My Cursed Love

Chapter 5: This is home!

*Elena’s POV*

The detective was the one following us out of the police station. The whole walk out there the same eyes followed me but this time they had a different look. Sadness. I was their last hope and I had nothing for them. It made me feel so guilty, but I had no other choice.

As we got outside, the detective called out to me. I turned around and looked at him. He held out a card to me. I just looked at him in confusion.

“Thank you for coming down here, Elena, and if you should remember anything else that might help, you have my number,” he said and smiled.

I slowly reached out for the card but my aunt quickly got in front of me and snatched the card from his hand.

“Thank you but Elena told you what she knew. If she somehow remembers something, I will be the one making the call, making sure you don’t make her talk about something she isn’t comfortable talking about,” my aunt said in her lawyer-voice.

She crossed her arms and looked the detective in the eyes, not backing down. He just smiled at her, and for some reason apparently liked her challenging him. It seemed like she didn’t mind this staring contest that was going on and it was making me a bit uncomfortable. Was something going on between my aunt and the detective? In the years I knew her, I had never seen her with a boyfriend and she had no husband. This was just getting too weird and if the detective suddenly entered my aunt’s life, he might get into something bad. I was the last person you would want to be involved with in any kind of way.

“Auntie?” I said, trying to get her attention.

She quickly looked at me realizing the situation. Her cheeks flushed slightly red but quickly she pulled herself together.

“Have a good day detective, “She said politely and then left with me right behind her.

***

I couldn’t believe my eyes as I got out of the car with my aunt. The house in front of me was the one I had known most of my life. It had white walls and a red rooftop with two floors and with a big lawn. I remember me and my aunt playing tag on that lawn. I remember laughing so much I almost went into a cramp and how she always let me catch her even though she could easily out run me. I looked at my aunt as the memories came back. She smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Ready to go inside?” She asked me.

I nodded. We walked up to the white door and my heart was suddenly beating so fast. It had been so long since I had seen that white door. My aunt opened the door and we went inside, and as she turned on the light, I almost cried my eyes out.

It was all here!

Every little thing was exactly the same as before I disappeared. The stairway with a brown wooden railing and with a little gold on the side. To my right was the kitchen where, whenever my aunt had the time, we ate together and talked about what had happened during the day. To my left, the same old living room where we had seen movies together or cuddled close by the fireplace on cold days.

I went up to the first floor and found my room to the left of the stairs. As I opened the door, I was met with my own old scent. A fresh rain. It wasn’t that strong in scent, but since I had been away from the perfume for so long, it was stronger than ever. My bed was still there in the middle of the room and my old posters and my laptop on my desk. I ran my fingers slowly over everything in my room. It was hard to believe I was really back.

As I was done exploring my own room, I let myself fall giggling onto my own bed. I rolled onto my stomach, hugging my blanket. And dug my head into it and breathed in. It smelled fresh and clean so much better than the rotten place I had been held in for 5 months. God,

This is home!

I couldn’t help but smile like crazy as I laid flat on my stomach. I was home! I was really home! And nothing was ever making me leave here again.

A small knock on the door brought me back to reality. My aunt stood in the door leaning on the doorframe. She smiled a small sad smile, looking at me on my bed.

“I haven’t been able to enter this room since you left,” she said in a sad voice.

I sat up and looked at her. Had no one really been in here since I disappeared? It was a weird thought.

“And seeing you now here, it makes me scared and happy at the same time.” The tears started to stream down her cheeks. “I’m so happy to see you home and safe, but in my heart I’m still not sure this is real. And I’m afraid that in a minute I will wake up and you will be gone again.”

She put her hand to her mouth as she choked the sobbing noises. Quickly, I got up from the bed and ran to her. I embraced her and held her close. I was a bit afraid I was hurting her, but she hugged me back just as hard.

“I’m right here, auntie,“ I said, reassuring her. “And I’m not going anywhere!”

She just nodded against me, holding me even closer.