Lana's Melody

Seven

  The car stopped in a long drive way that leads to a gate. The gate was black and iron. "Stay here." My so-called uncle says quietly. He gets out and unlocks the gate. As soon as the gate unlocks, I get a unsettling feeling inside of me. A mixture of panic and fear. He walks back to the car and gets in a drives through the gate. He looks over at me. He sees my confusion. "We keep a gate because its an ancestory thing. Your mom grew up here."he said. "Oh. She never talked about her family. " I tell him. "Figures."  He says. "I met her - your parents before. Maybe two times."I tell him. "Well that I remember. I was very young. " I add a few seconds later.

He nods. The drive way after the gate was longer than expected. It was like going deepr and deeper in to woods. "Why do you live so deep in the woods?" I ask. "Hmmm never thought of that." He says. Finally a house comes into view. It was three stories and had a balcony at the top of the house. The house was white. Around it was a forest and the house was old and looked outdated yet it was still unique in its own way. We got out and he carried my bags. I got my phone out and tried to text my aunt but there was no service. "You don't have service?" I asked. "No." He replies. "To many trees." He says looking around . "there isn't any cell phone towers around her anyways. " he says. "Closest place is a diner 10miles away and a grocery store. Go up another 5 miles there is a library and a court house, couple little stores. " he says. "Towns been dead for years." He says. I look around. "Not many people live around here?"

  I asks. "In those woods we have about two neighbors." He says, pointing to the right side of the woods.

I nod. "Just don't go in the woods. Those neighbors.. They aren't friendly and plus the woods isn't a place for a young girl like you to roam." He says. "I'd prefer you to stay in the house, we can go out to the little town time to time." He says. "Wait how long am I staying?" I ask. "Hm me and your aunt never discussed that." He said. "Oh." I say. "Is it just us who is going to be here?" I ask. "Oh no. My wife and daughter and son and a buddy of mine." He says. "They all live here?" I ask. "Oh yes." He says. He knocks on the door, a woman answers, she looked older than him maybe fifty. "Oh yeah I forgot my parents live here as well and the housekeeper." He says. She was the housekeeper. "Come in." He says. When you walk in, its a kitchen. In the kitchen, the housekeeper was in there and two old people that looked somewhat familiar. The man was laid back in a chair reading the newspaper and the woman was drinking coffee. They both looked up when they saw her. "Lana?" The woman says. The man was squinting his eyes. "Is it you?" The man says. I nod. "Oh my, you have gotten to big!" She says. She gets up and walks over to me. She gives me a hug. "Its been so long." She says. I return her hug. "Are you my... Grandparents?" I ask. "Yes." The man says. "You look just like your mom." She says. I smile.

Then a man comes in, he was probably 25. He smiles when he sees me. "Well Lana, hey! I haven't seen you in awhile!" He says. "This is my buddy Joey." My uncle says. "Hi." I say. Then suddenly a girl younger than my age and a boy maybe a year older than me comes in. The girl looks similar to me, which makes me think that she is my cousin. "Well hi Lana, I'm Tara." She says. A flashback occurs.
I was four years old and on christmas, my moms parents came and pretty much her whole family was there except fur my uncle that I thought nefer existed.  There was a girl there that was a year younger than me and she was named Tara. She looked similar to me. "Lana, we look such alike. My daddy says we could be twins." She says . "whos your daddy?" I ask. "I never see him and i am not allowed to tell you."she says . We was both staring in a mirror and I looked at her and then at me. I shrugged. " your prettier though." She says. I shrug again. My mom calls us for presents and Tara runs and I stay there looking in the mirror.

"I know who you are." I say. I smile. "Its been a long time." I say, hugging her. "We still look alike." She says. I turn away and then I see now that I remember his name was Shawn. He was a year older than me and he never really liked me. Always argued or ignored me. "Hey." He said. "Hi." I say.  "You shouldnt be here." He mutters. He then walks off. The next one who enters is my uncle's wife I assume. She looked familar yet didn't. "Hi I'm your aunt Tracy." She says. "Hi." I say. "We met once the day before..that terrible incident." She says.  "At the party." I say. "Yes . you was so young. How do you remember?" She asks. "I dunno." I say . "they said you were a friend or something." I said. "They don't like your uncle they made us pretend." She says . "Let me show you your room." Tara says. "You'll be sharing one with me." She adds. We walk up three flights of stairs and then a room on the only third floor at the very end. We walk in. The room had white walls and wooden floor there were two beds across from eachother and two closets and two desks. The window opened up and went out to a balcony. It was cool. "So do you like it?" She asks. "Yes." I say. "Well unpack. Your gonna be here for awhile. "She says. Something in her voice scared me, like she was hiding something. The whole family was. I was the only one who was in the dark but I would soon find out .