Over the course of the next few days, funeral plans and paperwork became all too familiar. And with the hustle and bustle of driving around, making plans, and dealing with more people than I ever had in my entire life, the confrontation between Jake and I in Grams room had gone to the back of my mind. Of course, I didn't forget it, and neither did he, it seemed, but we both had more pressing things to do. One of which I had left for this very moment, because it was the one I was dreading the most. Telling Gigi.

I pulled into her driveway, having left Jake alone at the hotel, and went to her door with the same trepidation I had gone up to Dr. Dempsey's office with. Knocking a few times, part of me hoped neither of them would answer, so that I could be spared the coming fallout. Luck seemed to favor others at that moment, though, because Gigi opened the door quickly after.

"Oh. It's you." She said with a frown. "What do you want?"

"Grams died," I replied uneasily. "A few days ago. The funeral is being set, and I just thought you should know."

The doorframe shook with the tremble of shock that ran through her, and then she slammed the door in my face. Left in the dark with nothing but the sound of crickets softly chirping in the background, I blinked quickly and turned around.

"Good talk," I mumbled to myself.

When I got back to the hotel, my intent was to shower the awful encounter away, order room service, and sit on one of the beds with Jake while watching some silly romcom on the TV. That plan shattered the second I walked into our room.

The lights were out, the room was empty, and neither Jake nor his bag was anywhere to be found. In an ice-cold panic, I looked for him everywhere. The hotel dining room, the lobby, the pool. I asked every member of staff I could find. Nobody had seen him. Finally, I ran up to the front desk, horrified.

"Have you seen my brother?" I gasped, having just run from the laundry room hoping to find him doing some. "He looks like me, same height, same hair but pretty short, he's got on a dark blue jacket and he's got glasses?"

"Uh, yes, he left in a cab about 45 minutes ago." The concierge replied.

"Great," I let out shakily. "Thanks."

Out of options, and terrified for my brother, I pulled out my phone and called the one person I needed most.

"Hello?" He answered tiredly.

"Steph!" I whimpered. "Listen, Stephan, I'm so sorry to call like this, but I need your help. Jake's missing, I don't know where he is, and all the concierge can tell me is that he took a cab, and I'm freaking out, and I-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Jake's missing? Hang on, what do you mean concierge, where are you right now?" It sounded like he had jumped out of bed, and his voice was instantly alert.

"Connecticut," I mumbled.

"Just felt like a road trip?" He asked with amusement.

"No, it's our grandma. She was sick, and now she's..."

"Ah," He replied softly. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," I took a deep breath. "Jake took it hard, we both did, but... for some reason he thinks he's got some mission and he wants answers and I just... I lost him, Stephan! Wh- what kind of a sister am I? I mean, where the hell did he go? And how did he-"

I cut myself off as I realized how he'd left. There was a small stash of emergency money in my bag, kept in case we ended up needing anything important and the credit card was out. I darted to the elevator, back upstairs, and flew into our room. As I rifled through my bag, sure enough, a small amount of the cash I kept was missing.

"I don't believe this!" I hissed in rage. "He... he stole money from my bag and just left!"

"Yeah that sounds like Jake," Stephan sighed. "Ok, listen, stay calm. Have you called around any of the hospitals? We get stuff like this all the time, runaway teens who end up hurting themselves and wind up in a hospital."

"No, no, that's a good idea," I breathed in relief before the panic set in again. "Oh, my god, do you think he's hurt?"

"I mean, I doubt it, but it's always a possibility. What about friends? Or family? You have any relatives he might go see?"

"Stephan, oh, my god, that's it! You're a lifesaver! I know where he might be!" I yelped.

"Uh, well, happy to help?" He said in confusion as I ended the call in a hurry.

I marched outside to the rental car, and headed to the one place I had hope of finding him. I was furious, frightened, and not to mention hurt beyond words could describe. How could he? How could he just run off like that? And not just run off, no, he'd probably run off to the one place I'd begged him not to go.

As I got out of the car, I turned around and faced it. The house. Our house. The yard, even despite it being 10 years, was still the same. The huge, lovely oak tree still stood, holding the swing our father had hung on it for Jake's 3rd birthday. Being back here, it was like opening a time capsule. Memories I hadn't known I had came flooding back. Nights on the small porch while our mother sat with us on the old loveseat. Jake spilling the iced tea she'd made while all three of us laughed. Our father carefully pointing out a humming bird that had flown to the old tree. Whispering to me that we must be very quiet so as not to scare it. Or when he'd push us on that old swing, and Jake would want to go higher and higher.

I walked forward slowly, dropping my bag to the ground, and that's when I found him. Jake walked out from behind the house, and stopped short as he saw me. "Reagan!"

"Thought I'd find you here," I replied in what I hoped was a casual tone. "How goes the searching? You find any answers yet?"

He at least looked ashamed, and he bowed his head, avoiding my glare. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I just..."

I walked past him, going closer to the old front door. It's classic white frame with a small window that had metal bars over it. But there was something so odd. A pulsing. A vibration. A soft coo that silently said welcome home. It radiated out of the house as if I was being greeted by a very close friend. It was unmistakable in its desire. It wanted its door opened. A crow flew onto the roof and cawed just then, snapping me out of it. It seemed to be watching me as it kept cawing, and finally it turned its head to the side, cawed once more, and then flew off.

Jake had come to stand beside me, and he appeared to have been watching the crow too.

"Do you feel that?" I asked him, as the energy from the house seemed to flow even into my bones.

"Yeah," He said quietly. "You should feel it on my side."

I took a long look around, taking it all in. Leaves had covered the front porch, the houses brown paint had faded, and yet, somehow, the house showed no other signs of neglect. Though, I supposed, 10 years wasn't really long enough to do all that much damage. There was one addition, however, that I didn't recall. A lockbox was on the doorhandle, and it looked like the only way to open it was with a code.

