Chapter One: Sage’s Packet

As she jogged up the driveway, Sage brushed her sweat soaked bangs off her forehead with the back of her hand. She glanced down at her watch and smiled; she’d just beat her previous record by a full two minutes. She did a little victory dance and jogged the rest of the way up the stairs, stopping when she noticed the padded manila envelope propped up against her door. The mailman wouldn’t have dropped the mail off this early, it was only a few minutes past 7am.

Sage tugged the earbuds out of her ears and picked up the envelope, checking for a return address but the only thing written on the package was her name scrawled in some sort of calligraphy type writing. She wondered who would have placed it there and why they hadn’t just mailed it to her. She shrugged and tucked it under her armpit and unlocked her front door.

As Sage stepped into the kitchen she inhaled the scent of coffee and smiled. She loved the way it felt to curl up on the couch with a hot cup and just savor the quiet before getting ready for the day. Her routine jog in the morning left her mind clear and she could just relax and enjoy the coffee. Usually. This time instead her mind kept going to that envelope, almost as if it were calling out to her to open it. Curiosity got the best of her and she wandered over to the counter where she had left it.

Inside the envelope there were several items. The first that caught Sage’s eyes was a photo of two girls that appeared to be around two years old. What really got her attention was the redhead in the picture looked like her when she was a toddler, but she didn’t know who the other girl was. Sage turned the photo over to see if there was any writing on the back and was disappointed to find it blank. She wondered if this had been a reprint or something, as there wasn’t even the date mark older pictures had when developed at a photo processing center, nor the name of said center. It was completely void of any markings. She flipped it back over and studied the picture once more. The two girls looked close. They seemed happy too.

Sage set the photo on the kitchen counter and pulled a letter out of the packet. She glanced down at the signature in hopes of recognizing who had sent the package but the name didn’t ring a bell. Just then the coffee pot beeped at her, letting her know that it was finished brewing the next pot. She took the photo and the rest of the envelope’s contents and set them on the breakfast table, then poured herself another cup of coffee. She had a feeling she was going to need it.

There was something about her favorite coffee cup and the way the heat from the coffee warmed the ceramic that brought her comfort. She loved the way it felt against her hands. She took another whiff of the coffee and plopped herself down in one of the chairs at the table, ready to read the letter.

Dear Sage,

I’m sure by now you are starting to wonder what all of this is about. This is not how we planned to tell you, but unfortunately we didn’t have a choice. You are coming up on your 25th birthday and certain things must be set in motion before that day. The life you have been living up to this point has not been what you thought it was. The parents that you grew up with were not your biological parents. You also have a twin sister.

Both you and your sister were adopted by separate families after your biological parents were murdered. It was known by both the families who adopted you, that prior to your 25th birthday, you would be told the truth about your life and your real parents. Both agreed to this. Unfortunately, the parents who raised you passed away in the accident and cannot be there with you to help with the shock you must be feeling with all of this information.

When you turn 25 you, and your twin, will inherit a legacy that has spanned several centuries. There is a manor on a large parcel of land that belongs to both of you. It is located along the shores of Hannah’s Lake. There is much more for you to learn about, your past and your family’s history, but that will come later. For now, it is imperative that you and your twin sister return to the manor as soon as possible.

Enclosed you will find a picture of the two of you just prior to the murders as proof that we have contacted the right person. The redhead in the photo is undeniably you. Also included are all of the legal papers you’ll need as evidence to the property discussed and that you, along with your sister, now own it. We have also included maps and directions to the property.

We urgently remind you that you must return to this property as quickly as possible as we have a large amount of ground to cover in the coming weeks. Again, we realize that this must be a lot to take in, and apologize for the flood of information we are giving you. If there had been another way, we assure you we would have taken it.

Deepest regards, Angela and Lyle Foster

Sage stared at the letter for several minutes after she finished reading it. Then she gulped down her coffee and read the letter again. She was just as confused when she finished it the second time. She had a sister? A twin at that? The parents she grew up with weren’t her real parents? She had an estate up at Hannah’s Lake? So many questions started swirling in her mind until they all began to jumble together and made absolutely no sense. This had to be a joke right? One of her friends must have thought it’d be funny, maybe they had some kind of birthday party planned for her up at the lake. It would have cost them a fortune to rent one of the properties up that way though. Maybe several of them had all pitched in for a weekend or something. That had to be it.

But if that was what it was about, why include the picture of her and another girl? And why say that they were twin sisters? A fake deed and letter stating she had inherited the place from some long lost relative would have worked much better than trying to convince her that she was adopted and had a twin out there somewhere. The more she thought about it, the more things didn’t make sense. She decided to check with one of her closet friends, who just happened to be a paralegal as well. If it was all a birthday prank, she’d know and could tell Sage before she made a fool of herself. If it wasn’t a prank, she would be able to go over the documents and let her know if they were legit.

Sage glanced at her watch and realized all of that would have to wait. If she didn’t jump in the shower and get ready soon, she was going to be late for work. Sage had been having a hard time getting up in time for her daily jog and still make it to work on time lately. If she was late again her boss would throw a fit! Sage raced up the stairs and jumped in the shower. As she started to wash her hair she let her imagination run a bit wild. She started thinking of the possibilities that had arrived with that envelope. What if she really did have a twin out there somewhere? Could that be why she always felt as if she was missing a piece of herself? Everyone always says there is a connection unlike any other with twins.

She had always hated being an only child growing up, and it was even worse after her parents had passed away in the car accident. She didn’t know of any other family. Both of her parents had been only children as well so there were no aunts and uncles, no cousins either. Her mom’s parents had passed away before Sage was born, as had her father’s dad. Her grandmother on her dad’s side died when Sage was 13, so when her parents died it left her alone. She joked a bit after their funeral that the family must have some sort of curse that causes them all to die young. Although it was a joke, she often wondered if she’d meet the same fate.

Shit! She had let her mind wander too far again and realized that the water was no longer hot, but lukewarm at best. She was going to be late again. Sage turned the shower off and did her best to wring the water out of her auburn hair before wrapping a towel around it like a turban. She toweled off as quickly as possible and ran to her room to get dressed. As she headed out the door, hair sopping wet, she shoved the envelope into her over-sized handbag so she could show her friend after work. She didn’t bother to call ahead to say she was going to be late, her boss would just have that much more time to come up with horrible things to say to her. She hated her job, but she needed the money to pay the rent and other bills, so she put up with it.