When it was time, Kaely moved slowly over to the door and tested the handle. It twisted all the way around, and with a gentle pull it swung open. She sighed, not knowing if it'd been open the whole time or not. If it had been, she felt silly. She could've easily escaped by now, and she wouldn't have to sit through an entire night listening to more of her mother's lies.
Unless the lies could be explained.
She wanted so badly to know what really happened on the day of the crash. All she remembered was her mother driving, and suddenly there was a loud bang and the left side of the car – the car that her dad was on – had been smashed in. If Kaely had been sitting behind him, she'd have died. They went over the railings and crashed into the water below, and her father couldn't be saved in time. Kaely managed to get out somehow, and it was only when she began recovering in the hospital that she was told her parents didn't make it. Ever since, she'd lived thinking it had been an accident. Until now. Now, she didn't know what to believe. She knew what Jared had told her; that her mother was a murderer, and that meant she must've tried to kill her and her father. But that was what the boys knew, and she didn't know whether to trust them or Genevieve. They were all as bad as each other, so who was telling the truth?
She descended the stairs in the ballroom and came to the opening that led to the dining room, finding Genevieve sitting cross-legged on the couch in front of the fire. The coffee table before her held two mugs, one in front of her mother and one in front of the empty space beside her. There was a large plate of food on the other side of the coffee table, untouched. Kaely crossed the room slowly, taking a seat in the armchair. She pretended not to notice Genevieve's hurt expression.
"I didn't think you were going to come," the woman announced finally, reaching forward to collect the mug from in front of her. She took a drink and put it back down carefully before Kaely spoke.
"You kidnapped me," Kaely announced finally, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.
"You would have rather stayed with that boy?" Genevieve asked with a curious expression. Kaely didn't answer. "You've been lied to, Kaely. Not just by me. I didn't mean to kidnap you, but I had no choice. At least here, you're safe."
"You think you're keeping me here?" Kaely demanded, an angry expression on her face. "I'd have been long gone by now if I wanted to leave." She saw Genevieve's reaction and scowled. "Oh, don't flatter yourself," she hissed. "The only reason I'm here is because you said you had answers. I want them."
Genevieve nodded her head, crossing one leg over the other. She looked down at her hands, and Kaely narrowed her eyes.
"Talk," she growled. "You're wasting my time." Genevieve sighed; it sounded pained, but she didn't care.
"From the start?"
"The day you decided to fake your death," Kaely agreed, her eyes still narrowed. "I want to know everything."
Genevieve nodded. "Yes, well... no one was supposed to survive that crash except for me. I've been working with Allison for twenty years now, and together we've done some very bad things to some very bad people. Despite all the murder I'd done, when Richard Campbell tracked us down and contracted us to kill Wade Smith, I said no. Killing the Governor-General was... just too far. Campbell told me that things would get messy for my family; he threatened you and your father–" At this point, her voice threatened to break but Kaely lifted her chin and didn't let her in. "I told Wyatt to pack," she continued eventually, her voice now calm. "We had to leave England, so I could protect you. We came to Australia so I could hide you and publically warn Wade Smith, but as we landed Campbell had been expecting us, and we were run off the road. It was meant to scare me, to force me into submission; I was pulled from the water and my disappearance was covered up, but you were never meant to live. He wanted to kill my family so I would have no other reason than to follow his orders. So I hid you, and made you invisible. I made him believe that I would continue with the plan because he killed my family, but then you poked your head out with Jared Dalton, and I knew they'd discovered my identity. They planned to threaten me, by using you to force me to clear their names and hence declaring myself guilty. But then it went sideways. Richard Campbell soon discovered that Dalton had you, and he set out to find you. He knew he would be uncovered if the boy's threat worked, and planned to use you himself so I wouldn't talk. But you trusted the boy, and escaped. Allison and I tried to extract you, to free you, but the blond girl wouldn't let us take you. It got out of hand; the fire was not meant to happen, but Allison was clearly given orders of her own. I've not spoken to either of them since; they don't know where you are, and they don't know where I am either."
"So the fire... that wasn't you?" Kaely said weakly, and Genevieve shook her head, concern filling her eyes.
"Campbell's orders for Allison were simple; she was to make sure I would never find you. If it meant risking your life, it was unimportant to them."
"So why didn't you reach out to me?" Kaely demanded, a sour edge to her tone. "If you're really on my side, and you've been threatened this whole time to follow Campbell's orders, then why didn't you come to me sooner? You could have poked your head in some time to assure me you weren't dead. I've been alone."
"You were never alone," Genevieve assured her, picking up her mug again. "I've always protected you. Your graduation from Sacred Heart College; you tripped over your dress when you went up to get your certificate." She chuckled at the memory, but it was a gentle laugh, and a small smile threatened to creep its way over Kaely's lips. She made sure Genevieve didn't see it.
"So... you've always been there?" she asked, a little too hopefully. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"You'd draw too much attention, Kaely," she said as if it were obvious. "I couldn't risk it; if Campbell found out, he'd have you killed immediately. The only reason I've risked it now is because both Campbell and Allison know that you're alive. They are dangerous; Allison will not disobey him."
"Why?" Kaely pressed. "Why is she so eager to kill Wade Smith and you aren't?"
