The dark vehicle was still behind us.
\nI didn’t look at it again.
\nI couldn’t.
\nEvery time I checked the mirror, my imagination supplied the same answer.
\nHe was still there.
\nWaiting.
\nFollowing.
\nWatching.
\nSarah sat beside me without speaking.
\nFor the first few minutes, she kept looking through the passenger-side window.
\nThen she finally whispered:
\n\u201cYou shouldn’t have come after me.\u201d
\nI tightened my hands around the steering wheel.
\n\u201cYou disappeared.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou left the hospital without telling anyone.\u201d
\n\u201cI had to.\u201d
\n\u201cYou had no right to frighten us like that.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\n\u201cYou keep saying you know.\u201d
\nSarah looked at me.
\n\u201cI don’t know what else to say.\u201d
\n\u201cTry the truth.\u201d
\nShe looked away.
\nFor a while, neither of us spoke.
\nThe girls remained quiet in the back seat.<\/p>\n
Emma had one hand wrapped around Lily’s.<\/p>\n
Lily was staring out the window.<\/p>\n
She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
But she wasn’t asleep.<\/p>\n
Not even close.<\/p>\n
Every few seconds, she looked behind us.<\/p>\n
As if she was expecting someone to appear.<\/p>\n
I finally asked Sarah:<\/p>\n
\u201cHow far is the old house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout fifteen minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs anyone there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes anyone know we’re going there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah hesitated.<\/p>\n
I glanced at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hesitated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout whether I can still trust my own memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer frightened me.<\/p>\n
Not because it was dramatic.<\/p>\n
Because it sounded honest.<\/p>\n
We turned onto a narrow road lined with old trees.<\/p>\n
The city lights slowly disappeared behind us.<\/p>\n
The farther we drove, the darker it became.<\/p>\n
The old house had belonged to our grandmother.<\/p>\n
It had been empty for years.<\/p>\n
I hadn’t been there since I was a teenager.<\/p>\n
I remembered the front porch.<\/p>\n
The cracked flowerpots.<\/p>\n
The enormous oak tree near the driveway.<\/p>\n
And the basement door that had always been locked.<\/p>\n
I had never known there was another room beneath the house.<\/p>\n
Sarah had never told me.<\/p>\n
Until tonight.<\/p>\n
Then Lily suddenly spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her through the rearview mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe house.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was staring through the windshield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re almost there.\u201d<\/p>\n
I slowed down.<\/p>\n
The road curved.<\/p>\n
Then the house appeared.<\/p>\n
Dark.<\/p>\n
Silent.<\/p>\n
Exactly as I remembered it.<\/p>\n
Except for one thing.<\/p>\n
A light was on upstairs.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Sarah’s face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat shouldn’t be on.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCould someone have broken in?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
I turned off the headlights.<\/p>\n
The girls looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay inside,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re coming with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t go inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know someone might already be here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the upstairs window.<\/p>\n
The light remained on.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we don’t go inside yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached for my phone.<\/p>\n
No signal.<\/p>\n
I raised it.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Sarah checked hers.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don’t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’ll understand soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped out of the SUV.<\/p>\n
Sarah followed.<\/p>\n
We walked toward the house.<\/p>\n
The gravel crunched beneath our shoes.<\/p>\n
The wind moved through the trees.<\/p>\n
Nothing else.<\/p>\n
No footsteps.<\/p>\n
No voices.<\/p>\n
No cars.<\/p>\n
I reached the front door.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
Sarah walked toward the side.<\/p>\n
There was an old key hidden beneath a loose stone.<\/p>\n
She found it immediately.<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never forgot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The key turned.<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
The smell hit me first.<\/p>\n
Dust.<\/p>\n
Wood.<\/p>\n
Old paper.<\/p>\n
A house that hadn’t been lived in for years.<\/p>\n
I stepped inside.<\/p>\n
Sarah followed.<\/p>\n
We stood in the darkness.<\/p>\n
Then we heard something upstairs.<\/p>\n
A floorboard creaked.<\/p>\n
We froze.<\/p>\n
Another creak.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
I whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hear that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah nodded.<\/p>\n
We looked at each other.<\/p>\n
I wanted to leave.<\/p>\n
Every instinct told me to get back into the SUV and drive somewhere crowded.<\/p>\n
But then I remembered Lily.<\/p>\n
The blue box.<\/p>\n
The recording.<\/p>\n
The years of secrets.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t leave without knowing what was happening.<\/p>\n
We climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n
Slowly.<\/p>\n
At the top, the hallway was dark.<\/p>\n
The light from the room at the end spilled across the floor.<\/p>\n
Sarah stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s my old room.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is the light on?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached for the door.<\/p>\n
I caught her wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
