Feeling Alone

Of all of the crazy things you had just learned the one that niggled at you the most was the fact that all this time nobody told you that you had a twin. You had a twin sister that you never knew about. A sister so strange that she made the others look damn near prosaic by comparison. It begged belief that that alien horror that had emerged from the shadows was not only related to you but your twin!

That haunting face, still and cold like a porcelain mask, surfacing from the shadowy depths simultaneously difficult to grasp yet unforgettable. Those six reflective obsidian eyes peering into your very core. The small straight slit of a mouth that almost seemed to smile as it saw you though you sensed a different emotional context behind it. And those tentacles! Flesh like a shifting void, as black and featureless as a starless night sky. You feel a chill run through you at the memory of your brush with the truly bizarre.

Thinking back to that brief yet unforgettable moment you recall the change that your hidden sister’s appearance caused right through the family. Excitement, awe, and even fear gripped your other kin as Vespera coalesced. What kind of creature can make even a werewolf tremble? You remember how your father moved to protect you and how, later, he admitted to knowing very little about her.

You step across to where your mother sat. Reaching down you brush your fingers along the stitched leather armrest where you had seen one of Vespera’s tentacles rest. You weren’t sure what to expect but the area feels as it should. You look back to corner where she appeared and shake your head in disbelief. This is all too much.

“I can’t handle this right now.”

You turn and head for the door. Normally when family drama got too heavy you would call Grace but how in the hell could you explain all of this. She would think you were a madman and you were starting to believe that she’d be right. You march straight out of the library and barging right past a waiting Ciara. You shoo her away as she asks if you needed anything. Walking with speed and purpose you make your way back to the main entry hall where the paintings of your ancestors, great witches and warlocks all you were sure, looked down at their ungifted descendant with grim faces. You swear you could sense their disappointment. Taking the stairs two at a time you hurry back the way you’d come before the big reveal. You meet Trixie along the way waddling around as the video game character Kirby, clearly trying to get a laugh from you, but you just keep going with barely a glance her way.

“Hey, wanna talk?” She calls after you. “I have a birthday present for you.”

“Leave me alone monster!” You snap. Stepping back into your bedroom you slam the door behind you. Leaning back against the door you steady your breathing.

Outside the door you hear your little sister sulk away and you feel kinda terrible for treating her like that. She was just trying to cheer you up. You peer back out to apologize but she is already gone. With a frustrated sigh you close the door once more and lock it. You say again. “I can’t handle this right now.”

You look across to yourself in the big mirror. All dressed up for what you believed would be the best night of your life. All of the fantasies of independent wealth, power, and influence evaporated like the morning fog exposed to the full heat of the sun. The reality had been a nightmare. You pull off your vest and throw it into the corner. You remove your tie and unbutton your collar then keep unbuttoning your shirt. Perhaps some some sleep would clear your head. Perhaps it would allow you to wake from this awful dream. You get into your pajamas and turn off the light allowing pure pale moonlight to stream in from the big window.

Approaching the window you stare out over the front garden to the deep dark woods that stretched out through the family property for miles. The distant howl of a wolf sends a shiver down your spine. Or was it a werewolf? Your brother Bron. Another sigh, another shake of the head, and you close the heavy curtains. In the dark you navigate your room and crawl into bed.

Lying there wide awake you stare up into the darkness feeling more alone than you had ever felt in your life.