The Elites

Paralyzed

"When did I become so numb?
When did I lose myself?
All that words that leave my tongue
Feel like they came from someone else"

"Paralyzed" – NF

"Are you sure about this?" Hunter asks me as we head into the adoption agency. I'm not sure about anything anymore, but we have to try this. "Shouldn't we be focusing our energy on finding out who your dad worked with?" Hunter asks.

"I don't know, Hunter! I'm just trying to keep myself from drowning" I snap, regretting it instantly when I see the taken aback look that passes through Hunter's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just have no idea what I'm doing."

It's hard having to keep this from Hope and having to lie to Melissa and William about my whereabouts. I told them I was spending the day with Hope, so if they end up contacting Hope for any reason, then they'll know I lied to them.

"It's fine. Look, Susan and William creating a fake birth certificate isn't going to be linked to the abduction, they probably just did it so they could show it to Hope's grandparents, I'm sure it's nothing" Hunter says, but she still follows me into the adoption agency and sits down next to me as we wait for someone to come talk to us.

"Scarlet did not hesitate when she said she thought Andrew Flynn was capable of murder, I just have a bad feeling about this" I admit to Hunter. It's been difficult keeping this from Hope, but I think that something just isn't adding up. Why would he keep the fake birth certificate? Hope's parental grandparents are dead.

"We haven't really talked about your dad" Hunter says, glancing over at me. I look away quickly, I haven't wanted to discuss what I found out with anyone. I've been focusing on trying to solve Hope's kidnapping so that I don't have to think about or discuss what my dad did. "You don't have to shut me out, Jules, I'm not judging you or your parents."

"I don't really know what to say" I admit, I still can't really process how I feel and if my opinion of my parents has changed. I still feel like my entire world is changing and I don't like how it feels, I want everything to go back to normal, but I know it can't. I can't forget what I've found out and pretend it never happened.

Hunter pulls her red hair into a ponytail and grabs Hope's adoption record out of her bag. "I can't believe Scarlet stole this for you, I thought she was testing me when she told me to give it to you" Hunter comments. Scarlet wants to help Hope, she just doesn't want to get involved, she must think this could be dangerous.

"I don't get why Eleanor went to Seattle to follow and meet up with my dad, why wouldn't she just go to her parents?" Hunter asks, I have no idea. Scarlet said Andrew and Susan were dangerous, but they wouldn't hurt their own children.

"I don't know, Hunt, confronting somebody who planned to kidnapped you is a bold move, Susan said he owed money to people and thought that he could get the Flynn family to give him money" I tell Hunter, I think Scarlet knows more than she's letting on but I'm respecting her wish to not get involved, I'd feel awful if something happened to her because I forced her to get dragged into this mess.

"Next waiting" the lady sitting at the front desk calls, we both walk up to her and she frowns, probably think we look very young to be at an adoption agency. "We can't tell you who your birth parents are if it was a closed adoption."

"We have an appointment with Pauline Walker" Hunter replies, that is the name of the lady who stamped the birth certificate, so we're hoping she still works here. This was seventeen years ago, she could be in a completely different career field right now.

"Third door on your left" the lady replies and we head down the hallway. Thank god she didn't check if we actually had an appointment, that would have ended badly for us, we'd have been turned away with no information.

"I've got this" Hunter tells me as she knocks on the door. I'm happy to let Hunter handle this, she won't back down or get intimidated. I'm more likely to give up and leave if Pauline is unhelpful and kicks us out whereas Hunter and Hope are the types to stand their ground and stay until they get the answers that they want.

"Can I help you?" Pauline Walker, I assume, asks as she opens the door. Hunter heads inside her office without an invitation so I follow her. Pauline is wearing designer clothes, she wouldn't make that much money here, does she take bribes?

"We have a friend who was adopted and the birth certificate has a few errors" Hunter announces, placing Hope's birth certificate and adoption record down on the table. She sits down across from Pauline's desk.

"We're not leaving until we get answers. If we don't, we'll be forced to take this up with the authorities or your superior" I add, trying to sound as firm as Hunter. Pauline sighs as she sits down at her office and starts looking through the forms Hunter gave her. She tenses as she realizes whose birth certificate it is, I glance at Hunter.

"How do you have this? I happen to know neither of you are Hope Flynn" Pauline says, straightening up and glancing at the two of us with a steely gaze. It makes me want to look away but I don't, I won't be intimidated by her. Half the world knows who Hope is, she has almost one million followers on social media so Pauline knowing who Hope is doesn't necessarily mean anything.

"Hope gave it to us" I lie, this would have been a lot easier if I came here with Hope but I don't want to involve Hope yet, she'll just defend her parents and say that it's no big deal. I don't want to think that there is something weird with Hope's adoption, but all the facts are pointing to something unusual having happened.

"Why is the stamp dated two months before Hope's adoption?" Hunter asks, staring at Pauline. Pauline looks torn, probably knowing she'll be screwed if she tells us the truth, but she could lose her job and go to jail if she doesn't.

"Why are Hope's adoptive parents listed as her birth parents?" I ask, Pauline looks conflicted and opens up her laptop. I frown, what is she doing?

"I was paid a lot of money to make it look like Hope was adopted earlier than she was" Pauline admits, not looking at either of us. "Three million dollars to be precise." Andrew and Susan have that kind of money, they could have paid much more without it affecting their lifestyle.

"Why didn't you alter the adoption record?" Hunter asks, now if the police were told to investigate it would look obvious as the birth certificate and the adoption record have different dates on them, that alone is enough to start an investigation.

"I did" Pauline answers, frowning as she looks through the adoption record. This doesn't make any sense, why would Andrew and Susan keep the real adoption record? If it even is real, something must be wrong if they paid Pauline to make fake documents. "I don't know where this came from."

"Why did they need you to create fake documents?" I ask, a thought occurring. Something that would make all of this make sense, it could explain why my father never kidnapped Hope or Eleanor, and why Andrew Flynn was forced to kill my dad, maybe he killed my mom as he feared she knew too.

"Hope was not legally adopted" Pauline answers, causing me and Hunter to look at each other. I feel my heart racing, Eleanor must have suspected something. Scarlet knew straight away that the birth certificate was fake, had her and Eleanor figured this out? "I don't know anything else, you need to leave."

I walk out with Hunter, not feeling like I'm walking. I feel like my brain is on autopilot, I'm too shocked to think or speak. "I think my dad found out when he was planning to kidnap Hope and Eleanor, I think he attempted to blackmail the Flynns into paying him in exchange for his silence" I say numbly to Hunter, still not really processing any of this.

"But they couldn't take the risk of him knowing, so they caused the car accident" Hunter says, sounding every bit as shocked as I did.

"What are we going to do now?" I ask, climbing into Hunter's car. The parking lot is empty, so we can talk freely. If Hope was kidnapped at birth, we'll ruin her entire family's life, Susan and Andrew deserve to pay for their crimes, but Hope and her siblings are innocent.

*Author's Note* As you might have guessed, we are getting towards the end!!