The Child That Never Was (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Fifteen

“So how come I didn’t remember?”

“You were with Kairi.  She was probably persuading you to forget the whole time you were with her, in some sly, sneaky way.”  Bethany walked over to me and tried to make me feel better, but nothing could calm me.

I sighed.  “Fair enough.  I would have thought that when Kairi died, this would all be over, but I’m not so sure, anymore, Bethany.”

“Maybe that was the last one!”  Bethany urged me to think on the bright side of things, but I couldn’t keep such positive images in my mind.

“But we’re still stuck on this boat, Bethany,” I shrieked, ending with a sigh.

She nodded, and then there was a moment of silence between us, each of us wondering what to do next.  Was it possible that Kairi had left us some sort of clues behind?  She’s a teenage girl, so perhaps she had a diary?  I stood up and began to search the room, looking for something to help us out.  Bethany took my seat and closed her eyes, looking as though she was about to cry.  Although I probably should have asked her what’s wrong, I feigned ignorance, and went about my search, as if I hadn’t seen her expression.

I went through all of the drawers in the room; that of the desk, dressers, and other cabinets.  Nothing of importance was found in there.  I checked under the furniture, the rugs, and between every little crook and nanny.  After an extensive search that seemed to last for hours on end, I found that there was nothing left behind to help us.  There wasn’t a single letter, notebook, journal- not even a sheet of paper of writing tool left in sight!  Unless she had left us a clue through some other means, but I highly doubted that we could find it.  Sighing, I fell back onto another chair.

“Beth, what’s wrong?” I asked, finally acknowledging her feelings.

“What if this is the end?  Not the end of our search, but the end of our lives?” she cried.

“I was trying to search for clues, but I can’t find anything, Bethany,” I informed her, even though I knew that the news would only further upset her.

She sighed, and looked around the room to see if she could find anything just within eyesight.  Her eyes showed disappointment, but then suddenly, they lit up again.  “Well, what about the closet?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.

I spun my head around.  The closet!  How had I overlooked a closet?  I slapped my forehead and rose onto my feet, waiting for Bethany to accompany.  At first, she showed no sign of wanting to join me, and just wanted to lay around like a lazy sloth.  After an intense stare down, she groaned and got up to come with me.  The only reason I wanted her to come with me is because, let’s be honest, closets can be pretty scary, sometimes.  In horror movies, there are always dead bodies and skeletons hidden a closet, and Kairi definitely seemed the type of person to do such a thing.

We linked arms and slowly walked over to the closest.  I took a deep breath and gave her a long look before we both took one door to open.  We nodded and opened the doors. 

“Aagh!” Bethany screamed.

Inside the closet was a person, someone who looked exactly like Kairi, except her hair was straighter, and her eyes were greener.  I gave Bethany a side look, wondering whether or not we should run away.  From the look on the girl’s face with her eerie smile, I thought that running would be the absolute best idea under these circumstances.  I turned to run, but the girl grabbed my shoulder just in the knick of time.

“Sit down, Kaylie!  Have a seat and relax,” she breathed down my neck, sending chills up my spine.  Out of fear, I obeyed, and took a seat on a plush chair.  She motioned for Bethany to join me, and then she disappeared to behind the desk where she made three cups of tea.  She handed one each to Bethany and me, then clinked our mugs with hers.