Our Sick Inheritance (editing)

Chapter 62 - How Did It Get So Twisted?

Thought Stacy loved holding babies, it was nice to be home. She and Alicia had just gotten back from picking up Jose's wife and visiting with their family. It was a blast to be around them, and she had forgotten how much she missed the twins. Stacy usually kept up with them online, but to see them in person was way more fun.

The chicken burritos fresh out of the oven looked wonderful as they started to cool on top of the stove. Stacy was happy to get dinner out of the way so she could concentrate on finishing packing, for her trip was all she could think about. She was so happy her dad had gotten her car tuned up and stocked for her trip. With all the snowstorms they were having she didn't want to have to worry about getting stuck. Stacy was so excited to leave tomorrow that the idea of sleep seemed impossible.

Another reason that Stacy cooked dinner was that her father was still at work. It also gave her mother time to rest from a long day socializing and running around. Those things bought Stacy influential points. With the excitement of newborn babies and giggly children, it was no wonder Alicia needed to lie down for a nap. Stacy went to her Mom's room to wake her and surprise her with a delicious warm meal. Though her mom was a fabulous cook, it was nice to have a night or two off every week.

The hallway felt colder and seemed to be a little bit darker the closer Stacy got to her parent's room. When she reached Alicia's door it was closed. There was a light glowing from under the door as if her mother had turned on every light in her room. Stacy knocked but nobody answered.

She knocked again, and nothing. Stacy grabbed the handle and turned it. When she opened the door, it was completely dark inside the room. The only light came by the moonlight that poured in from the window above her parent's bed. Stacy saw that both of her parents were in their bed sleeping. She was completely surprised because she had no idea her father was even home. Had Kyle gotten home before them, or did he sneak in while she was cooking, Stacy wondered. Normally when her dad smelled food, he would go check it out. He was the self-designated taste tester of their meals when he was able to sneak a chance. On her parent's bed, they looked like they were in a deep sleep. Stacy was hesitant to wake them.

There was a smell in the room she couldn't define. Both of her parents were facing away from her wrapped in their own blankets. Stacy shivered but she was sure it wasn't because of the low temperature in the room which she could feel just standing at the threshold. The only thing Stacy could think of was it smelled of a loveless marriage. She wanted to step inside but felt uncomfortable doing so, which was strange because she was always welcome in her parent's room. On stormy nights it was a room of refuge when she was a little girl. Fighting her instinct, Stacy took one step into the room and looked up at the window. The moonlight was the only indication she hadn't walked into the dark hole. None of it felt right.

Not enveloped by the moon's rays, Stacy was encased in dark shadows. When she looked back at her parent's bed, she saw that her mother's eyes had opened. It bothered Stacy that her mother was staring at the back of her father's head. It wasn't that Alicia was coming slowly awake and hadn't yet seen Stacy that scared her. It was the look on her mother's face that made her stomach drop to her feet. Alicia's eyes weren't loving but filled with deep-rooted pain and hate. Her eyes also looked much bigger than they should as her pupils seemed to be as dilated as the size of her eyes. They also had a wet sheen like they were under a layer of tears.

"M..mom?" Stacy whispered. A rush of wind outside broke the silence in response as a shadow moved across the window. Startled, Stacy looked up and saw the moon had hidden behind the bushiness of the winter filled trees. When Stacy realized her mother hadn't responded she looked back at their bed and almost jumped out of her skin. Alicia was sitting up at the end of her bed with a stiff back and her hands folded in her lap staring straight at Stacy with a strange smile on her face.