Filed to story: Offered to the Lycan King Novel by Misha K (River & Hunter)
Lia’s m*outh dropped. Bereft, she stared and stared at Debra. Her mother confessed it all to Debra. But why? Was this letter her parting gift? Her penance? “Why did she tell you this all now?”
Debra shrugged. “I don’t know, Liah. Maybe she felt bad about it all. You know… When people are dying, they try to salvage their misdeeds…” She looked in front of her thinking about Nat.
There was a long silence after which Lia said, “I have to finish school. I will graduate in six months.”
“I know,” Debra sighed. “But with Garry in the town you won’t be safe. Where will you stay? This one month is crucial until you turn eighteen. If he won’t get you, he will report you out of spite and who knows that you are sent to foster care. I don’t trust Mrs. Morrison. She’s not as good as she portrays. Nat mentioned to her that she was taking bribes from her every month just to keep shut about your true identity. That woman had come to know that Nat had produced fake documents.”
“Jesus!” Lia was stunned. “This is far more complicated than I thought it would be. I was hoping to get a job at a restaurant and live alone.”
Debra let out a humorless chuckle. “You won’t be able to hide.” She reached for Lia’s h*and and squeezed it. “Lia, this is your chance to go and find your real father. Go. Get out of this rotten place. I will help you board the bus to wherever you will go.” Then she took out her purse, opened the zip and pulled out money. “I have an extra five hundred dollars I got as a gift last Christmas. Please take it.”
“No!” Lia shook her head. “I can’t.”
Debra opened Lia’s palm and placed the money on it. “This is all I can give. Don’t deny it.”
Lia looked at Debra as her vision blurred. She didn’t know why Debra was helping her. Was it that there were kind people in this world? Her faith in everyone was going down but with Debra’s gesture, she held on to that thin thread of trust. “Thank you…”
Debra smiled for the first time. “Good. So now you are going to stay hidden in this car parking lot until it is evening.
I am going out. Feed my number in your phone and call me where you want to go so that I can book your ticket.”
Lia smiled back and watched Debra getting out of the car. “I am going to fetch food for you.”
“I don’t want to eat. My stomach hurts.”
Debra frowned. “Why? Periods?”
Lia’s periods were a week later. “Yes,” she lied.
“Ah ok. I will get granola bars for you.” Debra closed the door and walked out of the parking lot. Lia watched her leaving. Once she was gone, Lia’s attention went back to the envelope in her h*and. She didn’t want to open it partially because she didn’t want to forgive Natalie, but she had to open it out of necessity. She had to know if Nat had said anything about her biological father or where he lived. She opened the envelope with a trembling h*and and pulled out the letter. She unfolded it and started reading.
Dear Lia,
I know things have been wild between us, but here I am. I went to the hospital for my check up after I vomited blood and came to know that I am in the last stages of cancer. I don’t have too long to live but before I leave this world, I want atonement. I don’t think I will get it…
Your father was a very nice man. His name is Shawn Mendez and his family lives in Middleton, Idaho. If you have a chance to meet him, tell him that I often thought about him, but I wasn’t in love with him.
Natalie.
Natalie, not mother.
The letter was long. Lia didn’t realize that she was crying until her tears dropped on it. Natalie had not once apologized for her behavior towards her but she had gone on to say what she and Garry did to live under the radar and keep getting the child support money.
Lia folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. She picked up her phone and called Debra. “I have to go to Middleton, Idaho.”
When Debra came back, it was dark. She opened the door of the car and said, “Garry is looking for you wildly. He went to my place but my son shooed him away after he made a huge show. I will have to sneak you to the bus stand.” She gave Lia the tickets and revved up the engine. They reached the bus stand in thirty minutes. Scared that Garry might be there, Debra helped Lia run to her bus by holding her bags. The bus was supposed to depart in twenty minutes and because the door was open, they rushed inside. “Here take this cap!” Debra made her wear a black cap. “Keep low. Tie your hair. They are a big give away.”
Lia chuckled as she tied her hair.
“I am leaving!” Debra said once she settled in her seat. She gave one last look at her and rushed out. Lia watched her till she disappeared from her sight. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and opened them when the bus started. As the bus rolled out of the stand, Lia’s eyes went to a man who was frantically whipping his head as if searching for someone. “S*hit!” She ducked her head and waited for a long time before lifting her head up again. The bus had hit the highway. She couldn’t help laughing quietly at her small victory.
“Aah!” Her stomach hurt again and she clutched it t*ightly. When the pain subsided, she leaned back and went off to sleep, happy that she was finally escaping and anxious as to what the future held for her. On the inside, she felt she had taken the right decision of leaving Blowing Rock, leaving her high school.
She had to change the bus once on her way. She reached Middleton at 10AM after forty hours of journey, several granola bars and tired as hell.
Lia got down from the bus, shivering despite the warm weather. She placed her h*and on her head. She knew she had a fever. She checked on her stock of granola bars and had it with the little Pepsi she had bought on the way. It was 7AM, and she hoped that no one noticed her.
The first that Lia did was to go to the address provided by Natalie in the letter. That house was easy to spot since all other properties in that locale were well-tended cottages in shades of various shades of gray, green and blue. Opulent porticos with rocking chairs and swings made the houses look cozy and beautiful.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?