[ CHAPTER 29 : LEGACY : ❝you know i'm bad at communication it's the hardest thing for me to do. and it's said it's the most important part that relationships go through. and i gave it all away just, so i could say that well: i know, i know, i know, i know that you're gonna be okay anyway. you know there's no rhyme or reason for the way you turned out to be. i didn't go and try to change my mind, not intentionally. i know it's hard to hear me say it, but i can't bear to stay.❞ ]
★★★★★
PARKER AWAKES IN HER bed, her whole body covered in sweat. Her eyes dance around the room, looking everywhere, but it's so blurry and she's so confused, she doesn't recognize a thing. She barely even registers that her parents are standing in one corner of her room, staring at her in wonder and worry. "I have never seen her act this way," Her mother mutters, vaguely the girl can see the woman gripping her father's arm tightly. "What could possibly be going on with her? Greg, I don't understand."
"She's suffering, Bella," Her father continues, sounding stern but weary. Almost as if he doesn't believe what he's saying. "She couldn't stop Rose before she entered the street, she's blaming herself for what happened," Her mother sniffles as she falls into her father's chest. Parker keeps unmoving, and clenches her eyes shut. Hearing her parents speak about her only makes her feel guiltier. Guilty for lying to them. Guilty for not being truthful. Guilty for what happened to Rose. "Tomorrow we take Rose off of life support, and I don't think she'll be able to manage, mentally."
"What we do then?" Her mother whispers, holding back her cries.
Her father sighs, "I think we need to send her to a psychiatrist."
"A psychiatrist?" The woman gasps, "Greg, she would never forgive us!"
"She's mentally unstable, Bella, you saw her," Her father sighs in frustration. "When that boy brought her home, she was out of it. And you heard him, she was throwing up, and sobbing because of Rose. We can't just let her continue this way, she'll only suffer more and I can't bear watching her like this any longer. If we take her to a psychiatrist, maybe they'll be able to help her." Parker struggles to even think of a psychiatrist being able to help her. Right now, it seems like no one can. Not until this whole thing is done. Right now, everything she thinks about and everything she experiences is hurting her. No psychiatrist or therapist is going to save her.
They think you're insane.
Parker lets out an irritated sigh, when will these thoughts stop? Maybe she really is insane and she just hasn't come to terms with that yet. "Let's talk about this in the morning, it's too much to think about right now," Her mother quietly walks over to the side of the bed she lies on. Ever so carefully she leans down and presses a swift kiss to the side of her head. "Sleep tight, sweetie. I love you." She gently strokes her head before leaving the room with her husband trailing behind her. Leaving Parker to lie in misery, and drown in her tears.
★★★★★
"HOW WAS YOUR DAY, Parker?" Doctor Turner, her new psychiatrist, asks in a soft tone on a Friday afternoon, just as she walks into his roomy office. She closes the white painted door behind her, before taking a seat on the comfy brown leather couch that sits across from his large mahogany desk, which he sits behind in a times-two-big office chair directly in front of a large bay window with blinds keeping the sun out. In one hand he holds a grey clipboard, in another he holds a fancy fountain pen―gold plated wrapped with black―ready to record her commentary about life.
Doctor Turner is an older man with red hair retreating from his original hairline and green eyes that seem to burn holes into her face. Parker didn't find it strange that Heather's father became her psychiatrist, really, nothing shocks her anymore. It just annoys her. "It was fine, Doctor Turner." She informs him, with an irritated sigh following. This is her second day here. After school yesterday―which was miserably spent avoiding both Nico and Tori―her mother strangely picked her up and brought her here. It was a miracle that Parker made it through her first session without puking all over him.
"Well, that's good," The man chirps, as he scribbles down on one of the many papers attached to his clipboard. "You attended school today, I assume?"
"Yes, I went to school," She confirms with a nod. "And before you ask, it was fine. I'm passing all my classes, and have a good standing with my teachers. Now, can I go, please?" The girl doesn't beg, just looks at him with her eyebrow lifted in question. Despite the fact she knows that Doctor Turner won't let her go.
Yesterday she spent two hours talking about nothing. He'd ask her questions, and she'd answer with one or two words. He'd smile, say 'that's wonderful', and then scribble stuff down. After the session was over, he told her mother that she needed to attend a session for two hours every day after school. It's hell. She doesn't know how to speak or convey her thoughts well enough without slipping into breaking the rules of the game and possibly putting her family in more danger.
"Sorry," He pauses, glancing down at his expensive wrist watch. "Fifty-eight minutes left." He explains, writing more on his clipboard.
Parker treks a hand through her hair, "Yeah, but I don't need fifty-eight minutes, I'm fine―I don't need to be here." She feels it's a waste. She can't talk about the truth and so her parents are wasting twelve hundred dollars a week (five days).
