Hannah Starling

Chapter 9: Here We Go

Hamal and Hannah walked through the door to their home, exhausted and hungry. Their mother followed close behind them. They all hung their jackets and bags in their designated spots and continued into their living room. Hamal sat down at the piano, Hannah and Clarice both picked up their books and started to read.

"Hamal, that keys off." Hannah said, turning another page in her book.

"I know, Hannah." Hamal said, a little annoyed, "I'll fix it later."

"You know, summers coming up." Their mother spoke, breaking up the row she saw coming, "Where are we going?"

"Who picked last year?" Hamal asked still going through the motions of Fleur De Elise.

"You did." Hannah said, turning another page.

"Then it's your turn sweetie." Clarice said watching her daughter.

Hannah stopped reading and glanced over the top of her book at the rug. "I don't know where I want to go, I'll do some research about a few places."

"Can we make suggestions?" Hamal asked continuing to play.

"Sure."

Hamal got to the fast part, both of the twins favorite part and all grew silent. The discussion done, and returned their focus to their activities.

Saturday evening found Hannah in her room, sitting crossed legged on her bed, school work and travel books spread out around her. Her hair fell down the middle of her back, straight as a board. Her sweatpants rested on her legs and her tank top rose above her navel. She sighed and fell back, running a hand through her hair as she went. That's when she saw it.

The light hit her bangle just right, so that she saw something engraved on the inside. She stayed laying back and tried to examine it closer,"Little... Lamb? Little Lamb... Who made thee?... Does thou know who made thee?" She read out loud. She thought for a few moments, then the word Shepard flashed through her mind and she sat up, "Holy Shit!" she said before she tore off her bed, knocking a few books off as she went and rushed into her brothers room. He glanced over his shoulder, away from the computer screen, as she entered.

"Well come in." He said sarcastically before his chair was forcibly turned around and he watched his sister pull her bracelet off her wrist. His eyes grew wide, she had never taken her bracelet off... Ever. "Hannah?"

"Read this." She demanded, thrusting the bracelet in his face.

"Little Lamb who made thee, Does thou know who made thee?" He paused, "And??"

"And?! Do you not remember that body? What was carved into his head?"

Suddenly Hamal understood, "Shepard. So what does that mean?"

She shook her head, sliding her bracelet back on her wrist with some force, "I don't know... I mean, Shepard are suppose to protect sheep, right?"

"Well yeah, but what if you're not one of the sheep."

"He has to think I'm a lamb, that line has to refer to me, What is that line from anyway?"

"William Blake's The Lamb poem."

"The lamb?"

"Yeah, I'll find a copy. Hold on a sec."

He turned back to the computer and searched for the poem, finding it he brought it up on the screen.

"Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?

Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!"

Hamal read out loud, Hannah thought for a few moments. "Does it mean anything to you?"

"Nope, you?"

"Nope."

Hamal shook his head, "There isn't much else we can do."

"There's gotta be something else."

"You can think about it all you want, but Hannah I'm gonna go to bed."

"Alright, Night." She said as she turned and walked into the hallway.

"Hey." Hamal said following her, just outside his door.

She turned back, "Yeah?"

"I'll look into it as much as I can."

She smiled, "Thanks."

He nodded and kissed her cheek, "Night Banana, Love you."

"Love you too, H." With that she returned to bed, deep in thought.

The next morning she woke up at 7:45, and quickly got ready for her run with Masumi. She threw on a pair of form fitting pink sweatpants and a white tank. She grabbed her matching pink jacket and was pulling her hair up when the door bell rang.

Hannah slipped on her sneakers and ran down the stairs, "Morning." She said happily to Masumi, who smiled back, "Morning." She answered.

"I'm gonna go grab my moms tape player, you want Hamal's?"

"No, I'll be fine."

Hannah nodded and ran up the stairs, grabbing her moms tape player and rushing back down the stairs and out the door. They were running down the street when she pressed play and a voice echoed through her mind. She looked confused for a moment before her mothers voice answered the mans.

As she listened things grew clearer and clearer. It was a story she had heard only once before. The story of the screaming lambs. The mans voice she then recognized to be Hannibal Lectors.

She stopped dead in her tracks. So many things clicking in her mind that she turned and ran home, leaving a very confused Masumi to play catch up. When they arrived back at the house she ran straight to the nearest computer and went to a site she could find the meaning of names and types in Hamal.

"What are you doing? I've never seen you run so fast in my life." Masumi said, gripping the chair Hannah sat in.

"Hamal, Origin Arabic. Meaning Lamb. Why Arabic?"

She searched for names meaning Lamb and found the only form of the word starting with H, was Hamal. She continued to listen to the tape, The horses name her mother used to get aways name was Hannah! Little Lamb, it was about her!

"Oh my god... Hannibal Lectors my father." she whispered mostly to herself, then ran up the stairs to wake Hamal up and share what she had learned.

After telling him everything, he shook his head. "Sis, even if you were right. How do you think you're gonna find him? Travel the world looking for him?"

"No, not the world. He's already watching us. All we have to do is get out of the US and to a place he would be relatively safe and I bet you anything he'd show himself and prove I'm right."

"Where would that be?"

"I don't know... I've always wanted to go to Italy."

Hamal rolled his eyes, "Here we go."

Well there we go. I'm already working on the first chapter to the sequel and all your questions will be answered. Plus a few characters return and start to play bigger parts, You should know who I'm talking about! .