The Lockwood Boys

Father?

Lilith

"Good morning Mom!!" I shouted to her from the kitchen. She was in the bathroom getting ready for a job interview. She said this job was gonna be the big break we needed to move out of this run-down place.

"Good morning my Lily Billy!!" I rolled my eyes at my mother's nickname for me. She runs out of the bathroom wearing a black fitted dress and some white pumps she had thrifted. "How do I look, honey?" She looks at me with hopeful eyes.

I can't help but smile. "Very business, so cute Mom," I say and she lights up, her natural face with no makeup and long straight brown hair nicely tied up in a bun she did look beautiful.

She looks at the clock on the wall and her eyes widen. "I'm gonna be late if I don't move! Love you, honey, have a good day at school okay? Get good grades and make mommy proud!" She says and gives me the biggest hug and kisses the side of my head.

"Thanks, Mom, I love you too," I say and she smiles. "This time tomorrow our lives will change, I promise Lily," she tells me and gives me one last hug, and walks through the door.

That was the last time I ever saw her.

Now

I sit in the back of a police car on the way to a child services office to be registered and put into the foster care system. Yeah right. No one adopts teenagers.

I let the music play through my headphones when the police officer gets a call through his radio. I can't hear much through my music but I don't care enough to turn it down. I hear bits and pieces.

"She... mother.. Caleb Lock... her father..." the last 2 words.. Do they mean me? My father?

I've only heard a few stories about my father. My mom had met him at a high school party and they had a little too much to drink and met up one time after that to hang out and the rest is history. They never saw each other again.

She never told him about me because she said he was too ambitious for children. She let him live his life and raised me on her own. Caleb Lock..

He was Caleb Brenner when they met.

We do a U-Turn and head in the opposite direction but I still don't care enough to ask about it. I don't care much about anything anymore. I just hug my backpack and wait to be told to do anything.

I find myself waking up almost 7 hours later. I have no idea where we are.

"Where are we?" I can't help but mumble. The policeman who was driving is now in the passenger seat. He turns and looks at me and then at the road. "Utah" is all he says and looks back at his phone.

Utah?!

Seems like I was out long enough to get to where we were going because he pulled into the Utah City Police Department.

They park the car and the police officer that gave me NO information on the situation lets me out. The other cop had grabbed my suitcase but I held onto my backpack. They lead me to the doors and talk to the cops at the front desk.

After a bit of chatting and laughing, they led me to a room that looked like an office. As we get closer I can hear laughing and talking from the other end of the door.

The cop carrying my bag knocks on the door. We get a faint "come in" and he opens the door. Sitting in the chair at the desk is who I'm guessing is the guy in charge and in front of him is a man with a nice trimmed beard and wearing a nice suit.

I can smell his expensive cologne from where I'm standing.

"Sir, this is her," the no-info cop says moving aside giving both men a clear view of me. The man in the suit goes wide-eyed and he stands up quickly.

He clears his throat and then speaks.

"Lilith, hello! I expect you had a good trip here," he says looking at me with soft eyes. They sharpen up as he looks up at the cops who brought me here when I stay silent. I cough and nod my head. His eyes soften again when he looks back at me.

Who is this guy?

The two cops behind me seem nervous by his stare. "Why am I here?" I speak up and he flinches. My voice is broken. My mother just died, what did he expect?

"I was hoping you would've been told, that would've made this much easier," he says glaring at the cops again. I can feel their nerves.

"Well Lilith I-"

"Lily" I cut him off. His breath catches in his throat for a moment and he has this weird look on his face. He lets out a sigh and blinks.

"Well Lily, I'm Caleb Lockwood, I met your mother 17 years ago and we had a small thing that left your mother pregnant. I wasn't aware of this until recently but I'm your father, Lily" he explains and my breath hitches in my throat.

This man is my father. Caleb Lockwood. The nicely dressed expensive-looking man is my father.

"Mom told me about you once. Caleb Brenner," I say looking down. I don't know what else to say.

"Yes well I hope she said good things, although I hope to get to know you myself on our way home," he tells me and my head darts up to look at him.

"Home?" I ask and he sighs narrowing his eyes again at the cops behind me. "Yes Lily, home. You're coming to live with me and my children," he tells me and my eyes go wide.

He has a wife and children. Of course, he does why wouldn't he? It's been 17 years since he left my mother alone and pregnant why not move on and start a family?

The next couple of minutes are a blur. I'm led outside to a nice car where my suitcase is placed in the trunk. One of the cops goes to take my backpack but I snatch it away and hold it close. He tries to grab it again and grabs my arm in the process.

"She can keep it, don't touch her unless you wanna lose that hand," Caleb says in a low voice. The cop now shaking releases me and he bows his head and walks off.

What's this guy's deal with these cops?

He clears his throat and apologizes for that. I just shake my head. I don't really care as long as I can keep my backpack.

"Where are we going?" I ask him when we're both settled in the car. He starts the engine and turns to me. "We're going home, Malibu California," he tells me and I almost gasp. California?

I have so much I wanna say but I don't. I just nod and say goodbye to my old life. Goodbye, school and people I knew, goodbye rundown apartment building, goodbye... Mom.

Time to start my new life I guess.