Preston Greens

17. Disturbance

Our prediction of every house having spirits is all over the country now. Don't think that I just made it up right then and there, because I thought it through a lot. It only made sense. After the whole city heard it, the plan was put into action. Now all sorts of people are coming into our neighborhood investigating, and they are looking into everyone's house, including mine. They asked my parents a lot of questions, and they were so intense that some of the questions my parents couldn't answer. They had no knowledge where the sink in our restroom came from or why the door to the linen closet had a golden doorknob. 

I asked them why they needed this "Critical" information, but they told me to stay out of their way, which was stupid because I was the one who proposed this plan. Maybe they just didn't know it. I was a special person in my community, making a difference in a lot of people's lives, and so were Lisa and Charlie. 

I slapped my forehead. Tomorrow was Wednesday and I was going to Lisa's! All these men in my house were distracting me and I hated it. I asked them to get out of my room so I could study, but they barged through the door. Once, I didn't know they were here and I was clipping my toenails listening to spa music when they opened the door to my room and saw me. It was a horrific sight, and they immediately left the room. I was so embarrassed, but I knew that's what they get for not knocking on the door. 

I called Lisa to complain, but she said the same thing was happening over there. I called Charlie and Leslie, and they all came back with the same answer. I had no place to go to study. I was very annoyed. I went to the kitchen and asked mom to kick them out, but she said at this point, she couldn't control it. I pointed out that this was our house and that we owned it, but she said as long as we get the problem fixed, she had no problem with it. 

Dad was in his office doing his own homework. No men were in there searching, so I knocked on the door. "Go away sir, I need my privacy. You'll be free to search the room later." Dad replied automatically. The door was locked, and I was surprised I didn't do that sooner. Probably because I wasn't allowed to lock my door. 

"No dad, it's just me, C." I replied. 

Dad fumbled over to the door and unlocked it. I slipped in, to make sure the men didn't see me. I had all my homework with me, along with my purple head phones, some snacks, and my IPhone. Dad inspected my stuff, as I dropped everything on the carpet. I sighed.

 "Thank you so much for letting me in." I said gratefully. 

"No problem sweetheart. You need to get your homework done." He replied. He continued grading his papers silently. 

"Do you know how the formula to find the volume of a cone?" I asked him. He scribbled something on paper and handed it to me. 

"Thank you."

I gave him a kiss on the cheek and gave him some pretzels that I had smuggled from the kitchen. He smiled and ate the pretzels like he hadn't eaten for years. I laughed as he dropped all sorts of crumbs on the floor. I liked lying down on my stomach on the old carpet floor. I heard Peppermint scratching at the door, probably because the men are invading her space- the backyard. I could see dad contemplating on letting her in, but I made the decision for him. I opened the door and scrambled in. I'm glad she went to obedience school, so now she's potty-trained. I put a pillow on the floor and let her sit on it. I loved my Peppermint. I loved giving her baths, brushing her teeth, and brushing her silky (but messy) fur. 

If I had to choose between Charlie and Peppermint for anything, I would choose Peppermint. I was going to see Charlie in a couple of days and I wasn't really looking forward to it. I had to tell him how I felt, but maybe it wasn't the right time, since the dance was a few days ahead. I didn't want to complicate things before the dance, which was the whole purpose for our relationship. I already had my dress picked out and everything, and we also mastered our dance. It was perfect! I told myself couldn't tell him the final verdict yet, because there's so much tension between not just us, but everyone. 

I pondered a little too long because dad swiped his hand in front of my face. "Earth to Carly." He said.

 I laughed. "Sorry, just daydreaming." I replied, after recollecting my thoughts and stowing them away in my mind. 

After a few minutes, I finished my homework and ate another smuggled snack. The men then knocked on the door. 

"Sir, we need to investigate your room." The men said through the door. 

"Sorry, can you come back later?" Dad replied like a machine. 

"Sir, this is the last room we need to cover. After we finish this room we will be able to go to another house." The men said. 

Dad sighed as he unlocked the door and let the men in. They looked all over the place, including the small closet in the corner. They were also snooping into dad's stuff like bills and my baby pictures. The men went into the closet and seconds later they emerged with a picture of me as a baby. I was laughing and I had all smiles. The men got a magnifying glass and spoke. 

"Sir, we need to take this picture with us immediately." He said with a serious and worrisome voice. 

"Why would you need to take that sir?" Dad asked. 

"We have found some critical information in this photograph." The man responded. The other men nodded in agreement. 

"I will allow you take it, but before you do, can you please point out in the picture what is so important?" Dad asked. 

The man with blue eyes brought the picture over to dad and the other man brought the magnifying glass. 

"Oh my god." Dad said. Never once had he said that phrase, and I brought some discomfort in my chest. 

"What's wrong dad?" I asked him. 

"Is that the girl in the picture?" The man asked dad. He looked at me for a long moment. His eyes were watery. 

"Yes, I'm afraid she is." He said quietly. 

"Dad, can I see the photo?" I said, in a more demanding tone. Something was wrong here. 

"Boss, we found the exact same thing in the house in front of her." One of the men said to the man with the magnifying glass. 

Leslie's house! What could it possibly be? Dad was standing there speechless, examining the photograph. I was so curious that I snatched it away from him and took the magnifying glass out of the man's hand. 

"Carly, you shouldn't see that." Dad said. 

"I have the right to know what's going on here." I said. 

That was it. All the men including dad backed off and left me to see the photograph. There it was, right behind me, and it was unmistakable. 

"Dad...", I started.

"We have to leave right now."