Kethrin - Part 6 - Returns

Four years had passed since Elliot and Annabelle met Verena, and in those four years there hadn't been a trace of her, nor that MIB agent that visited their house. Elliot and Annabelle's marriage had been strained for years, ever since Annabelle lost an unborn child, and the two discovered that they wouldn't be able to have any more children.

 

One night, as Annabelle and Elliot were asleep, Annabelle had a dream that she was walking through a field in when she was picked up by a strange glowing object, where she passed out. 

When she came to, Annabelle found herself in a strange white room, being approached by a mysterious being in a gray suit. The being was female, and Annabelle had a strange feeling that this was Verena, but she didn't know for sure. 

The alien pressed a button on the wall next to Annabelle, and there was a bright green flash. Suddenly, the light enveloped the girl, turning her eyes into a glowing green and emanating through her body. What happened next was unforgettable...

 A blinding white flash took over her eyes, turning the world into the brightest no one can ever comprehend, and just when she couldn't take any more.... 

 ...she woke up.

 Annabelle looked over at her side to see the bed was empty. She looked around the room and saw Elliot standing at the window. She was worried about him: ever since they lost their unborn child, Elliot simply hadn't been the same, he was cold and distant, and Annabelle was reaching her breaking point.

"You keep staring out that window like your life depends on it, Elliot." She said, looking at him with a sense of pity. "You have to understand that everything happens for a reason, and if you can't... look, even I understand that what happened happened, and I can't change it. You have to understand that too." 

 There was no response, which didn't surprise Annabelle. After a few moments, she continued. "My mother wants me to visit her in Twinbrook, she needs help with some things. It will take over a month, maybe when I return, you will have something to say.

 "I'll ring when I get there." Annabelle turned and started to walk away, slow enough to gather some sort of response. However, he didn't say a word.

Instead, he silently lowered his head.

==========================================

A month had passed. Annabelle had called, asking for Elliot. When he refused to speak to her, she hung up and decided to stay for another month. 

Elliot's sanity was ebbing. He felt like he was trapped in a small room, unable to talk to anyone. After some time, he stood to his feet, and felt like screaming, and crying. 

After a second month without Annabelle, Elliot couldn't take it anymore...

"I need her! I am sorry, Annabelle! I AM SORRY!!!!"

=============================================

 

Two weeks later, Elliot was sitting in his chair when he heard Tyler and John call for him. He ran downstairs to the outside of the house to ask what had happened. 

 They told Elliot that Annabelle sent them a message from the beach, she had just gotten off the Ferry and wanted to see him. Without responding, Elliot took off running. 

"I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder." John said. 

"Stay here, John. I gotta go talk to someone." Tyler said, then started running as well.

 When he finally got to the beach, he saw her there, waiting for him. "Annabelle?" he asked. "I'm here, like you asked."

"I wanted you to see first" Annie replied, then she started to turn around...

 "I don't know how it happened." She said, "the doctors before said I could never get pregnant, and here I am. The docs in Twinbrook called it a miracle after seeing what happened to me before." 

 "It is a miracle." Elliot said, after running up to his wife and hugging her. "And I am so glad you're home."

 "Me too. Elliot. Me too..."

  Elliot leaned in close and started talking to his unborn child,and the two were discussing possible names. Elliot wanted to name the child Elliot, after him and his father, and Annabelle said that she wanted to name it Kelly if it was a girl. 

 As the two were relishing in their new-found joy, someone was standing on a nearby plateau, watching them with happiness. Suddenly, she heard a noise from behind her. It was Tyler. The woman turned and walked away, but Tyler caught up to her.

 "Hey, you helped Annabelle, didn't you? I figured as much, when she told me her dream, you fixed her."

The woman nodded silently without turning around. 

"Well for whatever it's worth.... thanks." 

 The woman nodded again, then vanished in a bright light....

 And Tyler was alone.

=================================================

 A few weeks after the pair had reconciled, Annabelle was awoken by a noise from upstairs. It sounded a bit like water running, but she didn't think they had a bathroom up there in the attic. She became worried by this and motioned Elliot to wake up.

 "I heard something, can you go upstairs to the attic and find out what made that noise?" Annabelle asked. Elliot silently acknowledged and stood to his feet."

'

 "I will go check, stay here." He said finally, after waking up. "Keep safe, I'll be back in a few moments."

 

Elliot walked upstairs to the attic, and when he opened the door, jaw hit the ground. Apparently, his attic had been turned into... something. The floors, walls, and ceiling had turned black, and nearly everything glowed a bright bluish green.

Elliot stepped through this alien room, unable to comprehend the technological advancements that seem to have been implemented within a very short time span. It was just a few weeks ago that Elliot had been up here, thinking to himself about his situation with Annabelle and his sanity. 

 ...now he was worried that he was truly losing his sanity again. 

 Elliot heard running water from a nearby room and decided to check it out, carefully opening the door to the back room, which seemed to have been turned into a small bathroom.

 Someone was taking a shower in this strange bathroom, and just as Elliot walked in, the girl stepped out. Elliot immediately closed his eyes and apologized, then maneuvered around to look at her face without catching anything else. He couldn't believe his eyes...

It was Verena.

"Sorry about the redecoration", she said. "I wanted to make the room like a bit more like home while I stayed here, well 'home' for me."