Chapter 2:True Self – Part 1
1306 Words
True Self – Part 1
Rhoda’s POV
I dropped Anne off at her house, which was only a few blocks away from mine. The drive had been quiet, both of us exhausted from the long final day of school, but happy it was finally over.
When she stepped out of the car, she leaned down and knocked on the roof playfully.
“See you later, sleepyhead,” she teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Go inside before I change my mind and run you over.”
She laughed and shut the door.
A few seconds later, I drove off.
The road home was peaceful, and for the first time in months, my mind felt light. No homework. No exams. No teachers breathing down my neck.
Just freedom.
I parked my car in the basement garage of our house and stepped out, stretching my arms above my head.
“Ah,” I sighed happily.
‘I can finally have a proper day of rest without thinking about school assessments or waking up early every morning,’ I thought to myself as I grabbed my backpack and walked toward the door that led upstairs.
But just as I reached the front door—
CRASH!
The loud sound exploded from inside the house.
I froze instantly.
My heart began beating faster.
“What was that…?”
A thousand thoughts ran through my head at once.
Is there a robber inside the house?
What about Mom?
My hand slowly reached for the door handle. Carefully, I pushed the door open just a little so I wouldn’t alert whoever was inside.
Then I peeked inside.
The sight in front of me made my stomach drop.
The living room was a complete mess.
Furniture was overturned. The glass table was shattered across the floor. Lamps had been knocked down, and pieces of the wall looked cracked as if someone had been thrown against them.
It looked like a battlefield.
My heart started pounding harder.
Someone had definitely been fighting in here.
I slowly stepped back outside and pulled out my phone with slightly trembling hands.
Anne picked up after only a few rings.
“What’s up?” she said casually. “Home already?”
“Yeah,” I replied quickly, keeping my voice low. “But there’s a huge problem.”
Her tone changed immediately.
“What kind of problem?”
“I need you to bring a small gun… and come here right now.”
There was a brief silence.
“Rhoda—”
“Don’t ask questions,” I interrupted quickly. “Just hurry.”
Before she could argue, I hung up.
I knew she hated when I did that.
Despite the tension twisting in my chest, a small laugh escaped me.
But my amusement disappeared quickly.
‘Focus,’ my subconscious warned me.
‘There could be a thief inside your house.’
I swallowed nervously and stood beside the door, waiting.
Luckily, Anne lived close by.
Only a few minutes passed before her car pulled into the driveway.
She jumped out quickly, her backpack slung over one shoulder.
“What happened?” she asked as she walked over.
Without wasting time, she dropped the bag onto the ground and opened it.
She handed me a grip knife.
Then she pulled out a pistol bayonet for herself.
Before you start wondering where she got these weapons from—remember I told you her dad, Uncle James, was an ex-military officer. He owned different kinds of weapons and had trained us how to use them.
Why he thought teaching two teenage girls combat skills was a good idea… I still had no clue.
But right now?
I was grateful for it.
Anne looked at me seriously.
“You ready?”
I nodded.
“Let’s go.”
We slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside the house.
The air felt… strange.
Heavy.
Something about the atmosphere made my skin prickle uneasily.
We moved carefully across the destroyed living room.
Then suddenly—
I froze.
Anne stopped beside me.
Both of us stared at the scene in front of us.
My brain struggled to process what I was seeing.
Standing in the middle of the living room—
Was my mother.
And she wasn’t alone.
She was fighting a man.
But not just any fight.
The two of them moved faster than anything I had ever seen before. Their movements were sharp and precise, almost… supernatural.
Even stranger—
Both of them had glowing light swirling in their hands.
Actual glowing energy.
Like something straight out of a fantasy movie.
My mouth fell open.
We stood there completely stunned, rooted to the floor.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us spoke.
It felt like time had stopped.
The fight continued for what felt like hours, though it was probably only a few minutes.
Eventually, both of them began to slow down.
The man looked tired.
But Mom looked worse.
Her face had gone pale, and her breathing sounded uneven.
That’s when the word finally escaped my lips.
“Mum…”
My voice echoed softly through the room.
Both fighters froze instantly.
Mom’s body tensed the moment she heard me.
Then slowly… she turned around.
Her eyes widened when she saw me standing there.
Anne beside me.
The weapons in our hands.
Then the man turned too.
His gaze landed directly on me.
For a moment, we just stared at each other.
Something about his face felt… familiar.
Like I had seen him before.
But I couldn’t place where.
Then suddenly—
He smirked.
Right at me.
The expression sent a chill down my spine.
And before I could react—
He disappeared.
Just like that.
Gone.
Vanished into thin air.
Anne cursed under her breath beside me.
“s**t… that’s totally impossible.”
I slowly lowered the knife in my hand.
My heart was still racing wildly.
“Mum…”
I looked at her again.
“What is going on here?”
She took a slow step toward me.
Her expression was full of something I had never seen before.
Fear.
Pain.
Regret.
She reached out and gently held my hand.
But I immediately pulled away.
I needed answers.
Not comfort.
I crossed my arms and stared at her, waiting.
Her shoulders dropped slightly.
“Look, sweetie,” she said softly. “I can explain everything.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“Then start explaining.”
She hesitated.
Then she sighed.
“First… call your siblings home.”
I frowned slightly but nodded.
I was still too confused to argue.
As I pulled out my phone, my mind kept spinning with questions.
What had I just witnessed?
Glowing magic?
A man disappearing into thin air?
My mother fighting like some supernatural warrior?
None of this made sense.
Not even a little.
While waiting for my siblings to arrive, my thoughts drifted.
I probably should explain more about them.
Rudolph is my twin brother.
He’s about six feet tall, and we look incredibly similar. The biggest difference between us is our skin tone. Mine is caramel, while his is more tan. He also has bright blue eyes.
Mom always says he looks more like our father.
A father we’ve never met.
Then there are Johnny and Jenny.
They’re twins too.
And unlike Rudolph and me, they look exactly alike.
Same face.
Same hair.
Same everything.
Sometimes it’s actually creepy how identical they are.
I leaned back against the wall, running a hand through my white hair.
My mind felt like it was about to explode.
‘I just hope Mom is finally going to explain what the hell is going on,’ I thought.
Because whatever I had just seen…
It had completely shattered the normal life I thought I knew.
And deep down—
I had the strange feeling this was only the beginning.
- Writer
