We talked and then…what?
I stare at the black walls, at the cracks in them.
We found human remains.
The detective’s words bounce in my head like an atomic bomb.
No, no, no.
Fuck no.
It’s not Reina. They didn’t find Reina’s remains. They co
uldn’t have.
I pace the length of the cottage, back and forth, back and forth like a trapped animal. They took my sister away from me.
After I finally found her, they fucking took her away.
But who are they?
Reina and I were talking just fine that night. We were planning things and then…what? What the fuck happened after that?
I rack my brain for answers, but nothing comes out.
It’s blank in there. Or maybe it’s too jumbled up for anything to be clear.
Reina.
I had a twin. No, have. I refuse to believe she’s not here anymore. We made a fucking promise.
But if she were alive, wouldn’t she have found me by now? Wouldn’t she have stepped up?
No, no. She can’t be dead. I can’t lose her like I lost Mom.
Like I lost Mom.
Mom.
Mom…?
The jolt hits me like a bolt. I stagger backward and fall on the damp floor. My limbs spasm and my ears ring.
Shouting echoes in my head like a distant memory, damnation—something I don’t want to remember.
I cover my ears with sweaty fingers, unable to take it anymore.
* * *
Nine years ago
“Take your sister and run, Rai! Run!!” Mom’s voice echoes in my head like the pounding of a bell.
The shuffling of feet comes close to us. They pound on the door. They’re coming for us.
“Run!” she screams at us. “Don’t look back. Run!”
We do.