Kept In The Dark

Chapter One

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Sun Hill Road in the small picturesque village of Stone. Its rows of pretty houses, all made from deep red brick. Like most villages in England, Stone had few amenities, a florist, a small shop for groceries, a butcher's, a baker's, and a vet's. On a bright summer's day when the warmth gazed down from the sky, the sweet smell of hot fresh bread and pastries would drift down from the shop and fill the atmosphere with a glorious scent.

The shops had closed for the evening and the sun cast long shadows on the ground. The slanting rays of light gave a warm amber glow to the sky that was ablaze with the fire of the setting sun.

The pretty row of red-bricked Victorian terraced houses sat behind sizable picturesque front gardens. Each with a wooden gate that led to the front door. The sweet floral smell of the glorious flowers adored the evening breeze that blew the autumn leaves across the road.

Number ten Sun Hill Road was a large double-fronted property, its roomy bow windows downstairs allowed extra light to enter the rooms. Climbing roses out in bloom clambered up a wooden trellis towards the front bedroom window. As the wind picked up, the twines tapped against the windowpane like fingers clawing at the glass.

Mia Hunter sat on her bed, the dark navy bedding almost slipped onto the carpet. She tucked a stray strand of raven hair back behind her ears and sighed as she looked at the pile of papers that littered the bed. She swore loudly and wanted to scream with frustration as yet again she hit a block with the family tree project she was doing for college. Most of her handwritten notes had been screwed up and thrown across the room in the direction of the waste paper bin. Mia felt as if she'd been doing well until now. She'd discovered loads about her family and could trace her mother's line back to the early seventeen hundreds. She wasn't surprised to find out that most of her ancestors originated from Stone. But that was her mother's line.

Her father's line was nothing less than a mystery and one Mia wanted to solve. She knew his name, well, his surname, Hunter, like hers, but everything else was as if he hadn't existed. How could she complete the project if she only had a fraction of the information? No way was she going to get decent marks for this, a half-completed family tree. Annoyance flooded her mind, and tinges of jealousy began to creep into her thoughts. Her siblings knew their father, Brian Meadows, and although some of her friend's parents were divorced or separated, most of them knew at least the name of their father.

Mia knew nothing.

Her laptop rested on the bed beside her, open and showing the family tree she'd been working on using the website findyourfam.com. She leaned forward and switched off the device from the charger. Unplugging it, she placed it under her arm as she opened the bedroom door. The muffled sound of the television from downstairs could be heard as she headed down the stairs. It became clearer as she walked. The planks of wood creaked and moaned with each step she took as she headed down and towards the front room.

Mia felt a hard lump burdening the inside of her throat. She gulped and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. For years the identity of her father had been somewhat of a secret. Mum knew, obviously, maybe her stepdad knew, but Mia, no. No one had told her anything about him. She felt silly, and rather embarrassed to say she didn't even know his full name. It saddened her to think that she wasn't sure if he was even still alive. If he'd died, who would tell her? Would anyone tell her?

The family tree project had set something off inside her heart, a longing to know the truth. Why should she be the only one in her friendship group to not know her father's name?

That was it. No more secrets. No more being kept in the dark.

Mia placed her hand on the brass door knob and twisted it as she entered the front room. There, her mother lay relaxed on the settee, her gaze transfixed on the fifty-inch television screen as she shoved popcorn in her mouth. Her long dark hair was tied up into a messy bun, and her bare feet rested on her husband's knee.
"Mum, we need to talk!"