Dark Fae (Skeleton Key)

by Lillian Cartier

  I turn with a small sigh and head toward the dressing room to change into my torn blue jeans and t-shirt. I comb my fingers through my hair enough to pull it into a ponytail, then reach out to the table for a hair tie and secure my hair. Grabbing my purse, I say goodnight to everyone on the way out. Walking to the bus stop, I wait for it to take me in the direction of my depressing reality. I'm glad I don't need a coat tonight since I forgot it at home. Just the thought of walking from the bus stop to my apartment in the middle of a thunderstorm leaves my arms covered in goose bumps.

  The bus pulls up to a complete stop, and I climb on. Greeting the driver, I take my seat and pull out a book from my bag, since it will be about twenty minutes before I need to get off the bus for the ten-minute walk to my apartment.

  I’m strolling down the hallway to my door, humming the tune I sang during tonight’s performance and floating on the high that I’ve yet to come down from after work. It’s always that way, since I love to perform. Looking up, I stop in my tracks as I see a man standing in front the door to my apartment. He appears to have just arrived with an envelope in his hand; his hand is raised to knock on the thin wood of the door.

  He’s wearing a dark charcoal gray suit with a deep sapphire blue tie. He has dark, brown hair, styled back with gel, and at about five-eleven, he appears to be handsome. Is he someone with the property management? I barely scrapped rent together, but I did and paid it, so I know he’s not here to evict me. I’m not able to place this guy, but if I’m confident of anything, it’s knowing that this guy doesn’t belong in this rundown part of town, especially in front of my door. His body shifts and turns my direction, making eye contact with me. “Miss. James?” I’m leery of what this guy wants from me. There’s no reason for anyone to look for me here since, no one knows where I live.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” I ask defensively, as he looks me over with something sad in his eyes.

  “Are you Tessa James?” he asks patiently, as be begins to raise the padded manila envelope he has in his hand.

  “Yes, can I help you?” I reply in a curt voice as he starts to hand it to me.

  “I should introduce myself. I’m Ryder Lockeford. I’m a friend of Lauren James.” Confusion must be crossing my face, and I am sure he can see that I’m not connecting the dots. I have no idea who Lauren James or this Ryder guy are, or what they want with me.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know a Lauren James. I think you have the wrong person.” I begin to take a few steps to pass him, so I can get into the safety of my apartment. This situation is so uncomfortable for me, and I just need to feel safe again. The compassionate side of me forces me to look up at him for a moment. “You shouldn’t be around here; it’s not a great neighborhood, especially with how you’re dressed.” I give him a warning, not wanting anything to happen to this stranger.

  “Tessa, let me explain.” He holds out his hand as I start to unlock my door, and I still briefly before forcing my trembling hand to keep moving.

  “I don’t think I can help you. I don’t have any idea who you are. I don’t have any family or friends.” I realized that I am giving away more information to a stranger than I should. I begin to open the door to let myself in, just to get away from this situation.

  “Lauren James is your aunt.” That statement freezes me in place, and I’m not able to look at this man.

  “I don’t have any relatives. They have all abandoned me; I’ve grown up on my own,” I state, and I hang my head against the front door.

  “Lauren didn’t know her sister was pregnant with you and has been searching for you ever since she found out. She hasn’t been able to find you,” he continues, as I realize that there is a chance I might have had some love in my life. “She wanted to make sure I gave this to you.” I look toward the envelope in his hand. I lift my head to look at Ryder, and I wonder why he’s here and not this Lauren person.

  “Why are you here? If this person has been looking for me, why is she not here?” I know I sound annoyed but really, why now? Why bother after all this time? It has been years.

  “I’m sorry to tell you this; Lauren passed away six months ago from a car accident, before she was able to find you. You’re her last living relative, and she asked me to try to find you so I can give this to you.” He passes me the envelope, and I take it in my hands. It’s not a big or heavy. I can’t imagine what the envelope contains that would cause this guy to find me just to hand it to me.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Tessa. Lauren would have been thrilled to meet you. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Good night.” He turns and leaves me in the hallway. For a moment, I wonder if I will see this guy around, since he’s the only person that holds any knowledge of any of my blood relatives. Just as quick the thought comes to me, to stop him to ask any questions, he’s gone.

  I enter my apartment with this envelope in my hand. The guy seems to have gone out of his way to make sure it got to me, and I’m not even sure if I want to open it. All of the possibilities that could be contained in this little four by six envelope are daunting on so many levels. Am I ready for any of them? This is such a Pandora’s box, or in this case, an envelope that could change my entire life, good or bad. I drop my purse on the kitchen counter and plop my rear on the single chair I have.

  I could just throw it away and never know what I missed out on in life.

  Passing the envelope from one hand to the other, I contemplating on what I should do with something that shouldn’t intimidate me as much as it does. Tessa is handwritten in black script across the face of the envelope.

