Obsession

Chapter 40

I woke up and I could hear noises downstairs. I slipped out of bed careful not to wake Caroline. I opened my door,the sun was shining brightly through a large window at the start of the stairs. I shielded my eyes from the sun with one hand as I walked down the stairs. "Come on sweetie we don't want to be late." I heard a scramble and the sound of dishes clattering into the sink. I walked into the kitchen and saw my mom washing dishes while Calvin had a mug in his hand and was leaning on the counter.

"Who are you?"  The little boy asked as he was walking out of the kitchen with a teddy bear and a backpack with some animated characters on it. "Sweetie, can you -?" She said as she dried his hands but upon hearing his question turned completely and stopped in the middle of drying her hands. I'd had the same question since last night, somehow we both hadn't thought to ask it last night. He looked young probably hadn't started real school yet. She dried her hands and kissed his forehead. "Go wait in the car, OK?" He nodded and walked out. She picked her phone up off the table and slipped it into her back pocket. She grabbed her handbag  and tried to walk out of the kitchen but I blocked her exit. She sighed. "Listen, I have a job. I've got to drop him off. Nothing can look like it has changed in my house or you'll be in danger." I glared at her and didn't budge. "You owe me answers."  She nodded. "You'll get them, just not now." I moved, at least I knew she wouldn't just avoid it now. Calvin took out another mug and motioned towards me. I assume he was asking me if I wanted my own. I slid onto the kitchen counter with a sigh and nodded. We hadn't been drinking our warm beverages for long before Caroline came downstairs frantic. I could tell she was in a mental crisis the minute I heard her suitcase thumping down the stairs. She was breathing heavily and mumbling incoherently. Most probably the side effects of almost being kidnapped again yesterday. We set our mugs down and intercepted her. She tried to slip through us but I blocked her path as Calvin spoke.

"You know you can't leave Caroline." He leaned to take her bag but she violently dragged it closer to her.
"I almost went back there last night, do you know what that place is like? Four years was more than enough thanks for the protection but I think I'm better on my own." Calvin cleared a path and she stormed past him, I glared at him and quickly grabbed the suitcase she was dragging stopping her. "You're joking right. Calvin may not know the darkest details of what went down there but I do and over my dead body will you put yourself at risk like this." She gripped at her bag. "That isn't your choice to make." I walked closer to her and put my hands on her shoulders. "I get it OK. I have come face to face with Luke. I've caused two of my friends to be killed, traumatized is an understatement but I'm still here, because I'm tired of surviving. I want to live. To truly live as my whole self. To know everything and heal. We can't do that if we don't stick together through this. Dope is alive and she too is trying to heal. She is under police protection too. None of this is ideal. I wanted to enjoy my last week's in high school as some crazy schoolgirl but instead I'm here hoping I'll make it to tomorrow."

