5.

Ashley sat in near full-on darkness in the middle of that mobile home she had woken in. Still chained at the ankle, she remained still and quiet, having not received any reply to her previous calling out. The dogs were no longer barking and there seemed to be no activity taking place at all, no activity with which she could hear.

There was no more activity at the door, no sound of any moving about, no sound of any vehicle door being opened or closed, everything at this particular moment was silent. Minutes pass and the silence continues. It had seemed that someone was about to enter, had that been interrupted by a chance moment? Ashley moves to her feet then moves to that window she had been to once before.

Outside there is nothing of note that Ashley can see. Lighting is minimal and everywhere outside that mobile home is desolate, desolate as far as she can see. The chain attached to her ankle is just long enough for Ashley to make her way to the exit of her cell like enclosure. The door is locked; whoever had previously been trying to get in didn't get as far as to completely unlock that entrance or possible exit. Even if this door was unlocked there would be nowhere for Ashley to go. That chain would prevent any sort of escape.

For the moment it would appear that Ashley would not be going anywhere any time soon either in escape or with the room she is within moving away somewhere.

After what Gavin spoke of in regard to what he experienced at the cemetery, he would be requested or rather summoned to the local police station, and he went to this place of his own accord. Being as young as he is, it is required that a parent attend the interview. It felt that maybe Gavin was hiding something or at least not being completely truthful. Information got from friends of Ashley's describe the siblings as being as different as any two twins can be though it was also told that they appeared to have a close relationship.

Gavin loves his sister and anyone who knows them both would be quick to tell of that. Still, Gavin is a lot more outgoing; he is kind of a risk taker. He would be the kind to act now and worry about the consequences later. With there being very little to go on, police wanted to get the more reckless twin in to see if he could be rattled into giving up anything new if indeed there was anything to give up at all.

Sitting on one side of a table in an interrogation room with his mother, Gavin felt that time was being wasted when his sister is out there somewhere ... bloodied and possibly maybe even drugged for all he knows. She has to be found now even if he must go find her himself and he can't do that being where he is.

Two police officers, officers who had been to the Appleton home more than once since Ashley went missing, sat on the opposite side of that desk in silence for a moment or two. One of them briefly looked through a file before closing it over and placing it in the middle of the table.

'Gavin, why don't we make things easy here? Tell us where your sister is.'

'If I knew where she is, then she wouldn't be missing would she? Time is being wasted here, why are you people out there looking for Ashley?'

'Where should we be looking Gavin?'

'How should I know? You guys are the detective people, go detect why don't ya? Maybe go look for clues at the cemetery.'

'Why? What might we find at the cemetery?' asks the second officer.

'Hold on a minute here' speaks Rita, 'are the two of you accusing my son of something?'

'We are not accusing anyone of anything mam' speaks the first officer, 'we are just chasing down all the facts, that's all.'

'You are harassing my son, that is what you are doing, harassing my son when you should be out there looking for my daughter.'

'I assure you mam, all is being done to find your daughter, we are just walking down all possible avenues, that I assure you is all.'

'Well walk down avenues somewhere else and go find my daughter. My son and I are going home.'

***

'Stop it' speaks Ashley squirming to get away from her brother as he tosses her hair 'or I'll tell mum you're planning to skip school again with Mike.'

'I dare you' responds Gavin, 'you know if you say anything then I'll tell of where you were yesterday evening.'

'Aaarrrggghhh, I wasn't anywhere, and you know that.'

'Mum thought you were in your room but we both know you weren't.'

Ashley fires a cushion across the kitchen catching Gavin on the back of the head. He turned and smiled briefly thinking about retaliation but decided against it as mum arrives into the kitchen of the family home. Rita Appleton does indeed arrive into the kitchen at this very moment.

'Now, now you two, play nice' she says right before coming to a very frightening realization.

Almost as soon as Rita has her moment, both Ashley and Gavin have one of their own. It is as if the last couple of days haven't happened at all though in a way the memories remain despite the momentary lapse, or at least the memories are there somewhere. It is as if some sort of realization just hit them out of nowhere.

'What the hell is happening here?' asks Gavin taking a step or two backwards.

Ashley's face bares a blank expression, being lost for how she should think or feel in this moment. She soon holds both her hands out in front of her and sees that there is no blood, no cuts. As Gavin backs himself up into a corner, Rita takes a step or two forward.

'I think I may have some kind of answer' she says.

The twins throw mum a questioning look and then turn to one another. If there had been something they should have known, then why have they not been told before now. It is odd too, that they, in a way, knew long before this day that something unusual was ... in the air.