Page 12 of Kept in the Dark

Wanting to push her thoughts aside, Hailey went to her room.

Hailey’s mouth fell open as she took in the sight. Her room really hadn’t changed in the last thirteen years. The bedsheets were still the same pink floral pattern, and the drapes, though faded, still cloaked the balcony that sat right outside the French doors. Even her old set of drawers and vanity sat untouched. It was as if she had died, and David wanted to freeze her in time.

Maybe the old man really had changed. After all the years of abuse, had the patriarch of the Gallagher family finally found himself wishing he could go back in time before their lives had been shattered? Or was he still the same heartless father who always gripped control so tightly he’d draw blood from those he claimed to love if they didn’t allow him to have it? Was this yet another way to seek that control, to keep everything the way it was before it all spiraled out of control and their family disintegrated?

Walking to the French doors, she opened them and stood on the balcony, taking in the moon that was beginning to move the sun out of sight. She looked over the sunset that painted the sky beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow. She had seen it a million times, but tonight it somehow seemed sadder.

She had watched the sunset with her sister and her mother before bed as a little girl. Then it was just her and Sara when they were teenagers, always talking about boys and the latest school gossip. And she had watched it with Trey on more than one occasion when he snuck in through the window to say goodnight, slow dancing as dusk turned to darkness.

As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t. Hailey smiled to herself, remembering the many times she and Sara climbed down this very balcony to meet up with Trey and Chase or when she and Trey spray painted their initials together on an old bridge just over one of the lake canals. Memories flooded her and this time, she let them, basking in the surge of bittersweet happiness she felt.

Breathing in deeply, she walked back inside and closed the French doors behind her. She stopped just short of the bed. She wondered if anyone had found the hidden compartment in the floor she had used as a hiding spot for her diary and other treasured items.

Curious, she knelt down and lifted the bed skirt and began pressing on the wooden planks. As one gave way and popped up, a sly smile pulled at her lips. She carefully slid her hand into the hole and felt for the old photos she had left behind. She was happy to find they were still there.

Pulling them out, Hailey studied the stack of polaroids. There were some of her and Sara at a party they had snuck out to. Others were of the twins sitting together on the lanai and then a candid shot Trey had taken of the two girls. Sara smiled wildly in all of them; always feeling like the world was hers for the taking.

For a long time, Hailey believed Sara would conquer the world and all its glory. Sara wanted to be a fashion model, and her future had been bright in that regard. Hailey knew in her heart of hearts her sister would walk the runways in Milan and Paris one day.

Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol consumed Sara. She had been on various narcotics cocktails in most of those photos and throughout most of their teen years. And she had paid dearly for her addiction.

So did the rest of the family.

Something Hailey could never come to terms with was the roller coaster of emotions brought on by her sister. She loved Sara to death, but with that love came pain. It was painful to love Sara; she was so destructive and chaotic.

Instead of focusing on who Sara had become and where she ended up, Hailey focused on the good memories. Then she moved on to the other photos.

The ones of her and Trey.

The ones she left behind hoping she could forget about the man who shattered her heart.

There was one in particular that stood out to her, though. She and Trey were sitting on a picnic blanket in a random field, their favorite place to go. There was a twinkle in their eyes as Trey pulled her close to his chest. Hailey had melted into him as if she had been doing it forever. It felt so natural to her. His hat blocked the sun, and her hair was pulled into a ponytail, allowing her locket to be shown off.

Hailey clutched at her chest where the locket would have hung if she had kept it. She had given it to Trey that day, after he told her he loved her. That was the moment they had made a promise to love each other for all eternity.

And she had meant it.

But he hadn’t.

She shouldn’t still be stuck in the past. After all, they were kids then. Neither one of them knew what love was, let alone what it meant to love someone forever. But his betrayal still stung.

Before Hailey could stop herself, she wondered about all the what-ifs and what-could-have-beens, all of the hopes and dreams that shattered along with her heart.

Hailey sighed.

She missed Trey and the life she thought they’d share. She missed the dreams she so desperately desired. She missed her mother so much it hurt. She missed who her sister had been before Sara had become an addict and murderer.

What she wouldn’t give to go back to that night and stop it all from happening.

She hated how emotional this trip was making her. She felt like a teenage drama queen.

Hailey pushed her feelings aside, no longer wanting to relive the hurricane of choices that destroyed her life in one fell swoop. She tucked the photos back in their hiding spot and closed the hatch, locking them away. Much like she wished she could do with her memories.

It wasn’t until she sat on the bed that she realized how much her feet ached from the heels she’d been wearing all evening. She took them off and tossed them on the bed next to her.

Her eyes fell on the closet doors that were now closed, the wooden panels unaware of the potential truth that was concealed behind them.

Pulling on the doors, she found it was now empty aside from a few boxes. She hadn’t taken much with her when she moved, just her clothes and makeup. She had wanted to leave behind all that she could and start over. It looked like Genevieve had boxed up old keepsakes and used the closet as storage. To the far left sat a lonely box, her name scrawled in bubbly letters across the side panel.

---