• On an early Thursday morning, Lawna sat beside her boyfriend Jhon, both complaining over the dislikes of there relationship. "I don't want to do this anymore!" said Lawna. She got up and walked over to the drawer beside her bed, tears running down her face. In it sat a sleek black gun that her grandfather gave to her. Her hands trembled as she picked it up and set it to her head. She stared at the wall away from her now to be ex boyfriend. "Lawna no don-." she was gone. He stared at her motionless. Only thinking about how she was now just a memory. This life he lived just left and now everything was going to change.
    Lawna's daughter Lacie walked into the room. Staring at the blood streaming down her dead mothers face. A tear slid down her cheek in astonishment. She grabbed the gun and pointed it at Jhon. "You don't understand Lacie". said Jhon. He put his hands up and tried to look calm. she stared at him and walked to the door. "LOUISE!" Lacie called. Louise was Lawna's next door neighbor. He was a retired sheriff. It took only a few seconds before he was at her door and she told him everything. Pausing every few minutes and looking over at Jhon. People from town came in the door with towels and soap. They wiped up the mess and took the body out the front door. Lacie followed. Watching the men put the dead body into the back of a carriage. Jhon was taken to the nearest jail and stayed there over night till they got the story straight. He left the next morning.
    It was now friday and Lacie was spreading the news about the death of her mother. Making funeral plans,creating an outfit for her to where in her coffin. There was a lot to do. The dress she made for her mother was beautiful. Creme and light blue with lace around the neck line. It was long and reminded her of the days her and her mother went to the daisy fields. They would stare at the white flowing clouds against the pale blue sky. They shared stories about her father from before he died.

    She set down the dress and headed upstairs. Above her closet door in her bedroom, was a small square with a leather latch. Moving her chair up to the door she stood up and crawled into the small space. It led to a little room, covered in photos of her as a child. She touched the black and white grainy photos. The pictures were like a movie. each part a different scene. Moving and getting older. But without a happy ending. She stared at them until she finally dozed off into a dead sleep.
    "Lacie? knock,knock you home?" She heard the door crack open and then Lacie assumed she was awake. She jumped up and slid her body down the tiny opening. walking into the living room. Rubbing her eyes not believing what she'd just seen. She blinked repeatedly not knowing if she was dreaming or awake. She leaped over and grabbed around his neck kissing him, and hugging him. He pushed her back looking into her deep blue eyes. "Lacie." he said in a smooth low tone.
    She sat down beside him. He explained that he saw her mother in Oklahoma earlier that week. She looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Alex, my mother died a few days ago." He shook his head. "No." He hesitated than continued speaking. "I did some research." He smiled crookedly, and tilted his head to one side. He pulled up an old newspaper to wave in her face.

    He showed her the different names on the black ink page. There were two names Lawna and Jessica Curt. "Thats my mothers maiden name." But who-." she paused and looked over to him. He nodded, "Yes its her sister." She sat with her legs in her chest with her arms curled around them. "What does this all mean?" Lawna yelled tears starting to hold the outside of her eyes. "This means your mom might be alive Lawna, Don't you see? Your mom was held hostage to make it look like she was dead, when really her twin was the one who died. He said with much enthusiasm in his tone. "That's impossible." She got up and walked to the kitchen table. He frowned and stood behind her. "You have to believe me." He said almost like he was demanding more than pleading. "I will help you find her I promise." he whispered in her hair. "But what if it isn't true!" She stared at the ground. "I just get my hopes up and lose them?" she questioned him. "Lets go." he answered. "Where, what are you talkin
    g about?" said Lawna. "Just come with me, and hurry we have no time to waste." He held his hand out and took hers running out the door.
    "We need to go to Oklahoma, and look for your mother." He lopped over to his fathers stagecoach. "Lets go." he said. He held her up to get her inside. and they were off. "We will need to go to the train station father." he exclaimed. 'It is urgent." His father nodded and proceeded north towards the station. On the way they spoke and traded ideas of what they'd do. "This is going to be a long ride you know?" She said raising one eyebrow. He sighed with a smirk on his face. "Is that a problem? You can always stay here, and wait for me to come back." He suggested warily. She shook her head in disbelief that he would even think of that idea. "You know I want to go with you." she looked at him. He just looked to his father and nodded. They came to a stop and got out. "Where is the station?" She commented confused. "Not to far." He winced and stared into the dirt road.
