RP: Faults Are Haunting [ Horror_Show & Skeith Takahata II]

Xandrie sat in the backseat of the van quietly. She was tired and even though they had driven hours out of state to meet at this precise location of a motel in Georgia. Apparently it wasn’t to far from Savannah which was where Sarah had run away to months ago. Her sister had supposedly joined some cult, she barely kept in contact with her family but every time she did, it was always something about her new family and how things had to be a certain way. Oddly enough Xandrie did get random packages during those months her sister was missing, but the packages never said who they were from. In the packages were beautifully written poems, freshly picked wild flowers. One package had an assortment of fresh oils and another had fresh home made hand soaps. Her family had assumed that it was her older sister sending them but Xandrie didn’t really know.

Oddly enough it wasn’t the only strange occurrence during her sisters months of being away. When the summer had faded into autumn and Halloween was just around the corner, her parents were a mess. They had both started drinking regularly after work hours and were constantly fighting. Xandrie was having a hard time at school and the fact her sister had run away seemed to always be the forefront of everything. Xandrie had started having a mental break down and had snuck into her mother’s bedroom to steal pills. Just as she went back to her room and was about to eat a handful in hopes of dying or knocking herself out she had intense visions of Sarah.

The visions were so random and were so strong that she dropped the pills crying. In her mind her sister had her in a beautiful meadow and they were both on there bare knees surrounded by tall flowers and grasses. In her visions her sister took the pills out of her hands shaking her head. Xandrie never took the pills but assumed she was mentally unstable and suffering post traumatic stress from her sister being away.

It was early in the morning; the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon as the sky was painted with dark pinks that faded into purples. They pulled into the motel where everything was supposed to happen. Their family was paying an expensive penny; to be fair they were using Xandrie’s college fund to get their eldest daughter back. They hired a cult specialist to locate, kidnap her sister and put her through the process known as deprogramming. All of this was supposed to make her choose by her own will to come home.



As they pulled into the parking lot, Xandrie didn’t move or take of her seatbelt. Was her sister already locked in some hotel room? What had she gone through already? She hadn’t actually seen her sister in months. There was this weird uneasy feeling in her stomach.

Life had been seemingly perfect for Sarah at home. She had graduated high school, had an awesome job, a handsome boyfriend, and was about to start college. Despite outward appearances, she was miserable. She hated her life. Then a weekend away from home changed everything. She had gone away for a retreat and had gotten quite close to a strange woman. With almost no warning, Sarah had packed the necessities and left home. She had assumed that her family would let her leave, that they wouldn't try to find her. She was an adult. Her life was her own now. If she wanted to drop everything and start over elsewhere, she had the right. It wasn't even as though she had completely vanished. She wrote to her family on occasion, telling them what she could. Rules were rules, after all. Still, one day, she was away from the compound, walking about town when a van had pulled up abruptly. A bag was thrown over her head and she was thrown in the back.

When the bag was pulled from her head, she was seated in a hotel room. Her hair was disheveled, dark rings around her eyes indicated a lack of proper sleep. She had clearly lost weight, and had completely stopped putting on make up or trying to make herself presentable. She was forced to shower, brought fresh clothes, and made to eat a proper meal. Despite insisting that certain things were now off limits in her diet, they still appeared on the meals she was given. She wasn't an idiot. They were trying to break her down. Force her to turn away from her new lifestyle. But she didn't want to. She was happy, she was loved, she was wanted. The only aspect of her old life that she missed was her sister.

She had been at the hotel for a few days, how long she couldn't say. She wasn't allowed to go outside or use the window. She was kept away from phones or computers to keep her from contacting the others. She sat on the bed, having been made more presentable for her family. She glared angrily at the man who had arranged for her capture and had seen to her treatment. She could skin him alive and not lose a wink of sleep, she was so upset with him. The only part of her forced scenario she looked forward to was seeing her sister again. She didn't want anything to do with her parents. She didn't want to see her old boyfriend again. She certainly didn't want to go back to school. She missed the compound. Sure there was some drug use, some carnal rituals, and other rules, but at least she was happy there.

