Declassified

Declassified Part 50 The File

      Alex ran a hand through his hair, impatient as he watched his friend walk toward him.
      "It's what you asked for." Ben's eyes were dark and serious as he handed him a thick envelope.

      Alex nodded, frowning as he took the file. It felt heavy; important. "Did you—did you look at it?" He asked after a moment.
      Ben shook his head. "No. I got the information, but I didn't look at the file." He paused, watching Alex's face. "Do you know what's in there?"

      Alex shrugged. He knew Ben was telling the truth about not looking at the file, but he also knew that when you searched for files you inevitably found out a lot of information. "I know a bit." He said after a moment.

      "And you're close to Thalia?" Ben asked, but it was really a statement.
      Alex nodded. "You know we are."
      Ben nodded. "Treat her well."

      Alex was surprised. "I will." He knit his brows. "I do."
      "Good." Ben smiled, changing the subject. "We'll have to grab a drink some time, Alex." He suggested. "Talk about old times."

      Alex grinned. "And not so old times." He held up the file. "Thanks for this, by the way. It means a lot."
      Ben nodded and shook his hand. "Be careful with that information."

      "I will be." Alex squeezed his hand tightly. "I'll call you."
      When Ben left, Alex looked at the envelope before heading to his car. 

      I wish I could go through it first and remove any unhappy information. Alex thought, setting the envelope on the passenger seat. I don't want to bring up any unhappy memories. Just nice ones. Friendly families she might miss, pictures of her when she was little. Good memories for her to relive.

      Alex smiled as he drove, thinking about how Thalia's face lit up when she was excited about things. 
      She's so beautiful when she gets excited about something. He thought, picturing her pink cheeks and upturned, shining eyes.

      When he got home he opened the envelope and removed the file, wanting to give it to her in a nicer way. The envelope seemed so cold and unemotional.
      Should I wrap the file? Put in in a pretty box or something? Alex wondered, setting the file on the kitchen table as he grabbed a glass of water.

      Thalia's going to be so happy. He realized, smiling as he thought about her enthusiasm. She's going to love this. Childhood pictures. Anecdotes about her youth. Maybe even some information about families we can hunt down. He knew she'd had a challenging childhood, but he figured the good would outweigh the bad when she went through her file.

      When Alex turned back to the table he noticed that a picture had started to slide out of the file folder, and he could see Thalia's unmistakable huge blue eyes staring up at him.
      Little Thalia. He thought, smiling.

      He opened the file to the picture, just intending to take a quick look at his girlfriend's childhood photo, but it wasn't what he expected.

      The child in the picture was shirtless, every rib sticking out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Her left collarbone had clearly been broken and healed incorrectly, and she was so thin you could see the edge of the bone through her skin. She had bruises everywhere, and her fingers were raw and bleeding. Her red hair was a tumbled mess and she was covered in dirt. She looked like a picture you'd find in National Geographic or from an internment camp.

      Jesus. Alex thought, feeling sick to his stomach. He turned the picture to glance at the file, knowing he shouldn't look, but unable to stop himself. Everything on the page was worse than he could have imagined. Five-year-old Thalia had been left alone in her home for twenty days, with just scraps of rotting food in the cupboards.