"So Ashley," her mom asked with very questioning eyes. "What is it that's on your mind? Remember, you can't lie in front of our little girl here."
Ashley sent a disapproving look towards Leah. The little beauty simply stuck out her tongue teasingly.
"Anyway," her mother. "How did you get here? Doctor Stevens told me she is at the hospital with the woman that was in the car earlier."
"Someone must have brought me here," Ashley said, unsure herself. "By the way, how is the woman from the car?"
"All Doctor Stevens said was that she will live and that we can take you home. So come along now."
It took about half an hour for Ashley to get ready. Leah held her hand as they walked through the corridors. Throughout that time, Leah kept giving Ashley a very suspicious look. The little girl knew something wasn't right.
They reached their old black Sadan and Ashley's mother opened the door. When everyone was inside and the engine started running, Leah began to speak.
"Mom, Ms. Davis had a message for you yesterday," she said.
"That's funny," her mother said. "I met her at work today and she didn't say anything."
"Well," Leah continued. "Her exact words were, 'Tell Rina Morgan that item X23-5 went missing'."
Ashley's mother was quiet for over a minute. Ashley could see her grip tightening on the steering wheel. She tried to ask what was going on but she felt Leah's hand touch her wrist. She turned to her sister and saw her just nodding her head.
There was an almost deafening silence throughout the rest of the ride. Ashley would occasionally stare at her mother, wondering what it was about Ms. Davis' message that made her look so worried. Leah was asleep and had her head pressed on Ashley's lap. Ashley's fingers continually played with Leah's brown hair and she was taken back to the first day they meant.
It was four years ago. Ashley had run away from home... again. Ashley didn't even remember why. Back then Ashley was struggling to distinguish between what was real and what wasn't. Almost everyone around her treated her like an outcast. That day Ashley run into the woods as she usually did.
Past the trees and across the clearing, Ashley found herself standing by the one place she felt safe... the cliff. From there she always felt time froze. She watched the waves rushing below, wishing her troubles would be carried by them. Tears went down the side of her cheeks and an ache rose in her heart. Perhaps it wasn't just her troubles that had to disappear... perhaps it was...
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a small voice said.
Startled, Ashley turned only to find herself standing face to face with a young girl. The girl was wearing damp light blue jeans and a white shirt stained with mud. Her brown hair was all messy and drenched. The poor child was cold; her body was as shaky as her voice and she had her arms wrapped around herself... trying to keep warm.
"Excuse me?" Ashley replied.
"I... I said... I wouldn't do that if I were you," the girl said, her lips shaking. "You were planning on jumping right?"
"No I wasn't going to jump," Ashley replied in a stern and almost angry voice.
"Liar!!!" the girl shouted. She held her hands against her temples and anger dawned across her face. "You all lie!!! Why do you all lie? I could see it on your face... I could see it on their..."
Suddenly, the girl lost consciousness and feel to the ground. Ashley carried the girl in her arms and quickly run out of the woods. There were scarcely any cars passing by that day so Ashley called her mom and together they drove to the nearest hospital she could find. After some hours the doctor said that the girl collapsed due to hypothermia and dehydration but she was alright.
Ashley and her mother were allowed to see the girl and it was during that time that they learned that they found out that the child had no memory of who she was. She could even remember her meeting with Ashley on the cliff. Ashley's mother decided to take the girl in until someone came looking for her.
The was something about the girl that everyone, including Ashley, found strange; her ability to spot out liars. Like what she told Ashley on the cliff, she could sometimes tell what people were thinking. Eventually, Ashley's mother began to call the girl Leah, after Ashley's aunt... a detective working in New York at the time.
For almost a month, Ashley and her mother waited for someone to come looking for Leah... but no one came. So, they decided that Leah should stay, and seeing how happy Leah was Ashley's mother adopted Leah and Ashley had herself someone to call sister. Leah was six years old back then.
Finally, the car pulled over. Ashley slowly moved to her right, trying not to wake Leah up. She opened the door next to her, got out, held Leah, and lifted her, feeling her warm breaths against her neck.
"Why don't you guys go ahead," her mother said, her hands still on the steering wheel. "There is something I have to take care of at the office."
Item X2... something, Ashley thought, cursing her poor memory when it came to numbers. She wanted to ask what it was about but for now, she also had her on mystery to solve.
"Alright mom," Ashley said.
"I love you both," her mother said.
"We love you too," Ashley said.
The car drove away. Ashley walked over the short, neatly cut green grass and arrived at the door of the one place she felt safe... the one place she called home. She placed Leah on the bench set on the veranda, pulled a set of keys from her bag, and opened the door.
She lifted Leah and walked into the house. The lights were still on. To her immediate right was the door that led to the kitchen and straight ahead was the living room. Memories of her, Samantha, Claire, and Sara running around the house began to flood her mind. Why was she getting nostalgic all of a sudden?
She took the flight of stairs, made a right, and opened the door to Leah's room. Ashley would always wonder who between her and Leah was in high school whenever she entered this room. Unlike most children, Leah's room was stacked with books upon books. Most of them were on psychology but she also had a few based on geography and mythology. The room was always arranged perfectly... always clean and tidy.
"Even your slight change in breathing can tell me that you're admiring my room," Leah gently whispered.
Ashley simply smiled and placed Leah on her bed and took off her shoes.
"Today," Leah said in a sleepy voice. "You were thinking about Jacob."
"How did you..."
Leah opened her eyes and smirked.
"Of course you knew," Ashley said.
"I can't help it, Ashley," Leah said. "I observe things and they tell me what I need to know... sometimes even when I don't want to."
"I know Leah..." Ashley said, caressing her sister's cheek. "But can Jacob wait until later... I promise I will tell you everything."
"Okay big sister," Leah said, her eyes closing once again.
Ashley landed a gentle kiss on her sister's cheek.
You are the only one I can never lie to Leah, Ashley thought. It wasn't just because Leah could tell if she was lying. No... It was because Ashley had sworn that she would never lie to Leah... especially not after what happened the last time she lied to her little sister.
Ashley got up and stared at the window. She now had time to think. She stared at the quaint and lonely street. Ashley still wasn't sure if it was Jacob she saw in the woods that day but one thing was certain... her past was catching up to her. First, it was the man on the road that appeared out of nowhere... a man that only she could see. Then the incident at the cafeteria…
No... Ashley thought, the tips of her fingers digging into her palms. She had worked so hard to reach where she was right now and nothing was going to take her back to who she once was... no... not who. Nothing was going to take her back into being what she once was.