"So, I'm guessing that's why you haven't been able to get in?" I asked Jake.

"Yeah. They must've added the lockbox after we moved out. And I guess nobody ever came to buy this place." He said, starting to turn and walk to the other side of the house. "You know, Reag, you really don't have to help me. This is my thing, and I know you're probably pissed-"

"Damn, right, I'm pissed," I assured him angrily, crossing my arms. "What the hell did you expect, Jacob? You dissappear, leaving me no note as to where you are, which, thanks very much for that by the way, you nearly give me a fucking heartattack, and you go to the one place I specifically told you not to?"

"I didn't-"

"I mean, seriously, I didn't know what happened to you! I'm running around, and people are looking at me like I'm a freak, and I have no clue if you're even alive! You're lucky Stephan thought to suggest this place!"

"Stephan?" Jake asked in outrage. "You brought Stephan into this?"

"Of course I did! I don't have to defend my decisions to you!" I yelled back. "I don't know if I wasn't hard enough on you, or what, but I am your older sister, Jacob Darron Cobblestone, and therefore you need to at least listen to me when I tell you not to do something so stupid!"

"You aren't my mother!" He snapped.

I gasped in anger, my tears filled with rage, and shook my head. "Wow. I can't believe it was really you who said that this time."

"I didn't mean that. I'm-" He choked up, and seemed unable to speak.

"I know I'm not mom, ok? But she asked me..." I tried to compose myself, and spoke calmly. "You are my responsibility. And while I respect that you're older now, and that this has affected both of us, that hasn't changed. You do not go wandering off without me. Understand?"

He nodded, his lips trembling. Finally, he said, "I just didn't think you'd let me, even if I continued to beg. But I... I need this, Reagan. This means something. And I don't..."

He started to cry, deep and breathless crying that shook me to my core. I ran up to him and hugged him as he broke down.

"I don't..." He sobbed breathlessly. "I don't even know who I am..."

"Oh, Jake," I whispered.

He continued to choke, and I rubbed his back to settle him.

"Who am I, Reagan?" He whispered back through the tears. "Who am I?"

I pulled away, gripping his shoulders. "You are my brother."

He wiped his face, nodding. I pulled him over to the porch step, sat down with him, and he sighed. "Thanks. You know... you don't have to do this. I know it isn't safe. I understand if you want to leave."

I stood up. "Day's fading. I'd say we need to get in, wouldn't you?"

He smirked slightly, wiping his face again, and stood up with me. "Yeah."

We walked up to the front door, but there was no secret note, no code to be found under the welcome mat, and it didn't seem that the box could be opened with any sort of keys. As we went back down the porch step, a musical tinkling sounded from the yard. Jake jumped, looking around, but I knew in an instant where it was coming from.

"Did you hear that?" Jake asked, for the first time since I'd found him looking scared.

"It's the music box," I replied dazidly, sprinting to my bag and pulling it out. Sure enough, the lullaby was playing on its own, though the box was shut. "It's mom's. This was the lullaby she used to sing. I brought it with us, you know, because I remembered how Grams used to love to sing..."

Jake took the music box from my hands, examining it closely. Finally, as he opened it up, something caught his attention. "Hey, Reag... look at this."

He pointed to a small inscription on the inside lid of the box, engraved in cursive and so tiny it was hard to read. As we held it up to get a better look, the words raised in the light of the sun, and I marveled.

Play me at noon in the house you'll see soon

The lullaby continued to play as we tried to make sense of the words. Though of course it was clear now that the house was where we now stood, what we were supposed to do wasn't exactly clear. Jake suggested that maybe we had to play it at the door, but I shot down that idea immediately, as there was no sign that some kind of voice box was on the door just waiting for a melody to be played.

I paced back and forth, and then, as I was walking across the lawn, I stepped on something that made the sharp clack of wood being walked on after ages. I knelt down, brushing away the leaves on the ground quickly, only to be greeted by a small wooden door hatch, buried in the ground under them.

"Jake!"

He ran over, music box still in hand, the song still playing, and knelt beside me.

"Holy crap. What is this?" He laughed in shock.

I brushed my hand across the hatch, and felt a keyhole. I looked to the bracelet on my wrist, shaking. No way. I thought. There's no way.

"How do we open it?" Jake wondered.

"I don't know for sure," I barely replied as I held up my wrist. "But I have a guess."

"Of course!" Jake puffed out.

I took off the bracelet, holding the key, and looked to him uneasily. "Ready?"

He nodded, his face now grave.

I stuck the key in the lock and turned, breathless with both fear and anticipation. The lock clicked, and the hatch popped up slightly, now open. Looking to Jake again, who was now looking as nervous as I felt, I pushed open the hatch fully, and coughed as dust poured from the opening.

Inside, there appeared to be papers, pencils, and different prototypes of the necklace that Jake now wore around his neck. As we shuffled through the papers, I began to notice that they all seemed to be songs. Melodies handwritten years before, left hidden under a secret hole in the ground. There was one paper, as it were, that did stand out. By the looks of it, it was yet another riddle, and I handed it to Jake so that I could continue going through the rest of the papers in the hole.

"This doesn't help much," He said critically, glancing it over. "It says that we need to decipher Mel from Dy and then we'll soon have the key?"

"Oh, shit!" I jumped, grabbing the paper and reading it.

Decipher me, O mel from Dy, and soon then you shall have the key

"Jake, this is it!" I started picking up the music notes and put them on the ground. "Open the music box and put it down! I bet you that we have to figure out the melody for this song and then... YES, look!"

Written over each musical note was a number. I knew then what we had to do.