Living In Lies | #OnceUponNow

Chapter 8: Found

     The first four periods were boring, but at least I had made some friends. I still couldn't figure out where I'd seen Melody before, and I was too shy to ask. I mean, if she recognized me too, wouldn't she have said something by now? Or was she just nervous, like me?

     I couldn't help but notice something....weird. I always feel as though I'm being watched, but only when I'm with Melody. I sometimes see a shadow out of the corner of my eye, but when I look, no one is there. Then when I leave Melody to hang out with someone else, it's gone. Maybe it's just my imagination.

     Fifth period was lunch. I grabbed my lunch bag out of my locker and headed to the cafeteria with Chelsie, the girl with the nice clothes.

     "So," she said, "Do you like anyone in the class so far? I know you barely know anyone, but who do you think is cute?"

     "Well-" I started.

     "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

     "Um, well that Blake guy is kinda cute, I guess."

     "What?! No! He's my brother, that's just weird!"

     "Oh, I didn't know, I'm sorry, I'll-"

     "No, no. It's okay. You're free to like whoever you want. And I still won't tell him, I promise," she assured me.

     "Thanks," I said awkwardly.

     We got to the lunch room and I sat down next to Callie and Chelsie and across from Melody. Elizabeth, Ivy, Elaina, and Symphony sat with us too.

     "So my mom-" Melody started.

     "Biological or adoptive?" Elizabeth asked. Wait, what?

     "Adoptive, duh," Melody said, "You know what happened to my real mom."

     "You can never be too sure, sorry," Elizabeth apologizes.

     "Wait," I said to Melody, "You're adopted? I am too."

     "Really?"

     "Yeah," I said, "If you don't mind me asking, what did happen to your mom?"

     "It's kind of hard to talk about, but sure," she sighed, "So when I was little I had an older sister."

     Wait.

     "She would watch over me when my parents were gone and she kept a knife and gun under her bed to protect us."

     I looked hard into her eyes, tears beginning to well in mine.

     "On my fifth birthday... Are you okay?" she asked. Tears were streaming down my face.

     I had just noticed her eyes. Her hazel eyes.

     "She killed them," I said through my sobs, looking down at the table all, unable to look her in the eye anymore, "Your sister killed them and told you to run, before she killed you too."

     "How did you know that?" she said. She seemed scared, "She died there and the press never picked up the story."

     "She didn't die," I said, "She spent the rest of her life until now wondering if you were okay. If you were dead or alive, wondering if things might have been different if I had let you stay." We were both bawling. She stood up and so did I. I walked over to her and hugged her.

     "Alice," she said, choking back sobs, "I've missed you."

     We stayed in the hug for a long time. Neither of us had any intention of letting go. I had found the only true family I had left. My sister.

     "Happy late birthday," I said at last.

     Alice Bradshaw sounded nice, but Alice and Melody Fawster was much better.