Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Suspense/Mystery

WARNING: The following chapter contains levels of excitement, confusion, amazement and the SHOCKING TRUTH!! This will be quite the chapter and I warn you to read carefully so you can understand it. 
       NOW PREPARE YOURSELVES!!
                       ......................
April couldn't sleep for half the night. Thoughts and question kept filling her mind. Thankfully, it was time for her to get some answers, and she wasn't going to leave until she knew everything.
"Ah, I knew you'd come!" The boy from yesterday yelled to her as she got out of her car.
"Of course I did. Is Carl home?"
"Actually, he went by the supermarket to pick up some things. We didn't expect you to be so early. My name's Ashton by the way."
"Nice to meet you Ashton. I'm April."
"I know." He said those two words heavily, smiling at you. Not a polite smile that people put on for strangers, but a smile of what seemed like happiness. Pure happiness.
"Oh, you can come in." He said, gesturing for her to follow him into the house. They sat in the living room, and April looked around, taking everything in.
"Hello dear!" Someone said. April turned to see Marge from the bar there as well. She was stitching up a red blanket with flowers for decoration.
"It's nice to see you again Marge. How are you?"
"To be honest, surprised. None of us thought we would ever see you again."
"Again?" Marge paused at her sewing.
"I'll let Carl explain when he gets here. For now, you have one more person to meet. Scarlet!" And a girl who looked about the same age as April walked in. 
Scarlet took one look at April before covering her mouth with her hands, muffling a scream. She ran to April and jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly.
"I can't believe you came back." She whispered in her ear, crying in her shoulder. April patted her back gently, comforting her.
"Alright Scarlet, give her some space." A voice from the doorway said. It was Carl, and he was staring at the two of them carefully. Scarlet released her and sat beside Ashton, who hugged her gently.
"It was nice to meet the rest of your family, but I'm afraid I really need some answers." April said. Carl sighed and sat on the chair beside her.
"I suppose it's time. April, what do you remember about your past? About Audrey?"
"Well, when Audrey was one, my dad took her from the hospital and brought her home. I never knew that she was adopted and that she was never my real sister."
"And what about your past?" April sat a moment, thinking deeply.
"I....I don't know. All I remember is Audrey. I mean, who has memories of when they were a baby anymore?"
"But what about, you know, teenage memories? Memories of your life?"
"Well, I've always been bad with memories. My dad told me so." 
"So you really don't remember anything." This was more of a statement than a question, and April thought for a moment. She really couldn't recall a single memory from before Audrey.
"April, John Baxter, he isn't your real dad." 
"What? What do you mean?"
"Look, I know you don't understand but we had to. John is actually my brother...and he's your uncle."
"W-wait, so.....so you're my...."
"Yes. I'm your real father." April sat heavily against the couch.
"B-but how? Why? How did I end up there thinking my uncle was my father?"
"April, calm down."
"Why can't I remember you? Any of you?"
"April, you had an accident."
"What?" Carl sighed again and took Aprils hand.
"Let me start from the beginning." He stood up and started pacing around the room.
"Your mother was absolutely wonderful. When we had you, you were a gift from heaven. The most precious thing in the world to us. Well, you and your brother, Ashton. You were both perfect. Got good grades, had lots of friends. You graduated highschool and was halfway done with college before anything exciting ever happened. Then, you met someone. He was...certainly strange. I'm pretty sure you know him. Had a halloween costume stitched to his skin."
"L." April said. Carl looked at her curiously.
"L? Is that what he calls himself now?"
"Well, yeah. He says he can't recall his real name. We arrested him 22 days ago."
"Lucifer. His name is Lucifer. He came into town during your winter break, carrying his sister with him, Scarlet. He was running from his mother, and during this time, his mask wasn't stitched permanently to his face. You were the only one he trusted enough to see past the mask. Now you couldn't just stand by and watch them suffer, so you took them both in. We all invited them into our family. Heh, well, I guess you did most of it. You both spent hours talking, exploring, just being together. Eventually, you both fell in love with each other. Three years after, you both got married and a year later, you had Audrey."
"B-but I don't understand. Why can't I remember any of this?"
"Judy Jenson. Lucifer's mother. She came into town one day. Threatened to kill you and Audrey, and she almost did. She had wanted to take Lucifer back with her. Your mother died protecting you but you were still injured, bad. You suffered from amnesia and was in a coma for a year. The whole year you were in it, Judy disappeared, and Lucifer was taking care of Audrey, wishing and praying that you would come back to us. You did. But you couldn't remember anything. Not me, not your brother, not even Lucifer or Audrey. Judy was still out there, and Lucifer knew she would come back one day, so, my brother John took you and Audrey to another town. We all made the choice to make you believe that John was your father and that Audrey was your sister."
April sat there, silently. She looked around at everyone. Carl, her real father, Marge, her aunt, Scarlet, her step sister, and Ashton, her little brother. Even though all this seemed impossible, her mind told her otherwise.
She suddenly remembered: Laughing with Ashton as they pulled pranks on their dad. Their mother singing them lullabies at bedtime. Aunt Marge baking cookies. Seeing movies with her friends. Meeting Scarlet and welcoming them into their family.
And she remembered Lucifer. His silly laugh, clever way of talking, his bad luck with games, his bright smile that he showed only to her. She even remembered picking flowers with him. Beautiful white carnations.
Suddenly, tears began to form in her eyes and her father took her in his arms as she cried.
Cried because of her mother, cried because of Audrey, cried because of Lucifer. It wasn't long after that everyone joined her, everyone hugging one another closely because they all knew:
April was finally home.