When I woke up my whole body was stiff and sore. Groaning I sat up and rubbed my head.
dragging myself into my closet I put on jeans and a light red sweater that had been worn pale after the years.
as I was about to leave the room I suddenly remembered the test.
I went back to my closet and put on a pair of sturdy jeans that wouldn't rip easy, I spectated my sweaters for anything that would work OK I chose my regular green hoodie. And then I pocketed my knife and notebook and walked outside of my room.
I peered around the corners of the hall waiting for my dad to pounce on me or something. But nothing came not a creak in the house. I stood straighter letting myself relax a bit.
Maybe dad was going to give me a test outside? I ran into the living room
empty
I peeked into my dad's room, I saw nothing but his large bed that was resting by the window, and his closet a lonely gray rug in the middle of the room, and books tons of them scattered around the room.
I never realized just how
Empty
My dad's room felt. I walked in and spectated the books without touching them
They weren't books they were notebooks all of them in my dad's handwriting.
One of them had a sketch of me. I did pick this one up and I read through it
3:30. Pm Saturday. Elizabeth is sneaking out again to meet with a boy. Unknown.
10:20. pm Monday. Elizabeth sleepwalks again using her Hx9 with the couch and a few books. Normal.
What the heck?!
Why was my dad writing about me in his notebooks? I reread the last few lines, my brain failing to make out what my dad meant.
I flipped through more books.
Separation of the Hx1 and the failure. successful.
Hx1 having minor side effects. Not fatal.
My blood ran cold
Fatal?
Hx1?
Failure?
I dropped the book my hands trembling adrenaline running through my blood
I staggered back running into something. I swiveled around to face my dad leaning against the doorway his face showing no emotion like a mask.
"What did I say about going in my room?" He said cooly
"I-i knocked", I lied
My dad studied me and for a second I thought he was going to find out that I was lying.
Then he smiled "come on," he said beckoning for me to follow.
I did internally sighed with relief
"Where are we going?" I said catching up
"We are going to drop off wood and do groceries," he said calmly
For a second I thought I miss heard him or something.
Groceries?
What kind of test is that?!
But I didn't argue. I've never been in my dad's truck and I was eager to be in it.
But
Groceries..... How.....interesting
My mind flickered back to the thought of the Hx1 and all the other strange nonsense in his books. I glanced at my dad.
Was he my dad or was that another one of his nonsense-filled stories?
Stop it! I thought guiltily
Just because my dad writes down something silly doesn't mean I should question our trust.
But
My dad always said I should question everything.
"C'mon" my dad's voice snapped me out of my thoughts
We were outside. And there it was my dad's light blue truck, the blue paint was flaking away over the years and the front was dented, it looked monstrous.
But to me it looked like a machine, a wonderful tool ready to be used.
Dad was throwing the last of the wood in the back he grinned at my awed expression. Then he stepped behind the weel
And I sat next to him taking in the leather on the seats and the old radio with a bunch of different buttons and the faint musty smell of earth and grass. I ran my fingers over all the buttons remembering naturally how all of them felt and looked. My finger slipped on a button, pressing it. music hammered against the walls of the car, I laughed pressing more buttons till my dad stopped me and turned off the music.
He pressed a key into its hole the key had a light green ribbon on it. he twisted it making the car hummed to life. Then he steered the wheel and pressed the gas. And then we left the woods.
