Within Grim Wedlock

Chapter Two: Adulthood Fiona

“I’m home! I’m finally home!” She cried, running through the paved streets, her bare feet becoming colder as the rain increased, drenching her.

What a strange feeling it was for her to finally enter the town of Dawnville. The town she avoided for years with no specific reason. There must've been one, Fiona could just never put her finger on it. After all, it had been years since she was a kid. The last year she’d spent here was when she was eighteen, after that she left as soon as she could. Now she returned in 2007, only to see not much had changed. But being home didn’t bring her a feeling of comfort. It brought a sort of pain and uneasiness upon her. A feeling she couldn’t shake off as much as she tried.

Just a moment ago she’d been happily shouting her return home as she raced down the streets, likely awakening the sleeping residents. Well, who was left that is. Dawnville had decreased greatly in population since she was a child, everyone began moving the same year she did ... Deep down she felt as if she knew the reason. It was on the tip of her tongue ready to slide off but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. What took place? What had happened all those years ago? How was she involved? And more importantly, what was she doing back here in the middle of the night…she had a family back home.

A life even. Once her friends had all moved away, her life seemed to renew itself. She never skipped school again, and graduated at the top of her classes as valedictorian. That earned her a scholarship to an amazing university where she took multiple courses to give her the qualifications and knowledge to pursue criminal psychology. She had a longing to figure out what it was that made serial killers and psychopaths snap. There was a reason, a reason she had no memory of. But there was definitely something that made her tied to the degree she chose. She wasn’t scared of people like that, more intrigued. She’d always felt a connection to people’s minds. It was as if she had a gift.

She had met a lovely guy while out clubbing after she’d graduated university to celebrate the new chapter in her life. Cam was his name. She’d gone out with a few of her campus friends and their boyfriends. They spent the whole night chatting over drinks and laughing at seemingly anything. They had shared interests. While she was aiming to be a criminal psychologist, he was aiming to get a job involving criminal sociology. She was interested in the individual person’s mind, he was interested in how they thought as a group and why they made similar decisions

They went on a few more dates after the club, eventually getting married two years later and not wasting any time to have kids. Nine months after their wedding night, she had birthed three beautiful triplets. 2 girls, one boy. Ellen, Harriet and Nelson. She had always wanted to name her children those names since she was a teenager, she never could figure out why.

She paused for a moment, looking around her in confusion. It seemed as if she was having a moment of clarity about what she’d done. The reason she’d come was a bit strange to her, this whole thing was.

It had started with the dreams…dreams of a white house, the paint peeling off the sides. A worn down house, seemingly old. Perhaps from the Victorian era? She recalled it being huge, a mansion even. But an abandoned one, a dusty and dirty one. A place seemingly unsuitable for living…for regular people that is. 

She quickly shook her head in disbelief as she fell to her knees, shaking slightly. What was with these thoughts popping into her head. Not a suitable place of living for regular people? But she distinctively remembered staying there…. With others. Who was it? Natalie Jefferies…Tyler Lockhart and Anthony Portman! Her childhood friends! She remembered them! There had to be others. She knew there was. But someone was definitely missing from the friend group she recalled.

Ellie. Eloise Grace Simmons. Ellie…that's who. 

She ran to the old ice cream parlor, stopping in her tracks when she saw the fence.