Jovial Memories

Chapter 33

            Mandy anxiously paced around the downstairs, impatiently awaiting the arrival of Roy and Iris. It had been nearly an hour since she texted them now, and the temptation to open the box grew greater with each passing minute. But she knew she couldn't open it. She had to wait for Roy and Iris. It was only fair after all the help they'd given her.

Mandy had already lied to her mother about how Roy and Iris were only coming over to help her with some last-minute homework though she wasn't sure if her mother bought the whole story or not. She wasn't too pleased that Mandy was informing her of it last minute.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and Mandy jumped, surprised by the noise. She quickly made her way to the door and opened it to find Roy. It was a chilly day, and gray clouds floated across the sky. Roy had on a thick black coat which he held tightly to his body as the wind howled around him.

"Where's Iris?" Mandy asked.

"I just talked to her. She said she'd be here in a few," Roy assured her. "Can I step inside?"

Mandy nodded, feeling guilty for leaving him out in the wind, and she let him in her house.

"Hello, Roy!" Mandy's mother called.

"Hello," he replied.

"We're going upstairs to start," Mandy told her mother. "Will you send Iris up when she gets here?"

"All right," her mother replied.

Mandy led Roy up the stairs and into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

"So, what's going on? Is it what I think it is?" Roy asked.

Mandy silently grabbed the small key from her pocket and held it in front of him. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked to find that Mandy had placed the box on her bed.

"Where did you find it?" he asked.

"Inside one of my photo albums," Mandy explained. "I, um, used to take photos a lot before Jessie's death. She must've slipped it in there without me knowing one time."

"So you had it all along?" Roy asked.

Mandy nodded.

The doorbell rang once more, and after a few moments, there were footsteps coming up the stairs. Iris flew the door open, looking at them bewildered.

"What's going on? Are we doing it early?" she asked. When her eyes fell on the key still held tightly in Mandy's hand, she relaxed and gasped.

"You found the key!" she exclaimed.

"Sh!" Mandy warned. "My mom thinks we're doing homework."

"Where did you find it?" Iris asked, inspecting it. Mandy once again told her the same thing she told Roy, and Iris nodded, a wide smile spread across her face.

"Have you opened the box yet?" Roy wondered.

Mandy shook her head. "I thought it was only fair you two were with me to open it since you offered so much help looking for the key. Plus, I don't know what's inside, and I don't know if I'm ready for it yet."

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Iris exclaimed. "Open it!"

Mandy felt her heart begin to beat quicker, and she slowly sat down on her bed and grabbed the box, her hands shaking with each passing second. She slowly placed the key in the keyhole and wondered if the key would even work. Perhaps this was a different key, and perhaps then Mandy would be spared from whatever was inside.