Divulging Thoughts

Chapter Nine

The truth ends up coming out sometime. It's like a leak in a large ship. Hiding the fact that there's a leak from the captain may save your job but won't save your life.

As I sat in bed, I couldn't help but recall Frans' words. It held a new meaning for me. Like somehow, the story he told me wasn't really fantasy. I could not shake the nagging feeling that it had plenty to do with my father.

That's when I decided to do a little digging.

It was probably very dramatic that I decided to dress in tight black pants and a long sleeved black shirt with gloves, a flashlight and a black beanie. I was sure I was going to attract more attention.

I was right; as soon as I left my room, I bumped into Amber, who was sipping a latte. She appraised my ensemble with a grin.

"Where are you robbing?" she smirked as she flicked a lock of hair that had escaped my beanie. I laughed, trying to calm my nerves.

"Nowhere special," I tried to sound nonchalant and Amber laughed once before she let me pass.

As soon as I was outside school grounds, I called none other than Luke.

He sounded groggy. "Hello?"

"Hi Luke! Let's go for an adventure," I said excitedly, bending a little to tie up my combat boots.

He groaned before he replied, "Why so early?"

I frowned as I checked my watch. It was almost 2 pm.

"It's not early, get up and meet me at the parking lot in 20 minutes," I said cheerily before I hung up, not wanting him to refuse me again.

It was a little sad that the only true friend I had made since medical school began was Luke. He was Frans' cousin, which was a flaw, since I knew I had some sort of feelings toward Frans. Apart from that, he was cheerful and very sweet. We hanged out every day since the last accident and after I aced my anatomy exam, I began seeing less and less of Frans. Not that I minded...

Yes you do...

No I don't...

Yes you do...

Shut up...

I was snapped out of my reverie with the sound of Luke's obnoxious shoes that squeaked everywhere he went. He walked up to me wearing shorts and a wife beater. He too laughed when he saw my outfit.

"Is this a heist?" he asked still chortling.

I didn't bother to reply and instead headed off to Nicholas' bike that he lent me last weekend. It was a lime green Kawasaki and Luke gawped a little as I straddled it, putting on my helmet.

"Get on," I said and he hopped on uncertainly, probably wondering where to put his arms.

I kicked the bike into ignition and we were off. The sheer speed and the wind that beat against my body left me exhilarated. It had an opposite effect on Luke, however. I had never heard someone scream so loud, or hold me so tight. I felt like my ribs were going to break. It was only a short ride and soon we were on the outskirts of the only large hill in the area. It was a place my father would go whenever he wanted to figure out a new research concept.

As I stopped the bike, I felt Luke stiffen and literally roll off the bike and onto the gravel. His face looked a little paler than usual and he had a thin sheen of sweat across his forehead.

I got off, a little worried and bent to make sure he was fine.

"What's wrong?" I murmured concerned.

"I hate bikes," he muttered once before he got up a little and then ran to a bush. I heard retching sounds and wondered how the only guy friend I had was a complete woos.

***

15 minutes later, Luke and I were standing inside my father's cabin. It smelt exactly like him; a little woodsy and warm. I felt tears prick my eyes but refused to let them slide down.

"Why are we here?" Luke asked, rocking on the balls of his feet.

"To find clues on my father's murder," I replied, shuffling through the papers on his desk.

Luke already knew about my father's murder and offered to help me solve the case.

He walked over the bookshelf and began rummaging through the books while I began checking his drawers; occasionally blowing out the accumulated dust.

When I was about to give up, I finally found what looked like an audio recorder. I grabbed it and exclaimed in excitement.

"Luke! Look what I found!" I clicked play on the deprecate recorder and waited for it to play.

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who found something. Luke was staring intently at a picture in a frame, frozen.

I walked up to him and peered at the picture from under his arm.

It was a picture of a younger version of my father. They were standing outside what looked like a barn and his arms were around the shoulders of a man and a woman who were both smiling goofily at the picture. The woman didn't look like my mother, though.

"What is it?" I asked curiously and Luke turned to stare at me, his green eyes piercing my soul and he opened his mouth to reply.

It wasn't his voice I heard. It was my fathers. The recorder was playing.

"December,24th 2016. I am about to sit across from a man who was written to me multiply about his strange abilities. Is he really able to read minds? Were we successful?"

The sound of a door is heard and my father stops speaking and we hear him greeting someone.

"Welcome, Frans," he says and I heard the sound of breaking glass, belatedly realizing that Luke has dropped the frame.

Yes, the truth was exactly like a leak. At this moment, I felt like I was a sinking ship.