Sunflower Book:1

Chapter 17- Web Of Lies

Me and Ryan were distant. I didn't know if I could trust her anymore, I heard what she was saying but she kept Vin a secret for so long it was hard to even comprehend it. I wanted to trust her, but I felt like she was hiding more. I didn't want to think this way, I told myself this thousands of times. It was Saturday and I was in the house alone since Ryan needed to do errands, which was a good thing I needed alone time to think about. I walked around my living room picking up a photo of my mom and me. I looked at her closed bedroom door watching it closely. I haven't gone in since she left for Tennessee. I fought the urge to go in time and time again. I slowly set the photo down without taking my eyes off of my mom's room. I walked slowly over to the large white door and gently placed my hand on the knob. Was this invasion of privacy? Maybe there was a clue as to why she wasn't answering. I opened the door quietly and looked around. It looked so empty, like a ghost lived here and had never packed these things. Her green blankets were un-touched, pillows unruffled from weeks of not being used. I walked over to the sliding glass doors and shut the curtain making the room dark. I turned on her end table light feeling the tears swell. What if something bad really happened to her? No she was fine, she got into some trouble with her family and didn't have service to call. It's Tennessee for crying out loud right? Was I convincing myself or stating facts?
I walked over to the dresser opening drawers, I shut them quickly and crumbled to the ground. I couldn't do this. I cried harder slamming her door shut. I hugged myself tightly and regained my breathing. A loud knock was at the door and I ran to it opening it quickly. It was my dad.

"Can we talk?" He asked with a file in his hand. I looked at the file and pressed my lips together.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"It's not looking good." He sighed, letting himself in and he slammed the file on the table holding the back of a chair.

"This family she has in Tennessee, how much do you know about them?" He asked.

"She never talked about then refused to most days, she said she was just visiting her mom, because."

"She's sick." My dad finished looking at me.

"Yeah, I know. However I had two deputes down there working on this for me and the sheriff at that." He sighed sitting down opening the file.

"They went to your grandmother's house, it looked like it had been untouched for months." He said.

"So, mom was never there." I said breathing quicker.

"You're smart i'll give you that." He sighed

"Where the fuck is she?" I asked sitting down looking at him.

"Well I figured tracking down her family was the way to do it, to find more answers, clues something." He said flipping through pages.

"However, they've all been slaughtered." He said setting the file down not sure to show me.

"W-what." I breathed rapidly.

"Uncles, cousins. Wiped out we don't know how or why most of the time. Sometimes it's they where found in a shallow grave, sometimes car accidents, robberies. There just, gone." He said frowning.

"Oh my god." I said standing up and bending over catching my breath.

"When did this start." I asked nervously

"Your birthday." He said quietly, I looked at him with wide eyes and breathed heavier.

"My fucking birthday?" I scoffed.

"Out of all fucking days, wait how long ago?" I asked.

"Almost 18 years ago." He said looking up at me.