The bed was warm and comfy but I couldn't sleep. Series of thoughts run through my mind. My whole family thought I was dead and here I was sleeping in a house I barely knew with a man I had no idea about. It felt scary everytime I thought about it. How were they? Were they okay?
I barely got any sleep that night till Mason interrupted with a knock on the door the next morning. The rays of the sun pierced through my eyes as they adjusted to the lighting in the room.
"Are you awake?" Came Mason's voice from behind the door. "Can I come in?" I quickly sat up and straightened my dishevelled hair with my fingers.
"You can." My voice cracked. The door slowly opened and Mason came in.
"We have to leave."
"Why? Did those men find us?"
"They might, if we don't relocate." He ran his hands through his hair. "What I fear is, they might identify my van and find us here."
"This early?"
"It's quite far. We need to get there before dark."
I stood up. "But aren't we taking any clothes?"
"No. We'll buy new clothes when we get there. Take a shower and meet me downstairs." He began to walk through the door.
"You didn't tell me where we're going." I cut in.
"We're moving to Bliss Lake."
* * *
The taxi driver was whistling noisily while Mason and I stole glances at each other, craving for him to stop his unnecessary noise. The only thing that made me feel less jaded was cute Beatrice. She was snug comfortably in between Mason and I. Though she belonged to Piper, I was surprised she didn't give me any attention. It was as if she knew that I was not Piper.
I noticed Mason staring at me from time to time. Sometimes he'd stare for a long time or he'd just steal quick glances at me.
"Stop doing that."
"What?"
"Stop staring." I said. "It's inappropriate."
"Can I not admire my beautiful girlfriend?"
"I'm not your girlfriend."
"You are occupying her body. I can't help it." I gave it a thought. He had a point there.
"Do you think there are posters of us pasted on walls as being wanted?" I asked, changing the subject. I lowered my voice so the driver didn't hear.
"I doubt." He said. "If this involved the police our names would definitely be on the news by now."
"So who are those men?"
"Definitely not the police."
"How do you know?" Mason seemed to know more than the surface of what was happening but he wasn't explaining it well. "Is there something you are not telling me?"
"No. I've told you everything I know." He avoided eye contact.
"This is scary." I said. "Are we just going to keep running away every single day?"
"It depends. We have to find every clue and get to the bottom of this."
"This is not how I perceived my life to be." I sighed, whispering to myself. Everything had taken a sudden turn, and every plan I had made about my future was terminated. I had to make new plans for this new life, but I didn't even know anything about this life or what could possibly happen next.
"Me neither." He turned away, staring into nothingness.
After hours, we finally crossed the borders of Bliss Lake. It was called Bliss Lake because of the lake that welcomed the town right at the border. The glowed under sunlight, and it was the best place to have a picnic or date. At night, the shores lit up with lanterns and colourful lights, giving it a more blissful characteristic.
"We're here!" I squealed excitedly. I remembered the time when my father brought me, my sister, mother and grandma here for a family picnic. To me, the lake was the best thing about this town.
"We'll be going to my elder sister's old house to stay there. From there we can know what to do." The fact that Mason was being nice to me even though he didn't know me too well was fascinating. He took a stranger in and offered a place to spend the night. I had to thank him for it.
"Thank you." I turned towards him.
"For what?"
"Helping me."
"We just had to run away from those men. If I had left you there, you would have been killed."
"That's why I'm saying thank you." I smiled. He stared into my eyes for a long time and then his eyes shot down to my lips. He looked away quickly and cleared his throat.
"We're here." He signalled for the driver to stop at a junction. We were surrounded by bushes and shrubs, and not many houses were here.
Looking at the building through the car window, I was left shocked. Was this a house? It was more like a haunted hostel. The walls were brown and scraped while ferns grew across them. It wasn't a pleasing sight. I'm not saying I expected a mansion, but this was also not what what I expected. We got down from the taxi and began to walk into the house.
"This is your Aunt's old house?" I frowned. How could someone live comfortably in such a place?
"Is there a problem?"
"Well...it looks like it was built a thousand years ago. It looks scary."
"We can make some innovations." He seemed so nonchalant about the whole situation, trying to be positive. "Are you scared?" He looked down at me.
"Its frightening...and the whole environment looks eerie." I looked around.
"There's nothing to worry about." He opened the door and entered. I followed slowly behind. Inside was dark and reeked of smoke and one unusually foul smell.
There was suddenly a loud screeching sound from a far end. My heart skipped a beat.
