It's Complicated

Prologue

"Secrets. That is what this world comes down to, does it not? Every living person, young or old, has at least one secret. Things they didn't do when they should have, things they shouldn't have done at all. Things they know or are part of, that nobody else knows about. We all have our secrets. The hardest part about it all, is figuring out who knows about them, who you can tell. But even more so, keeping the secrets from the people that you love." Embry Call, 2011.

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The rain was coming down in a blinding sheet as the young girl staggered down the sidewalk alone. Her long, usually wavy, blond hair was plastered to her back. Her tattered clothes were soaked through, and they clung to her body. When a strong, cold wind blew down the street, she began shivering again.

The main road she found herself on was dark and lifeless, not a single person on the street or sidewalk. It was a good thing, because she didn’t want people questioning why an eleven year old girl was wandering the streets alone. The buildings on all sides of her that never surpassed five stories tall all seemed lifeless too. The traffic light ahead continuously cycled from green to yellow to red, shedding a bit of light on the barren street. There were no distinguishing features in the city, so she was not quite sure where she was. But something felt right about it to her.

She veered off of the main road and walked down a little side street, trying to find a place to sleep through the night. Anywhere dry would have been nice. She stopped in front of what looked like an old apartment building. It was three stories tall and was coated in a water-stained white paint that was chipping in several places. All of the windows were dark and motionless. Maybe I could sleep in a hallway, she thought.

She walked up the small steps to the front door. As she twisted the door knob and pushed the door, she quickly realized it was jammed. She threw her body against the door once, twice, and it flew open.

There was a white hallway lined with red doors, five doors on each side. At the end of the hallway was a staircase that led up to the next floor. Her worn down shoes squeaked on the cracked tile floor when she walked in and closed the door behind her, making it completely dark. Standing in the doorway, she adjusted her vision to the darkness. The tile by the door gave way to tramped down carpet covered in mud footprints. The ceiling was covered in water stains, and there was even a hole with insulation hanging out. She noticed a light switch on the opposite wall by the stairs and made her way over to it. When she flicked on the light, the light fixture above her flickered on for a second before bursting and showering her in little sparks. She jumped back with a yelp when a few sparks burned her skin. Rubbing the now red marks on her arm, she walked back down the hallway.

“Hello?” she called into the hallway, her voice sounding like a croak. “Is anyone here?” she yelled. No reply. I guess I’m the only one insane enough to spend a night in this building, she thought. She walked down the hallway, the floor creaking and moaning with every step.

She froze when she heard an odd noise. It sounded like a something vibrating followed by a short beep. It was coming from behind her. She spun around, but no one was there. But, sitting on the first step of the wooden staircase she had just walked by was a phone. She walked over to the phone, her eyes flashing side to side, making sure no one else was there.

She picked up the phone. It was a really nice, seemingly new, touch-screen cell phone. Underneath the phone was a key. She picked up the silver key and turned it around in her hands. Nothing was written or carved into it, minus the notches carved into the side, assigning this key to a specific lock.

The phone vibrated again and made her jump in surprise. She looked at the screen that was so bright, she found herself squinting trying to read the screen. When she tapped it, there was small writing that read: