The Lost Hale [𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐤𝐢]

06

DECEIT & BECOMING A MONSTER

Imogen finished her run, deciding after what had just happened that she would just use the door. Climbing up the drainpipe and sneaking back into her room would be a lot more effort than she wanted to make and she decided to just face the questions from her parents.

She had some of her own questions to ask and figured now was a good a time as any. Imogen usually could handle things by herself but the inhuman things that were happening to her were scaring her.

"Where have you been?" Victoria immediately questioned. Imogen had just stepped foot in the house. Victoria had heard the door shut and had emerged from the kitchen, carrying a dish that she was busy drying with a towel.

"I went for a run, to clear my head. Is dad in his office?" Imogen said straight to the point. Victoria frowned and felt an urge to stop her daughter, to sit her down and see what was going on. She had to restrain herself from doing so, letting her know that Chris was in fact in his office and finishing up some phone calls.

Victoria knew that if anything was concerning that Chris would let her know.

Imogen walked to Chris's office at an extremely slow pace, almost agonisingly slow and if she were to go any slower she would stop. The different feelings, about the strange things that had been happening to her churned in her stomach.
"...we can handle it. No. You don't touch her." Chris spat angrily. Imogen caught the end of a conversation as she approached his office. It was unusual for Chris to be so publicly angry, especially when he was usually so calm and collected.

Imogen raised her fist and rapped on the door twice. She never usually knocked, she would usually just barge right in but she was putting off receiving answers.
Chris immediately hung up the phone, slamming it on his desk. He cradled his head in his hands with a sigh.
"Come in!" Chris called.

Imogen slowly opened the door and had to drag her feet to enter the room, shutting the door after her.
"Imogen, honey. Why did you knock?" Chris immediately tried to hide his distressed state when he looked up and saw his daughter.

"Who were you on the phone to?" Imogen frowned.
"You heard that? I must have been shouting louder than I thought. Just..a colleague. Sorry about that." Chris quickly came up with a lie, giving her a kind smile. He hated lying to her but it was always in her best interest when he did.

"Nobody else heard it. I've been hearing a lot lately." Imogen mumbled.
"I'm sensing you have something to say to me." Chris sighed and gestured to the seat opposite his desk. Imogen shrugged quietly and threw herself down into the comfortable office chair, hugging her knees to her chest. Chris frowned and reached across the desk, holding his hand out for his daughter. It was his way of offering her some form of comfort in the silent room, and he had an anxious feeling about what Imogen had managed to figure out.

"The last few days have been so.. strange. I keep hearing things that nobody else does, almost like it's projected with a megaphone into my ear." Imogen decided to skip over the part about her eyes seeming to change colour, she thought herself crazy for believing they had and dreaded to think what her father would respond with.
"There's such a thing as sensitive hearing, people hearing every noise times one hundred. We could get you checked out." Chris falsely mused but didn't manage to hide the small twitch of concern that appeared on his face. Of course he knew what Imogen was angling at. He still hadn't figured out if she was like some of her family members, regarding certain supernatural characteristics.

"Stop passing me off. It's never happened before. I'm not Allison, your sweet little girl that will just swallow down what you say." Imogen snapped and levelled her eyes to give direct eye contact with her father. She rarely acted out, right now she was scared and hurt that Chris was clearly lying about something.

"It's not the right age to disclose such a large thing, you're only young and we're not sure you can handle it.." Chris said guiltily. He almost felt like he had to break the eye contact and glance down at the shiny finish of his wooden desk.
Imogen fidgeted with her hands, digging her fingernails into her palm. She felt a surge of anger through herself and fought to not bolt up from her chair.

"I'm not five! I'm not a child. You're keeping something from me! As my parents you should tell me things I need to know!" Imogen shouted back, her voice broke in the middle of the sentence and she had to fight back tears. The young woman was scared of all the mysterious, unnatural things that had been happening to her and she just wanted answers.

"Imogen, please.. I love you sweetheart. We are both doing what's best for you, I promise you." Chris tried to soothe her, standing up and walking to where she sat. He tried to pull her into a hug, leaning against the side of the chair but was quickly rejected.
"You can't just shush me, pull me into your arms and tell me everything is going to okay!" Imogen roared and finally bolted up from the chair.

"Imogen.. please." Chris begged and swallowed his guilt down again.
"You're all liars, everywhere I look. Traitors!" Imogen finally snapped and looked up at her father. Chris froze at the sight in front of him. Imogen now had blazing blue eyes yet again and sharp teeth protruding from her mouth.

"Honey, you need to calm down. Breathe with me.." Chris stepped forward, ready to restrain her if needed.
"Stay away from me! You don't care!" Imogen screamed and shoved her father backwards, sending him flying backwards into the door of his en-suite that was at the side of the room. Chris stumbled back, just managing to catch himself before his head made contact with anything damaging.

Imogen was not so lucky, frozen in place. The door had flew open when Chris had been pushed and revealed the mirror above the sink. She had saw what had happened to her face and had frozen in a mixture of fear, fright and guilt for hurting her father.

"What am I? I'm a monster.." Imogen sobbed, her eyes flashing a brighter blue from despair, in the mirror.
"You're not a monster honey.. please.." Chris begged from the bathroom floor, trying to get to her. Imogen took one last guilty look at her father, pulling her hood up to cover her face with shaky hands and fled the house.