    She nodded. "Figures."
    It had been five days since the first boarding and have stopped once in Utah. "She is probably gone already in another state now." She exclaimed. "Well we only have three more days, and she can't make it to far even if she did start running." he encouraged. "We'll see." She sighed.
    They waited for the long line to die down before leaving. "Ok where is your ticket?" he asked her. She checked her bag and her pockets. "It..It isn't here!" she looked everywhere. "Stop. Before you die from hyperventilation." He laughed, and she couldn't help but do the same. "We are going to have to sneak out without being seen, or they'll come after us." he whispered. She nodded and started toward the door. There was an old man standing there taking tickets. He waved them forward. Alex handed her his ticket. "Nope, I'm not going to do that." she stuck out her lip to pout. He turned to the opposite door and paced forward. She followed. The old man was whispering to a older boy and pointing in our direction. He looked back and the men were coming at us. We fled.
    "Next time I hold the tickets." he said panting, hands on his knees. "Next time?" She giggled. They sat down on a small log over a stream. "I'm so tired." She said and yawned. He rubbed his eyes. "How about we head to my home, and sleep then go search." He said with much hope in his tone. "Yeah, sounds good." she said and they did as planned.
    When they arrived his mom squeezed them both. Almost strangling Lacie because of her small figure. "Your mom is strong." she said gasping for air as she let go. A smile was perking up in the corner of his mouth. Then he fell to sleep at the foot of his bed. The next morning they left early. It was 5:43 am. "So where did you supposedly see my mother." she asked. "The dirt road about thirty five minutes from here." he answered staring blankly ahead. He saw the dirt ahead rolling into the air. His eyes squinted weakly. "Is that?" he pulled her into the mushy mud bed behind the brush on the side of the path. A carriage passed with a woman and three men in the front. The woman had a scarf over her face only showing her eyes. "Thats my mom". She jumped out of the bushes and screamed at the people. "Stop mom it's me." She fell back two steps and Alex pushed her down. She was shot. Blood flowing out into a Red puddle. He pulled off his shirt to wrap around her side. It soaked with
    in seconds. He picked her up in his arms calling for help. He had no choice but to run home. By this point she was unconscious. He Huffed as he pulled her tighter.
    Mystery Chapter Two

    It got dark fast. Alex couldn't see where to go. Beads of water covered his face. He started to cry. "It isn't fair!" It was so cold that the droplets eventually turned to flakes of white. He found a large fallen tree, and nudged himself under while pulling her in. All you could hear were two hearts beating, and all else was silent. He pulled of the dried red shirt from her arm. He left her their to go out to the snow. He filled the pocket of the flanel top with snow and tied it back to her arm. She flinched. And his body burned from the thin ice that covered hi m.
    The next morning she woke. He looked at her shocked face. "What?" he asked her surprised. He held her close . "I'm so sorry." She looked up below her long lashes. "S'okay." she tried to stretch then let out a cry. "We need to get you to the town doc." He said with brilliancy. He crawled out and she followed helplessly. He lifted her. "I'm not letting you walk their." he let out with little amusement in his voice. "Okay." she smiled at him and rested against his bare chest.
    "She will be healed soon just wait a few days. The doc turned to Lacie. Rest your arm. Don't get it wet. Take this medicine once a day with water for the pain."
    He turned away and walked out of the room. They walked down the steps of the old house. The sun was peeking its way through the tall trees. Each beam hitting her face drawing pictures into her skin. She closed her eyes and raised her face just taking in all the sun.
    They started off to town looking for her mom asking everyone if they'd seen her. "She has long brown hair and blue eyes." She explained to the store clerk. He shook his head "sorry darlin' ..haven't seen her." he raised one brow. "But I'll pass on the message." He whiped around and walked to the storage room. He mumbled something else under his breath but no one heard. Lacie dragged her feet out of the store and over to the blacksmiths. She knocked and no one answered. It was an iron door covered in locks. The building was old. It held over a few degrees to the left ,hanging over a small barn. Lacie was a person who couldn't keep to herself at all. So just being herself, she walked back behind the building and looked through the back window. She winced and rubbed the glass with her fist. She turned to Alex, and giggled while holding up her dirty fist. He laughed too.
