A/N: So sorry for such a long wait! If you've been reading Take What Comes; Make Life Count, then you know life's been a bit crazy for me... Anyway, thank you so much for the amazing review phangirl4eva ! You drowned out my sour mood from the review I'd gotten the day before! :) No, I don't take bad reviews seriously, but with all that's going on, sometimes I take something little and turn it into something bad... So thank you again! :D Anyway, enough of me!
"So where should we start?" I asked Victoria. "Well, I heard a little bit... but not much," she said. "Like?" "Well, before I say anything about that... I think my father may have set this all up. When the stock-market crashed... my father began to get very mean and angry. He would yell at my mother, saying he hated being poor-like she could've stopped it all. That's why he went to your house in search of that necklace. He knew your mother had it, and he knew it was worth a lot of money. He wanted at least half of his fortune back... then he aimed for you two, and the bullet backfired. I think he was thinking of two options. Kill you, and take the necklace-with the guilt... or just stop it all," Victoria said. I looked at her and said, "When did you think of this?" "Well... I had been trying to piece it together since you told me my father died," she said, looking at the ground, feeling slightly guilty.
"It's a bit too late for that... but it may come in handy later," I said. She nodded and said, "Now, onto what I heard. I heard my grandmother-and mother-discussing Dannon. They said they were taking him some place you'd refuse to look," she said. I racked my brain, but I came up with so many places I refused to go.
There was home... Dad's home-if my dream was even real then... there was even the old...
Suddenly an idea hit me. The Therapists? Or even that alley I almost got taken in. I cringed at the thought and Victoria looked at me and said, "What is it?" "The alley..." I said quietly. She raised her eyebrows-too much Cal... "I almost got... um... into a sticky spot in the alleyway near my old therapist's office. I don't think they'd take him there, but they might take him somewhere near there," I say. "Great thinking!" Victoria said. "Where is that?" she asked. "Santa Monica, California," I replied. "Where are we?" I ask.
"To be honest, even I don't know," she said.
Abbey...
I gasped. Victoria's eyes grew wide and she said, "What?"
Abbey...
"This is gonna sound really weird... but, um, well..." might as well say it, I thought. "Well, I can see my father," I said lightly. "Your dead father?" Victoria asked. "Way to phrase it, and yes. My only father," I said.
Abbey...
"Great timing," I say bitterly to the empty air around us. "Abbey," my father's voice said. "What?" I ask. Victoria looked around the room, then at me as though I'd gone crazy. I held up my hand and told her to just stay. She nodded, but I could audibly hear her swallow. "You know the answer," my father's voice said. I felt like bursting into tears. I didn't know the answer. What the hell was my father talking about?
"What do you mean?" I asked. "What's he saying?" Victoria asked. I waved her off. "You know exactly where they've taken Dannon. You know." my father said. A strong urge to scream overcame me, but I overpowered it, and said, "What do I know exactly?" "You know that one place you don't want to go," he said. "You're very irritating right now. You're supposed to help me! If you know, why aren't you saying anything?" I snap. "Just think," he said.
Suddenly the air in the room shifted, and I knew he wasn't listening anymore. Maybe I could never really hear him. Maybe my head was playing tricks... but it was a nice trick. I got to see him, didn't I? Yes, it was probably unhealthy, but screw it.
If he could help-even a little bit-then what was the harm?
"What'd he say?" Victoria asked, after I was quiet. "He said that I know where Dannon is... but he's wrong. I don't," I said. Victoria slouched a bit, defeated. "Well... maybe you do... deep down, you know?" she said. "No, I don't know," I said, frustrated. She frowned and said, "Well... maybe I do," she said. My head shot up quickly. "If you do, then why the hell haven't you said anything?" I snap.
She smiled. "Because, hon. We're still enemies. I may have seemed convincing, but I can't take credit for it. Daddy's money and a couple of acting classes doesn't hurt," she said. "Please tell me you're joking," I said, mostly to myself. "Oh... it's not joke," she said. I glared daggers at her, and suddenly she began laughing.
"Gotta lovee acting," she said. Now I was confused. "What the hell?" "I am joking," she laughed. "I really don't know... but I have been thinking. And we're friends... again," she said. My hands began to shake. Dammit, I wanted to hit something. I had my father's temper.
"What'cha got?" I asked, defeated. She took a deep breath. "Someone who wanted to hurt you... I think Dannon was given to them..." she said.
Oh shit.
A/N: Sorry! I'm evil. Cliffy and what... 900+ words? Sorry again! I just have so much to deal with-even on vacation. Again, if you've read TWC;MLC, then you know. I've updated mulitples stories today though, so... have I paid off my debt? :D