Astoria was somewhat relieved by the sight of her roommate, but there was no denying the presence of tension that remained in her stance. "A--A mouse," she lied weakly, moving to quickly collect the items scattered on the floor. "I found this in my closet and a mouse surprised me, that's all. Perhaps Dorothy can chase after it."
A part of her felt bad about lying but it was better than the truth. She was going to take this seriously, whoever was sending her these things was sick. If they said not to say anything then she wasn't going to say anything. She'd like to think she was safe in her own home but what if she wasn't? She couldn't risk Rose getting caught up in this, or worse, Terence if she told him. He wouldn't rest until he found the perpetrator and that could get him hurt. She couldn't live with herself if that happened.