Conspicuous Secrets

Chapter Sixteen

I posted chapters 16-17 so make sure you read them in order:)

I stared down at my sleeping brother and covered him up with a thick blanket. These winter nights were getting colder and our heating system was at its worst. Leaving my older brother to sleep on the couch, I made my way to both the front and back door, along with all the windows to make sure they were all locked. Then I checked them all again. And again.

I tried calling the policemen who had relocated us the first time, but they didn't answer their phones or emails. All night I tried to contact them, but to no avail, they never responded.

Early the next morning, I woke my brother up to get ready for school. I hadn't slept at all. Not a wink. As I waited for him to wake up completely, I walked to the bathroom and washed my face, hoping it would wake up my skin a little. After that, I applied a little bit of makeup to conceal my dark circles, in hope that I looked like I got some sleep. I glanced into the mirror in front of me. My skin was clear, but pale and looking lifeless. My big, baby-blue eyes were looking pink, and without their usual brightness. I brushed out my black hair and took the time to curl it into large waves, hoping that it would take attention away from my tired eyes. After changing into a pair of black leggings and a baby-pink hoodie, I made my way back into the kitchen, where I found my sibling pouring us both a bowl of honey-nut Cheerios.

We both brought our food to the living room couch, where my brother grabbed the remote and turned up the news channel he had turned on. A news anchor was talking through an article about three cops being murdered. "Officers Thomas, Andrews, and Garretson were all found in their homes shot in the chest...the attacker is still unknown, although it is believed that all three murders are corresponding and from the same attacker.

I gasped. Those were the three officers that were on our case. They hadn't been answering my calls and emails because they were dead. I turned to look at Gavin who was staring at the TV in disbelief. He turned off the TV but continued to stare ahead. "What are we supposed to do?" I asked him. "We are now completely alone in this."

He shook his head and stood from the couch before walking back toward the kitchen. "I don't know," he said.

I followed him and placed my bowl on the kitchen counter. "Gavin, they were the only three investigators who knew about our case!"

Putting his bowl in the sink, he held his weight up with both of his hands on the counter. "I know."

"Our case was top secret! No one else knows about us!"

"Delilah, I know!" he yelled, making me go quiet. "I don't know what to do, okay?" Sighing, I picked my dish up from the counter and then placed it in the sink. Gavin came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You didn't sleep at all did you?"

I exhaled again as I shook my head. "I couldn't. Not while knowing he knows where we are," I replied. "He's watching us. He's here, Gavin." He wrapped his arms around me from behind and held me against him comfortingly. He kissed the top of my head as I leaned back into him. "Maybe we should relocate ourselves," I suggested. "We can leave and hope he doesn't follow us."

I felt him move his head back and forth. "He would...let's just go to school and act like everything is normal," he spoke. "We can figure out what we need to do tonight." With a sigh I nodded, knowing it was time to leave anyway.

#

As soon as we entered the school, we were spotted by the Pierce twins. Holden fell into step beside me and Marla beside my brother. Immediately, Jaxon reached for her hand and they intertwined their fingers as they walked. "Lydia, are you feeling okay?" Marla asked me. "You look like death."