Hunted

Chapter 5: Day One

Picture of Dylan

*****

After Elizabeth had left, I started to walk around the house. If I wanted to at least act like I belonged here, than I needed to know what would allow me to stay.

It was always strange to me when I first entered a new place. I would look around and try to understand the world of the people I was coming into. I would base my behavior on what I could tell from the home. Yet this house was different.

Walking through the rooms, nothing seemed out of place or distorted in any way. Everything had a place and everything was in its place. But the more I looked around, the more I noticed there were no personal items.

The hallways were home to empty walls where picture frames were usually held. The fridge had no report cards or kid drawings. The mantle over the fireplace held no momentous or pictures of Elizabeth. The entire house was staged in a way to showcase that no one lived there. This wasn't a family home, it was a safe house.

The house reflected the Jones family was hiding just as much as I was. It seemed we were all just guests to this town and we may just be connected in a way I thought no one would understand.

*****

The rest of the day went smoothly. I was alone for most of it. Elizabeth didn't arrive until about ten minutes before Ben. I wondered where she had gone, but I wasn't going to ask while her dad was here. I may have been an outsider to most the world, but I still now not to nark to a parent.

As I sat alone today, I did wonder about the emptiness of the house. It just didn't seem natural for there to be no pictures or actual personalization. There was some hidden secret I was missing.

"So, how long have you been living here for?" I asked as we sat at the kitchen table eating the pizza that had been brought home.

They both sat quietly and chewed, waiting for the other to answer my simple question.

It was Ben who spoke first, "We've only been moved in for a week or so."

His voice was hesitant like he was holding something back. I didn't connect the dots as to what was said just yet. The way they acted and their entire demeanor just screamed secret and distrustful. After that though, it seemed to just go quiet, and it wasn't a comfortable silence even in the slightest. I stared at my food as the feeling of complete awkwardness completely filled the room.

The only sounds heard were the silverware scraping around the plate, chasing food in an endless circle. No one said anything else, and when we were all done, it was like a weight was lifted off the room that I hadn't even noticed.

If it's this awkward now, it can only get better from here, I thought.

I excused myself and made my way up to bed. Slowly shutting the door, I got dressed for the night and slipped under my covers. I started to think about the past families I had been with. All the smiling faces, yet also the fear in their eyes when they took me in. The Jones' didn't seem scared of the death that follows me around. Maybe I was just being paranoid because of all the things that had happened in the past. But none of it set right with me.

Day one was done. I had so many questions on what was really going on. This entire house just seemed off. Like the whole thing is fake and I'm the one everyone is trying to fool.