Safe Haven
The small cabin didn’t look sinister to me. I was used to it. After my father deemed the dwelling off-limits, I tried to put it out of my mind. Many of my friends had other opinions.
Since it dwelled on our property, it remained in my thoughts. My father’s staunch refusal to discuss it only made me more curious. My best friend’s constant nagging that we explore didn’t help much either.
Being an only child, I have been sheltered my entire life. Every move I make felt as if they had to record it to make sure I’m not messing something up. This was my opinion until my best friend took it upon herself to grant my birthday wish.
It was no surprise. I knew my parents were planning my fifteenth birthday party. I’d picked out the décor, invitations, and practically shouted what I thought the best gifts would be. When the day arrived, I couldn’t contain my excitement.
Danielle, my best friend, was staying over for the night. Quickly exiting the vehicle, we headed up the driveway to give my stepmother some space. For some reason, she was in a foul mood. I didn’t want anything tarnishing my happiness.
Bouncing through the door, I headed for my room to show Danielle my new outfit and await my guests. We tossed our book bags in the corner and she collapsed onto my bed. I quickly entered my walk-in closet for a brief fashion show. After an agonizing decision over what to wear, I changed yet again when Danielle suggested going for a walk.
I knew curiosity was killing her about the cottage but had no intention of getting yelled at on my birthday. Still, I didn’t want to remain in the house with my stepmother either. We slipped out the back door, hurried through the woods, and stopped when we made it to the cottage.
“Danielle, I’m not going any closer.”
She gasped, “Did you see that!?!”
I hadn’t even been looking at the cottage so I shook my head, “See what?”
“Who lives there?”
I shrugged, “Some lady…why?”
“Who is she?”
Shaking my head, I told her, “I don’t know. My father gets mad every time I bring the subject up. Come on…let’s go.”
“She has a kid, doesn’t she?”
The tone of her voice made me freeze as I breathed, “I’ve never seen a child there.”
“I just saw one peeking out through the curtains.”
I have to admit that this fired my own curiosity but I resisted with every fiber of my being. Pulling at her arm, I insisted, “Come on before you get me in really bad trouble.”
Then I saw a small pale hand pull back the curtain before an image peered out. Frantically looking around the house, I breathed, “Oh my God, Danielle. That woman left her child at home…alone!”
“What do we do, Sam?”
“We go home and forget we were here!”
Scrambling backward, we spun around and ran for my house. I had so many questions roaring through my head that I couldn’t think straight. As we entered my backdoor, I heard my father ask where’s Samantha?
Before my stepmother could answer, I hurried forward to give him a kiss. Picking a leaf out of my hair, he studied my face before kissing my forehead, “What have you guys been doing?”
Danielle blurted out, “Playing in the woods.”
I quickly corrected, “We took a walk.”
He eyed both of us before asking, “Aren’t your guests going to be arriving soon, Samantha?”
I nodded, pulling Danielle with me as I motioned toward my room. After hissing at her to zip it next time, I changed back into my birthday outfit. The party was a huge success but exhausting. I was given three games, a ton of clothing, and some jewelry that I’d gushed over. After all the guests had left, my father kissed my cheek and told us we could stay up since it was my special day but, “to be quiet and don’t let your stepmother know.”
We wore my new MLPs, giggling about a couple of our school friends that were Bronies. When the laughter died down, we quickly agreed that we could see why they liked it.
Sometime around midnight when we’d eaten too much popcorn and were giggling our way through a movie, Danielle guessed that my wish was for information which I never thought I’d get: What’s up with the cottage?
My gasp gave me away. She slapped at my arm and lowered her voice, “Let’s go check it out.”
Shaking my head, I told her, “Do you know how much trouble I’d get in?”
“Nobody has to know.”
Giddy from being able to stay up past my previously strict curfew, I made a snap decision, “Come on!”
She didn’t hesitate, grabbing me as she rose in her pajamas to head out the back door. I hurried after her, already second-guessing myself but shoving those thoughts aside. We broke through the back door, rushing into the woods only to skid to a stop when she spun around and frantically said, “We need a flash light!”
Gasping for breath, I nodded but was too scared to retrieve one. Giving me a stern look that made her appear older than fourteen, she commanded, “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
I nodded, sinking to the leaves as she hurried in the direction in which we’d started. I couldn’t see a thing so I seriously thought she’d get lost in the woods. Panicking for an instant, I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming her name. Instead, I ran my hands blindly over the soil which lent a bit of comfort.
Many times before, I’d climbed trees to finish homework. The surrounding woods were like a comforting shroud. The darkness and knowledge of what we were up to were still unsettling. Seeing the bobbing light as she ran toward me, I almost started crying in relief. As if stealing second base, she slid as she neared me and landed short of my body.
Laughing through my raw emotions, I bumped her shoulder and hissed, “You scared the life out of me. Don’t do that again!”
