nodded again, feeling the weight of years of secrets pressing down on me. "Exactly. That's why I stayed hidden. That's why I became Clara. But he knows now. And I need you both to understand… he's dangerous. Clever. And he won't stop."
Jess's mouth hung open, her hands twisting together. "OH MY GOD. I… I don't even… I can't… Clara… Ava… I… I just…" She sank onto the couch beside me, face in her hands, shaking her head.
Daniel paced in tight circles, muttering under his breath. Finally, he stopped, running a hand over his face. "I… I don't even know what to say."
I held up my phone, trembling. "You have to understand—no one can know. Not yet. If anyone finds out I'm alive… they'll hate me. They'll think I lied, that I abandoned everyone. And he… he'll use it against me. Against all of us."
Jess froze in place, staring at me. "But… but people love you! They'll be thrilled! You can't just… hide forever. This is your life! You're amazing!"
"I can't risk it," I whispered, voice tight, almost shaking. "I've survived this long by staying invisible. That's the only way I'm safe. That's the only way we're safe."
Jess's eyes filled with frustration, but also fear. "Clara… Ava… I get it, I get it! But don't you see? The world needs to know you're alive! You can't just… just stay hidden forever!"
I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes. "No! You don't understand. I can't. Not yet. If I tell anyone… if anyone even suspects… he'll come back. He'll find me. And this time… I might not be able to survive."
The room fell silent, the weight of my secret pressing down like a physical thing. Jess sank to the floor, legs crossed, hands clasped tight, still trying to process it. Daniel slumped into the couch, running his hands through his hair, staring at me like I had just revealed another planet to him.
"I needed you to know," I said finally, voice low, almost a whisper. "I couldn't keep it from you anymore. But we can't tell anyone. Not yet."
Jess finally looked at me, wide-eyed, breathing heavily. "Okay… okay… I get it… I get it… but… OH MY GOD. This is insane."
Daniel just shook his head, staring at me, speechless.
And that's how we stayed. Three of us, in my tiny apartment, the proof of my past glowing on my phone. Shock, awe, and fear hung thick in the air, but one thing was clear: my secret was out to them, and I trusted them with it.
But the world outside? They would have to wait.