Waking Shadows

Chapter 15 Face to face with truth

Chapter 15

Face to face with truth

We stood before the door, deciding what would be the best way to start the conversation. With a burst of bated excitement, I lunged myself onto Lyndon, wrapping my arms around him. He clung on tightly.

“Whatever happens we still have each other,” I spoke quietly into his ear. He didn’t say anything, but when I pulled away, I saw pain in his eyes. The feeling it gave me left no more room for words. Now it was time to focus on Rosalyn. I closed my eyes and said one last prayer to Skyler, asking him to build courage and strength for all of us, and to make this union go the best way it could. I opened them to Lyndon’s troubled face. He realised I’d seen and looked away from me. I felt scared that we’d not spoken about what was worrying him. It was obvious something was. He knocked 3 raps on the door and we waited. My heart was beating anxiously fast.

   All of time seemed to stand still. We were holding our breaths right up until the point we saw the curtain move in the door window. The door slowly opened – and there stood a gentle female, with the strangest familiarity about her. I looked at Lyndon and he just continued to stare, until I nudged him.

“Can I help you?” asked the girl. She had a gleam in her eyes and the softest expression that could calm any negative or stressful mood.

“Err, yes. We are looking for Rosalyn,” Lyndon answered.

“Why?” replied the girl with a look of confusion, but her pretty eyes smiled gently.

“We need to talk to her about something.” I took over, pulling Lyndon out of his daze. The girl took a step back.

“Well I am Rosalyn. Rosalyn Collins,” she confirmed, the gentleness now turning a little stony. Her eyes turned dark and she became wary. She had an English accent with only a hint of Scott’s, which I hadn’t expected.

“I’m Rosanna Smith, and this is—”

“Lyndon. Lyndon Collingwood.” He smiled and held out his hand.

   I ignored their handshake and continued. “I was given a letter and a picture with instructions to come to this address. It said here we would find . . . Here would be a relative of ours. A half sibling.”

“What does that have to do with me?” She shook her head confused, leaving her long light brown hair to sway side to side and cover her right eye. She tugged it behind her ear angrily and blinked as she stood, arms folded and waiting.

“It is you, Rosalyn. You are our sister,” Lyndon announced. I guessed he must have had that feeling where he just knew. He was looking at her like he could see into her soul. It made her uncomfortable, so she took to focusing on me.

“Let me explain. Our father fathered another child before something terrible happened to him. But he made it so that we could unite by locking away information about you that we have now come upon, instructing us to come find you. That’s why we are here. Look, I have a photo.” I took the envelope from Lyndon and pulled out the photo of Rosalyn. She looked younger in the photo but you could clearly see it was the same girl.

“Is this some kind of joke? That is impossible.” She laughed, astonished.

“It’s all right here, Rosalyn. We can answer all the questions you may have about our father . . . about Skyler.”

“No, you are mistaken. See, I have my father right here. My father is called Gift and he’s been with me my whole life. You have the wrong Rosalyn. Now please, I would like you to leave. I hope you find whoever it is you are looking for.” She looked relieved and rushed the words so she could close the door on the two crazy people that were standing before her.