Never Trust A Stranger Named Rob

“Oh my gosh! Rob! I found the letter! Her clues paid off!” I exclaimed. A little over a month ago, Rob was a stranger. I thought he was stalking me. But now I know. We are siblings. He is my older brother that I never knew about. My mom died before she could tell us. But now, it’s like we have known each other for years.

“Alright. What’s it say?” He asked. I opened the envelope, careful not to break it. I unfolded the paper inside and held it in between us, so we could both read it.

My Darlings,

If you are reading this letter, I need you to know something. But you can never say it aloud unless you are sure that nobody is listening. Though I wrote these a few weeks in advance, I have planned out these letters, you must FOLLOW EVERY DIRECTION ON EVERY LETTER EXACTLY HOW IT SAYS. If you don’t, one or both of you WILL die. Anyway, by now, news about my death would be spread. But you two must know. I’m not dead. I’m being held hostage, for your fathers’ actions. The ones that have me think my only child is dead. I need you right now. If they aren’t torturing me now, then they will be soon. Hurry! You don’t have much time! I believe in you. I love you Robby and I love you Willy!

Love,

Mommy♡

Rob and I stared at each other, open jawed and wide eyed. Our mom was alive. She needed us. She said that she was going to be tortured! As much as I am still mad at her for leaving for twenty years, I can’t let her be tortured. Rob took the letter and flipped it over. 

“The next letter is at… My dad’s house? In a floor compartment - in my old room. Okay then.” He said, scratching his head. “We’ll go there next. I’ll drive. Let’s go.” We left the bank and Rob began to drive to his dad’s house. 

Rob led me into the house. It was so quiet that it seemed vacant. There was an eerie fog in the house. It was as if there had been no activity in the house for days. It smelled like death in here. I had worked so many death cases to investigate and arrest, that I was familiar with the smell. Rob led me upstairs and into the second door on the left. It was a small room, so it would be easier than searching the hallway, or something. After ten minutes, I noticed a lump in the carpet. It was a lump that would have been barely visible to someone who wasn’t looking for something. 

“I’ve got something. I ripped a square shape into the carpet. And guess what there was? A floor compartment. I lifted the handle up and opened the compartment. There was a box inside. I pulled the box out of the compartment. I opened the box and inside was a letter. But there were also two little pink pacifiers. And two light brown locks of hair. There was a little pink baby bootie and a purple one. And there were two picture books. I opened one. There was a family picture - My dad, my mom, me, and another little girl. She looked exactly like me. I was so mesmerized by the box that I hadn’t noticed that Rob had already read the letter.

“Here read it. I’m shook.” I grabbed the letter from him. 

My precious babies, 

I realize that you have seen my box. There are two little girls. And yes, Willy. One of them is you. The other one, that is your twin sister. She is older than you by ten minutes. Her name is Millicent Marie Ebberson. Your father and I had to separate you, because we wanted you to be safe. She lived with my mom, your grandma. She knows about you. She knows about Rob. Go to grandma’s house and Meet her. She will help you. YOU ARE TWINS. I am aware that you have trust issues. YOU CAN TRUST HER. The next letter is at her house. It is apartment 4-b in the Jefferson Complex downtown. Don’t worry. Robby. I am aware that you thought Milly was your cousin. She is also your sister. And there is no Aunt Lucy that died. She’s fake. I’m sorry honey. 

Love,

Mommy♡

I was ecstatic about having a twin. I was always jealous of people that had twins. They never had to go make friends. They had built in best friends. I hugged the letter to my chest and felt my smile get bigger. I heard music suddenly playing. I look up at Rob, as he answers his phone. 

“What? It’s my day off. I shouldn’t have to -” He was cut off by the person on the other side of the call.

“Fine. I’ll be right there. Bye.” He shook his head in an angry way “I’m sorry. I’ll drop you off at your place. Go see Milly. She’s great. You’ll love her.”

“Are you sure? Can we look for some letters? The last one seemed pretty urgent.” 

“Yeah. That’s fine.” I grabbed my new box and stuffed the letter inside. I held it close to me, with a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. The downstairs area smelled musty and old; it was a different smell from before. I shrugged it off and went to the car. 

Once I was at my complex, I set my box in the passenger’s seat of my car. I started the ignition and drove off to find the Jefferson Complex. Once I found it, I went into the building and began to look for 4-b. I had finally found it. I knocked on her door and waited for five minutes. Then five turned to ten. And ten to twenty. I was about to leave when I heard a girl ask me if I was a new neighbor. I looked up and there was a girl holding groceries and fumbling with a key. 

“Here let me help you with that. I grab her bags from her and she looks up at me. We have the same facial features. Except for the fact that she had a heart shaped face and my face was thin. And she had brown eyes instead of green. Other than that, not much was different.

“Hi,” She says, “I’m Milly. It’s nice to meet you!” She had a glimmer in her eye. 

“I’m Willow. But you can call me Will.” I respond. Her hands were empty. Except for her keys. We stared at each other for a good five minutes before one of us began to talk.

“So it’s really you.” She breathed. I nodded with a smile. I suddenly realized that I forgot my box on the floor. 

“Can I come in to talk to you? Also can you grab my box?” I asked, awkwardly.

“Of course! I’m sorry!” She grabbed the box that was on the floor. And held the door open for me. I set her grocery bags on her kitchen island. She set my box down on the table. She put away her groceries, as I stood in the kitchen, awkward and uncomfortable.

“Okay. Want to talk? Oh gosh. I don’t know where to start. How about this. Hi. I am Millicent Marie Ebberson. I work at the zoo.”

“Okay! Hi, I am Willow Cassidy Ebberson. I work at the Police Department.” I introduced myself like she introduced herself.

“Oh, that’s so cool! How’s dad? Can I meet him? Not now, but eventually?” She asked.

“Of course! We can all go out to eat! It’ll be great!” I replied.

We caught up for a while and before I knew it, my watch said that it was six thirty! We had been talking for three hours! About family, work, each other. And I was really hungry. 

“Oh my gosh! It’s six thirty already!” I exclaimed, as I looked up from my apple watch. 

“Really? That went by fast.” She replied, with a frown. Suddenly, her frown lifted and her eyes glowed. “What if we go out to eat? Then, we can still talk! I’ll pay if you drive!” 

“Awesome idea! Let me just put away the stuff in my box.” Milly helped me gather my things and we put them in the box. I grabbed the box and we opened the door to leave. 

“Not so fast, ladies.” It was Rob. He was blocking us from leaving the apartment. 

“Rob, let us through. We are going out for dinner.” I said. 

“Will. That’s not Rob.” Milly whispered.

“If that isn’t him, then where is the real Rob? This is the Rob that I thought was my brother.”

“The real Rob is at headquarters. With your mom and Rob’s dad. We don’t have you or your dad yet. It was easy. He was on his way to meet you. I got him then. It was easy getting information from him because I would threaten to hurt you, your mom or his dad.”

“Are you going to hurt us?” Milly asked. She had her hands in her pockets and was glaring at “not Rob.”

“Not unless you give me what I want.” He replied with a smile. I was already mad. When he said that, I rolled up the sleeves of my sweatshirt.

“Not without a fight you’re not.” I said. I couldn’t  imagine how stupid I looked, but it isn’t like I cared.

“Yes you are.” He said. He pulled a woman from my memories into the apartment, causing Milly and I to back up. He held a gun to the crying woman’s head. She was mouthing the words, No, don’t do it.

 “Or your mom dies.” He said, clicking the gun’s safety off. Milly and I looked at each other, and quietly decided what to do. Milly was scared to talk, so I figured that I would. 

“Okay. What do we do next.”