CHAPTER 5

"I'd never hurt you Tess!"

"Oh no!"

"I love you Claire. I love you more than the chopper!"

"I didn't know you have a brother, Alex."

"Claire, please wait!"

"I just need one person to tell me "stay."

"Alex, what have we done?"

"She's gone to Wilgul."

"How could you, Tess?"

"I just can't look at her face again!"

"What?"

"We're going to have a baby, Nick."

"Tess, NO!"

"Nick?"

"Claire, let me explain!"

"Beer?"

"Why? What happened?"

"The kids are sleeping."

"Alex, what is it?"

"CLAIRE, NO!"

"What if I kiss you now?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!"

I sat up straight in bed, sweat pouring down my face. It had seemed so real again.

"GET OUT!"

The voice, full of sorrow still echoed in my ears. 'Get out.' As I sat there, I wondered. Was she talking to me? It was our first night at Drovers but from the light coming in through the windows, I figured it was closer to morning. I turned slowly and checked Tyler who was snoring beside me in peace. I used to envy him. He didn't hear or see anything. Such a freedom from anxiety… I watched him and even after my little attack, I realized, he was still aware of nothing.

"Come on, this way!" someone spoke from just outside my room. Slowly, I got out of the bed and walked through the door, spun the door handle and slowly opened it.

"Who's there?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Tyler.

"Come on, she's not here," it said again in an eerily familiar female voice. I could hear whispering and then she burst out laughing.. Her laughter echoed down the large hall and I felt a slight shiver. I could only see the staircase from where I stood. I decided to leave the room and face it. When I stepped out, I saw the person's back. Long blonde hair flowed to her waist and she stood, tall but with seemingly bad posture. I couldn't move, ever when I realized it was not a thief but that it was Tess! I watched her go into the room on the right side of the hall, my hearty pounding against my chest.

"You're just having a dream, Anita," I said to myself in disbelief. I looked down and saw my hands shaking crazily. I had to get out of the house. I needed fresh air so I ran. Ran down the stairs, not daring to turn my eyes to look into the room Tess was in. As I ran down the stairs, I lost my balance and I fell, rolling down the last three steps. I got to the bottom and shaken up, but unhurt, I kept running until I made it outside.

It was a lovely morning. It was barely dawn but already the possibilities of the day were brimming and I felt invigorated. Watching the sun slowly make its way up into the brightening blue of the sky made me feel comfortable, if even for a moment. I stopped to catch my breath and felt cold fingers touching my shoulder. Swiftly, I turned around and saw nothing. I couldn't hold my frightened tears in anymore so I let them roll softly down my cheeks.

"Time to go back in, Anita," I whispered to myself, as I started to walk back towards my house, shaking all the way.

""""

I opened the door of study and went in to find Tyler talking on the phone. He covered the speaker with his hand when he saw me.

"An! Where were you? I was worried about you," he grumbled. Without listening to my answer, he took his hand off the receiver and mumbled in the phone. I had barely even had time to open to answer before he was back concentrating on his phone call. I rolled my eyes and headed to kitchen for breakfast.

"What a wonderful morning!" I sang to myself.

I was thinking about the man I would meet that day, Lewis Ryan. He was Tess's son and I was so excited and eager to meet him. I didn't know what he would be able to tell me, but I was hoping whatever he said would help bring me closer to the truth.

As I was thinking Tyler entered the kitchen with a frown on his face. He reached out and took a piece of toast from the pile on the table.

"Have bad news," he said between bites.

"What is it?" I asked, the disinterest in my voice clearly showing. I didn't want to hear any bad news.

"We have to go back to Sydney," he said.

"But, but," I stuttered in surprise. "Why?"

"Collin had a car accident and is in hospital. That's why we have to go back to Sydney. I have to see him," he explained as the worried expression grew on his face. Collin was his little brother.

"But I don't want to go back," I said automatically. I glanced at him and shook my head. I hadn't even thought about what I was saying.

"What?" he spat. It was his turn to be surprised. "But we have to go!"

"WE don't have to go, Tyler. If you have to go, then go," I shot back.

"Fine," he said, adding nothing more to the finished conversation.

"And Tyler," I said to myself as he left the room. "I don't care if you never came back."

I knew he couldn't understand why I was acting this way. In fact, I understood perfectly why he wouldn't understand because even I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that I couldn't leave this house before knowing what exactly happened in the past. Somehow already, I was strangely connected with the house. It wasn't even that it had become my home. It was that it had become part of me and I couldn't leave without understanding that part of me. Without understanding the past.