I closed my door and took off my black dress, replacing it with sweats and a t-shirt. I was finally alone. I took a deep breath as I gently opened the letter that I had been clutching in my hand all afternoon. My heart quickened, as I read the words on the page.

Dearest Sarah,

If  your reading this, then I have passed. I never imagined I would have to write this letter. I thought I could take care of things before I died and am terrible sorry to have to burden you with this but I need you to do me a great favor. Inside this envelope you will find my ring. It is a family heirloom and was my most treasured possession. I need you to return it to its rightful owner, my twin sister Isabelle. This will come as a surprise to you because I have never told anyone else about her.

After we were born my parents soon discovered she was different than other children. She was special. My father felt they would not be able to raise her properly and said they had to leave her in the care of an institution. My mother was distraught but my father never let us speak of it again though I never understood why.

Then shortly thereafter my mother got very sick. Before she died, she secretly gave me this ring, and told me It was very important that I take it to my sister on her 13th birthday.

The ring was so beautiful and I didn't understand why Isabelle was given the ring and I was not. I became extremely jealous and kept it for myself.   You see this is no ordinary ring and I didn't understand how important it was for her until I was much older, but by then the institution had closed down and I couldn't find her. This ring only belongs to people like my sister. Keep it safe and don’t make the same mistakes I did. I love you so much.

Stay strong, Grandma

My hands were trembling. I reached into the envelope and pulled out the ring. It was extremely beautiful. Made of silver, with a sparkling blue gem in the center. I carefully put it on a chain and wore it around my neck vowing to return it to Isabelle.

Exhausted from emotion I climbed under the covers and fell asleep. It seemed like no time had passed when I woke to a soft glow. I wearily reached out my arm to turn off 

my lamp, thinking I had fallen asleep before turning it off, but I hadn't.

When I looked down I realized that it was the ring that was glowing. Tentatively, I picked it up and it wasn't until I held it up close that I noticed the writing. After about 5 minutes there were three numbers engraved on the ring: 1, 8 and 3. It felt like I was up most of the night trying to decipher what the numbers meant but must have dozed off because I woke with a start when my alarm clock went off. 

The entire day I struggled to focus on my school work. Thoughts kept racing through my mind. Why was the ring glowing? What did the numbers mean? Where would I find Isabelle? Why had my grandfather left her in an institution? I had exhausted all the options but I still came up with nothing that made sense. I didn't know where to start. Discouraged I retired to my room hoping tomorrow would bring me some answers. 

It wasn't until later that night when a familiar glow woke me for a second time, that the numbers finally made sense. This time ‘183 Caulfield street’ appeared on the ring completing the clue. It was an address! I tore off the covers out and raced to my desk. I frantically entered the address into my computer. My heart was pounding. This must be where I will find my Great Aunt. To my surprise the location was only ½ hour bike ride away. Tomorrow was Saturday so I decided I would bike there first thing in the morning. 

At 7:00am I jumped out of bed full of excitement and apprehension. I inhaled a piece of toast for breakfast, threw on my coat and stuffed the letter in my bag. Even though I had never taken it off, I felt my neck to make sure the ring was still there. When my mom, who was worrier, asked me where I was rushing to I muttered briefly that I was visiting my best friend, Paige to work on a homework assignment. I felt bad lying but this was something Grandma wanted me to do alone and I wasn't going to let her down. 

As I expected, it was a quick bike ride but I had to take a series of dark alleyways to find the address. When I arrived and saw the house it was not at all what I expected. It looked run-down and unloved. The shingles were falling off, the paint was peeling and the whole house was overgrown with vines. You could tell the house had once been beautiful. It was two stories with a large wrap around porch and beautiful pillars.

As I approached the stairs I felt uneasy, my feet froze and I held back the urge to run in the opposite direction. I knew I had to keep going for my Grandma so I dragged my feet toward the door. I held my breath as I knocked, praying that nobody would answer so I could go home, but the door opened and I couldn't conceal my repulsion. The man before me was deformed and grotesque. He shuffled towards me with a limp, all hunched over. As he got closer, It got harder to hold my composure. He had a nasty scar that stretched all the way from his left eyebrow to his right cheek. He was only a few feet away from me now and I was terrified of what would happen next.  

“How may I help you darling?” The man questioned with a smile, revealing his yellowed teeth.  His voice was like sandpaper and when he called me darling I cringed. 

I took a deep breath to calm myself down and replied: “I was wondering if an Isabelle Lynden lives here?”

“No.” He said abruptly, “You must have the wrong address.”

He began to close the door when the ring started to glow intensely, the brightest I'd ever seen it. I threw my hand to my chest and tried to cover the glow, but it was too late. The man had seen it. I could tell by the way his face turned from shock to realization that he recognized the ring.  I turned to run, but the man was surprisingly quick. He grabbed me by the sleeve of my coat and dragged me inside screaming.

I tried my best to get free, punching and kicking, but he was too strong! I gave up and let him guide my down a set of stairs. Frantically, I began looking for an exit but I couldn't see a thing in the darkness. Once in the basement, my nose filled with a foul smell. I had to get out of here! I was about to make a final attempt to escape when I heard something moving in the corner and then the ring glowed again but this time even brighter! It lit up the whole basement revealing the face of a woman identical to my grandmother. She was tied to the wall, her hair was a mess of knots and her face was smeared with dirt but I had no doubt it was Isabelle. 

When she saw me with the ring she smiled and yelled, “Throw me the ring!”

I tried to take it off my neck but the chain was tangled in my hair. I could see the man raising something above me but I managed to get the ring free and throw it to Isabelle right as I felt a searing pain in the back of my head. The last thing I remember is the man yelling and a flash of light. Then it all went black.

When I woke Isabelle was standing over me with a concerned look on her face and for a moment I swore it was my grandmother.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I replied weakly, “I think so.”

I tried to sit up but my head was throbbing. I reached to touch it and when I pulled my hand back there was blood. I gasped.

“Stay still. I’ll help,” Isabelle assured.

 I grimaced as she put both hands under my head. She started making a humming noise and I could see the glow of the ring filling the room. After the light disappeared, Isabelle removed her hands and asked, “Better?”