The Imposter Sister

Preston, England. 1813.

Rain slicked the cobblestones as you, Mercedes Maxwell, stood before the imposing, grim façade of Blackwood Asylum. The March wind whipped your cloak around you, a poor defense against the chill that seeped into your bones. Inside this dreadful place was your twin sister, Katherine. The letter from Dr. McClain spoke of 'periodic dementia' and 'unresolved melancholy,' but you knew, with a certainty that chilled you more than the wind, that something far worse must have happened. Why else would your vibrant, spirited twin be locked away?

You knocked, the sound swallowed by the silence and the hooting of an unseen owl in the nearby woods. Once. Twice. A third time. Still no answer, only the dull mahogany door staring back, scarred and unwelcoming.

Just as you turned to leave, convinced no one would answer, the heavy door groaned open, revealing a stooped, elderly man holding a lantern high. Light illuminated the deep creases in his face. "May I be of some assistance?" he rasped.