"What was that?" I stood closer to Mason. Before I knew it, something flashed past me and out of the door. I screamed, scowering towards Mason as I clutched unto his arm tightly.
"Relax." He giggled. "There're just bats." He turned the lights on, and the whole place brightened. It looked better than when it was dark. "See? It's not so bad." He shrugged. How was he not scared? I had to look around before I was assured that I was safe.
I was so scared that I didn't know how close I was to Mason.
"You can let go now." He looked down at me.
I lifted my eyes to meet his, "Oh...sorry." I stepped back, feeling too overwhelmed.
"Your aunt must be brave to live in a place like this."
"She does scary stuff...it's normal for her."
"What scary stuff?"
"Voodoo."
"Right...say less." I said, and walked away from the door. I wasn't ready to have nightmares about his aunt and her mysterious house. Mason chuckled.
"We need to get new clothes." He picked Beatrice from the floor and pet her. "We must keep a low profile."
"But the thugs are in Silverstreet, aren't they? How will they find us here?"
"They must have spies everywhere. That is why this place is the best. It is hidden from plain sight."
"Oh...Okay." I suddenly recalled a memory of my sister and I playing chase at just the age of nine. She was always the monster and I the one being hunted. We would run around the house causing havoc till our mother scolded us for being too rowdy. I would obviously cry, while Olivia comforted me like she always did. Things had changed, however.
"I miss my family." I said. "I should see them at least once."
"What are you driving at?"
"Since we're already in Bliss Lake, I might as well use that chance to see them again."
They don't know you're alive. How would you introduce yourself to them?"
"You're right." I thought for a second. "I could say I was a neighbour who just moved in. It wouldn't be a complete lie." Besides, it was too early to tell them I was their Meredith in a girl called Piper's body. "I'll meet them and give my condolences. They'll think I'm just a neighbour who heard about the accident." I stated.
"And what do plan to do afterwards?" His intense gaze was on me. He didn't like the idea that I wanted to go out there in the open even if it was for a short while.
"I'd just come back home, I guess."
"Well," he paused, "We'll make it quick."
"You haven't told me anything about your past." We walked side by side on the path leading to my family house. Mason never expressed himself when it came to his personal life. I thought if we had to get along, we also had to know each other pretty well.
"You haven't told me about yours either." He stated. "There's not much to know about me." He tucked his hands into his pocket. "Let's just say I knew the real definition of lonely when I was just seven." He paused. He didn't say much after that, and I didn't push it further.
The gate of the family house started to get in view, and I felt anxious. What was happening there right now? Was everyone okay? Mason saw how uneasy I had become.
"Are you afraid of your own family?" He teased.
"That's not funny...and I'm just afraid to see their pain. It'll hurt."
"You've got to stop worrying about others and worry about yourself first." His face became serious. "If not you'll be hurt almost every single time."
I looked up at him, "Did that ever happen to you?"
He ignored me, yet again.
The front of the house looked as peaceful as it always was. It didn't seem as if there was a fire to begin with. I stood in front of the door, my hand suspended in the air waiting to knock.
Mason stood aside, "Go ahead." He whispered. I knocked, and in a few seconds, the door flung open. There was a slight smell of smoke. My mother stood in the doorway with tear-stained eyes, looking frail and pale. Her eyes met mine, and suddenly, I felt numb. I couldn't utter a single word.
"Good evening. How may I help you?" She asked, staring intently at my face. Memories came flashing before my eyes, and I was left dumbstruck.
"Good evening, ma'am." Mson bailed me out. "We're neighbours. We live across the street." My mother looked confused, and I feared she would suspect something, whatsoever. I wanted to tell her so bad that I was Meredith. But I couldn't.
"We heard about the accident and thought to give you our warmest sympathies." Mason was good with his words.
"That's kind of you." She smiled meekly. "I really appreciate it. Please do let me know if you can find someone who can help with my mother."
"Ma'am?" Mason leaned in, equally as confused as I was."
"If you find a caretaker who can help around the house, it would help a lot. There's no one to aid her." She looked between our faces. "Any problem?" So, she was looking for someone to take care of Grandma? I saw a opportunity in this.
"No problem. We'll let you know if we find someone." Mason tugged my arm. "We'll get going now. Have a peaceful day." We began to walk away from the house, when I stopped in my tracks and turned back towards the door.
"I will help take care of your mother." I blurted out, words finally forming on my tongue. Mason gave me a look of disapproval but I ignored him. "I'm already looking for a job, and I could really use this." I stared into her eyes. My grandma needed someone, and I knew I was that perfect someone.