Cipher [sahy-fer]: Zero; A person of little or no influence, importance, or value; nonentity.
That's excatly what Talia Fox is. A zero amongst a sea of other numbers. That is until she makes an imperishable deal with her maker. Now the seven teens t...
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It had been two long weeks since Talia manipulated her way into Jennifer's hospital room, two weeks since Jennifer's stitches had successful healed, and two long weeks since Jennifer tried to convince her parents, or anyone who would listen, that Talia was the reason she was injured in the first place.
It had taken several hours, even days to convince them and even then they had to make sure she was off her pain medication to believe a thing she was saying. Something about the side effects causing extreme hallucinations and disorientation.
When Jennifer had finally gotten her father to call in his partner and another private investigator, they made a big deal of showing up to Talia's house, sirens screaming and everything... yet no one was home.
After gaining a warrant and finalizing there was in fact no one home, they searched the local bar and instead found Mr. Fox, Cal and Talia's drunken mess you call a father.
Officer Bennett, Todd Garrison's partner's, strict voice was clear cut as his knuckles rapped harshly on the worn bar surface. With a startled gasp, Mr. Fox was quick to shoot up, removing his head from the counter, his back muscles straightening.
"I didn't do it." He mumbled, his frown enunciating the deep lines around his mouth.
"You don't even know what you're being accused of," Officer Bennett joked, giving the intoxicated man a rough pat to the shoulder while he took a seat on the stool to the right of him.
Mr. Fox laughed way harder than he meant or needed too since the joke wasn't really even a joke at all. When his messy laugh went on for more than a minute, Officer Bennett cleared his throat, catching the short attention of the middle aged man.
Officer Bennett placed the manilla folder in his hand onto the bar in front of the drunk man. From the folder he pulled last years yearbook photo of Talia Fox.
"We both know who this is don't we?" He asked, watching as the man's face lit up, though his eyes still didn't move from their dead zombie-like state.
"Tali!" He mumbled something after her given nickname though Bennett didn't quite catch it.
"What, Fox?" his head stooped as he tried to catch the man's horrid mumbling.
"I remember when I told Tali she had the cutest little button nose and the next day at school during arts and crafts she shoved a big red button up her nose..."
"Mr. Fox—"
"She went around showing everyone and cried for the rest of the night when she couldn't get it out..."
"Mr. Fox—"
"I told her if she couldn't get it out by blowing her nose, I would take her to the doctor and I did end up having to..."
"Gene"
"They had to pull it out with a pair of tweezers." His story seemed to end as the nostalgic look in his eyes faded and his gravelly chuckle came after.
