Sarah Lennox. Rachel never heard that name before. The term "Aunt" was loosely thrown around before but never her original name. Now that Rachel thought about it, her Mother never liked her so it made sense. Not that her Mother ever spoke to her anyway, but she overheard her parents conversation. They called her Aunt a "witch". They claimed she was "trying to take their daughter away". There were more ugly things said about her, but Rachel chose to ignore them. She wouldn't know what they meant.

Rachel fiddled with her thumbs in the car ride. Having packed nothing, she assumed she would go back to the house and get her clothes and Teddy Bear. Rachel bit her lip at the thought of leaving her Teddy Bear.

It was the only thing her parents bothered to get her what she actually wanted.

She didn't want a pink room. She didn't want Barbie Dolls. Rachel wanted a Bow and Arrow five years ago, they were furious. They wanted her to be a Lady. Nothing else. Rachel frowned at the memory even though it was so long ago. She lurched forward a bit as the man came to a stop. The graveling noise temporarily at a halt.

"We're here," he unbuckled and opened the door. Rachel nervously did the same. She stepped out and noticed the big landscape first. It was just behind the small wooden house. It was a two story, but she could tell there wasn't many rooms up there. She saw they parked behind a black pickup truck and a white little car. Rachel gulped.

"This is...their house?" She asked in surprise. Her Mother was related to someone with this much land? This must be why they never got along. Her Mother was someone with high standards...definitely not an outdoors person.

"Yup. If I got the address right. Come on, let's go meet your Aunt." The Officer encouraged. Rachel fell into step behind him up the stairs. A strong feeling she was being watched washed over her but she just assumed it was the forest on the right side of the land. Forests always gave off a creepy vibe. Her mother had also told her many reasons why she should stray away from them. None of the stories were pleasing to the ear.

The Officer knocked and then set his hands on his belt, waiting patiently. The door opened and the lady at the door blinked.

"May I help you Officer?"

"Are you Sarah Lennox?" He asked. The lady stepped forward with a confused expression.

"I am," she said slowly and looked to Rachel then back at the Officer.

"Unfortunately your sister and brother-in-law have abandoned your niece at a Gas Station on the highway. We are going to track them down but we needed someone for her to stay with. Luckily, we found you." The Officer said, gesturing around with his hands as he spoke. Sarah looked down to Rachel who bit her lip uncomfortably.

"Yes, it is. Hold on," Sarah turned inside the house. "William! Come here!" She shouted. A faint, "I'm coming!", was heard and Rachel smiled slightly in amusement. Sarah then looked back to Rachel, crouching down. She flinched when Sarah placed her hands on her shoulders with a smile. "You're safe here," she spoke softly. An out of breath man came into view, Rachel assuming it was William.

"Hi, Will here," he shook the Officers hand. "What can we do for you?"

"Amanda left her." Sarah spoke quietly once she stood. Will blinked in surprise.

"Wait, what?"

"Amanda and Chris left her on the highway at a Gas Station."

"Just like that? No nothing?" Will spoke with growing anger. His eyebrows began to knit together, showing his irritation. His face began to uphold a shade of red.

"We found her in their car. I'm not sure why bu-." He paused and looked to a very nervous Rachel. "Why don't we speak more of this matter...later." He gestured to the girl. Will nodded, his face seeming to turn back to his tanned skin. 

"Right, Sarah, why don't you take her in and show her around a little bit?" Will asked. Sarah nodded.

"Come on, let's go inside." She spoke warmly. Rachel followed her and looked around the house once she was inside. She was met with a small cluttered living room. Papers were everywhere along with textbooks on the couch and there next to them sat a young girl. She was much older than Rachel. The girl had long blonde reddish locks that were tied up loosely in a ponytail. Her focus was on the papers, her eyes searching for a specific one. A bookbag sat next to her on the ground, leaning against the ground.

"Annabelle," Sarah spoke, making Rachel jump with nerves. The girl turned at her name being called, taking one earbud out. That must be the girls name...

"Yeah mo-," she paused as her bright eyes turned from her mother to Rachel. "-m?" She finished with a confused expression. 

"This is your cousin, Rachel. She's going to be staying with us for a while." Sarah said, laying her hand on Rachel's shoulder. Rachel tensed at the gesture, unfamilar with the intention.

