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“Will you guys stop whispering about me and just let me into the house before I decide to break the lock?” She stomps up to the door, crosses her arms, stares at me, and impatiently taps her foot.
“Jeez, she’s on one.” Bailey collects her bag from off the ground and heads toward her twin sister.
I start after her, but Londyn grabs my arm.
“I’m supposed to give you this,” she whispers. Then she bends down, unzips her bag, and hands me a large envelope.
I take it from her, noting the old-school wax sealing on the back. There’s a mark molded into the wax, the shapes and angles similar to the Porterson’s crest branded on my wrist, but not exactly the same.
“What’s in it?” I ask, smoothing my finger over the wax.
Londyn shrugs then swings her bag over her shoulder. “The woman who dropped us off said to give it to you. I asked why, but she wouldn’t say.” She glances at the envelope. “Are you going to open it?”
Nodding, I take out my phone and snap a picture of the mark in the wax. “Just in case I ruin it when I open the envelope,” I explain when Londyn gives me a funny look. Then I slide my finger underneath the flap and take out the contents inside.
A stack of papers giving me guardianship to my sisters, and not from my dad but… “This is Mom’s signature.” I shake my head, shock lashing through me.
Londyn leans over and scans the papers as I sift through them. “No, those signatures have to be fakes.”
“Maybe.” It’s not like I remember what my mom’s signature looks like. If I can find something she signed, though, I could compare them. But my dad threw a lot of stuff of hers away.
Besides, if she did sign them, it was over eight years ago. Why would she do that? How would she know I’d need guardianship of my sisters?
Tears fill Londyn’s eyes and she hurriedly wipes them away.
“Are you okay?” I ask, rubbing her back.
She nods shakily. “It’s just been a really long day.”
Yes, it has. One of the longest days I’ve ever experienced. And yes, I realize all days are the same length, but this one somehow felt longer.
I nod at her to follow me as I start toward the house. “Come on. I can look at this stuff inside.”
She dabs her eyes with her fingertips and rushes for the door.
Then I unlock the door and we pile inside, dropping our bags and flopping down onto the living room floor. It feels good for us to be under the same roof again, and all of them have an easy time passing out on the floor in a pile of blankets they tossed down since we don’t own a sofa. Me, I lean against the wall and slowly look through the papers again, wondering how it’s possible. How I obtained guardianship of my sisters. How my mom’s signature is on the papers.
When I reach the last of the papers, I pause. It’s not part of the guardianship papers, but a note.
Hadley,
I hope these papers find you when the time is right. Although, if they find you at all, it means your father lied to me. If so, I’m deeply sorry, sweetheart. I truly am. I wish things could’ve been different, but sadly, not everything turns out the way we hope.
Please forgive me for everything.
Love,
Mom.
I clutch the note in my hand, tears spilling from my eyes. When did she write this? And what is she sorry about?
My heart hurts so badly.
Before I can break down completely, though, my phone vibrates from inside my pocket. Quickly wiping the tears from my cheeks, I fish it out, check who the message is from, and then cringe.
August: Tonight at exactly ten o’clock, you’re to go down to the docks with the package. Make sure to remove your license plates from your car and make sure no one knows where you’re going. Once you get to the docks, park near the trees on the right. Wait there until I give you further instructions. Do NOT open the box until I tell you to. And remember, your sisters’ safety is riding on if you pull this off.
Pull off what? He didn’t even tell me what I’m going to be doing. And I hate taking orders, especially when I’m not even sure what the orders are.
