Twinsies: Double Trouble

Chapter 10

The digital alarm clock on the nightstand blinked 2:37 AM, its red numbers casting a faint glow in the darkness of the Creel twins' bedroom. Valerie lay awake, her mind racing with thoughts of Kirsten, the Great Church, and the web of mysteries they'd found themselves tangled in. Beside her, Brittany's soft, rhythmic breathing indicated she'd finally managed to fall asleep.

A sudden scraping sound at the window made Valerie bolt upright. Her heart pounding, she squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the source of the noise. There it was again – a definite tapping, followed by what sounded like... whispered voices?

"Britt," Valerie hissed, shaking her sister's shoulder. "Britt, wake up!"

Brittany stirred groggily. "Hmm? What's wrong?"

Before Valerie could answer, the window slid open with a soft creak. Both girls froze, watching in shock as a familiar figure climbed through and stumbled into their room.

"Kirsten?" Brittany gasped, fumbling to turn on the bedside lamp.

In the sudden flood of light, they saw their friend clearly for the first time in weeks. Kirsten looked terrible – her clothes were dirty and torn, her usually sleek blonde hair tangled and matted. Dark circles ringed her eyes, which darted nervously around the room.

"Oh my god, Kirsten!" Valerie exclaimed, jumping out of bed. "Where have you been? We've been worried sick!"

Kirsten held up a trembling hand. "Please," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Keep your voices down. I... I need your help. I wanted to be closer to God, but the Enlightened Ones... they're a cult. Can I hide here?"

Valerie and Brittany exchanged a look of shock and confusion. Valerie felt a surge of anger rising in her chest. "Hide here? Kirsten, do you have any idea what we've been through? We've been searching for you for weeks! We broke into a sanitarium, we—"

"Val," Brittany cut in softly, placing a hand on her sister's arm. She turned to Kirsten, her expression a mix of concern and wariness. "Kirsten, what happened? What do you mean, they're a cult?"

Kirsten sank to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. "I thought... I thought they had answers. About life, about purpose. But it's all lies. They twist everything, make you doubt yourself, cut you off from everyone you love. And when you try to leave..." She shuddered, unable to finish the sentence.

Valerie's anger softened slightly at the sight of her friend's obvious distress. She knelt down beside Kirsten. "Why didn't you come to us sooner? We could have helped you."

Kirsten shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "I couldn't. They were watching. Always watching. But I had to get away. I can't go back there."

Brittany joined them on the floor, wrapping an arm around Kirsten's shoulders. "Of course you can stay here. We'll figure this out together."

Valerie nodded reluctantly. "Okay. But in the morning, we're going to the police. This has gone on long enough."

Kirsten's eyes widened in panic. "No! No police. Please. You don't understand. They have people everywhere. It's not safe."

"Alright, alright," Brittany soothed. "No police. Not yet. Let's just get some rest, okay? We can talk more in the morning."

They managed to get Kirsten settled on a makeshift bed of blankets on the floor. As they all drifted off to an uneasy sleep, Valerie couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't right.

The next morning, Valerie woke to the sound of her mother calling up the stairs. "Girls! Breakfast!"

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, then froze as the events of the night before came rushing back. She looked to the floor where Kirsten had been sleeping, but the blankets were empty and neatly folded.

"Britt," Valerie said urgently, shaking her sister awake. "Britt, wake up. Kirsten's gone."

Brittany bolted upright, looking around in confusion. "What? But... how? When?"

They searched the room, finding no trace of Kirsten save for a small piece of paper tucked under the window. On it, in Kirsten's familiar handwriting, were the words: "I'm sorry. I can't put you in danger. Thank you for everything. – K"

The twins stared at the note, a mix of emotions swirling between them – confusion, frustration, worry.

"What is going on?" Brittany whispered, voicing the question that was foremost in both their minds.

Before Valerie could respond, their mother's voice called up again, this time with a note of urgency. "Valerie! Brittany! Come down here, please. Officer Chen is here."

The girls exchanged a look of alarm before hurrying downstairs. In the living room, they found their mother, Susan Creel, sitting on the couch, her face pale and drawn. Beside her stood Officer Chen, his expression grave.

"Girls," Susan said, her voice shaky, "Officer Chen has some... news about Kirsten."

Valerie felt a chill run down her spine. "What is it? Did you find her?"

Officer Chen cleared his throat, his dark eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm afraid I have some difficult news. Early this morning, we received a call from a hiker in Millwood Forest. They'd discovered... remains."

Brittany gasped, grabbing Valerie's hand. "Remains? You don't mean..."

"I'm so sorry," Officer Chen continued, his voice gentle but firm. "We've made a preliminary identification based on personal effects found at the scene. We believe the remains are those of Kirsten Novak."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. Valerie felt her knees go weak, and she sank onto the couch beside her mother. Brittany remained standing, shaking her head in denial.

"No," Brittany said, her voice barely above a whisper. "No, that's impossible. Kirsten was here. Last night. She was in our room!"

Officer Chen's brow furrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Susan turned to her daughters, shock written across her face. "Girls, what is Brittany talking about?"

Valerie looked between her sister, her mother, and Officer Chen, her mind reeling. How could Kirsten be dead when they'd just seen her hours ago? Unless...

"I... we must have been dreaming," Valerie said slowly, squeezing Brittany's hand in warning. "We've been so worried about Kirsten, I guess our minds were playing tricks on us."

Brittany opened her mouth as if to protest, but something in Valerie's expression made her stop. She nodded weakly. "Right. A dream. It felt so real, but... it must have been a dream."

Officer Chen looked at them sympathetically. "That's understandable. Grief can manifest in strange ways. We'll need you both to come down to the station later to give statements about the last time you saw Kirsten. The real last time," he added gently.

As Officer Chen spoke with their mother about the next steps in the investigation, Valerie and Brittany huddled together, their minds whirling with questions.

"Val," Brittany whispered, her voice trembling, "what's happening? Kirsten was here. We both saw her. Talked to her."

Valerie shook her head, her eyes dark with worry and confusion. "I don't know, Britt. But something is very, very wrong. And I think we're in way over our heads."

As the reality of Kirsten's death settled over the Creel household like a heavy shroud, Valerie and Brittany found themselves facing a chilling new mystery. Was the Kirsten they saw last night a ghost? A hallucination? Or was something far more sinister at play?

One thing was certain – the truth about Kirsten Novak's fate was far from clear. And uncovering that truth might put the Creel twins in more danger than they could possibly imagine.