Possible Theories

Elizabeth laid limply on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She got up after a while and locked the door.

She took in a deep breath before heading to her study table, Elizabeth switched on the reading light and unclenched her fist which held little bracelet in it.

She stared intently at the bracelet that had her younger brother's name written on it.

It could be a mere coincidence, but Elizabeth wasn't ready to make any assumptions. 

She carefully inspected the bracelet for any familiar mark that would point out if it was really her brother's, but there was no mark she could identify it with.

Elizabeth sighed and relaxed on the backrest, she slowly massaged her temple with her eyes closed.

There was no way a person who died in a fire would suddenly come back to life and there was no way her brother's bracelet would leave the burning house and appear in Vandhill, thousands of miles away from her old home.

But maybe her mother escaped and ran away with her little brother. Maybe the other body was the body of the woman her father brought home that day. There were so many maybes, that Elizabeth couldn't understand what presumption was wrong or right.

"A DNA test would be appropriate, but what are the odds of being able to test the bracelet?" Elizabeth scanned the bracelet in her hand, the capability to steel her mentality had come in quite handy in this situation.

"The bracelet doesn't have a lot of dust on it. Ah, maybe I wiped off the dust while holding it." Elizabeth nodded, she would have thought twice before becoming overly emotional.

Elizabeth took out a notebook and jotted down all she saw, along with her hypothesis and theories, she roughly sketched the dark silhouette using the last memory she had of it.

She roughly drew the bracelet too and drew a few lines connecting it to her late younger brother's name and the humanoid shadow figure she saw in the woods.

Elizabeth stared at her finished work. She touched the bracelet lightly and turned to the bed where her phone was left.

She suddenly remembered something, when she was chasing after that figure, she received a call that diverted her attention from the figure she was chasing after.

Elizabeth rushed and grabbed her phone from the bed, she went through the call history and the last call was from…Officer Layla Louise. 

Elizabeth stared at the number on the screen. Layla called her but said nothing when Elizabeth received the call, it might be because of the poor signal but crazy assumptions filled Elizabeth's head, she could net help but wonder.

"Ah, I shouldn't think like that, Layla would never do something like that. She can't possibly have a hand in the disappearances…right?" Elizabeth murmured underneath her breath, but she could not brush this unseemingly thought away.

Elizabeth picked up the pen and wrote the name 'Layla Louis' in cursive handwriting, in such a way that it would be difficult to understand. 

Elizabeth sighed for the umpteenth time, she couldn't really put her hands on what was going on. Layla's strange behaviours, the figure who could disappear had transcended science, may be something deeper than the eyes could see.

"What is it? Beast? Demons? Werewolves? Ghosts?" Elizabeth paused in realisation, "Vampires?"

"I mean…they feed on human blood, right but there's no way such things could possibly exist. Th-they are just mere myths." Elizabeth said those words to calm herself down. The already creepy town now seemed even more dangerous.

Two days to the festival and during that festival, when everyone is out of their homes relishing in the festive spirit, Elizabeth would conduct a thorough search.

"Layla, Casper, Chief Alejandro…and the strange shadow figure. How are you all connected?"

Elizabeth was now too scared to go to sleep, but she bravely locked the windows, turned off the lights and lay on her bed, pulling the sheets over her head.

Her breathings were erratic due to the low oxygen she received, but her breathings slowly evened out as she fell asleep. 

"Oh my, he's so cute." A young girl held a new born baby in her arms and giggled. 

"He looks so much like you, Beth." An older feminine voice said. The woman was laying on the hospital bed, she had curly brown hair that was held up in a bun, she had a wide but gentle smile on her face as she held the baby's little hand in hers.

"How can you say that? The baby looks like he was made from folds of skin, so ugly." Another younger voice retorted, the young girl had her back to the hospital wall and chewed a gum carelessly.

"Elena! He's your little brother." The woman warned firmly.

"I know, mum. It still doesn't change the fact that he looks like he was made out of folded skin." Elena rolled her eyes.

"He's so cute, Elena, come hold him." Young Elizabeth gestured at the baby boy in her arms.

"No way in hell, that thing is far from cute, it's so red and I'm sure it would be slimy too!" Elena jumped up in fright when Elizabeth walked towards her with the baby.

"Language, Elena!" Their mother's angry voice interjected Elena's words and young Elena rolled her eyes in response. 

Young Elizabeth chuckled and took the baby back to her mother and asked, "Mum, what do we call him?"

"Foldy." Elena mocked from the sidelines.

"Seriously, Elena, let the baby be." Elizabeth glared at her twin sister.

"Beth, your father…has he come by yet?" Elizabeth's mother asked, her eyes watered and she hoped in her heart that the answer would be affirmative but her hopes were shattered.

"No, mum…But, Aunt and Grandma called." Elizabeth quickly added to please her sad mother.

"Ah, is that so? That's good then." She forced a smile inn her face and took her new born from Elizabeth's arms.

"His name….His name would be Casper, my bringer of treasures."

'He who would bring the only treasure I want the most to my home, he would bring us joy.' The sad mother smiled at that thought.