What Lies Beneath Page #14

The undiscovered truth of Nicholas Anderson

• Fiction

								


"May I ask the reason behind taking in the daughter of the brother you have animosity towards?"

"This is a crucial aspect. The police officer stated, and I quote, 'The man did not appear to be concerned about his deceased brother. In fact, if he had not been residing in Philadelphia, I would have suspected his involvement in this case. However, he seemed even more delighted about obtaining his brother's daughter, rushing the process.' Upon further investigation, I discovered that he had lost his 17-year-old daughter to cancer a few months prior, which explains his desire for a daughter."

"Therefore, he accepted his brother's daughter as a replacement," Leo inquired with astonishment.

"It appears that way. They abruptly abandoned their four-year-old son with the nanny when they came here. Honestly, their parenting skills are questionable, but they were well off and had no prior criminal records. As a result, there was no compelling reason to deny them guardianship."

"Excuse me, but leaving a four-year-old with a nanny and celebrating your brother's passing does not reflect well on your parenting abilities for a two-year-old," Leo fumes.

Once again, disregarding Leo's outburst, Dave politely asked his own question, "May I know the reason behind your sudden curiosity?"

Instead of answering the question, Leo asked another, "Was the brother's last name Anderson, and was his son's name Nicholas Anderson?" Leo recalled the name Rick had mentioned when he had asked about the new friend he and Ray had made, considering they hadn't made any new friends since kindergarten. However, he understood that it wasn't his place to judge, being just as bad.

"How did you know-"

Getting his answer, Leo cut him off. "I think-no, I know-they have our sister, Dave. I saw her with my own eyes. She looks just like Andy." Leo tearfully expressed his certainty that the girl he encountered today was his long-lost sister, whom he believed had passed away. The striking resemblance of her radiant blue eyes to those of their mother served as an undeniable confirmation.

Dave understood that no matter what he said, he could not change his mind, and he had no intention of doing so. In fact, he was determined to discover the truth, and if she was indeed their sister, he would personally make it his mission to bring her back home where she rightfully belonged.

As the two gentlemen sat in the office, one of them quietly shed tears, letting out his emotions, while the other offered comfort by placing a hand on his shoulder. In this moment, one of them made a silent vow to restore the wholeness of his dear, late friend's family.Third person perspective

Twelve years ago,

It was announced early in the day that a severe storm was expected to impact Phoenix, Arizona, and other regions of North America. However, none of the Collins boys anticipated the severity of the storm as they huddled together in their eldest brother's bedroom, watching the torrential downpour outside the window. As the trees in front of their house swayed frantically due to the strong winds, some even struck their grandmother's house.

However, it was not the fact that the storm was terrifying that caused the boys to still be awake past 2 am. It was the fact that their mother and little sister were out in that storm. The boys had begged her not to go out there or to at least let them accompany her. The youngest son, Andy, practically wailed in cries, politely begging his mother to take him with her, saying that he didn't want to leave her or his twin sister. But the woman rejected the idea.

As they all waited for the morning to arrive, they reminisced about their conversations with their mother.

"I assure you, my dears, that I will return," she had said in a gentle and soothing voice as she held her two-year-old son, Andy, in her arms. Beside her stood her other son, Zack, who, despite being twelve years old, often exhibited childlike behavior and yearned for his mother's love and attention.

"It's all right, Mother. I can handle it," her eldest son reassured her. However, as a mother, she could discern the uncertainty in his eyes as he stood tall, with his five-year-old brother, Ray, imitating him, as if to convey that he was all grown up. Yet, right beside him stood a silently weeping Rick, attempting to wipe away his tears and runny nose.
It was heartbreaking for her to leave her children in this manner, but she made a solemn vow to herself that she would return to them safely with their healthy sister. She handed Andy over to her son Leo and took her little girl from her mother. Then, she turned to face her sons and said, "Your father will pick you up in the morning, and Belle and I will see you all at home. Please be good to your grandmother, and know that I love you, my darlings." She gave each of them a kiss on the forehead.

At that moment, the Collins boys genuinely believed her words as they watched her leave. They were unaware that this would be their final farewell and that instead of their father picking them up in the morning, a police officer would arrive to deliver the devastating news of their sister and mother's passing.

This would be the last moment their family was whole, for not long after the loss of the two most important women in their lives, four years later, their father would pass away due to a heart attack, leaving them to face tragedy once again.

These events left them emotionally devastated, causing them to retreat from society and find comfort in the strength of their brotherly bond.

Now, twelve years later, they all stand at the threshold of their home, facing the grand staircase, yet none of them make a move to ascend the stairs or go anywhere else. At the party, they all avoided the topic, but there was no denying that the girl was their Annabelle, though she was not meant to be alive. Their father and Leo had seen her body.

"She's dying, right? You saw her." Rick was the first to break the deafening silence. 

"Is it impossible?" Zack whispered, as if he were too afraid to voice his question aloud.

Approaching and gently placing his hand on Leo's shoulder, he caused him to turn around and face his younger brothers. "It can't be," Ray uttered, seeking some form of clarification.

Nevertheless, he did not possess the information they were seeking, or to be more precise, he had no information whatsoever. As he recalls about the day he had to identify her body, unlike their mother, who had her wedding ring for identification, Annabelle had nothing but the fact that she was in their mother's arms. However, there is now a little girl who bears a striking resemblance to her, one whom no one can deny is Andy's twin.

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