Twinsequences Ivy (Twisted Twin #2)(13)

I had to act fast. Time was running out for me.

Before I could do anything else, I had to figure out exactly where I was, so I could get to where I needed to be. I pulled out the fully charged cellular device and brought up my location on a map application. According to the screen I was about fifteen miles away from my parents home. It was six in the morning, and with some luck, Mikael wouldn’t alarm the institution I was missing until his shift was about to begin.

I used the address of the first home I came to and called for a cab. While I impatiently waited for it to show up, I began searching for Stoshua and Willow – an address, or some kind of news referring to where they were living.

Since I had a good feeling my parents visited them often, I knew they couldn’t have been very far. They’d never spoken of flights, or making long road trips. At first I found nothing. I searched Stoshua’s full name. I searched the website of his father’s company. I searched his parent’s zip code, and then went on to my sister.

When the cab showed up I’d gotten nowhere with locating them. Figuring I still had to go to my parent’s house to retrieve my emergency stash of items, I’d wait for them to leave and search the house for an address for them.

The taxi driver couldn’t have cared less what I was wearing. He’d assumed I’d come out of the house I was still crouched down in front of. I gave him the location of a nearby business park, adjacent to my parent’s neighborhood, just in case police would get involved in my search. I couldn’t lead them right to me, and I wasn’t about to make stupid mistakes so early on. He began to drive and he sipped at a steaming cup of coffee as we took off down the road.

I remained skimming search engines for a hint of where my sister and Stoshua had settled down. After coming up with nothing at all, I sat back and enjoyed the scenery, watching as local establishments I’d once been familiar with had changed names or been torn down. So much had occurred in three years. I almost didn’t recognize where we were headed.

The cab driver pulled up in the parking lot and told me what I owed him. I handed him the cash and climbed out of the car, pretending I was making a call while he headed on his way. Once he was gone, I made a beeline for the trees, knowing my parent’s community backed up to them.

Since I approached from the rear of the yard, I made sure to keep a look out for someone standing in the kitchen or eating at the breakfast bar. My parents had always been early risers, both of them being surgeons. Usually, by this time of morning, they were already off to the hospital. I crept to the side of the yard, ducking down so the neighbors wouldn’t spot me. When I reached the crawl space access panel, I pulled it ajar and climbed inside. The plastic liner on the floor had some standing water in it. The sump pump was running in the far corner, telling me they’d probably had a bit of rain within the past few days. I could feel the water going into my shoes, making a squishing sound as I stepped. When I got to the other side of the home, I lifted up into the wooden ceiling boards and felt around. The duffel bag was easy to locate, but hard to find if anyone were to go looking. I made sure there were no electrical or plumbing lines, just in case they’d hired a contractor, who would in turn discover my emergency stash.

Since it was wet in the crawlspace, I climbed back out and retrieved my extra house key I’d hidden years ago while in high school, in case Willow forgot to put the other one back. I snuck out a lot as a teen and wanted to make sure I’d never get caught.

If my parents knew me at all, the first thing they would have changed was the locks, but I knew better than to assume my mother would have time to take away from her busy life to schedule something like that, especially since they suspected I wasn’t capable of escaping the institution.

I peeked through the glass doors of the garage, finding both vehicles were gone. Then I made my way to the side door. More than likely, my parents would forget to change the locks on this particular door. Half the time they forgot to lock it. It was between a set of hedges, and led into the study, which no one ever went in. My parents would use it when they worked late and didn’t want to disturb the family. We’d come downstairs and find one of them asleep on the uncomfortable leather couch they kept in the room.

The familiar smell was actually welcoming. I took in the room, noticing nothing had changed. Pictures of my childhood were still displayed on several shelves. There was even some of a little toddler I was dying to meet. I picked one up and stared at her, imagining what it would be like to hold her in my arms and love her forever. Her strawberry blonde hair was full of curls, and she was smiling at a bunch of bubbles flying around. I shoved the picture in my bag and continued roaming around the house, hoping I could take a shower and change my clothes.

I didn’t waste precious time looking through my old room. For obvious reasons, time was crucial.

As I pulled my hair back in one of my father’s ball caps, I heard the doorbell ring. I came down the stairs halfway and peered out the large above window. A vehicle I recognized was parked out front, telling me exactly who the person at the door was. His loud knocking startled me, causing me to place my hand over my heart. “I know you’re in there, Ivy. I’ve called the police. They’re already on the way. Come back with me and I’ll do my best to protect you.”

I thought about dashing out the back door and through the woods like I’d done before, but something inside me told me Mikael was bluffing. As of right now he still had his job. Alarming the police would only put his career in jeopardy.