"Oh," was all she said. Her lips moved as if she wanted to speak more but she withheld. Rachel assumed she'd ask her mother later when she wasn't in the room. Rachel did the same when her parents had people over so she recognized Annabelle's motives. Rachel began to feel uneasy but only shifted on her feet.

Her mother gave a gentle smile. "How is your studying coming along?" She asked, changing the subject momentarily. Annabelle sighed, taking out both earbuds. She collapsed the rest of her body against the couch in defeat.

"Awful," she grumbled. "I hate college." She said rubbing her forehead. Sarah chuckled.

"You'll get better as you go, Belle. It's only your freshman year." She said and released her hold on Rachel's shoulder. "When do you return to the university?" She asked. Rachel furrowed her eyebrows at the change in subject but spoke none.

"Ugh, after dinner." She mumbled and looked toward Sarah. "Why is it necessary to have dorm rooms for the first year?" She wondered out loud to her mother. Sarah shrugged.

"To make more money, dear." She told her. "Before you leave I would like to speak with you," she said and her eyes glanced to Rachel for a moment. Rachel's attention elsewhere by now. Annabelle looked to the silent girl then back at her mother with a nod.

"Sure thing, mom." She smiled and lifted herself back up. She cleared her throat for a moment. "Rachel, right?"

Rachel jolted out from staring through the houses window. Her eyes staring intently at the forest and the field. Her head snapped to face Annabelle. She gave a nod.

"Well, you probably don't remember me but it's great to see you again." She smiled, her eyes flashing with nothing but friendliness. Rachel gave a timid smile in return.

"Nice to meet you." She said and placed her hands firmly at her side, her fingers holding her pants nervously. Sarah released a breath.

"Let me show you the rest of the house, follow me." She said and took Rachel into the hallway leading into the kitchen. Annabelle watched Rachel leave curiously as she placed her earbuds back in.

"Who is she, Belle?" A voice spoke through her earbuds. The voice was deep and rang through her head as Annabelle began to frown. Her eyes flickered to the window where her father's truck sat.

"My cousin," she breathed. "She's my cousin, Hide." She repeated. She shook her head and turned back to her work. "Now, back to math." There was a groan. "Oh, quit complaining and help me." She rolled her eyes with a smile.

...

Rachel lay in Annabelles old bed. She stared at the ceiling, the lights off. It was after dinner and she felt an urge to listen to the other Lennox's converse. She knew it was about her. Rachel's eyes began to water and her chest began to swell with grief. She didn't want to cry. Not here and not now. She needed air.

Rachel sat up and wiped her eyes before they could shed a tear. She swung her legs that lay ontop the blanket over so her feet touched the cool wooden floor. She stood and walked to the door. She reached for the doorknob but paused as she heard their voices more clearer.

"Why did they leave her like that? Especially after what happened between you guys?" Annabelle asked, her tone in a hush. Will drew in a long breath.

"I don't know why. It could be for many reasons." The wood creaked as he seemed to have leaned forward in the rocking chair Rachel saw. "But what I do know is that were going to make her feel as welcome as possible. Rachel probably doesn't understand half of it but she's been through some tough times. You understand this is the first time we've seen her since she was three years old, right?"

There was a hum from one of the two. Rachel assumed it was Annabelle.

"Well she doesn't know that so don't act weird about it. She's probably more weirded out than anyone that she never remembered meeting us." He explained.

"He's right. So we need you to spend more time at your dorm so Rachel has a place to sleep until we figure something out, alright?" Sarah questioned.

"Okay..." Annabelle reluctantly agreed. Rachel took steps back, deciding she heard enough. She headed to the window and unlocked it. She used the little strength she has to lift it. The window was old so it didn't budge but after a few determine pushes, it successfully reached a fair amount of space so she could feel the night wind. The fresh air touched her face, calming her tense body. She placed her knees on the ground and folded her arms on the windowsill. Her head looked out at the stars and forest with curiosity. Her eyes began to water again so she closed them as the breeze rolled into her room. To her thought, the trees swayed loud enough to block out the sound of her sobs through the night. The smell of the nature outside The house attempted to reach her but her nose was filled of pain waiting to be released so it did not let the outside world in. The increasing sound of the wind and creaking branches were loud enough that it blocked out the Lennoxs small ears but we're silent enough so one outside could hear. But he didn't know what to do.