Chapter Three: Pictures and Revelations

Y/n: Okay we got almost the whole day to find something. You check the living room and I'll check the kitchen.

Jesse: Yeah. Wait, what exactly am I looking for?

Y/n: Pictures of anyone else but me and my grandma. Or if you see a journal open it in case it's hers.

Jesse: Alright.

You both head off into the different rooms of the home and while you search in the kitchen for any clues, Jesse shouts from the living.

Jesse: So this lady, Alice, is your real mom?

Y/n: I don't know. That's why we're looking for something that belongs to her or a picture of her.

You search every drawer and cabinet and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Jesse: And your dad? Trevor?

Y/n: Same thing.

Jesse: Damn, this is just crazy as hell. I mean... you do like them, especially Trevor. I don't think the company would make the mistake of letting you see these people if they weren't your real parents.

Y/n: Yeah but here's the other crazy part about it.

You go into the living room, see her look under the couch, and help by unzipping the cover of the pillows and searching it. You don't see anything, but you just want to make sure you check everything.

Y/n: My grandma doesn't like to talk about either of them. Not even her own daughter. Like it's one thing to feel uncomfortable talking about it when they recently passed, but I'm 15. I'm almost going to be an adult and I don't even know what my parents were like when they were alive.

Jesse: Until now, the website itself should be all the proof you need.

Y/n: Yeah but... I went to my parents' graves. I remember my grandma taking me to the cemetery to see them. And every time I saw them, I felt like they were there with me. I don't know, I just need more proof okay? That's why we're here looking for shit about my own parents. Anything, pictures, records, anything.

Jesse: Well... if she doesn't want you to know about them, then more than likely it'll be in her room.

Y/n: Right, let's check there.

Your mind's still racing with questions, but you think to most fucked up thing about this whole thing is that if Alice and Trevor are your real parents, then that means your grandma went as far as putting fake gravestones and letting you cry over them just to keep this secret. It'll be the most fucked up thing you'll ever hear if that's true.

You open your grandma's bedroom seeing nothing unusual about it. Everything's the same.

Y/n: I'll go look in the closet, you go look under her bed. And if you move something remember to put it back exactly where you found it.

Jesse: Girl this ain't my first sneak into other people's stuff mission.

While Jesse looks under the bed, you open her closet door and kneel down to see if there is a box or something in there.

Jesse: Nothing but dust here. You think it'll be in her drawers?

Y/n: Maybe, but hold on. I'm going to make sure it still looks like no one went through her drawers.

Jesse: You're worrying too much about that, I got this.

You stand up, turning towards her as you walk over to the drawers where she is. The last thing you want is for her to mess something up and your grandmother noticing that someone went looking through her drawers.

Y/n: You go check the closet in case you see something that I didn't.

Jesse: Fine, but I'm going to get a snack first, Do you want anything?

Y/n: (You open one of the drawers) No, I'm good.

You open the drawers and carefully move her clothing up to see if there's anything hidden beneath them. From underwear, and bras, so far you can't find anything other than those. Then you hear Jesse call out your name from the hallway.

Jesse: Hey Y/n.

Y/n: Yeah? (You still check the drawers)

Jesse: What about checking the attic?

Y/n: What attic?

Jesse: This one, the only one you guys have.

When you turn around, you see her standing in the hallway staring at the ceiling. You almost forgot, you guys technically have an attic, but it's been closed off as far back as you can remember. You walk up to her looking up at the ceiling and seeing the closed attic door.

Y/n: Oh yeah that attic. But it's been sealed off. We won't be able to get it opened.

Jesse: How do you know it's sealed?

Y/n: Well my grandma told me, that, and I never once seen her go up there. Everything like Christmas decorations, boxes, lights, there're in the shed.

Jesse: Oh! I know you guys have a ladder. Let's get that and see if we can open it.

Y/n: You think there could be something up there?

Jesse: Yeah, if there's nothing in her room about her own child, then it's got to be in the attic. What if she was the one that sealed it off just so you don't get up there?

Y/n:...

There's still a big part of you that doesn't want to believe your grandma could lie to you about your own parents. The only reason you believe that Alice and Trevor aren't your parents is that you believe and trust everything your grandmother told you. You can't even imagine losing trust in your own grandmother, the one who raised you since you were a baby. The one who raised you as her own. You thought you two shared everything about each other and there weren't any dark secrets.

Jesse: I know I can't relate to the shit that's happening right now, but if you really want some clarity, then we need to check the attic.

Y/n: (You nod your head yes) Okay. Let's do it.

You two go outside to retrieve the ladder and lift it into the home. After setting it in place, Jesse tells you to keep hold of the ladder while she heads up, holding a knife in her hands so she can try to open it since there's no little rope to open it. As she tries to open it, you lighten up the room.

