𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

  𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 open making me look up. Olive came inside my room with a grin on her face, a mischievous grin. I knew she was up to no good.

"Wanna take a ride? Got dads keys." Olive said dangling them in my view. I gave her a knowing smile nodding as she tossed them to me.
—
"After two years or so the house was exactly the same. It was like this sad museum and the shrink said we needed to let go and mom was a wreck and I..." Olive said trailing off as we walked through a storage building

"Liv, if you weren't a wreck anymore after two years, I'd say that sounded pretty healthy." I said looking at her as she shook her head.

"Wasn't it. I knew Cal wasn't dead." Olive breathed as I slowed my walking a bit staring at her.

"You did?" I asked before I continued my walking pace looking at my sister, my heels clicking on the hard ground.

"I don't know if it was some kind of twin thing, but I could—feel him...alive. and the therapist, the counselors at school, mom, everyone blew it off, blew me off, but I knew." She said as she walked in front of me.

"Okay. Does this connect to why were in a pretty gross- smelling storage facility on Long Island?" I questioned scrunching my face.

"Mom listened to the shrink, okay? Sh- she packed all dad and Cals stuff away in boxes, she couldn't bring herself to packing all of yours so she only packed some and left it on the curb for Salvation Army and then went to work." Olive sighed out annoyed slightly. "I called, and I cancelled the pickup." Olive said as we stood in front of one of the storage doors.

"Well, if you've had his stuff all this time, why didn't you say something?" I asked confused.

"It's complicated. Mom doesn't know about any of this." She said lifting up the door to show all the boxes having the little light turn on

I walked in slowly seeing a box that had my name on it with lots of other boxes, Cal, and my dad's. I sighed with disgust and I turned to Olive.

"Olive, whose locker is this?" I said staring at football gear on the side of the wall as she ignored me. "Olive?" I repeated.

"You know." She said simply as we stared each other.

"Oh her friend." I said as I nodded and she stared at me, frowning with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Olivia." She sobbed as she pulled me in a hug having me feel her tears fall on my shirt.

"It's okay. You did the right thing, I probably would've done the same if I had a twin it's okay. I'm not mad, not at you." I whispered. "I'm telling dad about him." I said as she nodded before I grunted hearing that eerie music play.

"Hey, are you—are you okay?" Olive asked staring at me clutch my head in pain.

"Stay here, okay? Stay here." I said seriously grabbing a bat I saw on the floor. I ran out at a pace I wouldn't fall since I had heels on.

I walked closer to where the music was coming from, hall to hall hearing it play louder. It became louder as I turned a corner. I turned the last corner, and it stopped having me hold up the bat and walk slowly.

"Hello?" I heard a mans voice say. "Y-yeah, meet me in the back." He said as I walked slowly seeing a man standing there on the phone. "Yeah, uh, watches, diamond rings, bracelets. Fine. Yeah. I'll take 10, but you got to get this stuff out of state people are looking for it." He said turning to see me making his eyes widen as I realized that was the man from the jewelry spot. "whoa. How did you—" he said hanging up the phone as he stared at me. "W— it's not what it looks like." He stuttered as I smiled shaking my head.

"You robbed your own father and blamed Adio." I said disapprovingly as he looked at all the stuff scared.

"You can take half of this. Seriously. Come on. I mean, that kid was going nowhere. He was just a—" he said before I swung that bat at him having him grunt loudly falling onto to the floor.

I breathed heavily as I stared at the man on the ground before pulling out my phone and calling the cops. When the police got here they arrested the man having me stand there with my aunt Michaela since I had called her.

"Still don't believe in miracles?" Michaela asked turning away from me as I listened to the police radio chatter. "This is everything Adio was accused of stealing and more." Michaela said surprised as I heard an engine start to the police car "How?" She asked eyeing me

"I don't want to talk about it." I breathed shaking my head to my aunt.

"Why? 'Cause then you'd have to admit something miraculous is going on here?" My aunt asked now standing next to me as I sighed annoyed.

"Look, there's definitely something going on, but even if it isn't just some series of coincidences, which it could still be, there has to be an explanation." I stated.

"And Gods not good enough for you?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Gods a catchall for things people don't understand. And sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I said as she rolled her eyes. "We just... need more information Michaela." I reasoned as she laughed slightly.

"Right. Technology. Magic. Gotcha." She said as Olive came over to us.

"Guys, can we go?" She asked holding a box of Cals stuff.

"Yes I would love to go my feet are killing me." I said walking away from my aunt to my sister who smiled at me having my aunt follow us as we walked to my dad's car.
—
I definitely believe in miracles. God above all my friends. He works in mysterious ways.
September 2, 2021
Dec 2, 2024