Exposed

Chapter Twenty-four

The sun sets high in the sky as normal as it was the day before. The grass isn't any greener and the wind doesn't gust any harder. Nothing is different which is odd.

After the nights events, Amelia finds herself staring out the second story window of her room at the B&B. The normalcy of the day is both marveling and appalling. Both welcoming and mocking. It's almost as though last night hadn't happened. Almost.

She still has the physical reminder hidden under the socks on her feet. As if she needed the sliced and blistered skin to remember what happened. The evening will be forever etched into her cold beating heart. Even if she wanted to, and a large part of her did, she could never forget. There's no going back. Ever. The only thing she can do now is make sure no one else dies because of her freak-of-nature ability to shock other freaks of nature to death.

A knock at the door threatens to distract her from her mindless thoughts. Her head quirks to the side as she registers the soft padding of footsteps walking towards her. The light floral scent of perfume wafts to her nose and she feels Stephanie's hands rest on her shoulders. A mother sharing in a moment with her daughter.

"You've been up here for hours," she says quietly. When Amelia doesn't respond, a sigh escapes the older woman's lips. She glances at the bed with the mostly packed suitcase lying on top. "You're coming back? What about the story?"

Amelia finally looks away from the window. Her eyes settle on the darkened screen of her laptop. Behind the darkness is a black and white typed document with the towns inner secrets ready to be exposed. A large weight settles in on her chest and she shies away from the offending device.

"Is everything okay?" Stephanie asks. Fed up with the continuing silence, she turns forcefully turns Amelia around to face her. The look in her brown eyes is almost enough to quiet every word that might escape the older woman's lips. It's been a long time since Amelia looked lost in the world around her. The last time Stephanie saw the younger woman like this was the year after she brought her home.

"Amelia? You're worrying me."

Finally she blinks and her gaze focuses. Amelia sighs at the concerned expression on Stephanie's face. "It's nothing. I'm just conflicted about this story."

Stephanie exhales deeply, almost relieved at the words spilling from Amelia's mouth. This is normal for them and normal she can handle.

"It wouldn't be the first time," she says.

"This is different."

"Let's talk it out, then," Stephanie says. She pulls the two of them onto the oversized ottoman and settles in to listen to the younger woman inner thoughts.

"I learned something that I never thought was possible and it's something that the rest of the world should know about."

Stephanie smiles knowingly. "But?"

"But if I tell this secret I've learned then I'll be hurting people. Good people. People who have gone through hell to protect both their secret and other people's lives," Amelia says in a rush.

"So your dilemma is that you've learned a secret-- one that the rest of humanity would benefit from knowing-- but you've come to care about the people the secret concerns? Is that right?"

Amelia nods without registering all of the words being spoken to her. "Right... Wait, what?"

"Amelia," Stephanie leans over and intertwines their hands. "You wouldn't be this conflicted if you didn't care about them. Even if it is only just a little, you care."

"What should I do?"

"You do all of your thinking with your head. Your heart very rarely has a say in the decisions you make but this time I think it's rearing its pretty little head," Stephanie says. To Amelia's surprise, she stands up from the ottoman. "Maybe it's time to start listening to it."