chapter 9

I waited patiently till everyone went to sleep, I snuck quietly to the basement and started searching some files.

Years before my real father died, they use to keep all the informations about their progress in the investigation in here.

I searched through some files and didn't really find anything so useful.

I checked and searched till I found something. It was a collection of cases filed against different people that were suspected, and most of them didn't end as planned.

I sighed as I read through a baby factory organization that sells children , only few blocks away from the hospital I was born in.

It was closed years ago after my parents sued them to court, suspecting them for the abduction.

The company was closed, and the case died down, few months after that,. my father died.

This is enough indication to prove that that baby factory had a hand in this.

Probably they were furious that they shut down their company and their manager was arrested,they decided to have their revenge back.

Mehn, this was fucked up.

I took all these files and went to my room.

I studied them all , looking for a clue or an indication or something to link them together.

Then I saw something, I saw something very unique.

The signature...

The same signature on the court order, asking the case to be adjourned since there was no evidence that it was the baby factory that had a hand in it, that was the same signature as the baby factory manager.

"Litman Medical Center"

I read it over and over and over again.

The manager was a judge?!!

I took my laptop and asked Siri to tell me everything it knew about

Litman Medical Center.

It showed me some pictures of the place and how it looked like 16 year ago, before it was closed down.

I searched for the manager that year, but they didn't show me anything, just random investors and helpers.

It said that the Litman Medical Center was a maternity home where women who couldn't afford hospital bills could come and give birth at a very cheap rate.

It started out as a charity service and rich influential men and women donated heavily into the center, but along the line, it was closed down because a lot of women started complaining and child kidnap and children getting missing.

Then along the line, It was sued to court for illegal kidnapping of a child in a neighboring hospital and was finally shut down.

No one knew if they actually kidnapped the child or not, but it was shut down completely after being taken to the supreme Court and never heard of again.

I asked my hands into my hair.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

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I slept pretty late, so I woke up pretty late too,. which was surprising because I never woke up late.

I stuffed all the files into one of my text book and put it in my bag.

My dad was waiting for me outside.

"You woke up pretty late today, you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine, just tired from last night" I lied.

These days, I was beginning to lie too much and it bothered me.

The ride was quiet today because I was deep in thoughts.

I so badly wanted to ask him some questions but I didn't want to raise any suspecions, I decided to let things be and solve this thing on my own.

I wanted to get out of the car but my dad called me back.

" You know I'm not your real father and all, but I try my best to show you my best kind of fatherly love. You only live once Brittney, everyone does , even me , even your mom, so make the best out of your stay on Earth, because after now, you can't come back, I just want to see you happy, at least have a memory of seeing you happy, at least have something to tell people, at least to tell people that you enjoyed your stay here , please Brittney, do something unlike you, and make yourself happy"

I blinked back the tears and nodded like I always did.

Don't worry, you'll be happy about one, thing I did, I promise .

I kissed his cheek and left the car.

I walked into school and went to my locker .

"Hey Brittney" I heard Aaron say behind me.

"Hey" I said turning to face him smiling.

"How are you doing? still got a fever?" then I remembered I lied about the fever.

"Yeah, I'm better now" I said.

"So , can I borrow that Cymberline?my mom took the one in the library for a road trip, and I have an assignment on it" he said.

I giggled, "Sure thing" .

I opened my bag and handed him the book.

"Thanks, so, when do you want us to go out again?" he asked.

I looked to my left and saw the disgusted faces of the girls that heard that, I could swear I heard one call me a slut.

I rolled my eyes and looked at Aaron.

This guy was very handsome, he deserved the attention he was having and all, but it was a bit too much .

"I don't think people like that you're hanging out with me" I said closing my locker .

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"I don't know, I mean I've been getting unwanted attention and unnecessary killer glares from people and all, which I don't like" I said.

"You think I Care?"

"Well I do, I do a lot, I care a lot about stupid things and I'm grateful that you're kinda being nice to me and all, but I can't just continue being the talk of the whole school"

I don't know why I was suddenly sounding so rude and emotional, since when did I even care about what people say about me??!!

He was quiet for a while.