She sat in silent anger, waiting for whatever the perceived next step was. The first opportunity she saw, she would bolt and be back home at the compound. This place was a living hell for her.

“Neither of you get out of the car. I will go talk to Ansel.” Their father said getting out of the van leaving both Xandrie and her mother. It was quiet and she could hear the florescent lighting flickering off and on from the parking lot. Silence filled the van and Xandrie leaned back.

“I bet Sarah will be happy to see you,” her mother said turning to smile at her daughter, trying to hide her own fear, “She sent you all those packages.”

The young girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat and took off the seatbelt.

“This is dangerous. We have no idea what she got herself into, she chose to leave. She’s an adult. This is insane, is the guy you hired safe?” Xandrie hadn’t had much time to use the shitty computer at home to find anything out or get to the library.

“Sarah didn’t run away or elope, she ran to a very dangerous cult…who knows if she had been doing drugs or something. She needs to be home.” Her mother said until they saw the father motioning them to get out of the van.

They were led upstairs to a motel room that was apparently adjoined with the other one. They were led inside and there were two beds. This was going to be horrible. The father told them Sarah was already inside and had been monitored for a full 24 hours.

Sarah sat in silence in her room, her hands in her lap. She heard the door open on the room next door, and shortly after she could hear people shuffling in. She assumed it was her family. She hoped it would be just her parents. She could be angry and bitter about her parents, but not her sister. She adored her sister. She smoothed out her dress as she sat on the edge of the mattress, looking about the small room. She made sure to seem as docile as possible while examining the room for possible escape routes. The window seemed like the most obvious route.

"Sarah..." The voice was deceptively gentle. It belonged to this supposed cult expert. "Your family's arrived."

"I'm aware." Sarah said simply, possibly her first words to the man since she'd arrived.

"Looking forward to seeing them?" He asked, continuing to try to draw her out.

"No." Her answer was simple and bitter. Her eyes finally settled on her hands, staring at them as they gripped the fabric of her dress.

"Not even your sister?" He asked, still pressing her.

Sarah's hands stopped fidgeting as her body grew stiff. Slowly her gaze raised to look at the man. She had nothing but contempt for him. Knowing that her sister had been pulled into all of this was even more upsetting for her. They were going to try to use how much she loved her sister to try to break her, but Sarah was a step ahead of the game.

Xandrie silently took a twin bed and sat on the bed sitting down her duffle bag and backpack. She watched as her mother and father had quiet words with each other. Xandrie slowly faced the adjacent door that connected both motel rooms. She had the most uncomfortable sinking feeling and felt nauseated. What she didn’t realize was her anxiety was building and her nerves were starting to attack her stomach. She sighed and started going through her duffle bag making sure she had packed enough clothes and other things. She felt restless and looked at both her parents annoyed like a typical teen would.

“I’m Hungary. Can I see if there anything close by within walking distance, can I borrow the car?” She asked knowing her father more than likely would decline, she did have her temps.

“We can order some carry out if you want to go grab a phone book.” He said looking at her mother. “We can’t leave…” her father said with a strange tone.

Xandrie looked at him oddly and climbed off the bed kicking off her tennis shoes and hunted for a local phone book. She tried to locate the area they were in by a business card from the motel on the nightstand and started flipping the pages. Her stomach was killing her and she was hungry and possibly trying to start her period which wasn’t bad, just annoying. Xandrie had found a local pizza place a few miles off and got her parents orders and made a phone call. During her phone conversation there was a knock from the main door and Ansel came in. Xandrie was distracted with placing the order by observing who this cult specialist was.

He was an older guy with a mustache, he was very clean, very well dressed but looked peculiar, almost defeated, broken. He was almost attractive in an odd way. Xandrie had finished the order and hung up. Ansel had made eye contact and smiled politely.

“You must Xandria, nice to meet you Hun. I’m Ansel. I’m here to try to help your sister…your going to be a very big part in this.” He said.

“When can I see her.” Xandria bluntly asked catching him off guard. He would be able to see the similarities the sisters had, they both were blunt and had little empathy.

