Chapter Eight

It was now late that same day, the whole day the town was just littered with police who were making sure everyone remained in their homes. My dad kept ringing me and demanding I tell him what I knew, of course I would sweetly reply that I hadn't a clue what he was talking about. I wasn't like Justin and just throw my friends under the bus for no good reason, well a justifiable reason. What Reece said earlier did get me thinking, what was Justin doing outside my bedroom door? But also he must have had his head on my door to hear what we were saying, what did he think me and Reece were doing up there?! Has he ever done that before when I've been in my room? This whole situation has just brought up so many new questions, mostly around the intentions of Justin. Reece had just gone to bed when I lock my bedroom door, while Justin slept on a blow up mattress on my floor. Reece insisted that he sleep in the basement, he told me he didn't want me to feel uncomfortable while sleeping. I honestly wouldn't have, but I thought it was nice that he was taking my feelings into consideration, something I'm unsure Justin ever has. I was about to climb in bed to sleep when my door handle starts to rattle, at first I thought it was Reece but then I remember that he knows how to unlock the door from the outside, the door has broke a few times forcing him to do so. "I'm not letting you in Justin" I say moving my blanket to lay down, I wasn't letting that backstabber anywhere near me for awhile, instead of hearing Justin's voice I heard my dads "you're not coming in either" I say fully climbing into bed, when I get comfortable I won't be opening the door for anyone. "Just let me in Erika, we need to talk" he says sounding different, not like a different person but emotionally different. I look to the door than back at my blanket, I could just totally ignore and go to sleep but I probably wouldn't fall asleep. My dad never sounds sad or shows any real emotion, hasn't done since my mum went missing. So hearing him speak like that did peak my interest, why am I having to make big decisions while laying in bed?! I sigh getting out of my warm bed going up to the door, once I open it I see he stood alone looking down at the ground. I haven't saw him like this since my mother went missing, I know I keep saying that a lot but its true! My dad is the type of person that doesn't show any emotion, he was like that even before my mum went missing, it just got worse after all the drama. I move aside so he could walk into my room, luckily I had moved my chest of drawers over the floor board that I hid the notebooks in, yes I know I'm treating those notebooks like there some hidden treasure, but I also know what the people in this town are like. Unlike Justin I actually like to protect my friends and not throw them under the bus when times get hard, or when I think I'll gain something from them. I look both ways to make sure Justin wasn't lurking in the shadows, like he's proved he does! I lock my bedroom door turning around to look at my dad, I find him sat on my bed staring at one of my photos on my night stand. It was the last photo that my mum and I took together before she went missing, if only I knew at the time that it would be one of the last times I would see my mum. But I guess that's not how the world works, if only it could right? "I took that photo of you and your mum, it's just after you got an award at school, what was the award for again?" my dad asks looking over at me for the first time, throughout this whole interaction he's just been staring at the ground or at that photo. "The best hair, yeah I know the school will give an award for anything" I laugh taking a seat beside him on the bed, he laughs a little but looks sad at the photo once again . "You're the spitting image of your mother, with everyday that passes you just look more and more alike" he says taking the photo in his hands smiling "even down to your personality, what happened today with Martha and you not telling me the information you found out, she would have the done the exact same thing to protect the people she cares for" he sighs still looking down at the photo. "I still have no idea what information you're talking about" I say still playing the act but knowing full well that he knew I knew something, but we both knew that I wasn't about to tell him what I knew, he gives me a look telling me really "okay I might know something but I can't dad, Martha is a life long friend of mine and really hasn't done anything wrong" I say kind of admitting for the first time that I indeed had some information that dad is gonna want to see. "I will make sure that nothing happens to Martha, I still need to see the information you found, it will better help us protect the town, it is not just about Martha it's about the whole town that is being affected due to what's been happening" he says as I stand up and begin to pace, part of me wanted to give him the notebooks so all this stupid stuff can just be put behind me, but another part of me was saying I need to protect Martha but not just Martha, for some reason I was over protective on keeping these notebooks to myself. "You can't promise that dad, yeah you might go into it thinking that you've got Martha's best interests at heart, but as soon as someone says something against it you'll go with them and just forget about Martha!" I say sitting down at my desk with my head in my hands, all of this stress isn't good for my health. "If what's in them notebooks are framing Martha for something bad then yes I will have to do something, but if it's just little things than I won't even bat an eye" he says rising to his feet trying to come to a compromise with me, that option sounded great but I still wasn't sure. That voice inside me kept saying not to, but my dad kept saying to "I just said you were like your mother and trust me you are, but even your mother would give me information that could help the town, she would see the bigger picture like I need you to do" he says which causes me to look up at his face, he once again looked rather sad. He gets like this whenever someone talks about mum, that's why we try to avoid the topic at all costs. My mum wouldn't go down without a fight for something she believed in. Once I saw a picture of my mum fighting some man after he said she couldn't do something she wanted to, don't ask me why someone was taking a photo of that. I do have that side of me that I try to hold back at serious times. I keep trying to think back to what my mum was like, just so I could know what she would do if she was put into a situation like this. Well let's be real my mum wouldn't get put in a situation like this, I bet no one in the history of the world has ever been put in a situation like this. I can really take advice from the internet on this one right?! But I also know what my dad is saying is right, my mum would always fight for what she believed in and really wouldn't back down for anyone. But my mum also knew when to quit, she knew she couldn't win every battle and there were times where she had to be the bigger person and take a step back. Just like her, I find it hard to give in and see that my way isn't the way that's gonna help people, there are many other battles that I will fight and will definitely not back down for love nor money, but this time wasn't the time. I give in and tell my dad he needed to wait outside while I grab the notebooks, he tells me I'm doing is the right thing before leaving the room. Once I knew he wouldn't walk back in I push at my chest of drawers to get it to move, I didn't really think at the time that I would need to move this thing again! Once I successfully moved the chest of drawers, after nearly pulling my back multiple times. I lift the floorboard revealing the hidden notebooks and books. I pick them up in my hands looking over at the door, I was still unsure if this was really the right thing to do but didn't really have enough time to think it over once again. I decide to not give him all the notebooks and pick up three, carefully putting the floorboard back but decide against moving the chest of drawers, that also being a battle I would loose if I try again. I walk over to the door handing over the notebooks, Reece's notebooks were in with the ones I gave my dad. I didn't know what kind of information he had found out, hopefully nothing too incriminating. "You're doing the right thing Erika, what's inside of these will really help us better protect the town" my dad smiles holding the notebooks tightly in his hands, probably knowing how badly I wanted to snatch them out of his hands "now you get some sleep" he smiles placing a kiss on my head before turning to walk away, but I quickly stop him before he could fully leave. "Just please make sure you keep Martha out of it" I say holding onto my door as I spoke, he nods his head with a smile before fully leaving me stood there alone. Unknowing of the trouble I was about to cause Martha......and my future self.