Today marks Vivianna and I’s one year anniversary and I couldn’t be happier. Our original plan was to go out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant but unfortunately, due to a Harry Potter marathon in town, it’ll be overrun all day. Neither Vivianna or I want to be elbow to elbow with random strangers dressed in costumes while we try eating our dinner so we just decided to stay at her place and watch some movies on demand.

I honestly don’t care where we are as long as I’m with Vivianna on our special day. I call her from her porch not sure if she’d like to walk straight in or wait for her to let me in. It goes straight to voicemail and she quickly opens the door, dragging me inside and locking the door fast.

“Viv, sweetheart what’s going on?” I ask, stunned by my girlfriend's actions. Her normally straight blonde hair was thrown up in a messy bun and his thick black glasses, she normally didn’t wear, resting on her tiny nose.

“I need to show you something.” She tells me, gripping my forearm tightly, honestly kind of hurting a bit…

I put my hand on top of the one painfully squeezing my arm to attempt to get her hard grip and long claws off my arm. “Okay, just- OW!” I yell when she dragged me into her living room, digging her tiger claws into my arm.

She doesn’t acknowledge my yelp of pain and lets me go when we enter her living room, standing by the coffee table in front of the couch that has a black notebook resting on top of it with papers sticking out the sides a little. “Look around, what looks off to you?” She asks me and I cautiously look around, not really knowing what I’m supposed to be looking for.

“Um...” I start, really nervous and kind of scared honestly. “Viv, calm down okay? Just sit down-” She cuts me off before I can say anything more.

“Do not look at me like I’m crazy, Daniel.” She rubs her temple in annoyance at me, “Okay, because I seriously am not waiting all day for you to notice come here.” She tells me sternly, putting her hands upon her curvy hips.

I walk over to here and wait for her to show me whatever it is she wants me to notice. She pulls me closer to the wall behind the TV and points to a part of the wallpaper that’s peeling.

I touch it and notice a crease in the wall that used to be naked to the eye but now it’s very noticeable. I look at Vivianna utterly confused about what this is I stumbled upon, “Um there's a line in the wall behind the wallpaper?” I question, but she begins to move the TV stand, almost knocking there 82’ 2,600$ flat screen on the floor but I catch it before anything bad can happen.

“Woo! Watch it, Viv!” I yell, but when I look back to here there’s a thick line in the shape of a door behind the wallpaper. “What the-” I think out loud but my girlfriend stops me.

“Now watch,” She pushes against it hard, causing a sharp clicking sound to be heard and the wall screeches open to reveal three boxes filled to the brim and a photo album on the floor to the side of the boxes.

I place the TV back of its stand and follow her in the little secret room, picking up the photo album. On the front of it says ‘Charlotte Johnson’ in pink letters with a baby picture just below the name. I look at her confused but she just gestures towards the book, so I turn the page, curiosity taking the best of me.

The first page is a birth certificate for Charlotte, and right next to it an almost identical one for Melissa Hastings, Vivianna’s sister. The only similarities being the footprint and handprints. I turn the next page and there’s a picture of two people I’ve never seen before holding baby Melissa. The picture right next to them on the other page is Vivianna’s parents holding her in what looks like the exact same place.

I keep flipping and flipping faster and all the same, these two people holding Melissa in one place and on the other side Vivianna’s parents in the same location holding her. I just throw the book on the floor, breathing heavily, scared and confused. “What,” I try talking but my throat suddenly dry and bitter, “What does this mean?” I ask, scared of what I think the situation is.

“My parents kidnapped Melissa, or Charlotte, and raised her as their own.” She tells me, tears forming in her eyes and some slipping out.

I pull her close to me, holding her tightly, trying to calm her down but quite frankly I’m just as scared as she is. And it isn’t like Vivianna’s parents are awful or abuse either of their daughters, but the fact they’re capable of this is more than alarming.

She pushes me off of her lightly and goes to the notebook on the coffee table in the living room, “That’s not all, this is my fault.” She tells me, opening the first page of the notebook. It’s a letter to Santa, in really bad handwriting that reads “Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a sister of my own to play with all day. Sincerely, Vivianna.”

“Oh babe, this isn’t your fault,” I tell her, but my compassion runs out when we here a car pull into the Hastings’ driveway. We both look at each other in shock, “Aren’t your parents at some island for the week?” I ask becoming very alert with my surroundings.

“The Caribbean Islands, but maybe they came home early.” She tells me, just throwing the notebook in the secret room and closing the wall. I rush over to help her with the TV stand to push back in front of the wall.

We hear the footsteps reach the porch and keys jingling to unlock it, I quickly put the flat screen back on its stand and jump on the couch with Vivianna, putting my arm around her to create the illusion that we were sitting here for a long time.

The door opens and low and behold, Vivianna’s parents walk through the door. “Oh! You two scared me, I didn’t know you’d be here.” Vivianna’s mother, Penelope says, smiling at the two of us.

I laugh awkwardly, “Yeah um well our original Sunday plans had a little mix up so we thought we’d hang here for a bit then go out to eat.” I smile, hoping my lie is convincing enough. I really don’t want to stay here with her parents and I doubt Vivianna really wants to be around them either.

“Oh okay, well you two have fun.” Penelope and her husband smile, walking further into the house to get settled.

“Well, I think we’re going to head out now, love you, mom, bye,” Vivianna says, standing up and holding her hand out for me to take, as I do, and walk out of the house with my girlfriend.

We walk to my car, and take a seat inside, “Well, this was a weird sister swap,” I say, trying to see light of the situation.

“Let’s just go, babe, okay? I just want to eat dinner with a bunch of nerds and try to forget today ever happened for a few hours.” She tells me, I smile and start my car up, pulling out of the driveway. While I pull away from the house, I swear, I see the living room curtain sway a little, with a dark figure behind it, like her parents are watching us.