The Intruder

The narrative flashes back to Ella’s timeline. Unable to sleep, Ella lies in bed and imagines life with the Carters. She takes an X-Acto blade she stole from the art room at school and sneaks out of the house, heading to Brittany’s house. She considers turning around on the way but grips the blade and continues walking.

The narrative continues in Ella’s past timeline. Ella peers into the Carters’ house from outside. She sneaks in through the unlocked backdoor, suddenly desperate to see Brittany’s room. The Carters’ dog starts barking. Ella races back outside and heads to Anton’s apartment. She throws rocks at his window until he gets up and walks her home.

The narrative continues in Ella’s past timeline. Ella has no one to hang out with after school because Anton has detention. She wanders around until she ends up at the university—where she knows John Carter works. She eventually finds John’s office, discovering that he has a PhD and teaches sociology. In the hallway, she runs into his assistant Bettina, who mistakes her for Brittany. Ella plays along, hoping John will surface soon.