We listened.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
I pushed the door open.<\/p>\n
Empty.<\/p>\n
A lamp was on beside the window.<\/p>\n
I walked inside.<\/p>\n
Sarah stood behind me.<\/p>\n
Everything looked untouched.<\/p>\n
Old furniture.<\/p>\n
Boxes.<\/p>\n
A faded photograph on the wall.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
Our family.<\/p>\n
Our grandmother.<\/p>\n
My mother.<\/p>\n
Sarah.<\/p>\n
Me.<\/p>\n
We were standing together in front of this same house.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Something was wrong.<\/p>\n
There was a person missing from the photograph.<\/p>\n
Someone had been cut out.<\/p>\n
Not naturally.<\/p>\n
Deliberately.<\/p>\n
The photograph had been sliced.<\/p>\n
Sarah saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho was here?\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you wanted to trust your memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t remember who was standing there?\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut not the person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the empty space.<\/p>\n
The cut was old.<\/p>\n
Years old.<\/p>\n
Whoever had been removed had been standing between me and Sarah.<\/p>\n
I took a photograph of it with my phone.<\/p>\n
Then my phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
One bar of signal had appeared.<\/p>\n
A message came through.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn’t have opened that room.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n My heart dropped.<\/p>\n I showed Sarah.<\/p>\n She didn’t look surprised.<\/p>\n Instead she whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cHe knew we’d come.\u201d<\/p>\n I typed:<\/p>\n Who are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n The reply came almost immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk Sarah.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at my sister.<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Another message.<\/p>\n \u201cShe knows.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I turned to Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t!\u201d<\/p>\n Her voice echoed through the room.<\/p>\n Then something happened.<\/p>\n The lamp went out.<\/p>\n The entire house went dark.<\/p>\n Emma screamed downstairs.<\/p>\n I ran.<\/p>\n \u201cEmma!\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah followed.<\/p>\n We rushed down the stairs.<\/p>\n The front door was open.<\/p>\n The SUV was still outside.<\/p>\n I ran through the doorway.<\/p>\n \u201cEmma!\u201d<\/p>\n My daughter was standing beside the vehicle.<\/p>\n Lily was with her.<\/p>\n Both girls were safe.<\/p>\n But Emma was pointing toward the road.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked.<\/p>\n The dark vehicle was gone.<\/p>\n Completely gone.<\/p>\n No headlights.<\/p>\n No sound.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n I rushed to the girls.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Emma nodded.<\/p>\n Lily nodded too.<\/p>\n \u201cDid anyone come near you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n Emma looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lights went out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen Lily said we should stay together.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Lily.<\/p>\n She nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n I pulled both girls close.<\/p>\n Then I noticed something on the SUV.<\/p>\n A piece of paper tucked beneath the windshield wiper.<\/p>\n I walked toward it.<\/p>\n Sarah followed.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n I stopped.<\/p>\n She stared at the paper.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I know what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means he wants us to find something.\u201d<\/p>\n I carefully removed it.<\/p>\n There was only one sentence.<\/p>\n \u201cThe basement door is not the entrance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’ve known about the room under this house for years.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you know how to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah looked at the house.<\/p>\n \u201cThe house.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn’t always built like this.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Grandma owned it, there was no hidden room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen how do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I found it after she died.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI found the room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah hesitated.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n I frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA chair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA chair?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA tape recorder.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA child’s drawing.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked toward the house.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said there was a recording.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cI listened to it once.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn’t listen again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause I heard your voice.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt cold.<\/p>\n \u201cMy voice?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn’t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat were you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just said you heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd now you don’t remember?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThat’s what scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at my sister.<\/p>\n Something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n Not only with the story.<\/p>\n With our memories.<\/p>\n With the missing years.