  I should take a shower and get comfortable, buying myself time before deciding what I should do with Pandora. I begin to chew on my bottom lip, mentally telling myself to get my ass in the shower rather than sitting here staring a hole through this envelope. The reasonable side of me is saying; Get. In. The. Shower. Gather your thoughts. The unreasonable, frantic side in me is afraid I will lose this if I take my eyes off of it, as if it will grow legs and walk away. I feel so torn, and I let my heart take me where I need to go.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I pick up the envelope, tear open one end of it carefully, and empty the contents by turning it upside down, so they can fall onto the table. I hear the items fall out as they clink onto the surface. I see a key and a small set of what appears to be car keys, along with a small card with a handwritten address. That’s it? None of this is making sense to me.

  A glass key stands out amongst the items, which seems to illuminate from the small amount of sunlight coming through the window from the sun rising. A skull is located at the base of the key with two unique teeth on the opposite end. I pick it up to see if there is any meaning to the key that I apparently posses. It’s cold to the touch, but it seems to warm up in my hand faster than it should, happening within seconds. What is this? It looks like almost identical to the skeleton keys I’ve seen in the stores, but I haven’t seen any made of glass, and this one is heavier than it appears. I place the key back on the table and proceed to look in the envelope, where I see a folded piece of paper. Pulling the note out, I’m thankful to see that I haven’t torn it in my haste to open the envelope, and I place the envelope on the table. I begin to unfold the white sheet of stationery, and I see a hand written note.

  Tessa,

  I hope this letter makes its way to you. Ryder is penning this letter to you, as I’m not able to. I cannot apologize enough for everything you’ve gone through in your life. My sister, Brooke, who happens to be your birth mother, never told any of us about you. She ran away from home at fourteen, and I’d lost touch with her shortly before she passed away at the age of forty from cancer. It wasn’t until she reached out to me when she found out she was ill that she had told me about you.

  She wasn’t able to handle the cards that were dealt to her, and I’m so sorry you were ultimately disconnected from our bloodline because of that. I’ve researched day and night to try to locate you and introduce myself, hoping you w
ould not necessarily forgive any of us but would open your heart enough to embrace our love for you.

  I’m lucky to survive long enough to be able to have Ryder write this letter to you, since they informed me that I won’t heal from this accident. My body is slowly shutting down, but I hope Ryder can get this letter to you. He been with me for the past fifteen years and has been nothing but supportive, but he will heal in his way. I’ve made him promise me that he would find you to give you this package, and I wish him the best and all that life and love has to offer him. I didn’t give as much of myself as he deserved, and I yearn that he will have another chance at finding a mate that will love him as much as I do. I wish him everything I wasn’t able to give him, or anyone else, as my heart’s love has long passed.

  You’re the last person in the family tree, so I leave all my possessions to you to do as you please. The deed to the cabin has been transferred to you. The address is on the card I’ve included with the skeleton key, as well as the keys to the car that I had Ryder purchase for you, since mine was destroyed in the accident. It’s brand new and safe. I no longer need any of these possessions and wish for you to have them. Please keep this key with you at all times. This key, as awkward as it may look or feel, is very important to our family. It cannot be replaced if it is lost, and you must treat it carefully. When the time is right, and if it’s meant to be, you will know when to use it. This key is meant for only you and only the ones that derive from our bloodline. Only we can bring this key to its full potential.

  No matter what you’ve been through, be strong. Love with all of your heart. Trust what it tells you. You may question reality and feel weak at times, but when you give into love where you least expect it, true magic will form. Believe in the power of magic. I will always look over you, while I cannot be there physically; I wish with all of my might that I could be. I will watch you both from afar.

  With all my love,

  Aunt Lauren.

  I exit out of my apartment building with a small bag of clothes, after a quick shower, as I begin to process everything from yesterday. I’ve gone from having next to nothing to supposedly a car, a possible house, and an awkward key. Pressing the lock button on the key fob, I hear a chirping coming from my right, where there is a shiny, new, dark blue Honda. I see a lot of these models on the road so they must be good. I walk up to the car and push the unlock button, and sure enough, the car unlocks. The feeling is awkward getting into a car that is now mine. I help myself into the car and begin to drive. I guess that driver education course came in handy, after all. I never thought I would ever be able to afford a car or be handed down one from someone that is practically a stranger to me.

  My first stop is to let my boss know I’m taking a few days off. I need to see what this place is about that my aunt has left to me. I need to figure out what to do with all of it, and to process everything that’s just happened. I am going from nothing to now a car, house, and a weird key. You just can’t make this stuff up.

  “Hey, Calvin, I need to take some time off. I just found out my aunt passed away recently, and there are a few things I need to take care of.” I place myself in the doorway. I don’t want to get comfortable. I want answers, if there are any, to my family history. If there aren’t any answers, then I will just figure out what to do with everything and get back to work. The only difference is that now I will have a safe place to live and a car.

  “I didn’t know you had any family; I never hear you talk about them,” Calvin responds with concern and what I think is a little suspicion in his voice.

  “Me either, I just found out yesterday. I guess she was my last surviving aunt,” I say solemnly.

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Tess, take as much time as you need. I’ll ask Lily to cover for you,” he responds warmly, and I nod gratefully as emotion fills me quickly. I have no idea what I am leaving my job for right now, but there is no other choice for me. I am happy that I can come back to it, if this turns out to be nothing that is really life changing. I can always perform and be happy.

