Conspicuous Secrets

Chapter Forty-Five

I posted chapters 44-45, so make sure you read them in order!

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I looked at my brother once he parked our old car in The Wesley's driveway. Holden's Jeep pulled in behind us and the twins and Aria climbed out of the vehicle. Gavin and I didn't even exchange words, just shared a look of uneasiness, not even having to talk to know how each other was feeling. We knew this time had been coming. We knew we were going to have to leave again at some point. Neither of us had just expected that it would have been this hard.

Our friends waited a moment for us to get out of the car and then followed my brother and me to the front door. I knocked twice and a short moment later, Daniel opened the door with a smile on his face. He looked around at the five familiar teenagers on his doorstep, ending with me. "Can we talk?" I asked him.

Immediately nodding, he opened the door wider and invited us all in. As soon as I'm inside, I spot a blonde little girl on the couch beside her big brother, brushing a doll's hair. I would've smiled at the sight under any other circumstances. Kason looked up and his blue eyes searched around all of my friends' faces. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but stopped when he caught sight of me. For a long moment we just stared at each other and I secretly just wanted him to instantly forgive me, rush up to stand in front of me and then just pull me into his arms. But he didn't. I opened my lips to only speak his name, but before my voice sounded, his figure was disappearing up the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, I immediately looked down at my hands out of disappointment and embarrassment. "He will get over it," Daniel then told me, seeming to already know what happened. I nodded and followed him further into the living room where we all took a seat. Daniel and Gavin both sat in a recliner, myself, Holden and Marla sat on the couch and Aria sat in the floor with Lucy.

Lucy seemed to gravitate toward Aria and they got along great. I recalled Aria and Kason growing up together and being best friends. I'm sure Aria had watched Lucy grow up and viewed her as a little sister.

Gavin started explaining to Daniel that we needed to leave as soon as possible before Charles decided to show his face again. He agreed. "When should we leave?"

"Within the next week," he advised. My heart dropped. That was so soon. I kept running it through my mind, telling myself that it was necessary. Charles would kill us if we didn't. "If Charles has shown his face, then he won't be hiding much longer. He'll act soon."

If we left within the next week, then at least my GPA would be good when we were transferred to a new school. My grades were decent, so my final semester grade would be satisfactory. It'd be even better if I had the chance to turn in my essay that's due the first day back from winter break. But we wouldn't be here to turn it in. Maybe I could have Aria or Marla turn it in for me. I internally groaned when I realized it was due in less than a week and I still didn't have an idea for it, much less start it.

"So, what all has to be done to get them out of here without Charles finding out?" I heard Holden ask, snapping me back into the situation.

Daniel sat up straighter in his chair. "A lot will have to be done on my part at the station. We've finally gotten your case official and have two people assigned ahead of it: me and my partner Jimmy Maxwell," he explained. "You'll meet him sometime in the next few days when you have to go in and fill out a bunch of paperwork and do a couple interviews."