"So you're saying that I should stay away from you?"

The way he said it made me crack inside, that wasn't what I meant.

I opened my mouth to say something but he was quicker.

"You know what, it's cool, it's okay, I'm sorry" he said as and walked away.

I stood there, almost in tears.

What the hell did I just do?!!

I just drove away my only friend!!

I blinked back the tears.

I just fucked up, what the hell did I just say?!!

I left my locker and went into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I was cursed to be alone, I was destined to die a loner.

I wiped my tears, there was no point crying, I'll die very soon so there was no need, I just lost him sooner.

I went out of the bathroom and washed my face in the sink.

Almost immediately, Kira came out of one of the toilet wiping her tears.

I looked at her through the mirror.

I guess we truly had a lot in common, crying in secret places.

She wiped her eyes with a pocket tissue and adjusted her make up.

Then she left quietly.

I stared at the mirror.

There was no point, I was gonna die in some months to come, focus on the goal- have good grades, finish 5000 novels, find my twin brother.

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School went by slowly and it got worse during classes when Aaron was literally right behind me and I couldn't stop feeling guilty.

It was my fault, I fucked up , he was only trying to help my dumbass, and as usual, I pushed him away.

Cafeteria went back to normal, me sitting alone with my headphones on, listening to depressing music, eating my trash of a food.

And gracefully, school was over.

I went outside and waited for some minutes before my dad showed up.

He noticed my mood and asked me if I was okay.

I didn't say anything, honestly I didn't even know what to say.

He didn't push, he just turned the radio on to cover up for the silence.

I got home, and started doing my usual routine, read till I can no more.

I was waiting patiently for my parents to fall asleep so I can start my investigations again.

Just when I thought they had slept off, I heard a silent knock on my door. My parents came in.

"Hope we are not disturbing you?" my mother said.

"Naa" I said.

"I saw your mood today , you're acting unusual, you can talk to us you know". my mother said again.

Geez, was it that obvious?? and since when did I start becoming so emotional after loosing a friend.... maybe it's because I've never had a friend before.

Wait, was he even a friend to me?

"It's nothing" I lied.

"Baby girl , I saw the way you left the house today , that's not the same way you came back, what happened in school, someone bully you? failed a test? what?" my mom asked.

I paused my lips.

"I pushed Aaron away" I choked out.

"Why? what happened?"

"I don't know, I said something, and that wasn't what I meant, and he got it the other way, he thought I meant that he should stay away from me but that wasn't it, and he didn't even wait for me to talk, he just...he just..he just.." I couldn't talk again.

My mom wrapped her arms around me.

"It's okay , he's just upset , he'll get over it" she cooed.

"But what if he doesn't and never talk to me again, I mean, what was I even thinking? the second most popular guy in the school stooped to my level, introduced me to his friends, bought me novels, made me comfortable and I just pushed him away" I sobbed.

She gave me words of encouragement and advised me to sort things out with him later on.

After that, they left my room to allow me to sleep.

But I didn't sleep, I stayed awake for another one hour, making sure to they were asleep, then I went to my bag to bring out the files for the investigation, but they weren't there.

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I ran to my locker the next day praying and hoping that I had left it there, because if I loose it, I'm in serious trouble.

I searched my locker throwing everything out of it but couldn't find it.

I held my temples in confusion and fear.

What if it gets into the wrong hands, what the fuck am I going to do.

I started arranging my locker , then Aaron walked up to me holding my Cymberline.

He came to return it back.

He kept a serious face, not smiling like usual.

"Uhhh, Brittney, look I know you don't want to see me right now, but we need to talk..." he started.

"No no , it's not like that...i d..." he cut me off.

"I was reading this last night and I found this" he said bringing out the files.

My heart sunk and shattered into tiny pieces.

"Okay I'm confused because like this isn't any of my business or whatever, but what the fuck?" he asked.

My heart started pounding.

This was supposed to be a family secret.

If my parents find out that it reached someone's possession, I'm dead .

I stared at his questioning face.

I sighed and dragged him outside school.

This wasn't the place to have this kind of conversation.

I needed help by the way.

I have to tell him the truth.