Haunted by the Past (Original)

Chapter 62

After sleeping the rest of the afternoon away, I eagerly got dressed and ready to head to Meredith's house. It wasn't just the first time in a week where we were actually doing something normal, but it was the first time in months I was going out because I wanted to go out to be around people I actually wanted to be around. Even though it had been six years, I still deeply treasured our old gang. In fact, I was pretty sure I caught a hint of a smile when I checked myself out in the mirror. I couldn't even remember the last time I felt truly happy.

Unfortunately I couldn't say the same thing about Eli, who spent the entire time he was cleaning himself up mumbling about how it was a stupid idea and likely to be a trap. To put his worries at ease, I suggested we wait to approach the house until he was comfortable. Of course I knew that could backfire on me, but I also wasn't an idiot. I understood that there was a chance the authorities were monitoring Meredith's house.

Two hours. That's how long it took Eli to sus out the entire neighborhood with his new gadgetry, courtesy of Naito. Eli's new multi-function head gear allowed him to observe his surroundings with infrared and thermal cameras. Meanwhile the wideband detector sought out any suspicious frequencies. I stopped him short of jamming all signals on the street as it would surely raise unnecessary suspicions. Even after spending two hours checking every vehicle and home security camera, he was still unconvinced it wasn't a trap.

"Well then I'm going without you," I declared as I popped open the door to our new ride, a Hyundai i30 sedan.

Eli grabbed my hand, "Please, Dani! Give me another fifteen minutes!"

"For what, Eli? For you to hack a government satellite and check the backyard for WMDs?" I questioned with sarcasm.

"I'll run a few more checks," he flubbed.

"Uh huh, sure," I rolled my eyes. "Be honest, how much of you stalling is just because you don't want to socialize?"

He squirmed in the driver's seat of the car, "Only a little."

I arched my eyebrow in disbelief, "It's fine, you can just sit in the corner and not talk to anyone."

"Like Meredith would let me," he grumbled.

"They're just your sisters," I sighed.

"Just watch. Two minutes in Meredith will start chastising me for not being around," he frowned.

"I think she'll understand you've been a little occupied," I mused.

"I mean for not being around from before I was... wanted," he picked at his fingernails.

I shook my head, "You wouldn't be the first sibling in the world to be distant from the others. Showing up though, no matter how long it's been, is proof that you do still care."

"Ugh, two hours," he groaned. "Two hours then we leave. Unless I say otherwise."

"Meaning what?" I laughed.

"Meaning if I don't like the situation, we're leaving," he clarified.

"So if your Spidey-senses tingle?"

"Yeah."

I rolled my eyes as hard as I could, "Fine."

"Dani, I'm doing this for you," he stressed. "If it was up to me, we wouldn't be here right now."

"Yeah, yeah, if it wasn't for me you would still be in your nice cozy warehouse living out your days in solitude, I get it," I shrugged him off and stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk.

Eli jumped out of the driver's side of the car, "That's not what I meant."

Closing my eyes briefly to recenter myself, I let out a deep breath. "Can we just go?"