the girl called mystery

• 7 •

My old room was surprisingly preserved well. The two twin beds were made. The tiny, glowing stars were still covering the ceiling. The posters and drawings still hung on the walls. There were dusty Barbie dolls and other toys piled up in a corner. It felt odd. This was kept the same. There were no renovations. There was nothing new. The smell of dust lingered in the room.

I looked under the bed that used to belong to me. I brushed away the cobwebs and reached underneath. I pulled out a shoebox. The orange box once housed my favorite Nike shoes. A deep sigh escaped from my lips. My brain wasn't ready to do this, but my heart was. I opened the box and was instantly taken back to my childhood.

My favorite stuffed animal, Barry the Bear, was the first thing I saw. A small grin took place of my frown. Next, I saw a letter that I wrote to my parents. I claimed that I was running away to my grandparent's house. My big and sloppy handwriting barely contained itself between the lines. I pulled out a Christmas family photo. It was me, my dad, Kennedi, and the twins. I had to be about 6 years old. Kennedi would have been 3 and the twins were only a year old. We were all posed around a huge Christmas tree. All of us were in matching pajamas. My mom was probably the one taking the picture. She never really liked to be in pictures.

A tear rolled down my cheek. I didn't even notice that I was crying.

Colin walked from his position in the doorway to stand next to me. "Is that you?" He pointed to Kennedi.

I laughed, "Oh no, I'm the one with a front tooth missing." I point at myself.

Colin let's out a laugh, "Nice pose."
He refers to my bent knees and left hand up to make a peace sign. A trademark for all of my childhood pictures.

"Why, thank you. It's a signature of mine." I attempt to recreate the pose.

Colin reaches for his phone and snaps a picture, "Simply astounding."

I put the picture back in the box and return it to its place under the bed. Colin has a weird look on his face. I can tell he wants to ask me something, but he just can't quite get it out.

"We're in my Dad's house if that's what you're wondering because I know you are."

Colin's face is in a more relaxed state when I tell him this.

I grab his hand and begin to walk out of the room, "Follow me."