Next Generation (Part Two)

Part 1

I stood there in shock, not believing what I saw. "C-Could you leave us alone for a second?" I said not looking away. "Sure" I heard Olivia saying not quite sure about the situation. I didn't know if I should be angry or happy to see her. After what happened, she probably wanted to keep me save, but it still was something I couldn't believe that she really did it to me. My sister. I looked at her with a hurt expression, she tried to smile, but she failed. "What are you doing here?" I asked quiet. She was about to answer as Iris came running down the stairs next to me. She stopped and walked up to Sasha. "Mama who is that?" Sasha's look saddened, she looked hurt. But then she showed a painful smile. I was confused, was it because I never told them about her?

"That's Sasha, my sister, your Aunt." I looked at her, not trusting what was happening. Iris had a big bright smile. "Really?!" I nodded at her, and she jumped. She clung onto Sasha and they laughed a bit. Having Iris and Sasha standing next to each other; makes it clear how similar they look, both having black hair, but other than Sasha, Iris had green eyes. That I never got reminded of Sasha, I must really have repressed her. I never was sure if I should hate or miss her. "Iris honey, I think the others are waiting for you to open your presents." Her face brightened up, she grabbed Sasha's hand and dragged her in the living room.

I sighed, but I was relieved that Iris liked her. I followed them and Iris sat next to the boys opening her new stuff. Sasha stood in the doorway leaned on with her shoulder, and watching them. I tapped her on the shoulder, she turned around and I said "Can we talk?" I pointed in the kitchen direction. She looked behind and then nodded. "I ask you again, why are you here?"

"Is it wrong to visit my sister?" I looked away. "But I think you're still angry because of back then, am I right?"

"Well what a shitty action was that?"

"You know why I left you, and you are happy, aren't you?"

"I would be happier knowing that my sister is alive, and I mean all the time."

"I know, I'm here because I wanted to see how you are doing, you have a family, friends, a house, you have your own life." She pointed at the room around her, meaning the house.

"You are, too, my family, you are 5 minutes here and Iris already loves you. Don't you think it would be nice if you would stay?" she looked away; I knew she wasn't ready for something like settling down.

"I, I can't do that."

"If you can't stay, then at least visit." Her face looked up, as if she never thought about it.

"Come at least once a year, come, come at Iris' birthday, and promise me this." Hesitating but then nodding we hugged. I missed having my sister around, I love my life, but I wished that she would be a part of it.

We went in the living room to the others, Sasha talked with Antoine and Olivia, they seemed to get along as Iris jumped over to her and dragged her to her presents. It has been a while since I saw Sasha smiling like this. Looking at her, I realized that I never knew anything about her, I never found out what was going on in these woods, why she disappeared, or who these people were. "Mama, where's Grinny?" Sasha stared at me, "You still have that cat?"

"Outside." They all ran out of the house in the backyard. "Well, she doesn't seem to get any older."

"It's not surprising; she already was in this world when I was at Iris' age. This cat won't die." She smiled, I knew, although she never told me, that she loved this cliché family life.

In the late afternoon, Olivia left and said goodbye to everyone. Sasha was about to leave, too, as Iris asked her if she really had to go. She bent down to her and said "I'm sorry, but I have to go to my own home, someone's waiting there for me." I flinched as she said that there is someone waiting for her, did she say this because of Iris, or was there really someone?

She touched Iris' nose and the little girl smiled. "Bye Miss Sasha!" said Connor, waving her. "Alright, see you next time sis, and Antoine," she said his name in a serious tone. He flinched. Her glare was piercing through him. "Thank you." She smiled and walked out of the door.

Ten years later

Iris POV

It was already afternoon and Sasha still wasn't here. "Goddamn where is she?" I didn't really see her as an aunt, she was more like the high school friend of my mum, aunt Olivia wasn't much different, she was the one you called if you wanted to do something mum wouldn't allow. But Sasha, she was weird, I liked it, something new in this boring city, when I was little she told me stories about people living in the woods, people not like us, but she always said it would just be a story she heard somewhere, saying that it probably wasn't true, but I still was interested. I knew mum would've killed her, if she would know that Sasha told me such stories, that's why she always denied that they were real. We had a house near the woods, from my window I could see them, there was a street between it, so it didn't look as creepy as it would without. I began to watch my mum's sister when she came and left, she always would walk into the woods. I just couldn't understand why, it really caught my interest. Mum didn't allow me to go in the woods, something was going on, she always feared that I wouldn't come back home, and every time my dad said so, I had to think about the stories about the people living there.

"Iris, can you please come down for a minute!" I stopped gazing out of the window and walked downstairs to my mum.

"Yeah?" she pointed at the door and I was prepared for the typical warning that I shouldn't do anything stupid, because they probably would want to go out. "Someone left this for you." Instead of telling me what I shouldn't do, she handed me a present. "From who?"

"Don't know, it lay there as I opened the door, and your name stood on it." I thanked her and walked up in my room again; I sat on my bed and opened it.

The first thing was note "You cannot escape your fate" below this was drawn a circle with an X through it. It scared the shit out of me, mostly because I have no idea what this was about. In the box were a camera and a photo. It was a photo with a little girl in the middle, behind her were standing two men, one really tall with no face and white skin, the other was a clown without color, it seemed like a black and white picture, but the girl wore a blue dress, and on the ground was a cat, looking similar to Grinny, the cat my mother already had before I came here.

"What the hell?" I looked a bit closer and thought of recognizing her, she looked like Sasha. My eyes widen. I glanced at the camera, it was already old and rusty, I took it and turned it on. There were a few videos on it, I clicked at the first one 'OK'. It was really dark so I didn't see much, but I think this was filmed in the woods, the taker moved all the time. Then there was a guy with a flashlight, his mouth moved, but I hadn't turned on the tone. He looked to his left and found a note on a tree; his expression was scared and shocked. He looked around, as if he would check if he was watched. This went on for a while until he stood still, he let the flashlight fall to the ground, the camera came close to him, it was now from behind him filmed. He seemed to stare at something, at first I couldn't see anything, but then the thing walked in the light. It was a tall man, he wore a suit and had no face, from his back were coming black tentacles. It was the man from the photo. Suddenly he came closer and got faster, on his face was a mouth, like one of a wolf, it had sharp teeth and the tongue was really long, then he attacked him and his tentacles went through the guy's body.

I clapped the camera screen and threw it at the end of the room. I didn't want to see anything further. I looked at the note again, was this going to happen with me too? Or was this just a sick joke? I normally would think 'ha ha really funny assholes' but since I saw the photo I got scared.