"She doesn't want to kill him," Genevieve admitted. "Just like me, she was threatened. Someone very close to her will be in constant danger until Wade Smith is pronounced dead. We are both very much on the same side, but until he is dealt with no one can be trusted except for me, is that understood? You're not safe with anyone else. Not even those boys, the ones who have been 'protecting' you. They are liars; they will do whatever is deemed necessary to make sure myself, Allison and Richard are all dead, or at least imprisoned. If it means sacrificing you too, they won't hesitate. You need to know that."
Kaely bit her lip. If what Genevieve told her was true, then she knew she couldn't ever talk to the boys or Lexus again. They would use her to make sure they were kept safe; she was expendable. If there was one thing she knew, it was that she didn't know who to trust anymore. Everything Jared told her was right, but only from what he knew. He didn't know that Kaely's mum was doing everything to protect her, and she didn't know that Campbell was also using her to threaten Genevieve. She felt pity for them, realising that they didn't know the full picture. She wanted to tell them that they were wrong about her mother, and about Allison as well; they were all being threatened. Richard Campbell was the one who needed to go down. But as soon as the thought entered her mind, she felt angry. They didn't care about her; why should she care about them?
"I don't want anything to do with them," she seethed, feeling the hate boil beneath the surface of her skin. "They used me. I- I don't know why I'm so angry, but..."
"...you care about them," Genevieve finished quietly. Kaely looked down and didn't say anything. "I understand. Some part of me believes they care about you too; that through their impossible plot, they formed feelings of their own. But it's a big risk to think like that. You can't allow your feelings to get in the way in this line of business. I have, and look where that's gotten me. My husband is dead. My daughter looks at me and sees a stranger. I am being threatened by everyone who knows I am not dead, and to get to me they are going through you. You mustn't make that mistake too, Kaely. If you are tested like I've been, you have to have control over your feelings. Your enemies will not be able to use them against you, otherwise."
"I know."
"Kaely, I never meant for you to get hurt. You were never meant to be involved. I'm sorry they brought you into this, I really am. I hope you forgive me."
She sighed. "I don't know if I can just yet," she admitted. "Clearly, you're my mother, and clearly you're alive. But whether you're telling the truth or not, you've lied to me. My entire life has been one misfortune after another, because you kill people. How am I supposed to forgive you like that?"
Genevieve smiled tightly. "I get it," she said. "I know what you must be going through. I'm not going to force anything on you, alright? As long as you're safe, you can hate me all you want. But I won't let anyone hurt you while you're here."
Kaely leaned back in the armchair, crossing one leg over the other. "And how long will that be?"
"As long as it takes," Genevieve replied, pursing her lips. "No one knows this place exists; it's protected and no one can get in or out without me finding out about it. Until I can be sure no one will be coming after you, you're staying here."
Kaely grit her teeth but didn't argue. There wasn't anywhere else to go; she couldn't go back to the boys, even if she wanted to. And everyone else wanted her dead. The situation considered, she was probably better of staying put, with Genevieve. The woman still unnerved her, but at least she was trying to keep Kaely safe. So what if Eliot, Leo and the others didn't care about her? Once this was over, she wouldn't have to see them again, and she could work on learning to forgive her mother. And yet, somehow, she found her mind slipping back to Jared, and Lexus; even Oliver. What were they doing now? Were they relaxing back at Oliver's place in Roxby? Were they out looking for her? Had they been killed? She knew she shouldn't be worrying about it, but she couldn't help herself. She thought she knew them, and they betrayed her. Yet here she was, thinking about them when she was the last thing on their minds. She had a mother who cared about her enough to let her go, and she was safe from harm. She didn't need anything else. But still she felt an empty hole in her heart, right where Jared had been, and she found herself wishing he hadn't hurt her.
She found herself wishing he'd loved her.
Kaely was still wary about Genevieve's intentions. She had no idea if she was going to be killed or imprisoned if she trusted her mother, and she didn't know who was on her side anymore. The boys and Lexus lied to her about everything she thought she knew about them, and now not even the memories of her mother were remaining. All she knew was that someone wanted her dead.
She didn't know who anymore.
Eventually, she'd expressed these emotions to Genevieve, and the woman decided to give her some space to think.
"I'm not going to manipulate you into believing what's right and what's wrong," she'd told Kaely as they sat down the next morning. "You'll find out soon enough. So I'm going to leave. I have some business to discuss with Allison now that I know you're safe. I'll come back in a few days, after you've had time to yourself; be careful. A lot can happen in a few days."
Kaely didn't know what to reply with, so she didn't speak at all. She feared her voice would betray her, and showing that kind of weakness wasn't something she wanted to do. It was heart-wrenching as it was, to see her mother alive but not recognise her. It could have been harder for Genevieve to look at her daughter, knowing everything about her but being a stranger in her eyes. At her request, Kaely had nodded and looked away. The woman had her bags packed within the hour, which left Kaely with time to get something to eat before she followed Genevieve outside.
"I'll see you soon, hopefully," she told Kaely. "I hope you come to the right conclusion."
It looked as though she wanted to lean forward and kiss Kaely's forehead, but she held back. Kaely was relieved she hadn't; she was still angry at the woman.
And with Genevieve's words hanging like a raincloud in her mind, Kaely watched as her mother sped away from her, wondering if it was the last time she was going to see her. She feared a storm – much like the one in her head – was approaching, and she wasn't sure exactly how she would handle the result.
All she knew was that – for now – she was on her own.