AllFreeNovel
Share Us
15 September 1945
I am so excited to be part of this project. I can’t believe I was approved, even though I’m a war widow. Maybe they approved me because I’m a war widow. They didn’t say much, only that my nurse training would be handy.
There were a few other notes, and then she stopped. I looked through the journal, hoping against reason to find something, anything that could put my mind to rest.
A picture fell from between the yellow pages of the journal. It was of Granny. She stood there, looking beautiful. Next to her was a man who had a dark aura about him. He wore a lab coat. On the other side of her… oh God, that was impossible.
My hands shook, and I dropped the picture. This can’t be. I must be experiencing some sort of psychological breakdown. No. No way. This… this is fucking impossible.
Kneeling on the soft old carpet that covered the hardwood floor, I picked up the picture with two fingers, doing so with the same fear and care I would if I was picking up a grenade from the floor. I took a better look at the photograph.
“Oh. God!”
It was Soren.
“This can’t be,” I muttered. “No. This must be Soren’s grandfather or something. That would make sense.”
I walked up and down the room with the picture in one hand, messing my hair up even worse with the other.
This can’t be it.
I took the picture and looked at it closer.
Granny and I shared a strong resemblance. We were both brunettes with the same nose and bone structure of the face. She had a pouty mouth that smiled easily, the same as me. We both have brown eyes that look black in the right light. Still, even if I wore clothes like the ones she did during her youth, we could not pass as twins. Soren and the man that smiled next to Granny could.
Sure, the man that bled all over my kitchen this evening was young and fucking hot. He wore his hair longer than the man in the photo and had modern clothes. The man in the picture wore some sort of elegant suit, typical for the forties, and was clean-shaven with a short haircut. I knew against reason that this was the same man.
“I’m tired. Overtired and under sugared.”
I could not stand to be in the house one moment longer. Even the walls drove me nuts. It felt as if a lie had come crashing down on me.
“I… I can’t.”
I put the notebook back inside a drawer, closed it, and left. Pulling my jeans up in a hurry, I slipped on a sweatshirt without a bra. Walking toward the door, I noticed my brown jacket was still there. I needed a drive to calm myself down.
A drive and a few donuts would do the trick.
Spike was still sleeping when I left the house. I made my way toward my beaten-up truck that waited for me in the driveway. My truck started when I turned the key in the ignition. The loud rumble of the diesel engine entered my core and helped me relax.
This is madness.
The street was silent. Few people drive around at 5 AM, at least not in this area. Prudence is a small, sleepy town. Most people around here are retired. A few others make good money from online jobs, and waking up early is not at the top of their priorities. I heard the truck’s noise each time it drove through a puddle. Beyond the cracked windshield was the open sky, still dark grey. The sun would not show itself so early in fall. I cranked a window open and drove with one hand outside. The rain had stopped, but moisture still hung thick in the air. My skin became chilly, and goosebumps crawled up my arm.
I kept recalling the events of last night. It drove me nuts. I tapped my nails against the steering wheel. All the facts floated in my head.
I finally arrived at the drive-through of my local coffee shop. Good. Food will help me think clearly. Many hours had passed since I ate that Mac and cheese.
A sleepy voice took my order, and two minutes later, I had a small box with donuts and a caffe latte. Life is always better with coffee and sweets. My stomach grumbled as I pulled into the parking lot.
It was a glorious September morning. The sun had finally started to rise, pushing a few rays between the dark clouds of the night. The sky was grey, but it was not a sad color. That shade of grey held the light shrouded, allowing it to make a grand entrance.
I opened the door of my truck. It made that creaking noise I’m used to. No one was around, so I had the place all to myself. I started to do a few stretching exercises.
This place was so cool when I was in high school. It was the spot where we would meet for breakfast after a long night of parties. How much has changed? How did my life go down the drain like this?
After stretching, I took the box of donuts and the cup of coffee and sat on the hood. It was old and rusty, but my ass won’t dent it more than it already was damaged.
The first bite of a donut is always better than sex, and this glazed donut was to die for. The coffee helped me wash it down and calmed my agitated stomach. That lump that decided my throat was its new address melted away under the amount of sugar and grease I gave my brain in the hope that it would shut the fuck up.
