When I got home that night I kicked off my shoes, exhausted from the day. That was when I noticed my mom looking at the family photo album. "Whatcha got there?" I asked, sitting down beside her. "Oh the family photo album," she smiled, "I've been looking at it more and more lately." she looks up at me then to the photo album. "Remember that day?" She asked, pointing to a photo of me the day we moved into our place in San Diego. "How could I forget," I smiled resting my head on her shoulder. I looked at that photo smiling softly. "I miss when you were that little." My mother looks at me, "Well I'll always be your baby girl mom." I smiled looking at her. She smiled, placing a hand on my cheek and kissing my forehead before looking back at the photo album. "I never had one of these growing up." She admitted, "Why not?" I raised a brow, "You know my family, actually more like you don't, which is even better trust me." She chuckled, I nodded a bit. "How has Billy been doing?" She asked, looking at me again as I scanned through the family photos. "I have no clue, he doesn't talk to me like he used to..." I sighed sadly, my mother nodded. "Invite him over for dinner sometime...have another slumber party." she suggested, I laughed. "Mom, we're not kids anymore, we don't do slumber parties." "Oh," she said, a bit confused. "Noted." She nodded, taking a mental note. "But adults still do dinner," she shrugged. I chuckled looking over to my mother. "Got me there mom," I smiled, she smirked. "And maybe I'll invite over that whole family, it's fun making Neil squirm." My mother laughed. "Why is he afraid of you again?" I was confused, Neil had been afraid of my mother after some point back in San Diego and I never found out why.
My mother looked at me, she took a deep breath. "With people like Neil you have to use fear and intimidation to get what you want. He's incapable of compromise, and incapable of change. The only way he listens is through threats." She stated very calmly. I nodded understandingly, "So you threatened him? How, and with what?" I asked, incredibly confused. "Oh no, I didn't threaten him, I promised him. That as long as I was around, if he laid a hand on Billy, I'd kill him and make it look like an accident." She said firmly without flinching. I knew my mother, she meant that, and she was capable of it. "Well clearly he doesn't care anymore." I sighed, closing the photo album. "Besides words don't scare Neil, how did you convince him you were serious?" I asked, as I placed the photo album on the coffee table then turned my body to face my mother. "I pulled a gun on him." My mother said grabbing the glass of wine she had been neglecting on the end table and taking a sip. I froze knowing she meant it. I knew if my mother killed Neil she'd never get caught. We had money, connections, and power. Nobody would miss someone as meaningless to society as Neil. "I wish you pulled the trigger." I mumbled, "As do I, but what benefit would that serve?" My mother said, sighing softly looking down at the ground then back to me. "Besides after Billy's mother left, he'd be orphaned and..." My mother looked ahead of herself. A look of grief was displayed in her eyes. "I don't wish that upon anybody." She sighed. "Why did we leave if Billy needed us so desperately?" I finally asked, this question had been burning in my chest for years.
My mother simply put her wine glass to the side. "I suppose you're old enough to know the reason." She sighed, standing up, "Follow me," my mother directed. I did so without a single hesitation. She led the way to her home office. I looked around before sitting down. I was rarely allowed in here. She goes over to the bookshelf and pulls a book revealing it was a hidden door. "Woah..." I said amazed, "Emma it was a simple renovation and besides I have 5 nosey children." My mother said as if the reason she had a secret bookshelf door was obvious. "Mom, you have a Scooby Doo villain secret door thingy." I pointed out, she looked at me as if she didn't know the bookshelf door was a common media trope. She looked ahead of herself and shrugged before grabbing a box. She opens it and grabs a polaroid out of it and hands it to me. I looked at the photo, "It's me..." I was confused before realizing the angle the photo was taken at. It was in the distance like someone was watching me. "Who sent it? And why on earth did you keep that photo?" I asked confused, "It was sent by someone in my family, and I kept the photo so I could tell you the truth that you have every right to know." She puts the photo away. I nodded at her answer, "What is the truth mom?" I asked, crossing my arms. "We were in danger, and we had to leave San Diego." My mother sighed, "I lied and told you and your siblings it was because of my job." She puts the box back into the closet. "Why were we in danger? Why didn't you tell us the truth?" I had so many questions. My mother sighed, "My family is dangerous, and my life has always been a waking nightmare. I didn't want to burden you or your siblings with that cruel information. You were so young." My mother gently placed a hand on my cheek. "All this time...we've moved from place to place because we were in danger." I said fully grasping this information. My mother sighed and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." I hugged her back before realizing something. "Wait, why is it then when we moved to Hawkins you said we were finally settled down?" I asked confused, "Because I made sure that we could," My mother said, clearly she did something to make sure that everyone was safe. Something she obviously didn't want to do.
"What did you do?" I asked concerned, she sighed pulling away from the hug. She smiled at me before kissing my forehead. "Nothing I wouldn't do again if it meant you could finally live a normal life." She then starts walking out of the room. "Is what you did why you quit working with the Hawkins Lab?" I asked, looking over. "No." She said firmly. "My business is not aligned with their practices." She said before walking away. "What the fuck does that mean?" I asked under my breath. Then I realized my mother left me alone in her office. I could find out the truth, I could figure out what was going on. I walked over to the bookshelf. "Emmalyn Elisabeth Beckett!" I heard my mother scold, "Damnit," I said under my breath walking out the room.
YOU ARE READING
Riptide
FanfictionWhen Emma was a little girl, she met a boy at the beach. Together they built sandcastles, went surfing, and looked for seashells. They had spent most of their days side by side as best friends. They were there for each other through thick and thin...
