Levvergent

Chapter 9

The darkness clears up and I see the security guard in front of me. "What the hell was that?" I ask, "I was supposed to test you. Johanna told me to," he answers, then walks away. "Test me for what?!" I ask, he doesn't respond. I walk back into my living quarters and sit on the couch. "I'm going to be with Christina, if you need anything your dad is in our room," my mom says, "and Molly is with her friends."

I nod and she walks out the door. I feel like me and Tobias aren't talking as much anymore. I never actually realized how obvious it is that I'm shutting him out. I wish I could relive the time I met him. I regret always complaining about his overprotectiveness. I regret not calling him dad regularly. I regret not trying to get to know him.

Oh my god. I don't really know anything about him.

I run to knock on the door of his room. "Dad!" I shout, and knock hardly on the door. He opens the door, a look of confusion on his face. "Raven?" He asks, "are you okay?" I just hug him. Very tight. "What's going on?" He asks, "I'm a terrible daughter and person," I answer. "What do you mean?" He asks.

"Ever since I found you all I've been doing is giving you hell."

"It's not completely your fault, you just never developed social skills."

"I know but that's no excuse."

"What brought this up in your mind?"

"I really don't know. But I intend to make up for my behavior and catch up on lost time."

"How?"

"First I need to get to know you better. What are your hobbies?"

"I don't really have any. What about you?"

"Same. I've lived in jail my whole life remember?"

"True. But now it's time for me to ask you something."

"What?"

"How did you imagine me, when your mom described me?"

"I never really thought about it. I was scared that if I tried imagining what you'd be like I'd be sad because I never thought I'd get to meet you."

"I always thought if I had a kid I'd give them up for adoption. I never thought I could pass for a parent."

"Would you have given me up?"

"I don't know. But what I do know is that if I did, I'd regret if my whole life."

We sit down on the couch and I rest my head on his shoulder.

"I wish I could've watched you grow up, seen you when you were a baby," he says.

"I don't know what I looked like when I was little other than that."

"You don't remember?"

"No we didn't have mirrors in jail. The first time I saw myself was in your bathroom mirror."

"Oh."

"Crazy, huh?"

"Yeah."

We hear a ding coming from the projector on the other side of the room. An image of Johanna appears, "Attention. We are going through an emergency procedure. This is not a drill. If you aren't already, go into your living quarters, lock the doors, turn off all the lights, and hide. Don't move until given the direction to," she says.

I hear people running in the hallway. "Mom and Molly," I say, I go for the door. "Raven!" Tobias shouts, "don't. They'll be here any minute." I turn around and we start shutting off lights. "What do you think is going on?" I ask, "We're being attacked," he answers.

Molly comes running through the door. After her is my mom. She locks the door on her way in. "Raven and Molly hide in your closet," my mom says. We run into our room and sit crammed together in the closet. We sit and wait. After a few minutes I hear a muffled sound.

"Attention. I come from the bureau. We aren't here to attack. We came here to rescue someone you have hostage. Bring us David's daughter. Bring us Molly. And if you don't, then we will bring her back by force. You have forty-eight hours."

Molly's face lights up with fear. She stands up to leave. I pull her down, "You can't." I say. "I have to. He's my dad. And if I don't I'm threatening the lives of everyone here. You guys have been kind enough to hide me. I'm repaying the favor," she says. "But we can get you out of this," I say, "No you can't. Not this time," she argues.

She walks out and I follow her. Two officers point guns at her and she raises her hands. They walk her outside and I continue following.

I can't let another one of my friends die.