Head Above Water

Chapter Four

"I'm just a friend, who's here to help you in the right direction."

Lilith sat in her mother's car which she took without telling the rest of her family where she was going.  She was parked across from the house she presumed was Beck's.  It seemed to be the only one directly on the other side of the river from her's. 

Was this the direction Beck was trying to push her in, and was he trustworthy enough to randomly appear at his house only a day after meeting him?  Her mind kept going back and forth between wanting to go back home and going to knock on the door.  She really wanted to know more about Beck and why he was so peculiar, but she also wished it'd be in a more public place.

You got this, just go knock on the door.  He's a good guy, he just wants to be a friend.  He won't hurt me.

After giving herself a small pep talk, she slowly got out of the car and walked along the cobblestone pathway to the front door.  She sighed deeply, quickly knocking on the door before taking a few steps back.

Part of her was hoping that Beck would be the one to answer, but instead it was a woman who she assumed to be his mother.  She looked to be only a few years older than Lilith's own mother, and she was definitely responsible for Beck's curly hair and kind eyes.  The woman bared a small smile, surprised to see Lilith at her door.

"Oh, hello dear, can I help you?" Lilith returned a smile, feeling more comfortable after seeing a sweet face. 

"Hi, I was just wondering if Beck was home?" Lilith watched as the woman's face fell and her eyes squinted in her direction.

"Beck?"

Lilith nodded slowly, her stomach growing uneasy.  "Yeah, he told me he lived over here but I might've gotten the wrong house."

The woman opened the door wider, her hand gripping the handle.  She cut Lilith off at the end of her sentence, "Is this some kind of joke? A prank or something?"  She waited for Lilith's response, her face never changing from her stern expression.

Lilith quickly shook her head.  Her voice grew quiet yet high-pitched, "No, not at all.  I met this guy yesterday and he told me his name was Beck and he lived over here, then he told me to come over and I don't know what's happening anymore."

The woman's shoulders dropped as they relaxed.  She could tell by Lilith's nerves building and the shock in her eyes that she meant no harm, that she didn't know the truth.

"Sweetie, I don't know who set you up to this, but my son, Beck, passed away almost five years ago."

Lilith's jaw dropped as her whole world got flipped.  "Oh my god, I'm so sorry.  I swear, I didn't know."

The lady's frown turned to a sad smile, "It's alright, you never would have known.  If you want to do something for me, whenever you see that guy again, tell him to screw himself."

Lilith held back her laugh, simply nodding her head.  "I'm really sorry for bothering you."

Lilith slowly walked back to her car, her head spinning as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening.  Who was this strange guy she ran into, if not Beck who lived at the house behind theirs?  Why would he pretend to be someone's dead son, then send her to that poor mother's house to bring up dark memories?

She sat in the car for a moment, just thinking of any possible explanations to make this guy seem like a good person again, but she only made herself angry.  Lilith ran her hand through her hair, letting out a frustrated breath before driving off. 

Now she had a decision to make. 

Does she never go back to that river and try her best to forget that whole situation, or would she go back and confront the stranger?