<\/p>\n With what had happened in this house.<\/p>\n I turned toward the front door.<\/p>\n \u201cTake us inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah looked frightened.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we’re not leaving until we find that room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand enough.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n She grabbed my arm.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that recording is still here, there is a reason nobody found it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen let’s find out why.\u201d<\/p>\n We returned inside.<\/p>\n The girls stayed downstairs.<\/p>\n I told Emma to keep the doors locked.<\/p>\n Sarah and I searched the house.<\/p>\n The old rooms.<\/p>\n The closets.<\/p>\n The attic.<\/p>\n Every wall.<\/p>\n Every floorboard.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n Then Lily spoke from the hallway.<\/p>\n \u201cAuntie?\u201d<\/p>\n I turned.<\/p>\n \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s something here.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed toward the old dining room.<\/p>\n I walked over.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed at the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cThere.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n Just wallpaper.<\/p>\n Then she touched a small section near the floor.<\/p>\n It moved.<\/p>\n I crouched.<\/p>\n There was a tiny metal latch hidden beneath the wallpaper.<\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n She covered her mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n Lily shrugged.<\/p>\n \u201cMom showed me.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned slowly toward Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cYou brought her here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYears ago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah didn’t answer.<\/p>\n I pulled the latch.<\/p>\n A section of the wall opened.<\/p>\n Behind it was a narrow staircase.<\/p>\n Dark.<\/p>\n Descending.<\/p>\n Emma came closer.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n I immediately stepped between her and the opening.<\/p>\n \u201cYou stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n \u201cThat wasn’t there before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe stairs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou just said you knew about the hidden room.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI knew the room existed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut not the entrance?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight.<\/p>\n The beam disappeared down the narrow staircase.<\/p>\n Dust covered every step.<\/p>\n No footprints.<\/p>\n At least none that I could see.<\/p>\n Then Lily whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone was here.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed.<\/p>\n Near the bottom step was a fresh mark.<\/p>\n A shoeprint.<\/p>\n Still visible in the dust.<\/p>\n Someone had been there recently.<\/p>\n Very recently.<\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n We descended.<\/p>\n Step by step.<\/p>\n The air became colder.<\/p>\n The walls narrowed.<\/p>\n At the bottom was a small concrete corridor.<\/p>\n No windows.<\/p>\n No sound.<\/p>\n Then we saw the door.<\/p>\n Old metal.<\/p>\n No handle.<\/p>\n Only a small keyhole.<\/p>\n Sarah pulled the key from her pocket.<\/p>\n The key she had shown me earlier.<\/p>\n She inserted it.<\/p>\n It fit.<\/p>\n She turned.<\/p>\n Click.<\/p>\n The door opened.<\/p>\n Inside was a small room.<\/p>\n There was an old wooden table.<\/p>\n A chair.<\/p>\n A shelf.<\/p>\n And a blue box.<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cThe box.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah stared at it.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought he had it.\u201d<\/p>\n I walked toward the table.<\/p>\n The box was covered in dust.<\/p>\n Nobody had touched it recently.<\/p>\n At least, not from what I could see.<\/p>\n I reached toward it.<\/p>\n Sarah grabbed my wrist.<\/p>\n \u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook.\u201d<\/p>\n She pointed to the table.<\/p>\n There was a tape recorder.<\/p>\n Beside it was a handwritten note.<\/p>\n My name was on it.<\/p>\n I picked it up.<\/p>\n My hands shook.<\/p>\n The handwriting looked familiar.<\/p>\n I turned it over.<\/p>\n There were only three words.<\/p>\n \u201cYou forgot everything.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n I opened the blue box.<\/p>\n Inside were photographs.<\/p>\n Old photographs.<\/p>\n Documents.<\/p>\n A small cassette tape.<\/p>\n And a folded piece of paper.<\/p>\n I unfolded it.<\/p>\n There were names.<\/p>\n Dozens of them.<\/p>\n Some I recognized.<\/p>\n Some I didn’t.<\/p>\n But one name stopped me completely.<\/p>\n My own.<\/p>\n Underneath it was another name.<\/p>\n My husband’s.<\/p>\n And beneath his name was Sarah’s.<\/p>\n I stared at the list.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are our names here?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah began crying.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou told me everyone who knew was on the list.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut why is my name here?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did I know?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah looked at the tape recorder.<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew before Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt dizzy.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that’s what they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n I turned toward the tape recorder.<\/p>\n \u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don’t want to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou’ve been telling me that all night.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the last time I heard it, I couldn’t sleep for months.