  “Thanks, Calvin. I’m going to head out now. She left me a house about four hours away. I need to go and figure out what to do with it,” I explain as his green eyes widen in response.

  “Whoa, I bet that was unexpected. Yeah, do what you need to. Drive safe,” he assures me, as I nod and smile softly at him. He is a really good boss, and despite the erotic nature of the performance, very professional. I don’t want to lose this job.

  “Will do, see ya later!” I chime back, as I turn to leave his office and begin my trip toward a house that belonged to an aunt I never knew.

  Cruising down the two-lane highway, I have nothing to do but drive. I begin to process all the emotions since receiving the letter: sadness, anger, and curiosity. I feel the anticipation of what I’ll find in a house that belongs to someone who has known about me for some time. I acknowledge the anger, since I know there is a reality of me being alone without any blood relatives. I am relieved that someone out there cared enough to search for me. Grief overcomes me; leaving me feeling more alone now, since the reality of ever searching for any existing family is completely ripped away. I can feel the tears sliding down my cheeks as I start to cry and try to control my shaking hands on the steering wheel.

  Shaking myself forcefully out of my thoughts, I reach toward the radio, set a station, and let the music distract me for the remainder of the drive.

  I pull into the driveway of the address listed to see two-story, wood cabin tucked back in the quiet woods. Parking the car in the carport, I get out and take a look around, absorbing my surroundings. It’s peaceful here and there doesn’t seem to be anybody around. I hear the birds chirping somewhere amongst the trees surrounding the cabin, and I see the leaves spread out throughout the ground in the colors of orange, brown, and yellow. I have always loved the fall, but I have never seen it in nature like this before. It’s breathtaking, and I get lost in it for a moment, as I let the peace around me take over. This place is what I have always wanted, and it’s sad that I have to find it alone like this.

  Another tear slides down my cheek, and I take a deep breath as I look around again.

  Making my way up the two steps toward the front door, I begin to feel nervous standing in front of what is essentially a stranger’s cabin. I find it so odd that the woman who this home belonged to was my aunt. I place what I suspect is the key to the cabin into the lock, and the door unlocks with a soft click as I turn it. I take a deep breath, open the door, and take my first step into the house.

  The cabin has a warm feel throughout the interior due to its décor, from the pictures on the walls, down to the two candles placed on a wooden coffee table. Shutting the door behind me, I walk past the living room and see a kitchen to my left. Beige curtains with sunflowers printed on them cover the kitchen windows. Continuing past the kitchen, I see that there’s a hallway, a door to the right leads to a bathroom, and the door in front of me, which I can only guess is the bedroom.

  I open the door to the bedroom, and I see a queen bed made with a light blue and white quilt covering over the top, with two pillows placed neatly at the head of the bed. Moving into the bedroom, I place my purse on the small wooden nightstand and lower myself onto the mattress. I try to absorb everything in this bedroom. Nothing about this cabin is extravagant; there is comfort with the necessities. There is almost a sweet charm to the cabin. It is the kind of home that I’ve always wanted.

  Thoughts float through my mind of the memories that must have been made in this cabin. I wonder if this home was filled with all of the emotions I missed out on as a child. I wonder how often they thought of me in between these walls. I think of the possible love for me, which was neglected because nobody had known about me. How depressing.

  The idea that I was robbed of this angers me to the point that I want to cry. I silently ask why my mother would do this to me, as I reach over and open the drawer in the nightstand, hoping to find some tissues as the tears s
tart coming. Instead, I find a photograph in a frame. Picking up the wood frame, I see a picture of a woman sitting on a couch reading a book. The woman has long dark brunette hair with high cheekbones. Appearing to be happy and possibly in love, from the glow on her face, something in me tells me the woman in the photograph is Lauren. The resemblance between us can’t be missed. I brush my fingers across the image, trying to reach out to Lauren through a photograph. She looks so peaceful and content, something that I have never known in my life.

  Placing the photograph on the nightstand, I walk over toward a door that I think must either be the closet or the bathroom. Upon opening the door, there’s a small walk-in closet. I take a step into it, there’s a row along the wall with clothes on hangers. I pull one of the boxes down from the shelf, sitting above the clothes, and place it on the floor. I open the lip off the top of the box and see there are some dried flowers and small charms that look like they were kept in this box as keepsakes. Dropping the lid on the box, I begin to pull another box down. I lift the lid to this box, and I see photographs of people. I begin to flip through a few images, a few are of Lauren, some outside of the cabin by herself and some with other people. I recognize the man that came to my door. They are all happy pictures, where they are smiling, and love is radiating from the pictures. I missed out on all of this.

  I place the lid back on the box, deciding to go through her belongings later. I am hoping to find a connection somehow through Lauren’s belongings. Taking a look at my surroundings, I can see she’s built her life here; a life that based on the letter she appeared to have wanted me in. It’s going to take me a few days to go through everything and decide what to do with it. Needing some food, I decide to head to town.