Mack tried to disagree with me, but I methodically picked up the clothes he’d brought, entered the bathroom, transformed back into myself, and got dressed. Once my hair was brushed, I came back out. I felt wooden in my actions. I wasn’t sure if it was calmness or numbness taking over.
“Can you take me home? I need to talk to my parents.”
Mack hopped to his feet and nodded. He didn’t say anything while we rode in his jeep. And, at the moment, I had no more words for him. He’d told me everything. I was left to sway between being completely livid for what he’d done to feeling sorry for him. I opted for staying numb, rather than opening myself up to feelings and emotions.
The one thing I could focus on was that my parents hadn’t told me the truth either. As much as I wanted to refuse to believe I had an alternate personality, I needed to confront them. I needed to know if I’d really had Sammy in me. And I knew Mack seem to think she was gone for good. But is she? Didn’t she fly back to Colorado? Didn’t she throw me into the arms of a crazy, psychotic killer?
We entered the house to discover my dad at was at work, but my mom was home.
The moment she saw me, she gushed about how worried she’d been and how glad she was that I was okay now. I tried to mumble some sort of answer. Mack began backing out the door, and I turned.
“No, stay, Mack. Please,” I said.
Mack stepped back to my side. “Anything you want,” he said quietly.
My mom glanced around. “Where’s Blake? Thought you’d be coming back with him.”
“Mom, I know about Sammy,” I answered instead, too tired to make up a story. No more lies… or being lied to.
My mom gaped at me and then glanced at Mack, who nodded.
“But the therapist said not to tell her,” she stuttered.
“Her therapist’s an idiot. She needs to know,” he replied, folding his arms. “She should’ve known all along.”
My mom’s eyes were wide and with obvious hesitation, she finally glanced my way again.
“So it’s all true then? I really have been two people this whole time?” I asked.
“Samantha, we tried everything to help you let go of the drowning experience. Your doctor thought the best course would be to not tell you about her, not make you aware of her presence. She worried if you knew about Sammy, it’d only strengthen her hold on you. We all hoped that when the fear finally ended, you’d be fine. And then right when you were finally getting better, the cabin happened. We didn’t know what to expect after that. We thought for sure it’d be Sammy coming home to us when they’d found you. Your therapist warned us that Sammy would be a stronger force now, since she probably protected you while you were abducted. But you came back totally different. Not really acting like Sammy or Samantha. Your eyes seemed hollow. I can’t explain it. Like you were a shell of the girl we knew.”
I knew what she was talking about. I remembered those days all too well. I glanced over to see Mack frowning.
“Then Blake came into your life, and the spark came back,” my mom said.
Mack flinched.