Unseen Girl of Danger

Season 5; Chapter 5

"We'll take two cheeseburgers and a large fries, please."

The cashier typed in Yleana and Julia's order then called to the back for the food to be made. The two girls thanked the cashier then made their way over to the table Ray was sitting at in the fast food restaurant Inside Out Burger.

"Hey," Yleana greeted as she and her cousin slid into the bench across from Ray.

"So what's up?" Ray asked, sliding his soda left and right across the table.

"Well, there's something we need to tell you," Yleana started slowly.

"Yeahhhhh?" Ray said, "What is it?"

Yleana took a deep breath in and exchanged a look of caution with Julia before looking back at her biological dad.

"So you know how Julia got a year's early admission to college?" she asked.

Ray nodded and she continued, "Well, the reason she's visiting these two weeks is because... I got six month's early admission."

Silence took over the three as Ray sat with his jaw dropped. The silence was making Yleana overthink which everyone knows is not a good thing.

Finally, Ray broke the silence, "You can't go."

"What?" Yleana asked, shocked.

"You can't go," Ray repeated, his face stern and serious.

"What are you talking about?" Julia questioned before Yleana could speak.

"I said what I said," Ray said, standing up out of his seat, "You can't go."

Yleana sat in stunned silence as she watched Ray walk out of the building. She turned in her seat to face Julia who had the same expression as her, the both of them thinking the same thing — Why on earth would Ray not let Yleana go?

*one hour later*

Yleana paced back and forth in Charlotte's room as she tried her best to not get an anxiety attack.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Charlotte said, she and Julia sitting on her bed, "Let's just try and think about why he doesn't want you to go."

"I don't know, that's the thing!" Yleana burst out, stopping in her tracks.

She took a deep, shaky breath in and sat down on the floor, her head in her hands.

"Maybe you should try talking to him again," Charlotte suggested.

"Why?" Yleana asked, "I've tried a million times! When I called him, he ignored me, he won't answer my texts, and when I went to the Man Cave, he wasn't there."

"He's avoiding her, Charlotte," Julia told her.

"But why?" Charlotte questioned more to herself than to the other two girls.

There were a few moments of silence before Charlotte spoke again, "Have you told Henry yet?"

"That I'm planning on moving to California for early admission to college?" Yleana asked for clarity and when Charlotte nodded a yes, she continued, "No. I don't want to tell him."

"Why not?" Charlotte asked.

"If Ray reacted like this," Yleana inhaled a sharp breath, "I can't even imagine how Henry will react."

"You have to tell him sooner or later," Julia pointed out.

"Right..." Yleana responded slowly, "I'm gonna try the Man Cave again. Hopefully Ray's there this time."

Yleana grabbed her backpack that had been previously laying on the floor and swung it onto her shoulder before walking out of the room then continuing to walk out of the house.

She made her way as slowly as she could to the Man Cave to allow time for Ray to return there since he had been gone earlier but she finally reached Junk 'N' Stuff and went down the elevator.

Once it slammed against the floor and the metal door opened, she walked out, marching right into the Man Cave.

"Alright, listen up!" she said loudly in an authoritative voice with her hands on her hips, "I'm looking for Ray and if anybody, and I mean anybody, knows any small detail about his whereabouts I urge you to speak now!"

"U-um, Yleana..." Henry said, startled as he slowly pointed his finger to Ray who was sitting across from him at the round couch, "He's right there."

Yleana's eyes darted from Henry to Ray and the expression on her face softened as she tried not to laugh at her moment of stupidity, "Oh."

"What do you want?" Ray asked as he got out of his seat and started walking towards the gear door.

"Uh," Yleana walked quickly over to stand in front of the gear door in case Ray was about to open it and leave the room, "To talk to you."

"About what?" Ray questioned, avoiding eye contact with her.

"About me going early to college," she answered.

"What?!" Henry exclaimed from where he was sitting on the round couch.

"Henry, be quiet, this doesn't have to do with you," Ray commented.

"Uh, I think it does, she's my girlfriend and my best friend," Henry said, looking at Ray weirdly.

Ray rolled his eyes and looked back at Yleana, "We already talked about this, you're not going."

He grabbed the remote to the gear door and pressed the button then tried to walk through but Yleana got right in his way and stopped him.

"We didn't talk enough," she told him.

"Who says?" Ray asked rudely.

"Says me!" Yleana responded, her eyes slightly widened in anger.

"Uh... could someone fill me in on what's going on?" Henry asked but he was ignored.

"Ray, why don't you want me to go?" Yleana persisted.

"Because," Ray said as though it were a real answer then tried to walk through the gear doorway again but Yleana blocked him once more, "Let me through."

"Not until you tell me why you don't want me to go," Yleana said sternly, looking him dead in the eye.

"Can I have a say in this?" Henry questioned, raising a hand.

"Shut up, kid, this is an adult conversation," Ray responded to him.

Henry looked offended as he stared at Ray, "I'm older than Yleana!"

"Ray, please tell me why I can't go," Yleana said for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Fine, you want to know why?" Ray asked and when Yleana nodded, he inhaled a deep breath and continued, "Because you're my daughter. You're my daughter and we only found that out two years ago and we only met four and a half years ago. I wasn't able to be a part of your life for thirteen years and then suddenly I was... and if you leave... I won't be anymore."

"Ray..." Yleana said quietly, her expression hugely softened from what it had been previously, "I... I didn't know you felt that way..."

"Yeah, well, now you do," Ray said, looking anywhere but at her.

Without a warning of any sort, Yleana put her arms around her biological dad in a tight hug, tearing up slightly.

"You'll still be a part of my life, Ray," she told him in almost a mere whisper, "You'll always be part of my life. You're my dad. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I know..." Ray sighed then let go of the hug, "Okay, you can go if and only if... you visit as often as possible, as- often- as- possible- and... you have to keep a life size poster of Captain Man in your apartment."

Yleana looked at Ray weirdly but nodded, "Okay, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She gave him another hug then turned to run out of the Man Cave to tell Julia and Charlotte that Ray had approved but stopped in her tracks when she saw Henry standing in front of the elevator, waiting for her.

"You're leaving to college?"