|Doppelgänger| Five Hargreeves

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟏

 After about an hour of traveling around in subways and buses, I finally arrived at the address I remembered. The house still looked exactly the same, just a bit more affected by time. The neighborhood wasn't very known so it didn't surprise me that the plot wasn't bought out by some random company for all those years. I still had to know if the residents were also still the same.

The nervousness I felt before was now increased by at least triple the amount. My legs didn't feel stable enough to carry me, and yet, I was standing. My heart felt like it would give out if I took one more step, and yet, I was walking towards the door.

I reached my hand to knock on the door, since it was missing a doorbell. Just then I realized both my hands were shaking. It wasn't noticeable from a distance, at least, so hopefully, I wouldn't look weird. Finally, I knocked three times on the carved wood.

It didn't take too long for me to be answered, but it definitely felt like ages. I had to gather some courage to look at the person who was now in front of me, but when I did, I was surprised. Not in the way I thought I'd be.

An elderly woman stood by the door. She was a bit shorter than me, her hair already gray from her age and up in a bun, wearing the clothes you'd expect a sweet old lady to wear. But something about her face, her eyes, looked so familiar. I already knew why I had that feeling.

_"Hello, sweetie. May I help you?"-She asked, her voice soft with care but hoarse, like she wasn't used to talking much, or was already too weak to do it. I couldn't answer her immediately. My brain was still putting words together. She only patiently waited, almost as if she understood what was happening. But I knew that wasn't possible.

_"Uh, I, uhm...I'm looking for someone."-I managed to spill a few words out. But I soon realized that was not enough information for her to understand me.

_"...I'm looking for Annelise. Annelise Windsor. Does she live here?"-The lady suddenly looked shocked, at a loss for words like I was just a few seconds ago. She opened the door a little more, and stepped aside.

_"Would you like to come in, dear?"-Usually, that would be a very bad idea. Entering a stranger's house, looking as defenseless as a kid, literally. But she sounded like she wanted to give this conversation actual attention, so she needed us to sit down.

I entered the house, whispering an "excuse me", and took a moment to look around the living room. The decoration...Was the same. The house was a bit messier, more objects lying around, more books, more plants, but not in a dirty way. More of a "someone lives here comfortably" kind of way. It was relaxing, heartwarming.

_"Take a seat wherever you like, dear. Would you like some tea?"-She asked, a calm smile on her face, making wrinkles under her eyes.

_"...I'd like some coffee, if that's okay."

_"Coffee isn't good for someone as young as you! But you're a lucky girl, I made too much just before you arrived, I wouldn't want it to go to waste."-The house did have a delicious aroma of coffee and fresh cookie batter. It was the kind of smell you'd love to wake up to.

After just a couple minutes, she came back to the living room. I took a seat at a green armchair that sat at the corner, another one the same color and design directly in front of me, with a coffee table in the middle. She put a cute pink cup in front of me.

_"Hope it's to your liking. I can put some sugar or milk in it, if you wish."-She said, in a tone of question. I shook my head, smiling sympathetically.

_"It's okay, this is good."-I answered.

We stayed a few seconds in silence, me enjoying my beverage. She watched me with care, her eyes having some sort of melancholy in them, although her sweet smile was still on her face. I wondered what she was thinking of. Maybe how to answer my question? Maybe she was pitying me, thinking I was crazy because she never heard the name I said before? It was difficult to think with the anxiety I was feeling, even though the whole ambience was making it a bit less worse.