Sealed Lips ✔️

Chapter 29

Bethany:

Jake left about an hour ago. 

The discovery of those pictures left us utterly unsettled. He had to rush home after his mom called him due to his sister's arrival back home. We quickly stashed the photos in a different spot to hide them from my mom. We decided to unravel this mystery ourselves before telling my mom because she might be the reason we were threatened by Fice all along. The biggest challenge is deciphering the hidden meaning behind those images.

"You really think I'll be okay?" I hear Briley say to Max as I walk past the TV room. As I grab my guitar in my room I overhear Max say, "Yes, because you know I'll always be here."

I'm glad that Briley has someone like Max. I have not really been there for her at all. Fice keeps stealing my time away from her and I actually feel so guilty for giving Jake so much of my time when she's the one that deserves everything.

I go out on the balcony and sit in one of the hanging chairs. I slowly let my fingers touch the guitar's strings. I've missed this. Being me. Being alone and happy in my own company. Being able to sing. To play guitar like my every fear has vanished. While I'm singing 'Angel by the Wings', I feel my heart just filling up with hope.

We will unmask Fice and I know it. I will live my life happily with Jake without having to fear for my life when going around any corner.

I'm happy.

"You can, you can, do anything anything, you can, do anything. You can, you can, do anything anything, you can, do anything," I sing with a shaky voice. Tears are filling my eyes.

I just want it all to be over. I can't deal with Fice anymore. Every vibration in my body is on the frequency of Fice. I have so much hatred and power in me to destroy Fice. Yet, I can't.

My phone vibrates, but I let it sit on the small table next to me. I won't let Fice control me.

What if it's Jake?

"Your wounds they show, you have never felt so alone, oh."

I put my guitar down. The song is so relatable that my shaking hands can't even strum anymore.

Siri suddenly says "hello" from my phone. I hate it when that happens. I wasn't even talking.

"Look down honey," Siri says.

Fice.

I peek down to our garden and see a blue figure standing there. It's Fice. It's Fice. It's Fice.

I let a shout leave my mouth out of instinct and run inside, accidentally kicking over my guitar.

"Max, Max!" I shout and run towards him. He should be able to help.

I grab his hand and start pulling him upwards.

"What's wrong?" he says with a very worried look on his face.

"Fice," I let out. Briley follows and holds my other hand while we all run to the balcony.

It's gone. Fice is gone.

"No!" I shout. I start crying and shaking and Max pulls me into a hug.

"Wait, Max look," Briley says pointing to our driveway.

"Look at that blue shoe," she says.

"Fice was blue," I say softly.

"I'll get it. If it's a trap, I want you to be safe," Max says and Briley and I stare at each other with worry in our eyes.

"Max, no," Briley says but Max refuses to listen.

We watch him, standing hand in hand, as he walks toward the shoe. He kicks it at first, looks sideways, and then picks it up and sprints back home.

At least nothing happened. I need to calm down.

We all get together in Briley's room.

"It's a size 5," Max says and we just stare at it.

"That's Mom's shoe size," Briley says anxiously.

"Where is mom?" I ask. They both just shake their heads.

"What brand are these shoes?" Briley asks and shows the sole to Max.

"Fice is nice," he says as he reads.

"What the..." I want to curse him but he interrupts me.

"The brand is Nice. Fice wrote 'Fice is' in front of the name. Typical girl."

"Excuse me?" Briley says offended.

"Smaller figure, lame jokes, and blue to act like she likes blue and not pink," he says full of confidence.

"You're being pathetic," Briley spats.

"Or he's got a point, Briley," I say cautiously.

"Or it's just a disguise," she says back. 

"Briley don't overthink this. We all have no idea. Whatever the gender, Fice is a burden. We will unmask it, no matter the gender," I say.

"But with the gender knowledge, we can do the unmasking much quicker, but you do you, I'll just do it without you."

"Briley don't be like that you're just tired," I say trying to ease the awkward vibe.

"Yeah maybe, but Fice just got on my last nerve by scaring you like that. I could feel your adrenaline rush through my bloodstream."

"Just relax for now. We can't do anything to stop Fice. We can only unmask it," I say with a slight rage building up in my body. It's like every muscle in my body wants to beat the shit out of Fice.

"I haven't even told you guys the worst part..." I say to Max and Briley. Max wraps his arm around Briley's waist. They both just stare at me in anticipation to hear the news.

"Fice gave Jake and I another clue as to who it is, as in Fice's identity. The clue turned out to be photos of mom from a few years back holding a baby in France."

"Holding me or you?" Briley asks me.

"I have no idea."

"Let's find out the date of that picture first," Briley says and I nod my head in response. I run downstairs to get the pictures.

"No," I mumble to myself as I take the pictures out of it's new hiding place...the cereal box. There's a note on top of it and I could've sworn it wasn't there before.

Looking for mommy? Try calling her, oh wait, I have her phone. I have a lot of things that belong to her. That blue shoe? It's cute, right? Yeah, she was wearing those that day in France. Don't worry about your mom, she is safe.

Safe with me bitch. 

Right where she belongs.

I dare you to find us. Can't wait to scare the shit out of you again. You keep falling into my traps. Oh dear Bethany, you really are a dumb bitch. Killing Lily probably killed all your brain cells as well. You thought I forgot about Lily? Oh no dear, another dumb-bitch thought of yours.

So long, Fice.

"Briley!" I yell with terror in my voice. My hands are shaking more than my body is trembling.

"What is it?" Briley says frightened when she comes downstairs with Max.

"I...I did-d-d not kill her,"  I sob and the stuttering takes over again.

"What?" Briley says and sees the note I'm staring at. She grabs it from me and scans through it.

"Beth," she says and sits next to me on the ground where I'm having a breakdown.

"We all know Lily committed suicide and the world has moved on and so should you. Fice will always try to bring up every single bad thing that has happened to us and we have to choose to ignore it," Briley says softly to me.

"Where the hell is your mom?" Max asks as he reads the note.

"With me bitch," a robot voice loudly announces in the house.

Just like that the adrenaline is back and running in my blood.