Helping The Poltergeist // H.S.

Chapter 37: Of All People

Harry

     
I tried everything. I tried to turn a blind eye to it. I tried to think of a way to just forget about it. If I didn't have that recorder, I wouldn't be feeling like this. I wouldn't know.

After two days since my encounter with Bree, I realise that how much I try to cover my eyes and ears from it; no matter how much I try to avoid it, the truth is still standing right where it is. Waiting to be heard.

"Why? Tell me why!"

"We were in a brink of losing everything. We had no choice. We needed the financial support and then there it was, served in a silver platter."

"Listen to yourself, father! What about those people?!" My voice cracked as I bellowed. At this, my father's reaction took me by surprise. He leans on the wall, covering his face with his hands.

"I did everything for this family. I tried to give everything. I did. I wanted my children to see only the good things in life. But my girl... my precious girl. She saw through me."

I almost stayed silent, taking in what was happening and what my father has to say. "Amber?"

"Every night she leaves our house, she was visiting Agatha's daughter." My father was crying; tears almost covered his whole face. I was shaking at the sight of him being like this. He opens his mouth to continue. "You know how Amber was. She liked to befriend everyone. She became close to that girl."

My mouth clamped shut as my mind's eye remember my sister's nightly escapade.

"I kept that girl alive to redeem myself of all the things I've done. And also because I promised my daughter. I promised Amber I would take good care of her but they get in the way. They said we need to get rid of the girl. I tried to stop them. And then..."

"Father?" I try to call his attention because he seemed distraught about something. It's as if he's remembering the bleakest part of his life.

"As untimely as it can be, a girl has killed herself. It was someone from your school. I think she was Zayn's girlfriend."

At this, my face turn into frown. "Zayn's girlfriend? Wh-What do you mean Zayn's girlfriend?" Then I remember her. Ashley.

"That girl. I can't remember her name. I just... I saw her. She jumped on the lake. It seems she's epileptic and she had an attack while underwater. All I did was watch her. And... as bad as you may think of me now, I thought of a plan for my own benefit."

My father was talking to fast I can't patch things up together. "Wait! You're telling me now that Zayn's girlfriend is dead?"

My green eyes meet my father's brown ones. He looked different. His slouched posture made him look small and those tired eyes were enough giveaway just how much stress he had been through.

"I made it appear that her body was that of Agatha's child" He continued on, not minding to answer my query. "so as to shut their bloody mouths from saying that we should get rid of the girl. I needed to keep her safe at the same time I needed to make them believe that she's dead." Edward heaves a deep breath, trying to pull himself together.

"Their mouths? Them? Who are you talking about?"

"You'll be in peril if you know too much. Just-"

"What really happened to the girl and her... her parents? Where are they?" I know. I can feel it. I think my father did something that I will never be prepared to hear him admit.

"I'm sorry, Harry." This is the first time that those three words ever came out of my father's mouth. The first time he looked at me with eyes full of emotions. And for the first, I felt the connection between us. The connection between a father and his son. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" I chortled a bitter laugh avoiding his gaze. As happy as I am to have the gap between me and my father sealed while we are having our very first father-to-son conversation, I feel a tear stream down my face. "Huh! Why can't you tell me?"

I waited. It seems like ages ago until he said, "I... I killed... people. I'm sorry."

"You... You killed-" I couldn't say it. "You did that just for money?"

Edward looks away, ashamed of the obvious answer.

My eyes dilates into the size of an owl's ones, completely and utterly astonished. The dread spreads from my chest through all my body parts. "I shouldn't have listened to that recording. Why didn't you stop me? You saw me with it. I threw it at you!"

"You're smart. I know you'll find out anyways."

I felt sorry for my father. I really do. Inspite of him regretting everything that he's done, this has to end the right way it should have in the first place. But then he says something.

"I will let you go. You can do whatever you want now. I won't stop you." He pants like he just run a mile. Then his gaze crosses path with mine. "But please, my son, don't tell anybody. Especially Hollie."

"What does she have anything to do with-"

"She's the girl. The daughter of Holden Crozier and Agatha Greenberg."

Why, of all the people, it's always either the two of us?

I thought I heard a crack as I hit the floor while still conscious. My mouth opened but no sound was produced.

"What... What do I do? What do I do? If she knew she would've hated me so bad." Right now, I'm starting to hate myself to a point I can't breathe.

All I did was sat on the floor by the hearth of the room. Even with the fire crackling madly, my body felt cold and numb. "How could you live like this?" I mutter, tears freely falling down from my eyes. "How could you live with this?"

My father was quiet for some time now. and then I remember Amber.

"She will find out." He wheels around when I said this. "It may be hard for you to believe it, but I'll tell you as a warning... She sees and talks to the dead." I gave a tired chuckle. "She even talked to Amber."

"Amber?" His quivering voice made me look up at him. "She talked to my Amber?"

I nod, not having enough strength to say anymore.

"In what degree will you get punished? The whole universe must be conspiring against you now." I don't know where this kind of talking came from.

Edward looked the other way, turning his back on me.

It's like we got cut off from the world for an hour. Suddenly my phone erupts with a blow by blow ring. I didn't mind answering Louis's calls. I don't give a damn whatever he has to say.

"Edward! Edward!" My mother hysterically runs inside my father's office. She didn't see me at first. "Have you seen-" Then her eyes that are brimming with tears turn to me. "Harry, there you are!"

Surely, today's news scoop is more than enough to have my whole being crashed into fine dusts. But no.

"Niall and a girl named... I can't remember. Was it Irish? Arielle?"

"Eirylle? Why? What happened?"

What more news will be worse than what I heard from my father is hearing my mother say, "Yes. That's... They got into an accident."

Shit. Louis must be calling because of that.

"I'm leaving."

"What? No!" My mother's eyes turn into slits like they used to when I was younger. Unlike I used to, I'm not afraid of her anymore. "The weather is getting worse, Harry!"

"You can't expect me to just wait here!"

Adrenaline took over me and the next thing I know, I'm inside my car, driving away from this place.