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlay it.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah finally reached for the recorder.<\/p>\n She pressed the button.<\/p>\n Static filled the room.<\/p>\n Then a voice.<\/p>\n A child’s voice.<\/p>\n Quiet.<\/p>\n Frightened.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah froze.<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n The recording continued.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t want to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n Then another voice.<\/p>\n An adult.<\/p>\n Calm.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to stop telling stories.\u201d<\/p>\n The child began crying.<\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n She was shaking.<\/p>\n Then the child’s voice returned.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n Static.<\/p>\n Then another voice.<\/p>\n My voice.<\/p>\n I heard myself say:<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n Sarah covered her mouth.<\/p>\n The recording continued.<\/p>\n My voice again.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m going to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat isn’t me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou weren’t supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n The recording continued.<\/p>\n Then my husband’s voice appeared.<\/p>\n Calm.<\/p>\n Almost gentle.<\/p>\n \u201cShe’s confused.\u201d<\/p>\n My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah was crying now.<\/p>\n The recording continued.<\/p>\n Then a sound.<\/p>\n A door.<\/p>\n A child crying.<\/p>\n Someone shouting.<\/p>\n Then silence.<\/p>\n The tape stopped.<\/p>\n Nobody moved.<\/p>\n I stared at the recorder.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened next?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou left?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou left the child?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did she go?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou said she was taken.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy him?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cThen why is my voice on the recording?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were there.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou told her you’d help.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at my sister.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to me?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cYou were threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBy who?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at the tape recorder.<\/p>\n \u201cHim.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the list again.<\/p>\n My husband’s name.<\/p>\n Sarah’s name.<\/p>\n Mine.<\/p>\n Then I noticed something else.<\/p>\n There was one name crossed out.<\/p>\n I leaned closer.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is that?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah didn’t answer.<\/p>\n I touched the paper.<\/p>\n The ink was old.<\/p>\n But beneath the crossed-out name was a date.<\/p>\n The date was the day I got married.<\/p>\n I stared at it.<\/p>\n Then everything inside me went cold.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy was this name crossed out on my wedding day?\u201d<\/p>\n She didn’t answer.<\/p>\n \u201cSarah.\u201d<\/p>\n She finally whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that’s the day she disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at the name again.<\/p>\n I couldn’t read it completely.<\/p>\n But I could make out the first letter.<\/p>\n E.<\/p>\n I thought of Emma.<\/p>\n My daughter.<\/p>\n My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n \u201cWho was she?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah stared at me.<\/p>\n \u201cThe other child.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer name was Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah nodded.<\/p>\n I felt sick.<\/p>\n My daughter upstairs had the same name.<\/p>\n The same name.<\/p>\n The same first letter.<\/p>\n And suddenly I remembered something I had forgotten for years.<\/p>\n A little girl standing in this house.<\/p>\n Holding my hand.<\/p>\n Calling me by a name I didn’t recognize.<\/p>\n Then darkness.<\/p>\n I stumbled backward.<\/p>\n Sarah caught me.<\/p>\n \u201cYou remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a little.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI remember her.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah began crying.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do?\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded slowly.<\/p>\n \u201cShe called me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n I stopped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did she call you?\u201d<\/p>\n I searched my memory.<\/p>\n The answer came like a whisper from a locked room.<\/p>\n \u201cShe called me Auntie.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah covered her face.<\/p>\n I looked at the tape recorder.<\/p>\n Then at the list.<\/p>\n Then at the blue box.<\/p>\n Something wasn’t right.<\/p>\n If the missing girl had called me Auntie\u2026<\/p>\n why had nobody told me she existed?<\/p>\n Why had Sarah said she was sent away?<\/p>\n Why had my husband been on the list?<\/p>\n And why did my daughter share her name?<\/p>\n I opened the box again.<\/p>\n There was one final envelope beneath the photographs.<\/p>\n It had never been opened.<\/p>\n My name was written on it.<\/p>\n I pulled it out.<\/p>\n Sarah whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t.\u201d<\/p>\n I ignored her.<\/p>\n I opened it.<\/p>\n Inside was a single photograph.<\/p>\n A family photograph.<\/p>\n Me.<\/p>\n Sarah.<\/p>\n My husband.<\/p>\n And two little girls.<\/p>\n Lily.<\/p>\n And another girl.<\/p>\n Emma.<\/p>\n But the photograph wasn’t from years ago.<\/p>\n The timestamp printed on the back was recent.