I didn't have the energy to get out of bed the next morning. I did manage to stumble out of bed to use the bathroom, but then I went back to bed. I couldn't feel the need to get up and do something. I had a dream about Sasquatch being tortured. I couldn't do anything to save him. Ken Brooke was in my dream as well, demanding to know where Sasquatch was, threading to kill me if I didn't tell him.
Dad doesn't come to check on me. He probably assumes I am still asleep, considering on Saturday mornings I sleep in until about ten after being out with Julian for half of the night. Even when my stomach grumbles I didn't bother to get up for food.
Around ten o'clock I heard the door bell ringing. I continue to lie there and hoped Dad was still home to answer it. Whether or not if he did answered it, I wasn't sure. I soon find out my answer when I hear his car starting up in the driveway. I wonder who was at the door. Even when he is gone, I still can't find the energy to get out of bed. A few minutes later after Dad had left, I hear tapping coming from my window. I force myself to sit up and see Julian sitting on the roof outside my window.
I sigh, forcing myself out of bed and cross to my window, opening it. I help Julian inside. He must have been the one who was at the door earlier, but got turned away by Dad. Bethany is here as well.
"What are you guys doing here?" I ask them. "I thought you were working on your play for Drama."
"We were, but then we thought we would come see you and see how you are," Julian replies.
"Your Dad wouldn't allow us to come upstairs and see you," Bethany says. "He said you weren't allow visitors and he also said he was leaving to go to the hospital to see your sister."
"Okay, well if you are going to stay here, don't stay for too long or you will be in huge trouble by my dad," I tell them both.
"Don't worry," Julian says. "He won't know."
"What can I do for you?"
Julian opens his bag and pulls out a small tub of Ben and Jerry's cookies and cream flavour ice cream, along with a plastic spoon. "Would you like some?"
I smile at him and take both the tub and spoon from him. Cookies and cream was my favourite ice cream flavour.
I thank him for the tub. He hands Bethany a chocolate flavour one and then takes out a mint-choc for himself.
"So, you have been lying in your bed all morning?" Julian asks, opening the tub.
I nod as I sit down on my bed, placing the lid in front of me, digging into my ice cream. "I feel like there is no reason to get up and do something.
Julian and Bethany join me on the bed, eating their dessert. This may not stop the hunger pains I feel, but at least I was eating something.
"Have you heard any news on Bigfoot?" Bethany asks.
I shake my head. "Dad won't speak to me much. And even if he did, his work is confidential. So he wouldn't tell me anything. All I know is that he has to hand Bigfoot over to the government. Once he does that he isn't able to have anything else to do with the case."
Bethany and Julian smile at me. I stare at them, wondering why they were smiling. Couldn't they both see that this wasn't a smiling situation?
"What?" I ask.
"Bethany and I have been talking before we came here," Julian says. "She thinks she might know how to find Bigfoot so we can rescue him. She wants to help us to release him in the wild."
I stare at her, surprised she wanted to help us out. I couldn't understand why when there was nothing we could really do now that Bigfoot was handed over to the government. Where he was now, we may never know.
Bethany nods. "Yes, I want to. I have been thinking a lot last night, and I think it wouldn't be right if he was to be taken out of his habitat. There was a reason why Sasquatch has kept himself hidden for so many years. I know scientist wants to study him, but at the same time they will want to make money out of him. They could maybe sell him to a zoo so the world can see him. I don't know what scientist would do exactly because there is no known answer for it, but I don't think it would be right if they do that."
I admire her response, and I knew she was right. But still there was no way we could rescue him. It's too late for that now.
"How are we going to rescue him, Bethany?" I ask. "The government has taken him away to somewhere."
She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I know, but I may know where he might be taken to."
I stop eating my ice cream. "How?"
"My neighbour collects artefacts on Bigfoot. I went to take the trash out this morning and he called me over. He said he saw me on the news with you guys. He thinks the three of us could maybe help rescue Bigfoot. He didn't tell me where to find him because my dad came out. He told me to get you and Julian to come back to his house tonight."
"So do you think he could tell us where Bigfoot has been taken to?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Why would he want to tell us?" Julian asks. "If he knows the location, why would he tell us the location? Wouldn't it be a secret that you wouldn't want to tell anyone?"
Bethany shrugs. "I'm not sure. Maybe he has information that could help us."
We are silence for a few minutes as we avoid eye contact with each other, thinking of what we should do. The three of us are all grounded and we have to figure this out without being caught by our parents. For me I could only sneak out of the house if Dad is on night patrol. I wasn't sure if he was on night patrol tonight. I think he might and I will have to take care of Sally when she comes home tonight.
Julian and I agreed to meet Bethany outside her home. She gives me her address. She lived a fair way from where I lived, about twelve blocks. We decide to meet up at eight o'clock.
* * * * *
I went downstairs when I hear Dad come home with Sally. I open the door for her as she limps slowly towards the front porch with Dad closely behind her. His eyes never met mine. He was busy keeping his focus on my sister. I was surprise to see her without crutches. Instead she was limping with a boot cast.
She hugs me as soon as she makes it up the steps. "I miss you so much, David."
"I miss you too, sis."
"David, I need you to take care of your sister tonight," Dad says. "I have to work."
I nod slowly, knowing I couldn't argue back. I was glad he had night patrol, but I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to leave Sally here on her own while I sneak off to visit Bethany's neighbour. With Sally's boot cast she was able to still walk and do things independently. If she had crutches, I would have no choice but to stay home to help take care of her.
Dad walks inside and head upstairs to his room.
"How's your leg?" I ask Sally.
"It's still sore, but I'm glad I don't have to walk around with crutches."
"Come on, sit down on the couch."
I walk her to the living room and she sits down, putting her leg up. I place a cushion under her foot, making sure she was comfortable.
"Is everything alright between you and Dad?" Sally asks me.
I sit down on the coffee table. I wasn't sure how I could tell her about what has been happening between Dad and I for a few days. She is unaware about the disputes we would get into. She knows we fight, but any arguments we get into we don't do it around her. But when we do get into fights, Sally always feels the tension between us.
I nod. Even if I could lie to her, she will find out about the fights later on. "We just had a misunderstanding."
"Is it about me?"
I shake my head. "No. Our fights are never about you. Don't even think they are. Dad and I just have some personal issues that we need to solve. Mostly it's about Mom. I want to talk about her, but he doesn't. The things about Mom are lock away in a closet, which is starting to overflow. This time our dispute wasn't about her. It was about Sasquatch."
Sally sits up, trying to make herself more comfortable, but seemed to be having trouble. "I saw him on the news. What happened to him?"
I tell her everything.
"Is he going to be okay?"
I shrug. "I don't know," I say softly.
We sit there in silence. She reaches over and squeezes my hand.
"Hey, Bigfoot is going to be alright," she tells me.
I give her a half smile. I want to believe her, but I truthfully don't. Anything could happen to him now and I wasn't sure how I could help him. There wouldn't be anything I could do. Even if Bethany's neighbour could tell us where to find him, I would be shot for trespassing on private property.
Dad comes down the stairs. He calls out to us, saying goodbye and the rough time he could be home by. As soon as he steps out the door, I turn to my sister, telling her what I'm doing this evening. Sally was unsure about covering for me, especially because of what happened last time. I told her not to worry and that I won't be gone for too long. Hopefully I can make it back before I make Dad madder than what he already was.