I ran my fingers through my long chestnut colored hair, it was straight as a post today. I stared at myself in the mirror in the hall. Big brown eyes, black eye lashes, long on top short on bottom, and almost heart shaped lips. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and stepped away from the mirror. I headed towards the stairs, towards my room. I reached the bottom step when loud knocking at the front door made me turn around. Glancing over my shoulder at it, I stepped off the bottom step. I hurried over and pulled it open.

Standing in front of me was a tall, dark haired man. His eye were friendly and he smiled at me and stuck a hand out.

“You must be Stephanie Drake?” The man said shaking my hand. I just nodded.

“I’m Christopher Walker, is your mother home?” He glanced behind me, his eyes surveying the front hall.

“Yeah, I’ll go get her,” I stepped back letting him enter on the leaf rug my mom bought to match the rest of the front hall. He shut the door behind himself as I hurried off towards the kitchen. “How did he know my name?” I thought to myself.

“Mom, there’s a man at the door who wants to talk to you,” I whispered loudly so he would not hear.

“Ok,” my mother stepped away from the sink where she was washing dishes and wiped her hand on a dish towel. I look like my mom. Same heart shaped lips, same big eyes plus some crows feet. She dyed her hair dark brown.

She followed me back to Christopher, who shook her hand, too, and introduced himself.

“Can we sit down and talk somewhere?” He asked looking back and forth between me and my mom.

“Sure, in the living room,” my mom led him into the living room and sat down on the sofa. I sat next to her and Christopher took an arm chair he was almost to big for.

“I’m here on behalf of Annabelle.” Christopher dove right in, but my mother said nothing. Her lips were pressed together and her hands were frozen together on her lap. My sister Annabelle had ran away 4 and a half years ago with her boyfriend, Vince.

“She contacted me and asked me, pardon me, begged me to find you guys.” Christopher continued through the awkward silence. We had moved twice since Annabelle left, changed our number and zip code, not entirely on purpose. My mom and Annabelle had fought a lot before she ran away. Annabelle would say or do something nasty towards my mom and my mom wouldn’t just stand there and take it. Despite their anger towards each other me and Annabelle had been close. I had been 11 at the time. She didn’t even tell me. She packed up and left and didn’t say one thing to me in her note. I mated her now, just like my mom, I needed no brain-washing. Annabelle would be 20 now.

“We don’t need contact with her, but you may tell her we are doing fine,” my mother’s voice was low and hard, chilling me in the 70 degree weather.

“She’s outside waiting in my car.” Christopher looked over at me, a small smile on his lips. I knew he was trying to help, but what help was this?

“She is not allowed in here. Take her away.” My mother stood and pointed to the door.

“Will you please just talk to her?” Christopher stood, too, but did not move from his spot. My mother’s strong face broke and she started crying.

“Do you want to talk to Annabelle?” Christopher turned to me giving me a look you give to a little kid when you ask if you want vanilla or chocolate.

“I don’t know,” I said. I was shocked she was here. “I guess.”

“Great!” He led me outside and standing by a big black truck was a woman who looked like she had been crying. Her chestnut brown hair was in a pony tail like my own and she was biting one of her heart shaped lips. She glanced up at me and cried out, smiling.

“Stephanie!” She ran towards me, but Christopher stood in front of me, blocking me off.

“Hold it,” he said stopping her. “Pay up.”

“I told you I don’t have the money quite yet.” Annabelle looked alarmed.

“Pay up or I kill you and your family.” Christopher’s hand dropped to his pocket of his dress pants.

“No! Please no!” Annabelle stumbled forward, I stumbled backwards. I darted inside the house locking the door behind me and a loud gun shot rang out, silencing everything.