Double Star.

15: What My Father Hides.

PoV Sarah:

- " 'You sure you don't need anything ?".

- "Yes I'm sure ". I said with a smile. It's been more than five minutes that my aunt keeps repeating the same question, she always wants to bring something to me when she goes shopping no matter how many times I say I don't need anything.

School ended sooner than usual because the teacher of History got sick and it couldn't have been a better fit because Wednesday is the day when my aunt goes shopping. I pushed her to the door so she can finally leave me alone but when she was going to come out, she stopped suddenly and turned to me.

- "By the way, haven't you see a key hanging around somewhere ?". I stiffened suddenly, afraid that she might suspect me for taking it.

- "No, I didn't see anything. Maybe you lost it in your car". I faked a smile and my aunt nodded without asking another question.

- "Okay then I'll be back soon". I smiled at her and she kissed me on the cheek before leaving.

I climbed the stairs quickly to join my room, I looked through the window to make sure that my aunt's car left the parking lot and began searching for the key put at the back of my bag. I was so scared that my aunt could find it in my room that I had to take it with me, to school.

Once found, I left my room and went down the hall. At the end of it, by my left, a huge door stood in front of me.

- "So that's it ! The room where my dad hid all his files...". I tried to insert the key in the lock but no matter how many times I did it, the key was not compatible with the door lock.

-" Why doesn't this work ?!". After trying several times, I gave up, afraid of damaging the door. Disappointed and a little bit angry, I was going to leave when something caught my attention. At the top of the door was a metal Signboard that indicated the name of my father but two of its screws had been removed. I raised the metal thing slowly and my mouth opened instinctively, shocked by what I had discovered. A four-digit code combination lock that I have to guess the numbers to be able to enter the room.

-" Looks like I have to find the password ". I sighed. I didn't expect to see something like that in my house, especially in my dad's stuff. Why did he put something like that in our home? Who's the person that he didn't want her to be in this room? Me? He knew that I didn't care about his stuff... My mom? But he used to tell her everything or maybe not...I began to remember my uncle's words "Your dad had a mistress". No that was all a lie!

I started writing all the dates that were crossing my mind: the year of my father's birth, of my mother's, my year of birth, and even my aunt's, my uncle's, and my grandparents' birth year. Then I tried the days and the months but nothing either. I tried again with the day when my parents met for the first time and the day they got married but nothing to do, the door is still closed.

- "What's with this door ? I'm already tired of trying... ". I put my head on the cold door and tried to remember anything that could help me resolve this mess but nothing came.

-"It's no use, I don't remember anything else". I started to lose hope when suddenly, in a Flash-Back, I remembered a specific year told by my uncle.

'' ... The first red diamond known to public record was acquired in 1956 ''. My finger started writing instinctively the numbers 1, 9, 5, 6, and I had the intuition that these numbers were the right ones. My intuition was right, the door began to open slowly revealing a huge room with a large desk on which many papers were dragging on it, all kinds of art paintings, a wall bookcase stuffed with some books, and a big screen on the wall, facing the desk. 

Since when did I ever come here? My father was staying here for hours not letting anyone bother him and here I am, after his death trying to figure out what's hidden in this room slightly illuminated by the sunlight.

- "The place is so dusty". I started coughing when I breathed against the dirty papers to figure out if they had any similarities with those in my possession but no, they are just some boring writings filled with numbers and statistical tables.

why am I even here? Ah yes, to find answers to my questions but there is nothing suspicious here. It's just a room where my father used to work, nothing more. Suddenly, I remembered the key that has not served me much until now.

- "I wonder what it's used for, my father's name is written on it so it must help me to open something". I looked around closely to see anything I can open with. A small golden Asian statue of a cute cat put on the desk caught my eye. The cat was standing while raising his left paw whereas his right was put down, holding something. I remember when my father bought this statue, it was when he went to Japan for his work, he said that it's called LuckyCat, that the thing held in its right hand represents money and its left paw is up to bring more active wealth and good luck to home/business. At least that's what the seller told him. Well, I could say that this thing didn't very work, three months after buying it, he died.

 -"What ?". When I tried to remove the golden cat from the desk, it seemed stuck. I tried to pull it harder and unexpectedly, the books on the second shelf of the library fell on the ground and something emerges from the wall, making me startle.

I looked at the cat statue in a state of panic, I felt like my heart was going to jump from my chest, too scared of what had happened.  

When I was able to catch my breath, I got closer to the shelf where the books had fallen and I almost dropped my eyes because of what I was seeing.

- "A drawer ?! The books were hiding a drawer behind them ?!". I'm literally out of breath. How...How is that possible? So the cat statue wasn't just for decoration, this is all a system made by...my father? I tried to open it but it seemed locked...

-"Not again !". I sighed, what's up with all these locks dad ?!

-"Wait...the key !". I took the key out of my pocket and...

-"It works !". I finally managed to open the strange drawer and when I looked inside of it, I frowned staring at the black remote control put there. 

My god! I feel like I'm playing a mystery game...

I took the remote out of the drawer and inspected it with my eyes.

-" How is that possible ? A remote with only one button ?". And without paying attention, I pushed on the red button in the middle of the remote, and the big screen turned on.

-"Welcome Sarah !". The remote I was holding a few seconds before, fell on the floor making a noise powerful than my father's voice and I lost my breath seeing the face of my father in front of me, on this big screen, calling me by my name and I don't know where I found the strength and the courage to listen to the most shattering words my father has ever told me...