Always on the Run

11. Family secrets

Hi everyone, I'm so very sorry for not updating before returning to work. My Grandad passed away on the 1st January then I returned to work on the 5th and in between I just didn't have a lot of time. Anyway, it's Friday night and I've finally updated. I hope this makes up for lost time. Enjoy! :)

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Mum’s gaze never leaves me as she sets two plates of shepherd’s pie on the table. I’ve told her everything. I mean it…literally everything. It’s like a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders but I’m freaking out as I wait for her response. It’s been nearly ten minutes and she’s said nothing. I want to beg her to tell me what she’s thinking but I don’t dare rush her. There’s a reason she’s silent and I just have to wait.

When she sits down she looks at my plate then back at me. “Eat up,” she says.

I feel my eyebrows draw together and I just stare at her in confusion. She holds my gaze and I try to figure out what she’s thinking. Her grey-blue eyes mirror mine—tired and fed up yet I can’t see any anger or hate in them. She finally looks away and starts eating. Picking up my fork, I pierce it into the food but I suddenly lose my appetite. This is really getting to me. I just want to know what she thinks. I desperately need her input.

She suddenly sighs and places her fork on the side of her plate with a clatter. I look up at her expectantly.

“There’s something you need to know, Teresa,” she says as she rises from her seat.

“What is it?” I ask.

She inclines her head. “Come with me, I’ll show you.”

When she walks out of the kitchen, I stand and follow her. What secret could she possibly have that I don’t know? That’s all it can be…a secret. Why else is she acting so—for a lack of a better word—secretive?

“I’m in the lounge,” she calls when my footsteps creak on the hallway floorboards.

When I walk in, I find Mum standing in front of the wall unit. The small bottom cupboard doors are open and I freeze on the spot. This is huge. When I was growing up the wall unit was always off limits. The top of it has glass doors and they were always locked shut. They were full of Mum’s expensive ornaments she had collected over the years. As for the bottom though, we never knew what was in it and we never asked. Mum always made such a big deal about it being out of bounds Carly and I never dared ask.

“Teresa, I need you to promise me one thing,” Mum says, her back still to me.

My heart lurches at this. What could be so important that she’s kept it locked away?

“Anything,” I say. It’s true, she’s my mother and I would do anything to protect and help her. Also there’s the fact that she knows my biggest secret and if I didn’t promise her anything she might decide to go to the police. My stomach drops at this thought. I know I’ve done wrong but is it really so bad to want to transform without going to jail?

When she turns around, I notice her face is pale and her eyes are filled with tears. What in god’s name is going on?

“Mum?” I ask, my voice shaking. “What’s wrong?”

She looks at me then down at her hands. My eyes follow her gaze and I see she’s holding a picture and an envelope. Is that all?

“I need you to promise me you’ll take this to the grave with you,” she says, looking at me again with pleading eyes.

My brow furrows in confusion but I nod anyway. I would be willing to take anything to the grave as long as it isn’t murder. If it is murder then I might have to go behind her back. My heart suddenly stops then starts again rapidly. Oh god…my mother isn’t a murderer is she? I don’t think I could handle that.