Conspiracy: The Hailey Parker Story

ONE

THIS STORY IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL.

ENJOY :)

"Tonight I want you both to watch the twins," my mom said waving a spatula between my brother and I.

"I can't. I have plans. See you later, I love you," I added quickly and left before she had the opportunity to debate the topic any further.

"Mel! Wait up," my dad called after me. "I thought we agreed that I'd drive you to school?"

"Dad, I already have no friends. I definitely don't wanna be labelled as the principal's nerdy daughter so I'll just take the bus today."

"I'm cool. Plus being your dad and the principal means you don't get detentions anymore."

"I never got detention," I laughed.

"Please stop taking the bus sweetie, I mean you only have six months of high school left. Six months of being the principal's nerdy daughter isn't that bad right?"

"Fine, but I'm not nerdy." We stared at each other then laughed.

My dad was right I am a nerd, have ben since the first day of pre-school. Whereas other girls liked going out with their friends, my social life was basically books and a guitar. That's the reason my dad calls me Mel (short for Melody) even though my name is Hailey. I've been singing since I was four and I started instruments at age 6. I played the piano and the guitar but the older I got the more I only played guitar .

That should be enough to get me friends right? but it wasn't. I was very clumsy as a toddler, so clumsy that my aunt and her husband prevented me from visiting them since I broke his Mom's antique clock.

When I was 8 a visit to the doctor solved my problem of always knocking stuff over but started a new one. I needed glasses. I was prescribed a pair with lenses that were so thick that my classmates called me Goggles Parker instead of Hailey Parker. I hated those goggles, I mean glasses so badly.

At the beginning of high school my mom got me a pair that had black arms and made me look like a secretary. My grandparents expressed how cute I was and that soon I would have boys lining up to get my attention , but I never did. After my sixteenth birthday a little over a year ago I started wearing contacts instead of glasses.

"Penny for your thoughts?" My dad asked glancing over at me In the passenger's seat.

"Do you miss it? The rush. Saving someone?" I asked. "Being a fireman?"

"I don't but it feels good to know that I dedicated apart of my life to helping others. It gives satisfaction," he said with a smile on his face. "Plus, my new job is way better. I get to be closer to someone I love."
I didn't notice we had stopped driving. I kissed my dad then hurried off before the bell rang.

***

I checked my phone for what could've been the hundredth time that day. I had been expecting to hear from my friend Carrie. She lives in Bourbon County which is 900 miles away from Central County where I live. Carrie and I met at a job fair and it was her first time being in Central County.

I played my guitar for her and some other children from the orphanage where she came from and we exchanged email addresses. Six months ago I mailed her some of my savings so she could purchase a cellphone and two weeks ago I sent her some more money to visit.

It would take her a day to get here by bus but that was okay with me. However, I haven't heard from her since and when I tried talking to my mom about it she started yelling about knowing better than to send strangers money.

I called the orphanage in Bourbon County a couple times and all I got was a professional, "Ms. Carrie Evans no longer resides at CMH (Charles Marriot's Home)."

"Mom?" I called closing the front door behind me.

"You're home?" She appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Can I talk to you ?" I asked sitting on the bottom step.

"What's wrong?" She sat next to me smiling.

"Mom its about Carrie." She took a deep sigh but I ignored it.

"Carrie was supposed to get here a day before her birthday which was two weeks ago and I'm really worried that something might have happened to her. I called the home where she lived and they said that she no longer resided with them as she is now 18 years old. They said she left on the 18th. Mom, she was still 17 years old on the 18th of January. I did some research that the ward is still under the care of the home until they graduate and find a new home. So isn't that strange? Her no longer living there and she  turned 18 like not even a month as yet?"

"Hailey, listen to your mother. People do things for money.."

"She didn't pretend to be my friend because she wanted money," I said cutting her off.

"Carrie is not like that," I said as she got up.

"You'll see when she messages you in a week or so needing some more money that she'll supposedly use to visit you," she said and headed off in the direction of the kitchen.

I couldn't tell if it was my worry for Carrie or the anger I felt towards my mom but I started to cry. I rushed through the front door bumping into my younger brother. I looked at him and he looked at me and didn't even attempt to be mean. My dad always said it was the job of 14 year old boys to be mean to their big sisters.

I wiped the tears from my cheek and walked away from my brother towards the street. I walked to the square and I kept walking. I put my earphones in and searched for a playlist and kept walking not knowing where I was headed. Whenever I was upset or feeling emotional I would just walk for hours.

I hadn't realized how far I was walking or fast I was but before I knew it, it was dark out. I spotted a Café and went inside. I had 6 missed calls from home, three from my dad's cell and a text from my brother asking if I was okay.

"Hey beautiful," the voice said. I looked up at its owner.

"Gross."

"That's all you gonna say?" He asked.

"Leave me alone." Suddenly I realized that the café was empty and the only waitress working seemed to be in the back. I got up and went outside hoping that more person's were on the outside so I wouldn't have to be alone with this person who seemed old enough to be my father.

Then it happened. The world suddenly started spinning. Then, I felt nothing.