Through the Flames
856 Words
The shrill sound of the fire alarm echoed throughout the Kingsley Estate.
Servants rushed through the hallways in panic, while security guards shouted orders over their radios.
"Everyone move to the east courtyard!"
"Protect Madam Kingsley!"
"Call the fire department!"
Smoke curled from the windows of the abandoned west wing, the same section of the mansion that had remained sealed since the tragic fire fifteen years ago.
Aria stood frozen.
The smell...
It was the same scent that had haunted her dreams.
Burning wood.
Smoke.
Ash.
Her breathing became uneven.
"Aria!"
Adrian grabbed her wrist before she could run toward the flames.
"What are you doing?"
"I... I don't know."
Her eyes remained fixed on the burning wing.
"It feels like..."
"...someone is calling me."
Adrian looked at her with concern.
"You're not going anywhere near that fire."
He turned to Ethan.
"Get her to safety."
Ethan nodded immediately.
"Come with me, Miss Bennett."
But before either of them could move, an elderly groundskeeper came running across the courtyard.
His weathered face was pale with fear.
"Young Master!"
"What is it?" Adrian asked.
"The fire started in the old nursery."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"The nursery?"
"Yes, sir."
"The room Lady Aurora used to play in."
Aria suddenly pressed both hands against her temples.
Images flashed through her mind.
A bright nursery filled with toys.
A white rocking horse.
A little girl laughing.
Another child sitting beside her on a colorful rug.
Then...
Smoke pouring beneath the door.
A loud bang.
Someone screaming.
"No..." Aria whispered.
Ethan caught her before she lost her balance.
"You remembered something?"
"There were..."
She struggled to breathe.
"There were two of us."
Ethan and Adrian exchanged a quick glance.
The diary.
The matching necklaces.
The recurring memories.
Everything pointed to the same conclusion.
There had been two little girls in the nursery that night.
---
Outside, firefighters arrived and began battling the flames.
Fortunately, the fire had been discovered quickly.
Within an hour, it was under control.
The damage was limited to a single room.
Adrian, Ethan, and the fire chief carefully entered the blackened nursery once it was declared safe.
The room was covered in soot.
Burned furniture lay scattered across the floor.
Most of the old toys had been reduced to ashes.
Ethan slowly searched the room with his flashlight.
"Someone's been here recently."
Adrian looked down.
Fresh footprints crossed the dusty floor.
"They're too clear."
"The dust everywhere else hasn't been disturbed."
The fire chief frowned.
"So this wasn't an accident?"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
He crouched beside the fireplace.
Hidden beneath a loose brick was a small metal box.
"It survived the fire."
Ethan carefully lifted it out.
The lock had melted years ago.
Inside was a folded piece of paper wrapped in cloth.
James Carter, who had just entered the room, carefully unfolded it.
It was a birth record.
But half of the page had been burned away.
Only a few lines remained legible.
«...Female twins...»
«...born on July...»
«...one entrusted...»
The rest had turned to ash.
The three men stared at one another.
"Twins?" Ethan whispered.
Adrian's heartbeat quickened.
If the document was genuine...
Everything they believed about Aurora's disappearance was wrong.
---
Meanwhile, downstairs, Eleanor sat beside Aria in the drawing room.
"My dear," Eleanor said gently, "are you feeling any better?"
Aria nodded slowly.
"I keep remembering little pieces."
"But they disappear before I can understand them."
Eleanor took her hand.
"Sometimes memories return one step at a time."
Just then, Adrian, Ethan, and James entered the room.
Their expressions were grim.
Eleanor immediately stood.
"What did you find?"
Adrian looked at Aria before answering.
"A document."
"What kind?"
"A birth record."
He hesitated.
"It mentions female twins."
The room fell silent.
Aria felt as if the floor had vanished beneath her feet.
"Twins?" she repeated.
Ethan nodded.
"The rest of the record was destroyed."
"But someone hid it before the original fire."
James added quietly,
"And someone returned tonight to burn the nursery."
"They were trying to destroy whatever evidence remained."
---
Before anyone could speak again, the mansion's telephone rang.
One of the maids answered it.
A moment later, the color drained from her face.
"Madam..."
Eleanor looked at her.
"Who is it?"
The maid swallowed hard.
"They asked for Miss Bennett."
Aria frowned.
"For me?"
The maid slowly handed her the receiver.
Her hands trembled.
Aria placed it against her ear.
"Hello?"
For several seconds, only silence answered.
Then a cold male voice whispered,
"You should have died with your sister."
The line went dead.
Aria stood frozen.
The receiver slipped from her hand and crashed onto the floor.
Everyone stared at her.
"What did they say?" Adrian demanded.
Her lips trembled.
"He..."
She struggled to speak.
"He said..."
"...I should have died with my sister."
The room fell into stunned silence.
No one spoke.
Because for the first time...
The possibility that there had been two identical little girls on the night of the fire was no longer just a theory.
Someone out there knew the truth.
And they were terrified that Aria was getting closer to it.
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