R I S E N

Chapter 5

Someone gently knocks on the door.

"Hey," Austin's voice softly sounds through the door. He still sounded tired and his voice was still husky. "Can you come out so we can talk?"

I sat here listening to them talk about me for the past twenty minutes. Apparently Ethan's known me since we were kids. Ethan, whom I've never seen before in my life until now. Ethan, who called me Elizabeth so easily and sounded so sure. I think if I knew him for that long I would have easily remembered his face and ran into his arms and cried like people do when they haven't seen each other in a long time.

I pull my knees up to my chest and prop my chin on my knee.

"Look, Elizabeth- or Aubrey, if you want me to go I will." I could hear Ethan state in the background.

Something was telling me to stop being stubborn and just go talk. It could answer a few questions and I could get all of this off my chest since it's been bothering me. I never told anyone about the hospital or about Chase and how he's been getting too close for comfort. I didn't tell anybody where I got the necklace from. Austin's probably really confused. Maybe he thinks I'm crazy. I did come to his room last night with it on and chucked it across the room when I discovered it was sitting around my neck.

Ethan just called me Elizabeth. I've been telling everyone my name is Aubrey. Maybe Ethan was apart of the joke Chase is secretly playing on me, or maybe this was all just too unreal to be a coincidence. I could also ask Ethan if he knows Chase since he seems to think my name is Elizabeth too. I guess it was worth a listen.

I turn my head and press my ear to the door hearing Ethan get up from his chair and sigh, "well I guess I'll just go dude. I'll see you around if you're still here."

I get to my feet and open the door, "wait!" I rush out, stopping him mid-stride. Austin was leaning on the wall by the door I just opened. "I want to talk."

He stands there glancing at me over his shoulder with a surprised look on his face like he wasn't expecting me to actually want to talk.

He nods, "yeah, okay. Let's talk." He sits back down on the chair and Austin uncrosses his arms from his chest and gestures for me to sit first. I move down the small space between the coffee table and couch and sit near the end, Austin sitting down right after.

Thoughtfully, I start, "so you said you've known me since we were kids?"

He agrees, "yeah, that's correct. I'm best friends with your brother. I can't believe you don't remember th-"

"I have a brother?" I cut him off, stunned by what he just said.

"Two, actually. And two sisters."

I have brothers and sisters...?

"You also have a mom and dad, a grandmother, a grandfather..." Now he was just being a smart ass. I give him a pointed look. "I'm kidding." He says with a half-smile. "But for real. Lance, Kaleb, Shelly, Serenity...do any of those names ring a bell?"

My face drops, "Serenity?"

"Yeah, your little sister."

I feel Austin's observant eyes fix on me as he quietly listens and folds his arms against his chest again, leaned back on the couch.

"I keep having these dreams about a little girl named Serenity. I'm running to the bathroom for some reason and I find her...on the floor dead." I swallow down a huge lump building in my throat finding it hard to continue. I've thought about this a million times but saying it out loud felt like a whole different story. I don't know why I was getting emotional.