Before Her Eyes

Chapter 24

"Are you almost done packing?" Dana shouted from downstairs

"Almost!" I called back.

"I'm going to go pick up a few snacks and fill up the car before we drive to the airport. Do you

need anything?"

"Have you seen the laptop?" I asked from the top of the stairs.

"It should be on my bed. You can grab it, but don't touch anything else," She said, giving me a serious look. I nodded in response.

"I shouldn't be gone long, have your stuff downstairs in the next thirty minutes." She turned to the keypad and unlocked the door.

I turned around and headed for Danas room. I was always curious to see Dana's bedroom, but the only problem was that I had never been allowed in. Dana never had to worry about me snooping in her room because she drilled into my head that I was never to go in there from a young age.

I twisted the knob and slowly pushed the door open. I let my eyes scan the room before completely entering. Her room was fairly simple: A bed that was neatly made in the middle, dresser on the wall across from the bed, a desk tucked away in the corner, and a door to the left of me, which I assumed was the bathroom.

I slowly placed one foot inside before deciding to step in all the way. I didn't know what I

expected to happen, but when It didn't, I decided it was ok for me to go and look for the laptop.

After not finding the laptop on the bed, I decided to try the dresser.

Clothes, clothes, and oh, more clothes. I sighed.

The last place left to check was her desk.

"Finally!" I almost cried tears of joy when I found it in the first drawer I opened.

I picked up the laptop and opened it to see if it had enough battery for me to use on the plane when I saw the page Dana had forgotten to close. It was our tickets to some place called Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Why were we going to Pennsylvania for vacation?

No offense to the people of Pennsylvania, but it didn't seem like a normal place for vacation. It did sound like a great getaway, but not for the type we were going on.

I was about to close the tab when I noticed whose names the tickets were under.

"Eva and Caroline price?" I wondered out loud as I was about to leave when I stepped on a loose floor board. 

I walked across it again to make sure I wasn't hearing things when it made the same noise. I put the computer on the bed and lowered myself to my knees, digging my nails in the spaces between the loose floorboard and the other ones that surrounded it and pulled.

I gently placed the board next to me and pulled out a metal box that was hidden below. I placed the cool metal box in my lap and took a deep breath before flipping the latch and opening it.

The first thing I saw was my birth certificate. I ran my fingers over the empty box where my father was supposed to sign his name, wishing it would somehow magically appear. I set it aside and picked up the next few items. It was a few different dated newspapers, all with the same topic, the disappearance of Vaeh and Lily Lawson.

Why does she have these? I frowned. 

I set them down and turned back to the box. I hesitated before picking up the next item. It was another birth certificate, but this time, it was Vaeh's.

How did she get this? I asked myself as my shaky hands gently picked it up.

I frowned when I noticed the name of the doctor who had delivered her, "Dr. Hughes."