The House on the Hill

 — The House on the Hill

The address on the piece of paper led Lily and Amara farther away from the busy part of town.

The streets became quieter.

The houses became fewer.

And eventually, the road turned into a narrow path surrounded by tall trees.

Lily looked out of the car window.

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

Amara checked the address again.

“According to the map, yes.”

At the top of the hill stood an old house.

It was large, but it looked abandoned.

The windows were covered with dust. The garden had become overgrown, and part of the fence had fallen down.

Lily stared at it.

“This is where the address brought us?”

Amara nodded.

“Apparently.”

Neither girl moved.

Finally, Lily opened the car door.

“Let’s go.”

They walked toward the house.

The front door was unlocked.

Lily pushed it open.

A long, quiet hallway stretched before them.

Dust covered almost everything.

“This place gives me chills,” Amara whispered.

Lily didn’t answer.

Something about the house felt familiar.

She couldn’t explain it.

They walked through the hallway until they reached a room filled with old boxes.

Amara began searching through them.

“Look!”

She pulled out a small wooden box.

Lily opened it.

Inside were photographs.

Dozens of them.

She picked up the first one.

It showed her mother as a teenager.

Lily stared at it.

“I’ve never seen this.”

She picked up another.

Her mother was standing beside Emily.

They looked happy.

Then Lily found a third photograph.

Her mother.

Emily.

And another woman.

The woman was holding a baby.

Lily looked closer.

The baby wore a small bracelet.

A tiny silver bracelet with a flower-shaped charm.

Lily touched her wrist.

She had the exact same bracelet.

She had worn it since she was a child.

Her heart began racing.

“Amara…”

Amara looked at the photograph.

“What?”

Lily pointed at the bracelet.

“I have that.”

Amara’s expression changed.

“Lily, what does that mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Before they could say anything else, they heard a noise upstairs.

Both girls froze.

Someone was walking.

Slowly.

One step at a time.

Amara grabbed Lily’s hand.

“Someone’s here.”

They moved toward the staircase.

The footsteps stopped.

“Hello?” Amara called.

No answer.

Lily swallowed.

They climbed the stairs.

At the end of the hallway was a closed bedroom door.

Lily reached for the handle.

Before she could touch it, the door opened.

A woman stood inside.

She looked older than Lily’s mother, with grey hair and tired eyes.

She stared at Lily.

For several seconds, she didn’t speak.

Then she whispered:

“You have her eyes.”

Lily’s heart dropped.

“Who?”

The woman’s eyes filled with tears.

“Emily.”

Lily stepped forward.

“You knew her?”

The woman nodded.

“I knew her very well.”

“Where is she?”

The woman looked toward the window.

“I don’t know.”

Lily frowned.

“You don’t know?”

“She disappeared years ago.”

“Then why does everyone keep telling me to find her?”

The woman looked at Amara.

“Because someone wants you to know the truth.”

“What truth?”

The woman didn’t answer.

Instead, she walked toward an old cabinet.

She opened the bottom drawer and removed a sealed envelope.

She handed it to Lily.

“Your mother left this here.”

Lily stared at the envelope.

Her mother’s handwriting was unmistakable.

“What is inside?”

The woman shook her head.

“You have to read it yourself.”

Lily held the envelope tightly.

“Why didn’t my mother give it to me?”

The woman’s expression became sad.

“Because she was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

Before the woman could answer, a loud sound came from downstairs.

The front door slammed shut.

Everyone froze.

The woman whispered:

“They found you.”

Amara looked frightened.

“Who?”

The woman grabbed Lily’s arm.

“You have to leave.”

“But I need answers!”

“You’ll get them. Just not here.”

Another sound came from downstairs.

Footsteps.

Getting closer.

The woman pushed the girls toward a small door behind the cabinet.

“There’s another exit.”

Lily looked at the envelope in her hand.

“Who is coming?”

The woman looked directly into her eyes.

“The person who has been trying to keep you from finding Emily.”

Lily’s heart pounded.

They hurried through the hidden doorway.

The narrow passage led outside, behind the house.

Lily and Amara ran down the hill.

Neither of them stopped until they reached the car.

Inside, Lily finally opened the envelope.

There was only one sheet of paper.

She read the first line.

Lily, if you are reading this, then you finally found the house.

Her hands trembled.

She continued.

I am sorry for everything I kept from you.

Lily looked at Amara.

“This is from my mother.”

She read the next sentence.

Then her face went completely pale.

Amara leaned closer.

“What does it say?”

Lily couldn’t speak.

She handed her the letter.

Amara read it.

Her eyes widened.

At the bottom of the page was one sentence:

Emily wasn’t my sister.

Lily stared at the words.

If Emily wasn’t her mother’s sister…

Then who was she?

And why had her mother spent years hiding her?

Lily looked back toward the house on the hill.

Someone was standing in the upstairs window.

Watching them leave.

END OF EPISODE 4