A Collection of Short Stories

4. Grace

I opened my eyes and I saw them. My so-called parents. Natalie and James Henderson. They were here after they heard I got into an accident. But they weren't my real parents. They died in the car crash. My memories were finally coming back to me, but I had to pretend that I didn't know anything so I could find out who these people were and what happened to my real family.

They were sitting beside my bed, talking with Dr. Hayes about the accident. She told my parents how I suffered severe blunt force trauma to the head and permanent brain damage. That part was true, but not the part where I lost my memory. I still remembered everything. The car crashing, the sound of glass breaking, and Isabella screaming right before she died. I remember Natalie plunging a knife right into Isabella's chest. She thought I wouldn't remember, but I did.

I just acted as if everything was normal and we were one big, happy family. I pretended not to remember anything. Where I lived, who I was, who my parents were, nothing. Not even my own sister. They told me stories about Isabella, and showed me pictures of us together while I was still in the hospital. I just smiled and laughed as they told me funny stories of us and how Bella would always annoy me, but I didn't let them brainwash me. I held on to what I knew. That these people were not my parents and that they did something to them.

We spent the next two hours looking through family photos and telling stories before I eventually got to go home. They let me out that same day because I was getting a lot better on my own. I continued with the memory games as Dr. Hayes told me just so they wouldn't suspect anything.

But whenever I had the chance, I tried to find something on Natalie and James. A stolen passport, a restraining order, but I never found anything. Not yet, at least.

We arrived home about thirty minutes later. The street we lived on and even the house were completely different. No kids running around the street playing and rarely any cars passed. It seemed very...isolated. Perfect to kill someone. No one hears you scream. It seemed like a place Natalie and James would like.

"Grace, we're home. Aren't you happy?" Natalie asked me.

"Yeah. It's a really nice house. I love it."

"I thought you would. We're so happy to have you home." I sure wasn't.

"Why don't you go upstairs and we'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Okay. Sure."

I was thrilled to go upstairs. I would go anywhere to get away from them. This was my chance. Maybe I could find something. I didn't know where a single room was in this house, but one room caught my eye. It was the farthest and towards the end of the hallway. Of course, the door was locked. They wouldn't be stupid enough to leave the door open. They knew I would go in there. They were smart. I would just have to wait until Nat and James were asleep so I could sneak in. It may be a bad idea, but I didn't have a choice.

I had dinner with them in complete silence. They would occasionally try to make small talk in an attempt to 'grow closer' and 'be there for me.' As if I needed people who murdered for a living.

I would respond with the basic 'I'm fine,' and 'That sounds cool,' just so they wouldn't wonder why I was so silent. In my head, I was going over the plan. Nat and James would be asleep. I would sneak out of my room and go to the room that was locked. I would pick the lock, and I was in. Seems easy, right? It did, at first. But I could've never prepared myself for what I saw in that room.

It all went according to plan. At first. I snuck out, careful not to wake them up. I used a bobby pin to pick the lock and I slowly opened the door. What I saw next shocked me to the core. I turned on the light, and there were hundreds, if not thousands of pictures of another girl all over the walls. It was almost like a shrine dedicated to her. Who was she? And why did they have pictures of her?