I had to get away. I needed a change of scenery. Everything is so much different now. Nothing was the same after the fire. It was an accident, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I never thought it could happen to us. I jhad ust left a candle lit while I went to the store, I never expected it to start a fire. I never thought the fire would cause so much destruction. The fire burned down the whole house in under an hour while I was out shopping, taking my parents along with it. The firefighters said they tried to escape but they got trapped on the top floor before the building collapsed. I caused their deaths, they would still be here if not for me. The guilt still overwhelms me, it’s one of the reasons I left. I couldn’t spend another day in that town with all the stares I got. The ones of anger were bad, but the ones of pity were so much worse how its like they knew what I did. They just know it was an accidental fire, not what, or rather who, caused it. I never light candles any more, too afraid that history will repeat itself.

The book in front of me was aged hundreds of years, written back in the 1300s, ancient history staring back at me. Barely holding together but still retaining a giant piece of history in its writings. The yellowed pages and smudged ink bring joy to my soul, knowing how cared for it truly was. To find a book from that time in this good of a condition was astonishing. Most books crumble at the slightest touch and words are worn off beyond recognition. The leather cover feels worn beneath my hands but still sturdy and capable. A find like this is the find of a life time.

The scene around me seemed off, things almost seemed staged. Areas had been disturbed, the dust moved around but were magically back in place after he was found dead. Then there is the fact of the angle of the gunshot. It would be near impossible for a person to do it themselves. These small details would be easily missed if you hadn’t analyzed scenes like this for twenty years. Stepping into the closet I notice a couple of shirts out of place. Shining my light down below them I find a footprint, like someone was hiding there to ambush them. This seems more and more like a planned attach than a suicide.

Although I couldn’t see, something told me that I definitely wasn’t alone in the cellar. I can feel their presence around me, their eyes watching my chained and blindfolded figure analyzing me. I can almost feel them come closer, their breathing becoming more and more audible. Before now I just assumed that it was my own breathing that I hearr, but the more I focus on it the more I can hear the two distinctly different breath patterns. The way they move around me is almost predatory, calculating my every move, like I’m their prey. Maybe I will become their prey, since they did kidnap me and chain me up down here. The closer this person gets the more on edge I feel. Suddenly I feel a second pair of eyes on me, further away, most likely watching from the top of the cellar. They stare just as coldly as the other, treating me like I am a toy or a prize of sorts. Knowing that there is two of them sends a shiver down my spine. There is no possible escape when there are at least two people watching my every move and analzing every breath I take. I am doomed. There is no hope for me now.

I freeze staring down at my arm. Wires poking out of the fresh cut, electricity crackling between the ones that were cut. I tried to move my hand but it was stuck in place, somehow I severed the wires that let me move my hand. What am I, and why do I have wires beneath my skin. Am I one of the androids that people talk about all the time? The human like robots that scientists have forced to live among humans an intergrate to their way of life. I mean both of my parents are scientists, and I don’t have many real memories before my teenage years. All I remember before then is being in a car crash and hitting my head, so I just assumed the crash caused my memory loss. Maybe that wasn’t actually the case, maybe I was created to help them cope with the child they lost. They have pictures hung around of what is supposed to be me, but it always looked slightly off. Now it all makes sense, none of those were me. I was created to help them grieve and cope with the loss of their daughter. But now what do I do with this information, do I tell them or do I pretend that I know nothing and continue on like normal?

The world came crashing down around me. Everything I knew was a lie. I was supposed to be the greatest, but I’m actually just average. It should have been me, I was always told it was me. In actuality my worst enemy was the chosen one. They get to live the life I’ve dreamed of since I was four. I don’t understand how she is the one who gets this power, she doe’s deserve it. I should have it, it’s not fair. If I can’t be the chosen one, I’ll just have to be the one who destroys them.

I stare down the edge of the cliff, my mind replaying what just happened. The scene below me allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. I didn’t mean for it to happen like this though, I wanted revenge but I wanted him to suffer the way I did. He threw me into a lake like I was trash and I wanted him to experience the same thing. He wasn’t supposed to fall, the cliff wasn’t supposed to crack and break off. At least he is dead and can’t hurt me anymore, but I really wanted him to die at my hands. Once I called him, he freaked out really bad and went to his happy spot. This cliff was where we spent all of our time together so I knew he’d head here, kind of ironic how he died at the place he went to escape me. He tried to run but the cliffs edge was right there and it cracked under his weight. What a shame, his frame splattered all on the rocks below. Body mangled beyond recognition. I guess it is better this way, I can’t be charged at all. Maybe someone was looking out for me above, maybe someone else he tried to kill and succeeded.

Older houses are known to sometimes have secret passageways, especially those on the path of the underground railroad. I just never expected my house to have one, it wasn’t mentioned in the listing nor was it shown on any of my tours. The door looked very old and like it hadnt been touched in years. Turing the handle elicited an ear piercing screech, and pushing the door open created an almost as bad squeak. Walking down the staircase with a flashlight in hand brought up a lot of horrifying thoughts. Once at the bottom of the staircase i reached two doors and a blocked off hallway. The blocked off part looked like it had been sealed decades ago, while the other two door look like they had been used more frequently. Opening the left door, I see tons of crates stacked along the wall as well as bookshelves filled with older looking books. I reached down and grabbed the first paper at the top of the crate. This looked like a log of all the people who had passed through here, when they arrived and left, or if they never left at all. It even lists where they were laid to rest in the home, all in deep pits in the acres of backyard. The very well kept records made me realize how big of a find this would be for history. Glancing at the books, they all looked handcrafted. Grabbing one of the smaller books I opened it to the first page. It was a diary, detailing all about the adventure up to this point. Now I was curious what was in the other room. Opening the other door revealed almost a whole new home, there seemed to be ample space for those escaping to spend days down here comfortably. Entering one of the side room revealed makeshift desks and school items. They made their own classroom to teach these people so they could have the luxuries they were not afforded before. Entering the room next to it revealed a lot of handcrafted jewlery and clothing. This is a place of rich history, and how I can’t wait to be able to share these finds with the world.

I thought I killed her, I tossed her in the lake. I even tied a cinderblock on her ankle to make sure she wouldn’t be found. I didn’t mean to kill her at first, I just got in a fit of rage during an argumnent. Next thing I know she’s on the ground not breathing. I panicked and disposed of her. I’m too good for jail. Now she’s calling me, how do I escape this, how did she escape this. Fear runs through my body, I’m a dead man whether she reports me or gets her revenge. I’m doomed. Should have made sure to hit her harder I guess, lesson learned.

He tried to get rid of me, throw me in the lake like a piece of trash. He didn’t think I would be able to make it up in time to surivie, but I did. I can feel the dirt under my hands as a drag my weighed down body up. The ciderblock chained to my ankle trying to drag me back down. I will get revenge, he will regret ever trying to kill me. In a fit of rage during a fight he hit me over the head with a glass. Next thing I know I’m being weighted down sinking in the lake. It took every bit of strength in me to pull myself up but I did it, now all I have to is find him.