BAREFACED

Chapter 62

"I- I don't know..." He answers staring down at the ground.

"Sounds like your father has been following Yuki for a while..." Chifuyu comments.

"Wait- Are you saying my father has been trying to kill Yuki?" Eli questions, looking at Chifuyu.

"At first I thought it was Ayame who had sent someone to kill me but- I don't get it... why would your father want to kill me?" You ask.

"Do you know something about him that Eli or Emi doesn't know?" Chifuyu asks looking at you. You look at him confused. There's no memory of Eli's father in your head. You try hard trying to think of why. 

"Your question earlier... about my father's wife... What do you mean by it?" Emi asks you. You slowly look at her.

"Well- If someone was married with their own family- then why is he so worried about you and Emi and your mother..." You ask. "That part makes no sense... I don't get it-" 

"It doesn't make sense... unless there's something he's hiding..." Chifuyu states.

"Hiding? What would he hide?" Emi questions.

"Your mother-" You quietly say looking up at Eli and Emi.

"Huh?" Eli looks at you confused. You slowly rub your head and eyes.

"Your father said your mother ran away after she gave birth to the baby- but she also ran away when you were younger... your father followed both times- why would he follow your mother if he already has a wife and his own kids... That's what I'm getting at- It's almost like-" You say.

"-your mother knows something..." Chifuyu continues. 

"Knows something?" Emi looks at you and Chifuyu confused.

"How old is your father?" Chifuyu asks.

"How would I know?" Eli huffs.

"He looked like a middle aged man... Like he was in his early fifties or late forties." You answer.

"Okay... And how old is your mother?" Chifuyu asks. Emi's eyes open very wide. Eli looks down with a disgusted look on his face. "Well?"

"Our mother- she's... her- her birthday was a couple months ago... she would have turned... Thirty one-."

"WHAT?" You and Chifuyu shout.

"THIRTY ONE? HOW OLD ARE YOU BOTH?" Chifuyu asks loudly.

"I'm... eighteen... and Eli-" Emi starts.

"I'm sixteen..." Eli answers.

"Oh my god- that's so fucking sick..." Chifuyu quietly says, covering his face with his hands.

"That means your mother was thirteen when Emi was born..." You slowly say. 

"And our father would have been in his early thirties or mid thirties..." Emi implies.

"How old were you when your mother ran away with the two of you?" You ask.

"I was five and Eli was three..." Emi answers. You slowly nod and hold your knees close to your chest.

"Your mother was a child with children... where was her parent's?" Chifuyu questions.

"I don't know- I don't know my grandparent's..." Emi answers. You furrow your eyebrows trying to process everything you just heard. 

Your eyes widen and you jump up. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!" Your eyes fill up with tears and your stomach starts to churn. A memory surges through your mind. Something you had forgotten a long time ago. "I HAVE MET YOUR DAD! I REMEMBER!" You shout looking at Eli and Emi.

"What?" Eli looks at you confused.

"When?" Emi questions.

"I don't remember when but it was... before I met Toman..." You say looking at Eli. He narrows his eyes waiting for you to continue. "He would randomly visit the library I studied at. He would say he was your father- That he was trying to work up the courage of talking to you... So, I tried helping him... And I did. He told me many stories about how he met your mother at a library and how she loved to read..." You pause and furrow your eyebrows a bit. "After my mother had died I remember seeing it all in the newspaper at the library... he asked if I was okay but I reassured him I was. That's when I randomly saw a missing child report on the back of the newspaper."

"A missing child report?" Emi questions. You slowly nod.

"The girls name was Aya Heiya. She had been missing for ninteen years." 

"My mother's given name isn't Aya and her surname definitely isn't Heiya."Emi interrupts you.

"But- When I saw her picture she looked very familiar... A lot like your mother but younger. I said that to your father and he laughed saying that's not true. But then I found it weird that he seemed very defensive and angry."

"What do you mean?" Chifuyu questions.

"Me mentioning that she looked a lot like the girl in the picture upset him. I wanted to take the paper to Eli but he told me not to upset Eli or his mother." You answer.

"What else did the report say?" Emi asks.

"It said she was last seen at a library in Osaka..." You softly say.

"I don't understand..." Eli quietly says.

"The next day I looked up Aya Heiya and the things behind her missing peoples report... Her mother was begging for her child back saying that Aya was all she had... there were also other reports about people saying Aya was hanging around an older man a lot..." Your eyes relax and you furrow your eyebrows as you stare down at the ground. "I was sure Aya was your mother- The thought scared me... I was prepared to tell you the next day but-"

"You were-" Eli slowly starts. You look at him and slowly nod. His eyes widen and he looks down at the ground. Yuki was killed the next day. You say in your head. Chifuyu stares blankly at the ground and Emi sits quietly holding Ena in her arms.

"You knew to much so he tried killing you basically..." Chifuyu comments. You slowly nod.

"My mother was running away from a predator this entire time... She was so scared of him and I never understood why she didn't go to the police..." Emi slowly says. 

"She was probably scared... Who knows what your father threatened her with..." Chifuyu answers.

"Sick- fucking- bastard... I can't believe- Wow..." Eli drops his head down and starts sobbing and then laughing. He jumps up and rushes towards the door.

"Eli... where are you going?" Emi questions.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!" Eli shouts with tears in his eyes. "I'm not scared of him-" He quietly says. "I will- fucking kill him." He sniffles. You stare at him feeling a pain in your chest.

"Eli- don't- you shouldn't-"

RIIIING RIIIING