    Lacie felt the hot air hit her face when she pushed the window open. It swung and creeked, barely holding on to the hinges. There were machines and scrap metal everywhere. she jumped in holding tight to the window sill. Making the least amount of sound as possible. Alex followed as well. They walked through a hall that lead to a old room. It had cabinets of black gloves, and old boots. She heard a whine or maybe a sigh behind her but it wasnt Alex. She looked up at him and shrugged. But then she heard it again. "Ugh!" they both jumped.
    There was some loose boards in the floor and they leaned down to feel the strange wood. It was different. The markings didn't match the other floor boards. It moved and they looked at each other. Alex ran over to the drawers against the left wall. He opened each one as quiet and quick as possible. He pulled back a metal crow bar ,and ran to her side. He pressed the bar down between the cracks of the grainy wood, and pulled it up with all his force. As focussed as Lacie should have been. All she could do was stare at his arms. So strong and well built. You could see the desire in her eyes. She flinched out of he rlittle fantasies and looked down at the floor. At that same moment the nail in the wood popped out and pinned her in the forehead. she just rubbed it and let it go. She gasped and began climbing down into the underground hole. Alex grabbed a candle light from the front desk that was already lit. he handed it down to her so she could see. When she looked over she saw a pale face. It had its face wrapped with rope so she couldn't speak. It was white and boney she almost barely recognized it. Until she really focused. "Mom Oh my-". she didn't finish. She just grabbed her moms neck and hugged her very tight. Alex came down to help get lawna out. "Lacie we need to get her out. She doesn't look well." he implied. He put her pulled lawna into his armed and climbed carefully up the steep ladder. Lacie followed wanting to help. Alex pulled out a small knife and cut the rope carefully. It was tied tight so he couldn't help scraping some of the skin on her neck. Blood began to seep out. He wiped it gently and sighed leaning his head back against the wall.
    Mystery Chapter Three
    Lawna tried to speak, but it sounded more like breathing than speaking. She then gasped out. "We must get out of here. Now." He looked up at lacie and picked up lawna. They moved out the window and walked briskly away into the brush behind some deserted houses. "Mom what happened?" she glared into the trees once her mom decided not to answer. "Im sorry." Lawna said. "You know you look like someone dropped five cows on your back and smashed your face." she laughed. "Lacie I thought if I came here I could just start over. Now I can see I was wrong. None of this helped me. I just wanted to fall in love, but I was too eager. I went for the first thing I saw." She shook her head. Even though it looked to fragile to move that way. "I went to the tavern one night and met a man that I thought was so perfect. We spent a few days together and took a ride to some different towns. I thought I knew him so well. It was almost like he was made for me. He asked me if I wanted to go to his house and I said sure. I followed him till I saw we were headed toward the blacksmith. He told me to keep following but I decided this was wrong. I was just going to go back home to you. But he grabbed me and pushed me to the ground. I went unconscious. And then when I woke up I was in a black room. She sighed and you could see the chills on her neck. She was scared.
    "We need to get going." And they walked back to his mothers home. When he got close enough he called. "Mom I need your help!" his mother paced over to us and then her jaw dropped "Come-uh.. come inside." She waved them in. "Lawna what happened to you?" she said warily. And then Lawna explained the same story once more. Lacie was still in shock from the first time her mom said this, let alone the second. But Lawna and Alex's mother Alice had always been best friends. They went all the way back to toddler years. They went to school together. They even worked together as clerks in the old Ferrie town store. The ultimate best friends. They talked all night and Alex and Lacie went to bed. After all they knew she would be safe with Alice. That next morning they came inside to see what the new news was. "Hello." they both greeted the mothers. And the mothers both waved back. "Mom you look a lot better" said Lacie. "Well I haven't eaten since I got put in that hole in the ground so I am feeling better. Well now that I've ate." And she pulled Alex closer to whisper in his ear "Thanks to your mothers cooking expertise." They both smiled at each other. Alex walked over to Lacie and settled his hands over her shoulders. He grabbed her hand and pulled her outside. "You know.. I think this was all meant to be." He grinned and lifted her chin so they were at the same level. "Well we aren't done, We haven't even made it home yet." she looked into the sky and smiled. He looked at her confused. "Something wrong he asked and let his arms drop to his sides. "No I just forgot how much I enjoy the snow." Then she lifted his hands to her lips and kissed them. He smiled And his teeth glinted white matching the snow.
    She ran back into the house and he just stood outside in the snow, looking at each flake before it touched his face.
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