"You don't get it. I haven't had the best life, you, Jenny, you had something to go back to. Do you know what it's like to be an orphan at sixteen never mind one who has just suffered the worst four years imaginable. It was bad at twelve but at sixteen it was suffocating. I ran within a month and since then I've looked out for myself so excuse me if I can't imagine him as my saving grace. I'm not like you, OK. Last week I was worried about paying bills and having enough money for groceries." I took her hand. "Well this week you need to be worried about staying alive. I know we didn't live the same lives but there is one horrible thing that connects us and because of that I met you and found strength in you, I want the best for you despite the fact that I haven't seen you in almost two years now."
She smiled at that last part. "It's kind of been forever huh?" I let out a small laugh and nodded. She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back. "Don't let me die." She whispered in my ear. "Never." I whispered back. When we finally let go we walked into the kitchen where Calvin was again leaning against the counter still drinking from his cup. He offered her a cup and she too took it. She hopped onto the counter and I followed suit. We cleaned up and didn't really do much the rest of the day. The sun was setting and we were both getting a little stir crazy. "C'mon let's see if she has anything fun in here." I said as I sifted through the cupboard. "Haha bingo!" I said as I grabbed a bottle of wine. "Ooooh." Caroline smiled as she took the bottle from me and took out two wine glasses. "This would be great with some fancy chicken or something." I moaned. "Oh my god I'm practically salivating at the thought. She laughed and we took out some ingredients. "I must confess I have not cooked in like almost seven years so don't judge me." She gasped at me. "We definitely need to have that long boring conversation about everything that has happened in our lives since we last saw one another." I laughed. Calvin walked into the room. He'd been in and out all day. Checking on us and walking around the house watching. He shook his head as I offered him a glass. "It's still so crazy that you were Jenny's brother. I mean granted we never really talked about family but I just never expected this." I gave her a look but he waved me off. "I like knowing she had you guys to lean on or whatever. For a long time our family was so torn especially when we found out she died escaping, she was so close and... I just like that I get to do this. It makes me feel closer to her in a way. Like I'm doing something really worthwhile. I actually want to be an amazing detective like your father." "Which one?" He smiled. "Both actually." I smiled back. "Okay Calvin you can make yourself useful by getting started on the vegetables while we work on the chicken. She refilled both of our glasses causing him to raise his eyebrows but she just stuck her tongue out at him and turned on some music. He just laughed and started chopping. We sat and ate the food we cooked which somehow wasn't a disaster. We had a great time and lighthearted conversation at the table. For the first time since all of this I felt calm and kind of happy. We cleaned up and I suddenly realised something. "Shouldn't they be back by now?" It was dark outside and I checked the time it was around nine. My heart skipped a beat. "Relax she said she was going to visit some family and that she and her son would be back late." I cringed when he said son. "OK cool. By the way who's Dope. I remember us coming up with those dumb nicknames,yours was joy, mine was cope and Jenny was juice." I laughed as she said that. "I remember we all wanted to pick a feeling that we would have once we were rescued but we complicated it by saying it had to start with the first letter of our names." We laughed. "And then we realised it was actually kind of hard and Jen was so pissed when you took joy so she said all she wanted was to taste some juice cause all we'd been given was water all the time." I smiled at the memory, but was quickly overcome by sadness. I could see in Caroline's face that she felt the same.

"I truly wish I'd never met you guys, but I'm so glad I did. Is that weird?" I asked and she nodded. "But I feel the exact same way." Our moment was cut short by the sound of the door opening. We watched as she entered carrying her son who was asleep. She went upstairs and put him to bed before she came back down. She pulled the wine bottle from the bin nearby. "I see you had an eventful night. You didn't have to wait up for me you know." Caroline shrugged. "We weren't tired." I replied. She nodded slowly. "So how old is he?" I said skipping the formalities. "Four." "Does he know who I am now." She shook her head. "I don't know how long you'll be here and I don't want to introduce new people who won't be constant in his life a-" I cut her off. "I'm his sister doesn't that make me a constant? Then against you gave me up so I guess you've already answered that question." I scoffed and mumbled wow under my breath as I got up and walked to my room. Caroline came in a few minutes later and we both went to bed.
When I woke up it was later than I woke up yesterday. I took a shower and changed I then went downstairs for food and was surprised to see Calvin and Caroline talking. I smiled. She was finally warming up to him. I poured some cereal into a bowl despite the fact that it was well into the afternoon. I sat down on the same couch as them. "When can we leave." I said with a sigh as I shovelled food into my mouth. "Morning sleepy head." Caroline said and gave me a kiss on my forehead. "I don't know. Your mom has been kind enough to allow us to stay here indefinitely so..." He shrugged figuring I got the message. "How selfless of her." I said bitterly, my anger from last night still very prominent.
"I'm so tired of just cowering in fear and doing nothing."

"Things are being done. You're just not a part of it." Calvin said putting his arm on my shoulder.
"Look I get that it boring and you miss your friends and school but it shouldn't be for more than two weeks okay?"
I snort.
"Only two weeks. Pfft why didn't you say so. Guess what Cari only 12 more days." I say sarcastically causing Calvin to uncharacteristically roll his eyes and Caroline to burst into a fit of laughter.

Caroline stopped laughing abruptly as a letter slipped in under the door. Calvin quickly looked outside for anything suspicious while I grabbed the letter.

2 redreo street
Falow avenue
San Diego
Bob Summers.

I shook as I picked up the letter addressed to my dead father.