Legends

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Mr. Frankfurt's barn, Saint Charles

-----------------------2020----------------------------

At 10 AM, the three Hunter siblings walked up to the attic again. They were prepared for another battle with the dust and the memories that laid inside the room. The day before had been one without their presence in the highest room of the house, and the next day would be too. That's when their father would be buried.

There was a calmness in the attic when they started moving boxes and looking through them. Every once in a while they would be reminded of a great memory. The silences would then be filled with their stories and laughter. When the silence fell again, they all waited for the next memory to come up.

"What's this?" Emily asked. Elena turned around and watched her sister lift a cardboard box. A lot of tape was wrapped around it, and in big, black letters, it said: "FROM ELENA. DO NOT OPEN!!!"

While Kay raised an eyebrow, Elena felt her cheeks heat up. She had forgotten the box existed. If she remembered correctly, she had hidden it deep inside her closet. After she had taken her clothes to Denver, her mother must have found it, listened to her instructions not to open it, and stored it up in the attic.

With her red cheeks, Elena walked to her sister and took the box out of her hands. Without a word, she turned away from them and sat down in a corner. Not to her surprise, Kay and Emily followed, then took a seat beside her.

Taking a knife she had used to open other boxes, she cut through the tape and opened the box. Three pairs of eyes peeked over the edge and assessed what was inside.

Many trinkets were randomly laying on top of each other, covering pieces of paper and a few loose photographs. A smile crept on Elena's face when she saw the many useless things. All of them represented memories she didn't want to let go of. That's why she had kept the box.

But it was closed securely because she didn't want anyone to see what was inside. She didn't take it to Denver, because her siblings would ask too many questions. And she didn't want to answer those questions, because they would lead to unpleasant stories.

But maybe she was ready to tell them the truth.

"What is all of this?" Kay asked, rummaging through the box.

Elena shrugged. "Proof that our legend wasn't real."

She stuck her hand inside the box and took out the first thing she felt. A white candle, which had turned yellow from the dirt, was clutched in her hand. It made her heart stop for a short moment and she gasped in surprise.

Kay turned to her, then smiled. "I hope there's a good story behind this."

-----------------------2014----------------------------

The red pickup truck drove in the dark. Its headlights were the only source of light that helped Asher navigate through the wobbly countryside roads. He was taking Elena through fields and narrow dirt roads, making her wonder where he was taking her.

He had promised her a date, and Asher was a man of his word. He was also not one to just take her to a restaurant when he could be doing something special. So he hadn't told Elena anything, except for the time he would pick her up.

The pickup slowed down, its headlights illuminating an old barn in front of them. The wood was dark and the door looked like it could fall off its hinges any moment. The walls would probably fall down if a soft wind blew, bringing the entire barn down to the ground.

"What are we doing here?" Elena asked with a frown on her face.

"I thought it would be nice if we celebrated our first month together in a private place where no sibling can disturb us," Asher answered.