<\/p>\n Only three days earlier.<\/p>\n I stared at the picture.<\/p>\n My daughter was standing beside the other girl.<\/p>\n They looked almost identical in age.<\/p>\n Almost identical in height.<\/p>\n And both were smiling.<\/p>\n But my daughter had never met her.<\/p>\n At least, I thought she hadn’t.<\/p>\n I turned the photograph over.<\/p>\n There was a message.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have been looking for the wrong child.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n My hands went numb.<\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d<\/p>\n She was staring at the photograph.<\/p>\n Her face had lost all color.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSarah!\u201d<\/p>\n She stepped backward.<\/p>\n \u201cI swear I don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n Then we heard footsteps upstairs.<\/p>\n One.<\/p>\n Two.<\/p>\n Three.<\/p>\n Slow footsteps.<\/p>\n Someone was walking across the floor above us.<\/p>\n Sarah looked toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe girls.\u201d<\/p>\n We ran.<\/p>\n We climbed the stairs.<\/p>\n \u201cEmma!\u201d<\/p>\n No answer.<\/p>\n \u201cLily!\u201d<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n We reached the dining room.<\/p>\n Empty.<\/p>\n The front door was still locked.<\/p>\n The girls were gone.<\/p>\n I ran through the house.<\/p>\n Kitchen.<\/p>\n Empty.<\/p>\n Living room.<\/p>\n Empty.<\/p>\n Hallway.<\/p>\n Empty.<\/p>\n Then I heard Emma’s voice.<\/p>\n \u201cMom?\u201d<\/p>\n I spun around.<\/p>\n The voice came from upstairs.<\/p>\n I ran.<\/p>\n Sarah followed.<\/p>\n We reached the bedroom.<\/p>\n Emma was standing beside the window.<\/p>\n Lily was beside her.<\/p>\n Both girls were staring outside.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n Emma turned.<\/p>\n \u201cMom\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Her face was confused.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought you called me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily looked at me.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard it too.\u201d<\/p>\n I walked toward them.<\/p>\n \u201cWho called you?\u201d<\/p>\n Emma pointed toward the window.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone outside.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked through the glass.<\/p>\n Nothing.<\/p>\n Then Lily whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cHe said my name.\u201d<\/p>\n I opened the window slightly.<\/p>\n Cold air rushed inside.<\/p>\n No one was outside.<\/p>\n I closed it.<\/p>\n \u201cStay away from the window.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma nodded.<\/p>\n Then she looked at Lily.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is Emma?\u201d<\/p>\n My heart stopped.<\/p>\n Lily stared at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe girl in the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n She had seen it.<\/p>\n I hadn’t realized.<\/p>\n She pointed toward the photograph still in my hand.<\/p>\n \u201cWho’s that girl?\u201d<\/p>\n I looked at Sarah.<\/p>\n Sarah was staring at Emma.<\/p>\n Her face had changed.<\/p>\n She looked terrified.<\/p>\n Not because Emma had asked the question.<\/p>\n Because of what Emma had said next.<\/p>\n \u201cShe looks like me.\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n Then the lights went out again.<\/p>\n This time, every light in the house.<\/p>\n Complete darkness.<\/p>\n Emma grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n Lily grabbed Sarah’s.<\/p>\n And somewhere downstairs, a door slammed.<\/p>\n Then came a man’s voice.<\/p>\n Calm.<\/p>\n Close.<\/p>\n Almost familiar.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have remembered sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n I froze.<\/p>\n Sarah whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n The voice continued.<\/p>\n \u201cNow you have two children who need answers.\u201d<\/p>\n I pulled the girls behind me.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n Then:<\/p>\n \u201cYou already know.\u201d<\/p>\n Footsteps began climbing the stairs.<\/p>\n Slowly.<\/p>\n One step.<\/p>\n Then another.<\/p>\n Sarah was trembling.<\/p>\n I reached for my phone.<\/p>\n No signal.<\/p>\n The footsteps continued.<\/p>\n Emma squeezed my hand.<\/p>\n Lily was crying.<\/p>\n Then the man stopped outside the bedroom.<\/p>\n The door handle moved.<\/p>\n Once.<\/p>\n Twice.<\/p>\n Then stopped.<\/p>\n A piece of paper slid underneath the door.<\/p>\n I stared at it.<\/p>\n My name was written across the front.<\/p>\n I picked it up.<\/p>\n There were only four words.<\/p>\n \u201cAsk Sarah about the twins.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n I looked at my sister.<\/p>\n She collapsed against the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat twins?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat twins?\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t make me say it.\u201d<\/p>\n I stepped closer.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat twins?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked at Emma.<\/p>\n Then Lily.<\/p>\n Then me.<\/p>\n And whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cThey were never cousins.\u201d<\/p>\n The house went silent.<\/p>\n I stared at the two girls.<\/p>\n Sarah’s voice broke.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’re sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n Then the bedroom door slowly opened by itself.<\/p>\n And the man outside whispered:<\/p>\n \u201cNow you’re finally ready to hear the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PART 6 The dark vehicle was still behind us. I didn’t look at it again. I couldn’t. Every time I checked the mirror, my imagination supplied the same answer. He … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5261,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5260\/revisions\/5261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}