The Collymore Family

Chapter 3

Irene was sitting down on the couch, both notes in her right pocket. Mrs. Collymore was standing just a few feet away from her, getting ready to go out, while Mr. Collymore was at the front door. Irene felt her head begin to spin, her breathing getting more and more shallow by the minute.

Should she tell them?  Irene thought, fiddling with her fingers. Or should she keep it to herself? 

Irene didn't know how dangerous this situation could be. If someone was in the locked room, The Collymore family had every right to know. But Irene had already tried telling Mr. Collymore. He had brushed her off and told her it was just rats, but Irene knew it wasn't. Sure, she hadn't told them the whole story. But if Irene was being completely honest, she was beginning to grow suspicious of the Collymore family. Nobody was in that room, but notes were being sent from under the door. There was no way a human could survive in there without food or water. Were the Collymore's keeping someone in there? A thought rushed through Irene's head, making her shiver. 

She felt...almost guilty for thinking this way. The Collymore family was the most kind hearted, humble, and caring family Irene knew of. To think she was suspecting them of something so vile made her sick to her stomach. But she couldn't help but think this way. She didn't want to believe her own thoughts, but the evidence was convincing her slowly. What other possible explanation could there be?

"Mrs. Collymore," Irene muttered out involuntarily, her voice shaky and her palms sweating.

Mrs. Collymore turned around and faced Irene. "What is it, Irene?" She asked.

"I..." Irene paused. "I've been hearing noises in the locked room. They've been bothering me and keeping Noella awake. I was wondering...if you could check the room?" Irene knew Mrs. Collymore could tell how nervous she was.

"Oh, dear. It's probably just rats." Mrs. Collymore stepped closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "Why on earth are you so nervous? Are you feeling ill?"

Irene shook her head. "No...no...It's not..."  Irene drew in a deep breath, though it didn't help much. "I don't mean to scare you, but the movement has gotten louder in there. I was just wondering if you could check the room..."

Mrs. Collymore sighed. "If it makes you feel better, dear." She stood up and walked over to Mr. Collymore. Irene couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could tell they didn't seem nervous at all. Then, the two headed upstairs. Irene followed them quickly. By the time she'd already came up, Mr. and Mrs. Collymore were both at the door. Mr. Collymore was holding a golden key in his hand, and in one swift movement, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The door made a loud creaking sound, as if it hadn't been opened in years. Irene could see loads of dust inside. Mrs. Collymore walked in first, switching on a light switch. The room was much brighter now, but Irene could see how dirty it was. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months. There were a few shelves at the very back, holding a couple gardening tools. But other than that, there was nothing. The room was fairly big to be a storage room. Irene noticed multiple rats scattered along the floor, some big, some small, and some dead. Mr. Collymore sighed loudly as he saw this.

"We'll have to clean this room after." He told Mrs. Collymore as they both stepped into the room. Irene stepped in after them, feeling the cold, wooden floor beneath her feet.

"I don't mind cleaning this room for you." Irene offered. Both Mr. and Mrs. Collymore suddenly turned around and looked at her.

"Don't worry about it, dear. Mr. Collymore and I will handle it." Mrs. Collymore replied. 

"I really think I could--" Irene tried to talk, but Mr. Collymore cut her off.

"Your job is to babysit Noella, not clean. I don't want to overwork you."  He told her.

"You wouldn't be overworking me, in fact, I would be willing to help." Irene insisted. She didn't know why she was begging so much, but Irene felt like exploring the room some more.

"It's fine, Irene. Don't worry about it." Mrs. Collymore gave her a smile as Mr. Collymore began to look around. The room was empty, and it was clear there was no one in there.

"It seems to be completely empty, Irene. It's just the rats. You don't need to worry about anything." Mr. Collymore told her, switching off the light switch.

Irene nodded, though she wasn't in the least bit convinced. Instead, she was confused. Extremely confused. If the room was empty, who was sending those notes under the door? None of this was adding up. As they exited the room, Irene couldn't help but think. Nothing was making sense anymore. If there was truly no one in the room, Irene wouldn't have been getting those notes. For a second, Irene wanted to show the notes to the Collymore's to convince them to believe her, but then she had a second thought. What if the Collymore's were lying? 

Irene's stomach began to hurt as she thought this. She was ashamed for thinking this way about a family that was so sweet and lovely, but what else would explain the notes and the weird noises? Irene felt anxious as she followed the Collymore's to the front door. On one hand, she did want to show them the notes, but on the other hand, she knew something was off. She had been working with the Collymore's since she was sixteen, yet this was the first time something so...absurd had happened. This whole situation felt surreal and just bizarre. She couldn't tell if there was something wrong with her, or if there was something wrong with the Collymore's. Had she been imagining the whole thing?  No, that couldn't be it. She had the notes right in her pocket. She had the proof, but who would believe her? She didn't even believe herself. Absolutely nothing was adding up, and the more Irene thought about it, the more her head hurt. She didn't know what to think, what to believe or who to trust.

As Irene shut the front door, she felt an overwhelming feeling of anxiety wash over her. It felt like the whole house was spinning, it felt like she was somewhere unfamiliar. She felt like she had been lied to, she felt betrayed. Irene turned her head and stared at the stairs in front of her. Irene felt a feeling of urgency wash over her. She needed to do something. Quick. Irene stepped onto the first step of the staircase slowly, before beginning to run up. She needed to find the golden key. Now.