Y/n: (You smile) Won't it be funny if a mouse jumps out as soon as you open it?

Jesse: Shut up, don't jinx it.

Y/n: I'm just saying.

Jesse: What if we find a bunch of hippie shit she was probably into back in the day?

Y/n: She was a hippie. She told me back then that she used to go from place to place in California with her hippie friends. But then she realized that she wanted to live a normal life with my granddad and they moved up to North Yankton with him.

Jesse: Aww, wait... Is that in Canada?

Y/n: Yeah.

Jesse: So she went from wearing tank tops and dresses to thick jackets every day, even in the summer? I would have just stayed in California if it meant not freezing my ass off and befriending a bear.

Y/n: My granddad worked in a fishing company up there, and he made good money doing it. He convinced her to move up there to start a new life together and stuff.

Jesse: (Focuses on sliding the knife between the crack) I think I got it, but umm. What was he doing in California?

Y/n: Oh he was just on a business trip with a few of his co-workers. And he met my grandma at a protest rally in front of the jailhouse.

Jesse: I got it!

You help keep the ladder still as she climbs back down and the attic door rests on top of the first step. Once she comes down and you move the ladder all the way to the side, the attic door ladder comes down.

Jesse: Well, here comes another moment of truth.

You look at her, say nothing and climb up the attic ladder, with Jesse following right behind. You're hoping there's nothing up there and that the DNA website just made a mistake. But then again... if they are your actual parents and you see them... would they want you in their life?

You two make it up to the attic. The first things you see are the large cardboard boxes and plastic containers. You've never been in here before, and you wonder what could be in each of those boxes since you don't recognize any of them.

Jesse: Hm, looks like we got some digging to do.

Y/n: ... Yeah. I'll look in the cardboard boxes.

Jesse: (Places a hand on your shoulder) Hey, no matter what happens. Your grandma still loves you, and if she did lie to you about your parents, maybe it was for a good reason.

Y/n: (Nod) I know. I'm not going to stop loving her for it, it's just... it's just going to be hard to trust her again, you know.

Jesse: I get that.

Sifting through old decors, lights, books, and small furniture, minutes pass. You don't find anything relating to either Alice or Trevor, maybe not yet.

Jesse: Hey I wanna ask and you don't have to answer if you don't want to answer this, but do you think you look like them? In any way?

Y/n: Well I... my eyes look like Trevor's eyes and I also have his hair color. And... I think my nose looks like Alice's nose. Um...

Jesse: Are you... slowly easing into the idea?

Y/n: Uhh... I don't know if-

Jesse: Wait! I found something!

You hurry over to her, seeing she's holding an old photo book she got from one of the small cardboard boxes in front of her. On the cover of the photo book, it's a picture of your grandma holding you as an infant. You know it's you since you recognize the pink quilt blanket. Your grandma bought it from the hospital gift shop and it's still in your closet right now.

You both look at each other and you nod your head for her to open it. She opens the photo book to the first page. It's the same picture as the one on the cover but it's larger and it includes you as an infant, your grandma who's holding you, and a woman laying on the hospital bed.

Jesse: Is that?...

Y/n: Alice Peterson...

You pull up your phone and go to Alice's picture on the DNA website before you compare the two pictures.

Y/n: It's Alice... Alice is... my mom...

You take the photo book from her and turn the pages. Seeing more pictures of the three of you. On the last page, it's just your mom holding you in her arms as she smiles and looks down at you while you sleep.

Slowly putting the photo book down, you walk across the other side of the attic. You're shocked... speechless... all this time... you had a mom and dad... but wait...

Y/n: Wait...(You hurry back and pick up the photo book) Is Trevor in here?

Jesse: Uhh... not that I saw, go back.

You look back at every picture from beginning to end, but Trevor is nowhere to be found. Questions are going back and forth in your mind, like why isn't he anywhere in the room? Did something happened to him? Where is Trevor Philips right now? But more importantly...

Y/n: She lied to me... my parents are still alive...

Jesse: Jesus I... I'm sorry you had to find out this way but... maybe this could be your chance to find them.

Y/n: I know the prison Alice is in right now but even the DNA website didn't know where Trevor is. Also...

You go back to the first page, seeing your grandmother holding you as an infant. It's one of her brightest smiles you've ever seen. She looks so happy holding you. But you don't understand why she told you both of them were dead, even taking you to their gravestones. Even the gravestones have completely different names, and there were penalty times when you cried. Did she seriously just let you cry over empty graves?!

You know what you have to do now. You have to go meet your mom and find your dad. But the hard part of this is not knowing rather or not either of them wants anything to do with you. Especially your dad, since he's not in any of the pictures, meaning that he wasn't there when you were born. You're going to confront your grandma. You need answers.