Don't Be Afraid

Chapter Twenty

EDITED

Do you know how awkward it was for me to write this chapter? Pretty freaking awkward; just throwing that out there.

So my parents told me that they wanted to read Don't Be Afraid. I'm kind of scared cause I feel like they'll disown me once they read it. So moms or dads who read my book, can you give me so advice? Pretty Please?

Chapter Twenty

3 missed calls and 10 new texts my phone read out to me. All the calls and texts were from Jesse. Well, except one text from Emery asking what time he should pick me up.

It was now 6:00 on Sunday evening and I was now getting ready for the bonfire that was taking place at the mini beach are town has. I still haven't spoken to Jesse since Friday night when he decided to pick a fight with me for no reason. Of course I still kind of miss him even though he was being a jerk. It was really hard to be mad him, but I made sure to stay my ground.

When I got dressed, I actually dressed up. I wore flattering jeans and a fitted blouse that exceptionally looks good on me. And I actually brushed my hair and wore it down this time instead of throwing it into a ponytail like I usually do. I wore to its full length, all the way down to my knees. It was still bone straight, which annoyed me a lot, but I couldn't really do much about it since my hair doesn't like to hold heat.

When I was done getting dressed I decided to read. Which is what I'm doing now. I was in the middle of A Tale of Two Cities when my mom called me down stairs in an annoying manner.

"Athena, you date is here!" She yells. I roll my eyes. After my mom sung happy birthday and gave me my birthday present, which was a new laptop, I told her about Emery picking me up to go to the bonfire. I most definitely clarified in that same sentence, that Emery was not my date and that this social gathering was not a date; but she chose not to listen.

All night long I thought about the newspaper clipping my dad had showed me. At first I thought my dad had forged it. That he had made it himself through one of the Institute's computers. But then I read the date at the bottom; it was dated on the eighteenth of November exactly eleven years ago, on my sixth birthday. And the day after was the day my father was admitted to a mental institute. So I had ruled that option out.

But my mom looks like my mom. If that makes much sense. The family pictures of when I was five looked exactly the same as she does now. I don't know what's going on. So I just decided to let it go and forget about it. My life was already stressful enough without family drama.

I make my way down stairs and into the living room where everyone was. Emery and mom were making small talk while Miles glares at Emery. How lovely.

"Athena you look nice." My mom says when she sees me. She beams at my appearance and gets up.

"Thanks mom." I say unenthused. Emery gets up and offers a warm smile.

"You ready to go?" He asks. I nod.

"Yeah in just a sec, I have to talk to Miles." I say. Miles looks up at me in surprise and confusion. I motion him to follow me to the kitchen where I could talk to him in private.

"What?" He says when we reach the kitchen. I reach out and pull out the newspaper clipping.

"Miles, I know that we haven't...um, been very close in the past few years but I need to tell you something. Weird things have been happening in the past week. Weirder than they have been in the past. I need to tell you that my life might be in danger and that if something does happen to me I love you. I still love you even though you've practically ignored me for the past five years. Even though I should hate you for it, you are still my brother and I'll love you unconditionally no matter what you do to me." I pause to wipe the tears that got free, off my face. I reach the clipping out to him. "Here, this is what dad gave to me when I visited him yesterday. I don't know what to make out of it, so I'm hoping that you will." I say. He takes the clipping and looks at it for a second then puts it in his pocket. I start to walk out of the kitchen when Miles grabs my arm.