The Tattered Attic

TW: Mention of Suicide/Mental Health and Swearing

June 28th, 2004.

Mason burst into my room without knocking, "Mom called me. We have to clean out the attic. Apparently the Taylor's never cleaned it out."

We had recently moved in a couple of months ago to this house. Apparently a family used to live here many years ago, in 1987, but they moved when their nineteen year old daughter, Willow Taylor, was shipped off to a mental hospital since she was suicidal. The daughter died five years after that. Ever since then, it's been on sale and abandoned.

I sighed, putting my pencil down, "Do we have to?" I whined, glancing at the drawing of the tiger I'd been working on the past few days.

"Yes Mila, now let's go and hurry up." He rolled his sharp eyes and walked out of the room.

Even though Mason was only seventeen, two years older than me, he acted like he was more like my parent than brother, bossing me around all the time.

I scurried after him, tripping on a toy my younger brother and left on the ground.

I swore loudly and hobbled on my left foot, wincing in pain.

I had barely made it to the attic before hearing my brother snap, "Hurry up!"

"Jesus Christ! Don't be so bossy!" I yelled.

The attic was located in the master bedroom's walk in closet- a.k.a., my parents room. I stumbled into the closet and glanced to my right.

The stairs were already opened, which meant Mason had already gone in. I climbed the ladder, grunting as I reached the top level.

I'd never been inside the attic and my eyes widened. It was huge, it could've been the size of my room itself.

Mason laughed, "You look like you just found out you got into Stanford."

I shot him a dark look, "Shut up. Anyway, how are we supposed to clear this up?" I motioned my arm around, pointing to all the boxes.

Mason shrugged, "I don't know, I guess we have to search through each box."

My eyes widened, "Dude, that's going to take forever."

"Then don't be lazy." He shrugged and slouched his way to one of the boxes. I smirked. Finally my short height- 5'2- was helpful, unlike my brother who was 6'1 and always made fun of my height.

"Where's Mom anyway?" I muttered.

"Probably at Costco or something." He shrugged, "Oliver's with her too."

Oliver was our younger brother. He was a brat, like this seven year old just made of waste and random stuff.

Before Oliver was born, Mason and I weren't that close but when we learned Mom was pregnant, Mason practically begged her to get an abortion. He got grounded for a month after that.

I was fine with having another sibling, until Oliver actually was born. He practically ruined my life and then that was really when Mason and I became a team.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I walked to the box next to him and grabbed the box that was labeled Willow Taylor NOS, opening the contents.

"Ew, is this a banana?" Mason groaned and I peered into his box, stifling a laughter. Inside, there was a rotting banana, moldering and covered with dead bugs.

"That's disgusting." I made a face.

"Absolutely repulsive." Mason agreed.

"Those are big words for you." I laughed. He glared at me.

I peered into my box carefully and it was full of papers. I picked up the first one up and scanned the top of it. My resolutions- 1994. I grabbed the trash bag that was next to me and placed it in there.

I grabbed the next paper- My Wishlist. I threw that in too. Mason and I worked in silence for about thirty minutes, occasionally showing each other what we found. For a few times, I found some legal documents and saved them just in case.

I checked the time, it was already 5:45pm.

"I'm going to go and get some food." I stood, brushing the dust off my navy blue jeans.

Mason didn't look up, and picked up a glass globe, "'Aight, bye."

***

I stuffed the last salty chip in my mouth before brushing my fingers on my jeans. I ran back to the attic to see Mason on his phone and not doing his work.

"Mason!" I yelled, chucking a small ball I found on the ground at his head.

"What the hell Mila! Knock it off!" He yelled back and threw the ball back at me and it narrowly missed my elbow.

"Shut up! Mom's going to yell at us if you keep yelling!" I hissed.

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "You yelled first."

Ah, and this was coming from the guy who yells at people when a tiny thing is out of place.

He ruffled through the trash bag, "Also I found this piece of shit, some random weird thing." He showed me a particularly interesting shaped item that looked like a bunch of pieces of trash were just put together.

I wrinkled my nose and then laughed, "Hey! It looks like you!"

Mason rolled his eyes, "Just get back to work."

I threw some more papers into the trash bag.

I glanced back into the box of stuff to see an old heart shaped box sitting on a stack of crumpled and stained papers. I tentatively reached out and grabbed it. The heart shaped box was a crimson color with a dark blood red ribbon.

I opened the box to see a note and a necklace. The necklace was gold. There was a flat circular pendant with a red heart engraved into it. I turned the pendant over and on the back, there were words engraved into the flat circle: Willow, I love you forever 1994.

I opened the note. Inside was written:

Willow, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could've been there for you. I should've known. I should've not left you like that. I should've been there with you. I'm sorry I didn't see the signs. When you left to go to the mental hospital, I reckoned it was the end. For me and you. I was devastated because I wasn't able to help you and my dear Willow, I loved you so much and still do. When I heard you passed, that's when I lost it. I went crazy. I did things I should've not done. I'm so sorry. You deserve so much more than this goddamn life you're in right now. And I found out that you faked your death. I spent months- no years- looking for you even though you were gone. Please come back to me. I'm sorry. Please come back. I need you. You're my oxygen. I'm sorry and I want to help. We can start a new life together and put everything behind. Please meet me. Let me find you. Let me help you.

"Mason!" I grabbed his shoulder, "Look! Read this!"

"What-"

I thrust the note and necklace in his face. He took them from me, casting me a suspicious look, "What about it? I mean yeah, we could get some money from that necklace but-"

"You're so insensitive!" I huffed, "Just read it!"

"Okay, okay!" Mason pushed my hands away.

I wrung my hands impatiently, waiting for him to finish reading. Why did he have to be such a slow reader?

"Holy shit." His eyes widened one he finished the letter.

"Yeah, I know."

"Is she out of her mind? Why would she fake her death?"

I stared at him, "Dude, she was losing her fucking mind! She got sent to a mental hospital! What do you expect?"

"I know but still-"

I interrupted him, "So, can we go?"

Mason scrunched his nose, "What do you mean, go?"

"Like to this address." I snatched the paper and jabbed my finger at the address, "I mean if he's still alive, then we can find out."

"We should just tell Mom! And are you out of your mind? Go meet a random stranger because of a random note?!" Mason hissed at me and shook his head to himself.

I ignored him and typed in the address on my phone before shoving it in Mason's face, "Look! It's only three hours away!"

"Last time I remembered, I have a license, and you don't." Mason sneered.

"Fine, I'll take Raina with me!" I shrugged, Raina was my best friend and she was already sixteen.

Mason's jaw flexed. He was always overprotective of me and Oliver, even though he hated Oliver.

"No! You're not going! I'll tell Mom!" Mason folded his arms.

"Well guess what buddy? You can't stop me!" I smirked, "So either you take my or Rain takes me. ANd we both know Raina is a terrible driver."

"Fine! Fine! I'll take you! But if this guy gives off weird vibes we're leaving right then and there. Deal?" He sighed.

"Deal." I grinned, "So this is going to be a brother and sister adventure?"

Mason rolled his eyes and let out of small chuckle, "Sure, why not, Mila."

***