“Now….if you want,” he looked at the parents, “just her….just her for tonight for a small bit. We can introduce everyone to her tomorrow.” He said.

The parents looked upset.

Sarah watched as Ansel left the room. She could hear him speaking with her father. The sound of her father's voice through the door made her skin crawl. A few moments later, he left again, this time for longer. She pushed herself up as soon as the door closed. Finally alone, she hurried to the window. She threw open the curtain, ready to climb down to the parking lot and flee. Her plan immediately fell apart when she noticed bars on the other side of the window, likely to protect from possible break-ins. She growled lowly before beating her fist against the wall beside the window. She pulled the curtain closed again as she heard movement from beyond the door. She balled her hands into tight fists before returning to the bed.

"Sarah?" The masculine voice spoke as the door opened again.

"No." She responded immediately.

"Someone would like to see you for a bit." He replied.

"No!" She nearly shouted back. "I don't want to!"

The man looked a little startled. It was clear that her and her sister shared their forward nature. "Xandria, come on in." He said softly, stepping aside from the door.

Sarah kept her gaze lowered, unwilling to look up at her sister. She wasn't sure where her sister stood on the situation, and feared that she would be disappointed in her or angry with her. She looked away from the door, her hands gripping the ends of her dress tightly.

Xandrie had followed the man into the motel room next door. He unlocked the door and let her walk in behind him. She could hear Sarah verbally claiming she didn’t want to see her. She had not seen her older sibling in months. Then she poked her head around and saw her sister looking weak and vulnerable on the edge of the mattress.

“Sarah, Xandrie is here to help….she isn’t here to cause trouble or cause you harm.” Ansel nodding at Xandrie, letting her know it was safe to approach her older sister. Xandrie stayed frozen behind the locked door. Her sister stood there looking defeated with bloodshot eyes.

Xandrie bit her lip nervously and didn’t know what to do, months ago she would of willingly just walked over hugging or wrestling with her sister, saying something sarcastic or shrugging her off. Now she was standing in front of a stranger and didn’t know how to react.

“Sarah?” Xandrie asked softly not moving from the door.

Sarah closed her eyes tightly when she heard Xandrie speak. She felt a sudden surge of emotion. What made it all the more overwhelming was just how many emotions she was really experiencing at the same time. She was saddened that this was how she was to be reunited with her sister. She had plans to invite her to the compound when she was old enough. She was angry that her sister had been dragged into any of this in the first place. But there was something else as well. Something equally potent and unexpected. There was a longing there. She needed to have her sister near her again.

She stood up, turning away from Xandrie and Ansel facing the opposite wall. Her hands balled tightly into fists as her eyes clenched shut tighter. "You shouldn't have come here." She said quietly. Xandrie was the only way that this man was going to get through to her, and he knew it. She was brought here as his secret weapon. Sarah's hatred for him spiked at the realization. But she couldn't let him win. She had to turn it around somehow. She was stronger than this... Deprogramming... She had to be. "I won't talk. Not to you. Not to Mom. Not to Dad. Not while he's here." She hissed lowly.

Xandrie looked a little upset and confused but stayed quiet. Ansel frowned and looked a little displaced himself.

“Sarah you have to realize I am not here to cause you harm. I am here only to help. You can talk with your sister alone. I will give you guys a few minutes of privacy. This only is going to be for a couple of days Sarah, then your free to do whatever it is you desire, wherever home is.” Ansel said which made Xandrie look up at him. She was about to start bitching but refrained from doing so out of the situation.

Her parents were paying this guy a shit ton to do what he was doing, I’m guessing her parents forgot to include there was no guarantee, which to her was pointless. They should have never done this. Ansel left shutting the door and they could hear it locking from the other side. Xandrie stood there and you could hear her sigh.

“I’m not here to make you come home Sarah. I was forced to come here by Mom and Dad. I had no fucking idea what they were doing until yesterday so I am so sorry for all of this. You don’t have to talk to me. I can tell Mom and Dad I’m not doing any of this….I don’t want them using me against you. You are a grown adult, you can do whatever the hell you want.” Xandrie said saying more than she thought she would.