Unravelling The Mystery

When we stepped into the hallway, I couldn’t help but gasp. This house was enormous! Calling it a house seemed like an understatement—it was a mansion. A very beautiful one at that. From what I could see, this mansion had several floors.

I had no idea which floor we were on, but Gabby seemed to sense my confusion. “We’re on the third floor,” she explained, “and this place has five floors.” I couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that she knew exactly what was going through my mind. But the excitement bubbling inside me kept me from dwelling on it.

I had never seen anything this extravagant in my life. The opulence was unlike anything I had ever imagined—aside from the movies, of course. Again, a sharp pang of pain reminded me of where I’d come from.

Gabby led me to a lift and, with a soft smile, she typed in a set of numbers. Her behavior was starting to creep me out. It was like she understood everything I was thinking, and that wasn’t normal.

I pushed those thoughts aside as the lift came to a stop. Nerves kicked in, almost immediately. I had no idea what lay beyond these doors, and the thought of meeting new people—especially the ones I was supposed to call my parents—made me uneasy. I could feel my palms starting to sweat. If Gabby noticed my discomfort, she chose not to acknowledge it.

When the lift doors opened, I nearly fainted on the spot. I wasn’t sure I was ready to face the truths that had been shared with me. I almost turned around to go back the way we came, but I didn’t know how to operate the lift or anything else in this strange place. Just as I was about to retreat, Gabby held my hand in a surprisingly firm grip, pulling me toward a closed door.

When the door opened, the sweet aroma of food hit me like a wave. I nearly felt dizzy. My eyes landed on a table piled high with different kinds of food, and I felt my self-control slip away. I rushed forward.

Gabby let out a soft laugh and motioned for me to settle into one of the chairs. She served me a massive portion of the various dishes before me. I had been to many diners, but I’d never seen anything like this—these dishes were probably foreign to me, but right now, I didn’t care.

Without hesitation, I dug into the food, not bothering to keep my manners in check. I devoured everything in front of me in minutes, barely pausing to take a breath. I had surprised myself by how quickly I finished the massive serving.

Blushing, I looked up at Gabby, wondering if she thought I was a complete weirdo. But she didn’t seem to mind. She just smiled and handed me a glass of juice, and this time, I made sure to drink it more gracefully.

Just as I was about to finish the juice, the door opened again, startling me. The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

I jumped out of my chair in panic as the glass shattered into tiny pieces. Without thinking, I bent down to pick up the shards.

“Stop!” someone shouted, and in the midst of my panic, I accidentally cut my palm on a piece of glass. I gasped from the sudden sting and winced as I looked at the cut.

As I glanced around, I suddenly noticed about twenty pairs of eyes staring at me, each with different expressions.

Strangely, I couldn’t even feel the pain from the cut. I stared at it, completely dazed. And then, in a moment of complete disbelief, I watched the cut heal before my eyes. There was no way this was real! I had to be dreaming!

I pinched myself, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. But the sharp pain told me otherwise.

I looked up and noticed that everyone was staring at me, their eyes wide. My anxiety spiked, and I felt the overwhelming pressure build inside me. I was on the verge of losing control.

Gabby, noticing my distress, quickly moved to support me when I swayed. Everyone seemed frozen, watching in stunned silence, as if under some kind of spell. Gabby’s expression was distant, like she was deep in thought.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to forget. I wanted to go back to my old life, where everything was familiar and made sense. The questions swirling in my mind were becoming too much. I could feel a headache starting to form, and I just didn’t know how to handle it anymore.

Frustration and confusion surged within me, and for the first time, I didn’t know who I was. This didn’t feel real. This felt like a scene from a movie. Part of me wanted someone to jump out and yell, “Surprise!”—that this was all just some weird prank.

I didn’t even realize I was crying until I felt tears rolling down my cheeks. A sob escaped me, and that seemed to snap everyone out of their trance.

Suddenly, chaos broke loose.

Everyone started speaking at once. The noise was overwhelming, and I could hardly make sense of any of it. My anxiety skyrocketed.

“She healed by herself!”

“Amazing.”

“Impossible!”

I could barely hear over the rising chatter, and the frustration began to feel suffocating. It was getting unbearable, and I felt like I might lose my mind. The darkness that had been calling me felt so peaceful, and I almost welcomed it.

“Andrea, you have to hold on, okay? Please breathe. Just breathe!”

Someone’s voice broke through the noise. It sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t focus enough to place it. My breathing became erratic. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch my breath.

Just as I felt myself losing control, the door opened again.

A woman stepped into the room, and the moment she saw me, she cried out,

“Daughter!”

And then, everything went black.