"Why don't you tell me your feelings about your grandmother," The man with glasses etched on the tip of his nose, looks down at his papers and squints before letting out a breathy 'ah'. "Rose, your mother's mother," He glances up at her, head tilting to the side in casual wonder. "Were you close?"
The girl snorts, "Not particularly, no."
"Explain your relationship to me then."
Parker rolls her eyes, watching as he leans back in his chair and clutches his hands together his beady green eyes looking at her inquisitively. And yet she can feel an unsteady glare hiding beneath the surface.
She lets out a breath.
"We weren't close...she was mean, I didn't like her. She didn't like me. We had a strange relationship. I don't know how it started, I think she just always disliked me, and at some point, I learned to hate her too―"
The man cuts her off, "But disliking someone and hating someone are two very different feelings. In order to hate someone, you must've loved them first...did you love your grandmother?"
"I-I...I suppose," The girl shifts uncomfortably. "Maybe."
Doctor Turner nods, scribbling on the papers while he hums in thought. "And, what do you think about what happened to your grandmother? Does it make you feel a certain way? Does it make you remember anything―memories I mean?" His eyes flicker upward toward her, and Parker has to dig her fingernails into the skin on her palm to stop herself from trembling.
Yesterday, he had avoided talking about her grandmother and when he did bring it up: she wanted to vomit at even the thought of speaking about her. She's the whole reason Parker's even in therapy. Not really because of Rose, but because of the way she had acted after her death. Indirectly, Rose is the reason in her parent's mind as such that's what Doctor Turner must think. Yesterday, she had just brushed it off and avoided getting emotional or angry: two things she has come to sorely hate.
"I don't want to talk about Rose." She mutters, leaning back into the couch, crossing her arms over her chest, and crossing her legs in the opposite of what they were.
"I know you must not like speaking about her, Parker, I understand this from our last session, but if you never tell me about her, how am I going to be able to help you?" He asks in a gentle tone, trying to be persuasive, as if she doesn't know what he's doing.
"My mom told you about her." She reminds him. Before the session even began her mother told Parker's whole life story without taking a breath just so Doctor Turner could grasp the whole picture. Her mother knows Parker would not say a single thing unless she was forced to.
"Your mother doesn't know exactly what happened―she only knows what you told her. But you and Rose are the only two people who really know what happened that day, Parker, and if you don't want to tell me: you don't have to. But if you don't, you still have thirty minutes, so then let's move onto another topic I've gathered that you hate: your friend, Victoria Martinez."
Parker's eyes roll to the back of her head, I hate this.
★★★★★
PARKER FINALLY GETS ALONE time when she gets home. Her mother is asleep in her bed after taking a Vicodin, and her father stays late at work. Instead of spending her time doing homework, Parker prioritized her investigation as number one on her list of things to do. At her metal desk, she leans her elbows on the wooden surface, her fingers dance along the keyboard of her computer. The file she stole sits directly next to her right arm, opened to the page that includes all the names of the girls and Douglas Turner. On the other side is a sketch pad, a pen, and a cup of steaming green tea.
She lets out a breath as her fingers type in the words: Douglas Turner, into the chat engine. She just hopes something turns up, and after waiting for one to minutes of blistering pain the page loads. The only page that has a relevance to her investigation is an obituary dated August 9th, 1940 for a Douglas and Edna Turner née Martinez. On her notepad she scribbles multiple underlines underneath the surname of the woman. Martinez. As in her best friend Victoria? That can't be a coincidence. Not to mention she was one of the original girls listed in the demerit section of the file.
Parker grimaces, "Gross, he married his student?"
Clicking on the page, it identifies Douglas Turner as being born in 1882, actual date unknown, while Edna was born in 1904: a twenty-two year age gap. "Gross." It lists the cause of death as a house fire died of carbon monoxide poison from the burning nylon carpet, and plastic of everyday household items. That makes her shiver. How unnerving it is to know that most of the things that give you comfort in your house, could end up being your death in a fire. As for the reason of the fire: unknown.
That perks her interest.
Don't they usually identify how it started? Whether it be something as silly as leaving the stove on, or not putting out a cigarette? Doesn't that mean there could be room for it to have been malicious? As in, someone started it, and purposely caused their deaths.
It also lists that they are survived by three children: Pete, Montgomery, and Angelica. "So, which one is Doctor Turner's parent?" She looks up all three siblings. Pete Turner was born in December of 1930 and was on a congressional committee dealing with veterans according to his obituary, he died in 2011 due to a heart attack. Never married. No kids. Montgomery Turner was born in 1933, still alive, but retired and lives in Nevada. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Virginia, they have one child: Abraham Turner, otherwise known as her psychiatrist. Lastly, Angelica Turner.
