The Hidden Truth

Chapter Fourteen: Alex

It’s been two months since I returned from Hawaii and still no word from Alex. I figure wherever he is he’s doing fine but it worries me that I haven't heard anything from him. He has perfect attendance so far and he hasn’t been in any school yard fights that much is obvious. He hasn’t even been arrested for something stupid either. Still I’m concerned whether or not he’s been taking care of himself. As much as we fight he’s still my family and nothing will ever change that fact. I know he’s practically grown but I'm starting to miss his presence around here. 

At seven on Sunday morning there’s a knock on my door. Opening it I find Alex has finally decided to make an appearance. I quickly move aside to allow him in before ushering him to the kitchen where I plan to interrogate him. As we sit at the table he starts in, “All I want you to do is to hear me out before you say anything.”

I nod, surprised that he’s giving the orders for once.

“Just so you know I had no intention of coming back to talk to you but I was afraid if I didn’t I would probably lose you forever.”

All I can do is to continue nodding my head. I couldn’t bear the thought of angering him again and watching him walk out the door for good.

“I don’t understand why you would make a promise to me like that when you knew sooner or later you’d break it.”

“That wasn't my plan.”

“You’re right. Your goal was to use me to find her but you knew that wouldn’t happen until you placed everything strategically on your chess board. Just like she always did.”

I never did tell him what happened the day that I saved her and I probably should have. We do think the same way and it's because of the link we share. I’m shocked that he hasn’t picked up on that yet but it's only a matter of time before he does put the pieces together.

“That wasn’t my objective either. It was only an alternative in case everything else failed.” Throwing extra emphasis on the word ‘failed’.

“A method you knew was guaranteed to work no matter what. So how did you plan on convincing me to go along with it?”

“By telling you the truth.” I answered before quickly looking at the table. I didn't want him to find out the whole story before I was ready to confess and I knew for sure he would try.

The silence between us is almost unbearable but I have to be strong and not give in to temptation. One little slip up on my part and he will use that to his advantage. After about thirty minutes he finally speaks again. “What is it then?”

“The only thing you need to concern yourself with is the fact that if we don't find her soon she's going to die.” It hurt me to not tell him everything I knew but the rest of the things floating around in my mind weren’t exactly confirmed yet and I didn’t want to give him false hope.

“I’m not going to deal with another death in the family so I’ll help you, but only if you do something for me.”

“What?”

“I want you to uphold your promise to me and let me choose where I want to live, no questions asked.”

As much as it pains me to accept his proposal, I knew that if I didn’t he wouldn’t help and that’s more important at this moment than anything else. I also figure later on we could make some kind of arrangement that would benefit us both. “Deal.”

At that point I lean in closer to the table and place my elbow on it while laying the rest of my arm down close to him, hoping that this isn't going to hurt. I’ve never seen him read anyone before other than reading their minds so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Just then he takes my hand and closes his eyes. I watch as his eyelids bounce a little, his eyes darting back and forth underneath. During the process aggravation tries to invade my body and I’m not sure who it's coming from. Soon he lets go, shaking his head. “It looks as if she's in a library of some sort. If she would’ve put the book down for a few seconds I could’ve gotten a better picture. We will have to try again another time.”

As he continues to describe everything in detail, the emotion I was consumed by fades into disappointment. I had hoped that there would be more to go on than just a library setting. She could be anywhere and I’ve run out of options. When he abruptly stops, a strange feeling that he was holding back some kind of information overwhelms me but I let it go figuring it’s not important enough. At that moment he disappears leaving me pondering over where she could be and why she’s alone. 

It's not long before he returns with a bag over his shoulder and says, “Now for my part of the deal.”

I’m not ready to let him go just yet as I offer, “I think you should stay here until we find her at least.”

“That wasn't part of the arrangement.” 

“It’s for the best.” I say in the hopes to change his mind. Besides if he’s here I have a better chance at finding her sooner.

“I had a feeling you’d try that. Look, this is going to take some time so the only thing you need to concern yourself with is that I'm safe.” he says as his tone gradually turns to anger.

I don’t understand why he has a problem with me nor why he feels that leaving is better for both of us. All I’ve ever done was to have his best interest at heart. 

“Alright.” is all I can say as I walk with him to the door. I knew at that point that there would be no changing his mind. I just have to hope that he knows what he’s doing.

*****

On the drive to the place he wanted to live I pass by our old home. I thought about pulling into the drive to meet whoever owns it now but I felt now just wasn't the time. Besides, the house looked empty. A few turns later Alex tells me to pull into the driveway of another home not far away. It's a brown ranch style home nestled in a little corner surrounded by trees. Their driveway is longer than any other on the block. I park my car  back a little further than normal and off to the side of the two car garage in case the home owners needed to leave for any reason. I didn’t want to be blocking them in. 

As we arrive at the door we’re greeted by a woman that has a strong resemblance to our mother. She has the same tan complexion and identical facial structure. If it wasn't for her strikingly bright blue eyes I could have sworn she was my mother. 

She opens her door even further to allow us to stop each of us just on the other side and gives us a hug while saying how much she's pleased to finally meet me. I’m conflicted with emotions that bombard my mind. I have no idea who this woman is nor why she's greeting me this way. As far as I knew my mother didn't have any family. She always told us that they died long ago, back when she and my father got married. Questions begin to take over my thoughts as we walk further in towards the kitchen where a man is standing next to the stove cooking what smells like eggs. The table appears as if it's set for breakfast with 5 plates around it. She beckons us to have a seat while the man at the stove scoops up the contents he was cooking onto a larger plate and sets it on the table with the rest of the food. Still confused, I sit down at the table. At the same time the woman hollers down a hallway the name ‘Zoey’.  

Soon a girl with blonde hair joins us at the table taking a seat next to me. At that moment everyone starts grabbing food and placing it onto their plates except me. I remain there wondering why this family has set a place for me. Could it just be their kind way of including me in their family breakfast or are they really trying to poison me. For all I know my plate could be laced with anything, contaminating any food I place on it. 

“Michael my dear aren't you going to eat?”

I didn't want to be rude so I say, “I wasn’t expecting you to prepare anything so I ate before I came.”

Alex scrunches his eyebrows at me and shakes his head. Giving me a look that says ‘you’re lying’ but I brush it off as if I wasn’t. Besides, how does he know I didn’t have a bite to eat before he came over.