Like Mother, Like Daughter
Part twenty-one of the 'Robyn' series.
The truth was out. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. They had to face those they had lied to, all of them guilty of hiding something, hiding something they should never have kept from those they loved and those that loved them. Their crime was great. They had risked the lives of those around them, their friends, by keeping from them the awful truth of a killer on the loose, a killer they had all thought long buried, buried in the mists of time never to harm them again. Their fears had been realised when the killer themselves had revealed the truth and risen questions that had to be answered, answered by the people that had lied to the people of the town they lived in. It was those people that wanted answers. It was those people that would make sure they received the answers they deserved. They would not accept any more lies. The truth had to be told no matter how painful it was.
There was no other option.
Filled with bitter resentment, frightened, hurt and angry they turned to those charged with lying. Their eyes gazed on them with emotions that seemed to conflict with thoughts that tried to convince them that things weren't as bad as they thought, that this was something they could forgive but their feelings told them otherwise, they wouldn't listen. Analysing those feelings as best they could they seemed to be bent towards one person more than they were to the others guilty of the subterfuge.
She had hurt them the most. They felt it had been her decision to lie. She had lied to them more than the others. She was the one that had known of the killer, she was the one that had said nothing in the years that had passed. They looked at her, she was sitting silently. Her eyes turned to the floor, her lips pursed. Upon her face they could see no trace of guilt, there seemed to be defiance etched in the surface of her skin. It was a defiance that stirred their anger.
Something was stirring deep within her. A storm was raging that hadn't seemed to die since it had last been summoned. She could feel everyone around her, their raw emotions setting the room on fire. They were all around her, the tension they generated burning her. She wanted to be away, far away from them but there was no escape. The storm grew as her feelings intensified. She closed her eyes tight shut and tried to dispel the emotions threatening to tear her to pieces.
No one in the room noticed the lights beginning to flicker or small cracks forming in the windows.
No one had spoken, yet. No one knew what to say. Their thoughts couldn't be translated into words that they could force from their lips. The truth was hard for them to deal with, the reality of what had happened almost inconceivable. A girl they had known since she had been an infant cradled in the arms of a man they had thought was her father had lied to them. She had betrayed them. They couldn't quite believe that she could have done something like that but it had happened.
That's what made them feel so bad.
When finally they did speak they all spoke out at once, their voices rising in unison. They cried out for answers, all fighting to be heard above the others. They merged into one, no one word distinguishable in the noise. Their tension wasn't eased by letting their thoughts run freely in words, it was exacerbated.
The cracks in the windows began to grow, spreading out like spider webs and the lights continued to flicker.
The voices continued to escalate, deafening everything around them in their quest to make themselves heard, to make the ears that ignored them listen to what they had to say. They wanted the pursed lips to open, to let the words they wanted to hear pass through them but they remained tightly shut. Fuelled by their anger, hurt and fear darkened by confusion they continued their onslaught caring little for the person trying to stop their madness or the hurt they were inflicting on the person in the middle of it.
Elias looked up as the lights seemed to turn themselves off and then on again, he could hear the power running through them. The cracks expanded.
As moments slipped by the clamour continued, rising in fever. Elias' men stood back while their leader shook himself from his surprise and began to shout himself, something was happening and he had to stop it. His voice was thrown back by the others shaking the air. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't penetrate the wall they had raised around themselves.
Robyn's eyes suddenly flew open. Life seemed to have returned to her body.
"Stop it!" She screamed, at the same time the lights exploded and the windows shattered throwing shards of glass everywhere.
The room fell silent. Nobody moved. Everyone looked around. Glass was everywhere but no one had been hurt. None of them knew how what had happened occurred. They were too shocked to think of the only person capable of such an act.
"Isn't that better?" A voice filled the room, a voice marked with a harsh tone.
The eyes of those in the room turned to a person standing in the corner that they hadn't noticed before. There was something about him that was familiar, they were sure they had seen him somewhere before. It was Detective Miller.
"At least now you can listen rather than shout. I see many of you recognise me. We've met before, many years ago."
Pixel nodded, "The day Mr Snail came to get Robyn."
"Yes. After all those years I never expected to see such a sight. All of you victimising the only innocent person in this room. I know she didn't tell you about Lily, she couldn't. There are things you don't know, things you can't understand but I have been permitted to speak, to open your eyes. You all know of Robyn's powers, what happened just now was an example of that. With those powers comes a very real danger to her. There are people that don't want her to have the abilities she has, they have made attempts on her life in the past and have threatened the lives of others. It was one such threat that stopped her telling you about Lily, a threat on Robbie's life. If she had told him or anyone else he would have died and so would they. If someone had asked why that person had died they would have died and it would have gone on and on until there was no one left. You ask the wrong questions and you die, you know too much and you die. That's how it works."
"Who are these people?" Trixie asked her expression one of confusion.
Detective Miller tried not to look at Michael as he answered, "I can't say. I can't name them, I can only warn you of what they can do. You remember when you asked Robyn about me, Trixie?"
Trixie nodded, she was slowly remembering what had happened.
"Your car blowing up was no accident, it was a warning. It was their way of telling you to back off. If Robyn hadn't have pushed you down that explosion would have killed you. You all have to understand that what Robyn did was for your protection. I'll leave you now, I've said enough. I suggest you all go home and go to bed."
In the blink of an eye Detective Miller was gone. He hoped that what he had said had gone some way to repair the damage Lily had done.
If it hadn't he had a lot of work to do.