"Missing," The girl mutters.
Typing in Angelica Turner brings up a missing child poster dated August 11th, 1940. Two days after the day her parents died in the fire. It says she was born in February of 1936, she would've been four when she went missing. Going missing isn't strange considering the pattern of this family. "Maybe she died in the fire too?"
Parker rolls the joints in her neck and changes tactics. Pérez. In the form of dismissal, it talked about a Helen Pérez. Most likely a great-great aunt to Nico who happened to die in the 20s. Typing in her name brings up a link to the history of Arcadia High. A dormitory fire was started in the lower level of the building which seemed to spark a quick reaction and travel up the four floors of the building. Killing one girl, Helen, who couldn't get out in time. "There was one suspect but information as to who that was, or what happened after, has never been found." Parker tilts her head, obviously the suspect was Douglas; but, why would he kill Helen? What could she have done to constitute getting killed? And is it just a coincidence that he also died in a fire?
The brunette leans back in her chair and slowly leans her head to the side. Her eyes moving to the left hand drawer of her desk. The one in which Sofía's diary is in. Nico had said that she had listed everything she knows in that thing, and yet Parker has still not looked at it. Letting out a breath, she reaches over and opens the drawer. Her eyes stare at the pink covered notebook with a silver latch on the side, one that used to have a lock on it. Sofía must've been very protective of her things, she was probably made that way by the game.
Carefully she flips it open, skipping past the introduction pages, to the bulk of the middle. The part where Sofía becomes suspicious and begins doing what Parker is doing currently. She doesn't seem to get far though, as Sofía never had the file Parker does. The only thing she goes into is the connection of the families: Turner, Martinez, Pérez, and Townsend which she has Henderson in parenthesis next to. In a list she has a speculation of who can be included in the next game, not to mention interactions she's had with each person, including Parker.
LIST OF POSSIBLE CANDIDATES FOR NEXT GAME(S):
2013:
1. Heather Turner - Saw her last week (10/27/12) she seems...rude. I don't know if I like her. She seems like her father. Oh, did I write that I met her father: Abraham Turner? He seems...odd. Could he be part of the Audience? Possibility 8/10.
* No other possible conformations for 2013: no more Turner, Martinez, or Townsend (Henderson).
2014:
1. Parker Henderson - Ran into her on the 14th of September 2012. She was nice, picked up the things I had dropped, but very awkward. Possibly anti-social. Her grandmother took part of the game, and her mother was almost a part. Possibility 10/10.
2. Victoria Martinez - Apparently the Henderson girls' best friend. I see them with each other often. Victoria seems nice, but loud, a little more social than Parker. Possibility 5/10.
* Nico will be involved this year, possibly Leo to? Unknown but possible if the Audience knows of his connection to dad. Also, I wonder if Victoria and Heather know that they're actually related, great-great...cousins? Maybe? I don't know, but still related, somehow.
NEW INFORMATION ALERT #1:
I asked the librarian for the Charlie Wakefield murder papers, and I think that the Henderson girl's' grandmother had the sexual dares, which means Parker will most likely have such too. I feel bad for her grandmother, I wonder if she'll warn the girl about joining. Is that why Parker's mother didn't join? Hmm...I don't know.
Anyways, I think that this is how Nico will come in. Somehow Henderson's dares will revolve around either Nico or Leo. And, guess what got confirmed last week? Heather is apart of the games, thankfully I'm not her mentor. She's very rude, I don't like her. She's also very weird. She acts like she's been prepared for this: did her family already tell her about the game? Has she been trained for this?
I don't like her at all.
NEW INFORMATION ALERT #2:
I think Heather's father is on it. I think her father really is a part of the Audience: or is he it? I think it's some sort of tradition of the Turner family. A legacy, passed down from child to child. I wonder if there's a track record somewhere at school dealing with the Turner's. I don't know what made me think this? I think it's Heather herself. She's scoring so many points and doing so well. She's so unaffected.
I saw Mister Turner the other day anyways. He was very sketchy, and constantly on his phone. Maybe I'm paranoid? I don't know. He just seems strange. Sickly sweet, but also like he's hiding a mask of hate behind him. A facade. Ugh, I don't know. It just seems crazy to me. How could he not be involved?
Parker snaps the diary shut and places it directly over the stolen file. Her hand slides over her eyes, breathing deeply in and then exhaling loudly. Her psychiatrist could possibly be a part of the Audience? And Heather may be connected to that. How crazy is it to think that the mean redhead who calls her mentor a 'whore' has been trained for this? That this is her family legacy. It's a legacy for her family too, and somehow, she managed to seriously push that ideology back into her family: when her mother had destroyed it by being an actual intellect who tore the letter up.
How did I fuck up so bad?