The Switch Sisters: Chapter 19 - Sisters

The landing that Mayor Hunter had led Marie, Morgan and Mina to was darker than the tunnel they had left. The door shut slowly behind them. Mayor Hunter moved forward, shuffling with something in the dark.

So where’s Mara? Morgan’s voice said in an irritated tone inside of Marie’s mind.

I don’t know. Maybe we’re not there yet.

Well, we’re definitely somewhere.

Thanks, Morgan. Your sarcasm is soo helpful.

Right back at ya, sis.

Having adjusted to the light, the sisters could now see that they were in a small room, and that one side of the room seemed to be made of dark bars. That was where the mayor was standing, fiddling with something metal.

We are inside the dungeon of the holding house, look! Marie thought. But where is Mara?

Do you think she escaped? Morgan thought back after a brief mental silence.

Couldn’t have. The mayor wasn’t surprised at all to find the cell empty. Plus she wouldn’t, remember?

Marie squinted in the dark.

Wait a second…

Mayor Hunter was now pulling open the gate of the prison cell. Evidently, he had gotten the keys to work. He didn’t beckon for the girls to follow him out, but they understood. He led them down a dark hallway to the other end, where there was another cell. The walk felt vaguely familiar to the sisters, as if they had walked it before.

Of course! Marie thought. There were two cells in the holding house, weren’t there! The empty one must lead to a secret tunnel to the mayor’s house!

“Mara?” Morgan said out loud. Sure enough, a white mass was crouched in the corner of the cell. Mara lifted her head weakly.

“Morgan? Marie? Why are you here again?”

“We—” Morgan started, before Marie cut her off. Don’t say anything stupid! Wait until we’re alone!

The mayor took out a silver key from somewhere inside his coat. Though there was no source of light in the room, it glittered as if it were under the sun. The key disappeared into a keyhole that the sisters could not see in the dark. The door clicked, and pulled open with a clanking, metal noise.

The mayor stood to the side of the cell, still not saying a word. He nodded towards the inside and waited. Morgan and Mina looked at Marie. Marie looked at Morgan. Morgan nodded and stepped forward into the cell, her sisters following. Mayor Hunter pulled the door closed again and dropped the key back into his pocket, his face receding into the dark. He started to walk away when Morgan shouted out, “Wait!”

He turned around, his face illuminated by a strange glow.

“Aren’t you going to tell us why you brought us here?”

Mayor Hunter’s face crumpled towards its center. He furrowed his eyebrows and stretched his neck forward, as if seeing the girls suddenly. He looked confused. Then, his eyes rolled slightly into his head and he walked away without saying a word. He opened the door to the front section of the holding house, letting in a sudden burst of bright light that was extinguished just as quickly with the door’s closing.

Morgan and Marie rushed to Mara and grabbed her hands. She hugged them close. She had gotten even thinner in the days that they had been gone. “What happened?” Mara said, her voice a whisper. Morgan started to tell Mara all of the events that had passed since her imprisonment. Marie could feel her twin’s thoughts bubbling inside her, the crazy things that had happened in just a matter of a few days but felt much longer, from the mayor’s visit to the house to the public statement to the memorial ceremony. Then, Marie suddenly gasped, cutting Morgan off.

“Wait—” she grabbed her twin. “Where’s Mina?”