Birthday

We traced the line of her stare, slowly raising our heads. We gasped, moving back.

What hung there at the ceiling was a rope. A thick heavy rope; tied for one to hang one's self. I slowly stepped back, shaking.

"Wha- wh- what? What is that?" Beatrice stuttered, moving backwards. Grace kept screaming and ran towards the door.

"It's a noose, the one someone used to end their own life", Dianne's stoic voice echoed.

"You... You mean someone died here!??" Kate whispered with her fingers quivering. Dianne hummed with our eyes still on the rope.

"AHHHH! GHOST!!!" Anna shouted, running to the door. Without wasting another minute, the rest followed her out in fear, leaving me and Dianne alone in the basement. Dianne seemed more interested in my facial expression than the rope on the ceiling.

"Dianne?" My voice trembled.

"Lola!!" I heard Anna and Kate shout from the door. Still staring at Dianne's stoic expression and calm demeanour, I slowly walked backwards moving to the door.

"Lola!" They called out again the closer I got to the door. With my eyes fixed on Dianne, who stood in the spot above the rope.

Dianne seemed so calm like the rope meant nothing. Kate pulled me up and yanked me through the door.

....

The next morning. 6:12 AM.

We sat on the floor in the centre of their bedroom; after leaving mine for the others who were still fast asleep.

Seated around the short round table with our legs crossed, we gave each other contemplating gazes.

We looked back down at the table in front of us. The photo album, diary, and key necklace—each was placed in front of the person who was assigned to investigate it.

Anna the album, Beatrice the chain and Kate and Grace the diary.

"We have just less than an hour before sister Regina and mother arrive from their trip", Grace warned.

I took a deep breath and turned to Anna. "Report?"

She pushed the book forward, "Well, the pictures are all black and white, meaning they're old. They were pictures of three girls. A toddler, a young adult and... Sister Regina".

"Sister Regina?" We recited.

Anna nodded, "Yep. And she looked so young, so it's definitely old. I don't know who the other two girls are, but they both seem happy in the images. But in some of the last few pictures, two of them excluding the toddler were dressed as nuns".

She opened the book and pushed it to the centre, "But one of them wasn't a vowed sister..." She pointed at the young girl in white habit.

"She was still in training. It seems she and sister Regina were very close. But... I don't know who the little girl is".

I stared at the photo, with the teenager carrying the toddler tight in her arms, and the devil herself—Regina standing—behind them, wrapping her arms around their shoulders with a big smile. She looked so happy that I almost couldn't recognize her.

"Grace? Kate?" We turned to them.

Kate placed her palm on the book. Grace started, "Well this book is unfortunate not just a normal diary, but a poem book. It seems to have belonged to the nun in training because some of the poems in the first few pages are of her hoping to be a sister soon. From everything we've read, she was about twenty when she fell into depression".

"Depression?" Beatrice cocked her head.

"Yes, depression", Kate moved up a bit. "At that age, something must have happened to her that turned her and all the later poems into extremely dark and suicidal writings. Most were curses over her miserable life and suffering, but she didn't really state what exactly she was going through, just the emotions she felt. Except for the last three pages".

"What's in the last three pages?" Anna's eyes sparkled with curiosity. Kate picked up the book, flipping to the last pages. They were ripped out.

"She tore out the last three pages... And the only thing left is this", Kate held out the only piece still attached to the book. It had on the date section of the page, boldly written on it was "August 03".

My birthday.

There was a long pause between us, everyone kept their heads faced down on the book.

"Lola?" Beatrice placed her hand on my shoulder.

I stretched my hand for the book, unknowingly ignoring Beatrice's call. I stared deeply at the date, thinking. I narrowed my eyes to the four letters written as the title.

"My De –" That was it. That was all that was left to see; the rest were ripped out. I slowly raised my head to the girls looking at their faces for further answers, but unfortunately, they were all as clueless as I.

"The key..." Anna broke the silence, pointing at Beatrice's hand.

"What?" We turned to her confused.

"The key! That may be the key to the box Lola left in the basement", she smiled excitedly.

Beatrice looked down at her palm, slowly rolling the key under her fingers. 

"You're right! That's it!!" Grace hopped.

"Think about it", Grace stood up. "A hidden room down in the basement just so happens to have belongings of a would-be nun, who so happened to have known sister Regina right? Now! Suddenly her poems become sorrowful and suicidal, and to our surprise, there is a noose tied to a ceiling readying for hanging, which means she killed herself".

We stared at ourselves. "Yeah..." Beatrice tightened her grip on the key staring at Grace for more info. "I think there's a connection between that woman, Sister Regina and Lola", Kate backed up.

"Me?" My body shook.

"Unfortunately", Beatrice added. "Anna and Grace are right... Maybe this woman was related to you somehow and the answer is in that box".

"... Maybe she perhaps knew your parents?", Anna mumbled out loud.

"Huh?" I stared at her confused.

"Look at it", she shot her hands in the air, "Mother always said she was found at the church's doorstep... Maybe this sister was the one that picked you up? Or, maybe she was also the only one that saw the person or your parents who dropped you?"

They stared at each other, nodding slowly. 

"You have a point, Anna", Grace nodded.

They nodded to Anna's and Grace's assumption.

Suddenly my eyes went numb. I could hear them speak but couldn't understand nor listen.

It was like their volume was gradually lessened in my head with every passing second. Anna came towards me, wrapping her arms around me, smiling.

"So if my parents are alive, why did they give me away?" I said looking down in hurt. There was a long pause. Slowly, their expressions began to fall, realizing my plight.

"Didn't they want me?" I stared at their faces.

"Lola?" Beatrice held my hand. "Lola, we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. Maybe something happened that was so drastic, they had to bring you here... Doesn't mean they didn't want you".

I stayed quiet still staring into her eyes.

"Yes, Lola..." Kate crawled up to me. "We don't know what happened, and we're not even so sure if they gave you up willingly".

A tear ran down my cheek. 

"And the answers to all our questions are in that box!" Grace walked up to me.

"And with the key", Beatrice held up the key, "We'll find the truth!"

They all stood next to me, wrapping their arms around me, locking me in a warm embrace. I smiled as my eyes leaked out tears, sobbing over their shoulders.

"Shush, It's okay", Anna stroked my hair.

My lips stretched to a smile, relaxing on their shoulders. Staring behind my back, my eyes shot at the door. I narrowed my eyes at the slightly open door. My attention was completely stolen when I noticed a shadow walk away from the door.

I blinked my eyes, wondering whether to call their attention or let it go. With their arms all around me, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt them, so I let it slide.

"By the way Grace", Kate turned. "How did you know that was a suicide rope?"

"It's called a noose, and well—" She shrugged, "Because I have a brain, and also, it matched the description of Sister Regina's novels I use to read".

"You read adult novels? Why?" Beatrice rose a brow.

Grace shrugged her shoulders, "For information", she grinned.