She frantically said, “Let’s go find out the truth!”
Her confidence rubbed off on me. I nodded and rose, pulling her with me to head through the woods. On the way, she breathlessly wondered aloud, “Why won’t your dad talk to you about this place?”
“I don’t know. When I was pretty young, the place caught fire. My leg was burned in it and I lost a lot of memories about the fire and before it. Maybe my dad doesn’t like remembering me getting injured.”
She was silent for a moment before asking, “Is the woman that lives there related to you?”
I shrugged before telling her, “I don’t know anything about her. She’s gone most of the time.”
In light of our ponderings, I felt the enigma of the place even more so than before. Our family seemed full of secrets. I wondered if I wanted the truth to unfold. I was questioning my father’s reluctance to talk about it. Maybe he was right in leaving the past behind.
Then again, I’m now fifteen. I’m old enough to handle the truth!
With this thought spurring me on, I urged Danielle to slow down as we approached the cottage. Spying a light deep within, we stopped at the edge of the woods and watched. She said, “We have to get closer.”
When someone passed the window, I whispered, “Get down!”
Danielle was already on the move, drawn toward the cottage as if she were a magnet. When her body recoiled, folding in on itself, I grabbed her arm and hissed, “What’s wrong!?!”
“Something feels…weird.”
Seriously, I had no idea what she meant by weird but could feel her body shaking beneath my grasp. She was really freaking me out. I wanted to spin around and flee back to the house but movement from another window caught my attention.
Mesmerized by the small round face peering out, I breathed in awe, “That kid looks just like me when I was younger.”
She suddenly grabbed me and pulled me backward. I hadn’t been aware of my forward movement until then. There was no turning back for me, though. Shaking my head, I whispered, “Danielle, who is that kid? Why does that kid look like me?”
“Something’s not right, Sam.” At her shaky voice, my gaze flew to her. She was wide-eyed and frantically shaking her head, but I couldn’t leave the matter alone now. I knew I had to find out—no matter what.
When I looked back, the child’s face was gone from the window. Frustrated, I hissed, “Stay here.”
For the first time in my life, I saw dread and raw panic flood her face. She was normally the boldest of my friends. Her reaction gave me pause but I shoved it aside.
My lack of knowledge ends tonight.
No sooner than that thought rushed over me, my legs were moving me toward the cabin. With rogue images of a blazing surreal scene haunting my mind, I knew that child I’d just seen had a deep connection with me. I didn’t know how or why but I was suddenly sure I needed to find out.
Leaving the flashlight with her, I stepped out of the woods. I was ready for that woman to open the door and provide some answers. If she didn’t, I might just knock on her door. I had no idea what measures I would take to uncover the truth but I wanted answers…now!
Stopping at a window, I didn’t bother trying to hide my presence. I wanted her to detect me there so she’d make the first move. Cupping my hands around my face, I peered inside but the curtains obscured details. The only thing I could make out was a figure moving around.
A faint female voice filtered out to me. She was talking to someone but I couldn’t see any other figure moving about. Frowning, I left her window to move over to where I’d seen the child. No lights were on at this window, yet I’d seen the child’s face.
Danielle’s frantic whisper made me glance at her. She was pointing at the window which I’d just left. Quickly heading back in that direction, I froze when I saw the child’s face peering out once again. Before I knew it, my hand rested on the glass as I peered into a mirror image of myself at a young age.
To my astonishment, a tiny hand pressed upon the glass on the other side. I have no words to relate the emotions that flooded through me. The pane in front of my vision clouded, making me lean away and gasp.
Happy eyes above an innocent smile set in a replica of myself met my gaze. I mouthed Who are you?
Your twin brother.
Floored with shock, I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head. He nodded frantically back as his mouth moved again.
A whisper sounded in my ear, echoing through my mind: Thank you for trying to rescue me. I miss you.
“Hello, Samantha.” I hadn’t detected the woman at the door because I was so focused on the child at the window.
My mother died in a car crash when I was very young. I only had vague memories of her. Photos sprinkled throughout my bedroom backed up those memories. The woman peering at me now was my mother.
As I stood speechless before her, she moved toward me with her arms open wide. I stumbled backward but the stone wall surrounding the porch stopped my movement.
With my gaze locked onto the woman who now leaned forward from the doorway, I realized that I was standing on the porch. As her arms surrounded me, I felt a chill go down my spine. She leaned away, whispering dreamily, “You’ve grown too tall.”
Studying my face, she smiled, “I’m not your mother, Samantha. I’m her twin…your aunt. So tall…”
“What!?!”
My own squeaky voice made me jump as she squeezed me to her. The numbness clouding my mind broke at the sight of Danielle standing at the bottom of the steps. I glanced at the woman whose arms surrounded me and back to Danielle’s recoiling body.
