What Was Once Mine ~ A TPQ Horror/Amnesia AU

3: Completely Screwed If This Is Private Property

Aru chewed her thumbnail as she stared out the window, watching as the bright blue sky disappeared under a canopy of trees. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but thick trees and darkness. She watched as the last rays of sunlight were finally gone, replaced by the eerie silence of a forest.

She would've liked to drive here alone instead of hiring a taxi driver. She would've preferred not letting anyone know about where she was going. But of course, driving scared her.

Ever since the accident...

Aru shook her head quickly, trying not to let her mind wander towards that day. She didn't remember anything about how it had happened, of course. But her mind could vaguely remember how she had felt when she opened her eyes, surrounded by bright, blinding lights, oblivious to the fact that she was bedridden in a hospital, and the panic that had swelled up inside of her once her doctors had referred to her as Aru. And she remembered how the words had come out of her mouth before her brain had even registered them.

"Who's Aru?"

And then there was utter chaos. After diagnosing Aru, the doctors hadn't really known what to do with her, especially since she'd had no known family. And then there had been this huge thing where they had to go through her files and find her address and-

"Ma'am?" Aru's head shot up. The driver in the front, a young woman, stared at her through the rearview mirror. Aru stared back, noticing her bright green eyes with tiny flecks of gray, like dewdrops on grass. "Um, I believe this is your destination, Miss."

Aru quickly took her thumb nail out of her mouth, unaware of how aggressively she had been chewing it. She sighed as she watched some blood seep out of a fresh cut.

Oh well.

Aru redirected her gaze to the window that was farther away from her, on the other side of the vehicle, and her lips parted slightly and the sight of her home.

Home was an understatement. It was a freaking mansion.

The thing was about three floors tall, and probably even had a basement and attic. Just by the looks of it, Aru could tell that there had to be at least seven bedrooms in there. At least.

If she was being honest, though, she'd expected it to be... Full. Lively and bustling with what used to be her family. Instead, it was worn out, like an old beast too tired to live its life. Cobwebs had formed all around it, and some parts looked ready to collapse. It was a total contradiction to what she'd been wanting to see.

False hope, a part of her brain whispered. She frowned at the disappointment that pooled up inside of her, but took a deep breath and pushed the car door open anyways. She adjusted her beanie and braced herself as the cold air hit her face. She took a minute to gaze at the house... Well, her house. Aru let her brain register the fact that she used to live in a mansion. Why would her mother leave this?

What had her house even looked like when it was full of her family members? Was it lively and cheerful? Were there Christmas carols and family dinners and movie nights? Were they... Happy?

But then again, if they were so happy, why would her mother have moved into the city?

And... Where the heck were they?

While unanswerable questions were filling her mind, she barely registered the fact that the driver, named Sherrilyn, as she'd heard, was carefully taking all Aru's luggage out of the trunk. The loud sound of the trunk being slammed shut bought Aru back to her senses, and she turned to face the other woman. Sherrilyn grinned at her, some confusion evident on her face.

"Are you sure this is where you want to stay, Ma'am?" Sherrilyn cast a worried glance at the mansion, which obviously seemed like it would collapse any second, and then looked back at Aru.

"I'll be alright," Aru replied, offering the woman her friendliest smile, "And call me Aru." The other woman just nodded.

"You won't spend the night here, though, right Aru?" She asked, "Definitely doesn't seem safe."

Aru felt her smile grow a little wider. It had been a while since someone other than Mini had shown her any concern.

"Oh, no, I definitely won't. Do you know any hotel nearby, Sherrilyn?"

"There's one nearby, actually. Right by the edge of the woods," Sherrilyn made some hand gestures and pointed to the direction that they had come from. Aru offered her what she hoped was a formal–looking nod.

"Thank you. You should be on your way, now, Sherrilyn. You definitely have some others waiting, don't you?"

"Yes Ma'am," She grinned. Aru watched as she got back in the car, offered Aru a playful salute (which she gladly returned) and drove off, heading back into the sunlight.

First your therapist, now your driver, Aru thought a little giddily, what's next, Shah, a random photographer or something?

She snorted just thinking about how weird her interactions with people were. Aru really did have an interesting way of making friends. She pushed the thought aside for now and redirected her gaze towards the house, tightly grasping the handle of her suitcase and strap of her backpack. Aru took a step forward.

Probably shouldn't be doing this.

Another step.

What if someone actually still owns this house though?

Another step.

Oh, screw it. My family owned it first, though, didn't they?

Another step.

...But where did they even go?

She took another step, finally reaching the stairs of the porch. The wood creaked underneath her.

Oh my gods, is this private property?

Another two steps.

Is this even legal?

She took another step and paused in her tracks, face-to-face with the door of the mansion.

Oh, screw it.

She extended her hand and grasped the handle.

When have you ever wanted to do anything legal?

And with a deep breath, Aru twisted the knob.