Elana Vice

Chapter 2 - The Secret

ELANA

There was a creek on the floorboards out in the hallway. Elana could hear her dad leave his room and head downstairs toward the door. Ever since her mum had died, her dad had become prone to drinking and smoking. If her mum could see him now, she wouldn't be happy, but there wasn't much she could do. Going out for a cigarette at night had become a daily thing, and it often woke Elana up when her dad walked along the floorboards. The house was quite old now, as it was her mum's childhood home. They kept the old house because she wasn't ready to leave it yet. Elana understood of course. She had never moved before, except for when she went with her dad to distant conference meetings overseas, but that didn't really count.

Elana crept out into the hallway, making sure not to step on any of the overly creaky floorboards. If her dad knew that she was awake, she would be told off, and after their little fight earlier that day, she couldn't bear another, especially at this time at night.

There was a small light coming from her dad's room. Elana opened the door ajar and crept inside. She knew where her dad kept old photos of her mum and went to look in his bedside cabinet, but to find the box not there. She decided to look underneath her dad's bed. It was dark under there so she had to squint her eyes a bit to try and find the box. It wasn't there. But what she did find was a different box made of a dark wood with the initials, 'A. J.' displayed on the top.

Suddenly, she heard her dad's footsteps coming back up the stairs. Elana hurriedly shoved the box back under the bed. She'd grab it tomorrow. Her dad's footsteps had begun to come along the hallway. There was no way she'd be able to get back to her room now. Elana lie on her dad's bed and pretended to be asleep. The door opened.

"Elana?" her dad spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Sorry, dad. I couldn't sleep."
Her dad sighed and climbed into the bed. Elana rest her head on his shoulder and they both fell asleep.

"Goodnight dad."
"Goodnight, biscuit," her dad replied.