I Never Imagined ✔️

Chapter 35: Two Decades

(Sophia) 

"Am I doing the right thing?" I ask myself repeatedly as my dad explains the situation to Ray. Should I do it? Should I go inside and try to talk to Christine? What was I risking by talking to her?

This wasn't an easy choice. If I went inside, then Christine may try to do something to me. She doesn't look dangerous , but who knows what she possesses on the inside. I've spent way too much time around Sonia to know what that feels like. 

But at the same time, if I don't go inside, then it may take a lot longer for us to crack who had done this to Ray. Roman's dad was still out there. Somewhere. We didn't know where. If I didn't take this chance, then Roman's dad could strike again. 

I don't need a repeat of what happened 2 months ago. My sanity can't afford to lose Ray again. Plus, my parents, Anthony, and Sonia always told me one thing. "You never know until you take the chance." Those words kept repeating in my mind. 

I know that I have to do this in an attempt to bring closure to all of us. It may not work, but it's worth a shot. 

"Dad?" I ask once he's done explaining. My dad looks at me. 

"Yes, love?" he asks. The look in his eyes tells all. He knows that I want to do something that will make him nervous. It's a father daughter connection. 

"I'll go in there and talk to Christine," I say bluntly. No sugarcoating. Nothing. Just the plain blunt truth. This isn't the time to sugarcoat anything. My dad looks at me like I just said that I hated Oreos. 

"Sophia, you are not going in there. I don't know what she can do to you, and you're too young to be going in there-," he says, but I cut him off. I'm tired of always being babied. Granted, sometimes I liked it, but this time, I won't tolerate it. I'm almost a legal adult. 

He's treating me like I was a toddler. I want to go talk to Christine. I want to see what I could do to make Christine talk. It isn't going to be easy, but it was worth a shot. I convey all my thoughts to my dad. 

"Dad, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm almost 18 years old. You're acting like I'm 5 years old again. I'm not that 5 year old anymore. I want to have this case solved for Ray. I want to get some answers. And plus, your team will be here, monitoring me so that nothing goes wrong," I say angrily. 

Once I make my point, my dad seems to relax a bit. He seems to notice that he is being completely unfair with me right now. Most of the worry and fear fades from my dad's eyes, but there is a small sliver left. 

"Ok, Sophia. I'll let you in. But be careful," he says, emphasizing his command. I nod. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. We are both keen on the possibilities that Christine possesses. And I'm going to remind myself of those constantly.

 My dad puts his hand on the doorknob and slowly opens the door. I can still sense the slight hesitation in his step. Slowly, I walk inside, ready to tackle anything that Christine throws at me. Once I walked inside the room, my dad closes the door behind me. 

When I enter, Christine doesn't stir. She just keeps staring at the table with her arms crossed and an angrily dead look in her eyes. When I see her face, I immediately turn on my tough mode. My dad, being a police officer, taught me, along with Sonia, how to be tough with people. 

Sonia has dealt with people like these almost every day of our friendship together. My dad has dealt with these people longer than I've been alive. They're experts. If I want to get anything out of Christine, I have to put whatever they taught me to use. I cross my arms, and establish order in my voice. 

"Now. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way we do this is that I ask you a few questions, you answer them easily, and there will be no apprehension. The hard way is when you just don't cooperate and you try to be smart with me. You pick," I say.