The Collymore Family

Chapter 12

"I heard you visited my sister, Linh, the other day."

It was as though the room suddenly became dead silent; so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Mrs. Collymore stared at Irene, as if waiting for an answer; but Irene herself didn't know what to say. How did Mrs. Collymore find out?  Irene thought. Who could have told her? Was it Linh?  Irene gulped. How much did Mrs. Collymore know? How much was she told? Did Mrs. Collymore know about Angel?  Irene didn't know how to answer. Should she deny it? Should she admit to it?  Irene thought for a moment. If she denied it, that would raise more suspicion, considering that Mrs. Collymore already knew she visited her sister. So, she settled on the latter.

"Yes, yes I did." Irene answered as non-suspiciously as she could. She made firm eye-contact with Mrs. Collymore, trying her hardest not to fiddle with her hands or become teary-eyed.

"May I know why?" Mrs. Collymore asked. Her tone was interrogative, as if she were questioning Irene for a crime.

The house became dead silent once more. Irene was in an awkward position, with only one shoe on and the other one clutched in her hands right in front of her left foot. When she realized this, she quickly fixed her posture and set the shoe down. She knew she couldn't tell Mrs. Collymore the truth, but would lying be any better? How much was Mrs. Collymore even told?  She thought again. What if she lied about something Mrs. Collymore knew was true? What then?  But then again, she hadn't told Linh anything about this 'Angel' person. What 'more' could Mrs. Collymore know? 

"Well, I just so happened to run into her bakery while taking a walk yesterday. I thought that since she was your sister, I could pay her a visit. I only just wanted to say hello, that was it." Irene tried to come up with the best lie she could without seeming suspicious.

"I was told that you had a conversation with her. Something about...the history of our house?"

Irene gulped, but she tried to play it off. "It...was for a school project."

For a second, Mrs. Collymore stared at her with an expressionless face. Each second that went by filled Irene with anxiousness. For a moment, Irene thought that Mrs. Collymore was doubting her. Before the thought could grow, though, Mrs. Collymore gave her a smile, the one she always gave when she was in a good mood.

"You know, Irene, you can always come to us if you want the history. We've lived in this house for a while." Mrs. Collymore's tone turned from an interrogative tone to a sweet, gentle one.

Irene gave a nervous smile back. "Thank you for the offer, I'll do that if I get another similar project in the future." She then glanced quickly up at the clock, before averting her gaze back to Mrs. Collymore. "I should get going now."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a little while longer?" Mr. Collymore asked. It was the only thing he had said during the time she was speaking to Mrs. Collymore. 

Irene shook her head, quickly slipping on her other shoe. "I wish I could, but it's getting pretty late. I have to...study." Irene opened the front door, letting the cool night air flow into the house. She glanced back at the two and gave them a wave. "I'll see you soon." 

"Get home safely." Mr. Collymore told her as Irene stepped onto their front porch, before closing the door, leaving her outside alone.

Irene couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh as she stepped down the wooden porch steps and walked further away from the house until she'd reached the sidewalk. She was extremely thankful that Mrs. Collymore bought her lies, however she felt much more wary than she was before. Knowing that Linh probably told Mr. and Mrs. Collymore proved that she shouldn't reveal any important information to Linh. If Linh was also hiding the same secret as Mr. and Mrs. Collymore, she could use that information against her or just tell Mr. and Mrs. Collymore everything that was going on. It was a good thing she hadn't told Linh much, because if she had...it likely wouldn't have ended well. Irene knew she needed to be more careful.

Well, now she knew she couldn't trust Linh. What now? Who could she get information from? Irene would have to figure out an alternative, fast. She thought for a moment. Maybe Ivy?  She had lived in this neighbourhood for a long time, so she could possibly know bits of the history. Considering that she probably didn't know the Collymore's all too well as they'd moved in a few weeks before she'd moved out, Ivy could be much more trustworthy. But even then, how could she contact her? If Irene just went back to her house again, it would seem weird. It was already strange the first time she did it, and Irene was lucky that Ivy didn't shut the door on her face or murder her while she was in the house. Irene felt as though going back again would be much more awkward, but what better choice was there? Ivy seemed to be the only person she could trust right now, so she didn't have much of a choice. 

Irene sighed. All of this thinking was hurting her head. It was too late at night to think logically. All Irene wanted to do was go home and sleep so she wouldn't have to worry about this whole 'mystery'. Irene stuffed her hands into her jean pockets as the breeze picked up slightly, feeling the notes in her right pocket. She was nearly home, only fifteen more minutes of relentless walking that made her want to fall asleep every second.

By the time Irene had reached her apartment, it was 9:30 PM and her eyes were blinking hard trying to keep awake. Irene didn't know why she was feeling so sleepy, probably due to the stress she was under. She did find that she felt much more tired when she had more on her mind. Irene had been like this ever since she was a child, which probably started happening due to the amount of pressure she faced trying to get her parents to notice her for once. Irene went through her daily night routine as quick as she could, trying her best not to think about anything that had happened, though it proved to be incredibly difficult and pretty much impossible for Irene as she found herself thinking about what to do every ten seconds. The thoughts kept her awake, despite her eyes feeling heavy and her urge to fall asleep. 

Once she'd changed into her pyjama's, Irene went over to her bed. She laid down and pulled the quilt right up to her neck. Irene tried to fall asleep, but although she was extremely tired while walking home, Irene couldn't find the ability to fall asleep. Great, so my sudden urge to fall asleep and dream for the entire night suddenly disappears right when I lay in bed, but when I'm walking home that's when the thought appears?  Irene groaned to herself. It's going to be another one of those sleepless nights, isn't it?  She thought to herself. Her eyes scanned her room, from her closet to her blanket to her desk. Irene grimaced once her eyes noticed her desk. She couldn't help but notice how messy it was. Textbooks were scattered on the table, her coffee mug halfway done from this morning, binders and folders that she wanted to organize but didn't have the time to. Her desk had to be the messiest part of her room. The newspapers that she'd borrowed were still laying there in the middle of the chaos, in the exact same position Irene had left them in.

When her eyes laid on the newspapers, feelings of guilt, regret, anger, and sadness suddenly washed over her. Just looking at the newspapers made her feel so many emotions at once. As much as she tried to ignore it, the feeling only grew, and that brought in the worries she'd had before about the Collymore family finding out, and about Linh telling them. Irene was angry at herself for thinking this way, as the thoughts made her want to stay awake and think about them. Irene drew in a deep breath, knowing it wouldn't help but deciding to do so anyway. As she exhaled, Irene began to repeat a simple phrase in her head. You can worry about it tomorrow, go to sleep. She repeated. To her astonishment, the repetition of the words made her much more sleepier and, surprisingly, slightly calmer. Irene felt her eyes grow heavy once again, before shutting completely. Irene let her body relax as she drifted off into a deep slumber.