All I could manage was, “He said…that child said…”
Leaning away from me, a peculiar expression flooded the woman’s face, “Come inside, Samantha. I won’t tell your father.”
I don’t remember walking over the threshold or Danielle following. Like in a dream, I sank into the chair while my gaze darted all around to find the child who’d claimed to be my twin. No one was present.
My eyes hung at the window where I’d felt that teasing connection until my aunt’s excited voice drew me back in, “What do you remember?”
Shaking my head, I stared at her with confusion, “Nothing.”
“You don’t remember the fire?”
As if her words were magic, my scarred leg throbbed but I shook my head, “No memories but my leg…”
I stretched my leg out for her to see the long angry red mark that graced my calf. She nodded, “You tried, Samantha. Your father should have told you.”
I dumbly stared at her, mesmerized by her likeness with my mother. Her face burst into a smile as her eyes glazed, launching us into a crazed moment that dropped anxiety into my stomach. She finally continued, “Just like me, you had a twin—Samuel. He and your mother perished in the fire.”
“NO!”
I barely felt my friend’s comforting arm around me as she breathed, “Oh my God, Sam. The child…”
The woman snapped, “You’ve seen him?”
Her angry growl made my stomach clench as I jumped. Gulping air in a loud gasp as my eyes darted between friend and newfound aunt, my mouth moved with no sound emitting. My mind fought to push a question through a haze of mental confusion.
How is this possible!?!
I dumbly nodded at Danielle’s fevered urgings. I couldn’t process all this new information. When my aunt’s hand closed over mine, I jerked. With a bizarre calmness that she seemed to simultaneously fight, she told me, “Your brother is Samuel. He will haunt me until he meets you.”
All the breath left me in a rush until that voice spoke again in my mind, You are a part of me. I shall not leave the property without you again.
Before I could even turn to search for the speaker, I felt a merging that lays beyond anything words could describe. Memories of laughter and a deep connection invaded my mind, filling in gaps I hadn’t known existed. I frantically searched around before spotting an ethereal presence drifting between my aunt and me.
Only then did I realize she was speaking, “…cleaning the cottage for me to stay here. You and your father returned to discover…”
Her voice dimmed as memory of the fiery night flooded back. I grasped Danielle’s hand in mine as tears rolled down my cheeks. She glanced over her shoulder with a crazed look while saying, “Samuel, don’t you dare!”
Grief flashed through my body before the entity spiraled toward me. I gasped, tightening my grip on Danielle’s hands. The world seemed to shift as this misty creature settled within me. The hair rose all over my body as a shiver went down my spine. Cold but achingly familiar essence flooded my body.
My numb mind couldn’t accept some of Samuel’s memories. It shut them out.
The twin who looked just like my mother, claimed to be my aunt, and acted rather strange hissed at me, “I’ll get you for this.”
I hadn’t heard the door open but broke down in sobs when my father’s familiar aroma surrounded me, “I’m sorry for not telling you, Sam. The memories were too much for me. I knew this day would arrive.”
He stepped between us as a shivery voice whispered across my mind, “Careful, she’s tricky!”
My father’s cold voice commanded of the woman, “Why are you up so late, Alexandria?”
“He wouldn’t let me sleep.” The woman’s anger vibrated in the air before my father said, “Come on girls. I’ll answer your questions on the way home.”
I gasped when a relieved sigh breathed in my mind. My father pulled at us as my aunt’s face crumpled, “You’re not taking him!”
A frightened humming sent chills over my flesh, starting at my arms and slowly spreading to my toes. She rushed forward but my father stepped between us.
“Have you taken your medication, Alexandria?”
She frowned, “Of course. Samuel stays here.”
“This is Samantha, Alexandria. Samuel died long ago.”
She spat, “You know what I mean.”
“There are no ghosts, Alexandria.” His anger rose as he ushered us toward the door. “I’m locking the door on my way out.”
Appearing as if she would attack, with hands clawed in front of her and teeth bared, she panted as we fled the cottage. My father locked the door while the voice whispered in my mind, “Ask him about her and the fire.”
“Daddy, you said you’d answer questions.”
He hurried us along as he willingly said, “She’s your aunt but she’s ill. You’re mother’s twin. She and your mother weren’t normal twins. They didn’t like each other. She goes to a place in town during the day but throws a fit to come home at night. No medication can calm her. She stays here at night.”
The voice said again, “Ask him about the fire.”
“What about the fire, Daddy?”
With a sad sigh, he said, “That’s how they died…your mother and Samuel. You did have a twin, Samantha. You tried to save them and was placed in a coma as a result. ”
Samuel’s voice breathed, “Check your pocket.”
I dipped my hand in my pocket, discovering a slip of paper. “Hand it to him.”
He took the slip of paper from me and opened it. Frowning back up at me, he handed it back for me to see the child’s scrawl:
Alex is the one
~~ The End ~~
