~A special thank you to Emily for being the only one, who posted a review
for the last two chapters. Happy Holidays to everyone may you and your
families have a wonderful New Year.
Leah opened her eyes and looked around. It took her a few minutes, to remember what had happened. She now noticed her head was on Rob's lap. Rob was looking out the window, starring up at billboards.
She lifted her head up, and asked Rob, "Where are we?"
"Your awake, I thought you'd never wake up," he said cheerfully.
"Where are we?" she asked again.
"I don't know," he answered.
"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Rob asked.
"I'm not tired," Leah said, just before she yawned.
"You are so, go back to sleep. I'll even let you use my knee again," Rob said.
"You're too kind," Leah remarked sarcastically. She put her head down and drifted back to sleep.
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Peter leaned back in his chair. The police had come and gone, with their sirens on, waking all the students. All of them had been upset with the news. This was one of the hardest situations, in which he had ever been.
"Peter, why don't you take Ivy back to the house?" Sophie asked.
"No, I need to stay here," he answered.
"Take Ivy where?" Ivy asked confused. She had just woken from her slumber on the couch.
"Nowhere Ivy," Peter replied.
"Then why did you say Ivy?" Ivy asked.
"I was saying, that Ivy has a birthday tomorrow," Peter said, trying to smile.
"If Leah isn't back, I don't want a birthday," Ivy said. "Well, I'm afraid it will be your birthday, with or without Leah," Peter told her.
"Do you think Leah is okay?" Ivy asked.
"I think that Rob is making sure, that nothing happens to her," Peter said.
"I feel sorry for you and mom, someone took your good daughter," Ivy remarked.
"Our good daughter? Sweetie, why would you say that?" Sophie asked.
"Leah is perfect, she gets good grades, she never gets in trouble. Me, I'm just a reject. I'm surprised you keep me around," Ivy said.
"Ivy, you aren't a reject," Peter told her.
"I am so," Ivy retorted. "Why else would you send me away from Leah?"
"We weren't sending you away from Leah. We were getting you help for your problems," Sophie answered.
"Right, there aren't any other drug treatment programs, beside Horizon," Ivy remarked.
"Ivy the drugs, that you were using were pretty serious," Peter said.
"I don't care about the drugs. I never used them to get a high," Ivy told her parents.
"Then what were you using them for?" Sophie asked.
"The pain," Ivy quietly.
"What kind of pain could a syringe fix?" Peter asked.
"Loneliness," Ivy answered.
"How are you lonely?" Sophie asked.
"You and Dad have been ignoring Leah and I, for the past four years. That's a long time. You are always too busy with your precious little school, to spend any time with us," Ivy shouted.
"Ivy, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry that you feel this way," Sophie stated.
"It isn't just me, it's Leah too. I don't she'd ever dream of telling you. She keeps everything secret. I bet you didn't know your precious little Leah has been looking for our birth parents," Ivy blurted out.
"Leah has been doing what?" Peter questioned.
"She has been going to the library, just about everyday, searching for our birth parents. She knows their names, she knows that they had other kids. She has been doing this for over a month," Ivy informed them.
"Ivy, why are you telling us this now?" Sophie demanded, "Why didn't you say something when the police were here?"
"I didn't think it was relevant," Ivy said.
"You didn't think. Ivy, your sister is missing, and you are picking what information you're giving to the police, based on what you think is relevant," Sophie yelled.
"You know what? I don't need this, I don't need any of this," Ivy screamed as she stormed out of the room.
At first, Peter and Sophie just starred at each other; neither of them said a thing.
Finally, Sophie broke the silence, "Are you going to follow her?" she asked.
"Why would I do that?" Peter asked.
"Well maybe because she is about halfway to the entrance of the woods," Sophie answered.
"I thought, that she'd just went to sit and be alone," Peter said.
"She is moving a little fast for sitting," Sophie commented.
"I'll go," Peter said, as he grabbed his coat and headed outside. The cold December air met him. He started to run in the direction, that Ivy had gone. When he reached the woods, he pulled a flashlight out of his coat pocket. He only moved a few feet, when he saw Ivy sitting against the trunk of a tree.
"Are you hurt?" Peter asked.
"Not psychically," Ivy told him.
"Ivy, I'm having a really hard time understanding you. You say, that you've been hurting for a long, but why haven't you said anything until today?" Peter asked, as he sat down next to her on the ground.
"I don't know, maybe I thought you wouldn't care," Ivy responded.
"How could you ever think that?" He asked, pushing Ivy's hair out of her face. "I don't know. I don't know anything," Ivy said.
"You know lots of things," Peter told her.
"Like what?" Ivy asked.
"You know how to laugh, you know how to smile, you know how to break my heart," Peter responded.
"How do I break your heart?" Ivy asked.
"Anytime you do something to hurt yourself, it hurts me. I think it even hurts your mom more," Peter explained.
"If Leah comes back. I mean when Leah come back, can I go home?" Ivy asked.
"Are you ready to go home?" Peter asked.
"Yes, everyday I wake up wishing, that I were there, instead of here," Ivy said.
"We need to take this one step at a time. I can't make you any promises, but we shall see," Peter answered.
"Sounds good, Ivy said, "and Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Can we please go back, I'm freezing," Ivy said.
"We can go back," Peter said, pulling himself of the ground.
The pair was almost to the office, when Ivy said, "You're wrong."
"About what?" Peter asked.
"We can't go back, we can only move forward," Ivy said.
Leah opened her eyes and looked around. It took her a few minutes, to remember what had happened. She now noticed her head was on Rob's lap. Rob was looking out the window, starring up at billboards.
She lifted her head up, and asked Rob, "Where are we?"
"Your awake, I thought you'd never wake up," he said cheerfully.
"Where are we?" she asked again.
"I don't know," he answered.
"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Rob asked.
"I'm not tired," Leah said, just before she yawned.
"You are so, go back to sleep. I'll even let you use my knee again," Rob said.
"You're too kind," Leah remarked sarcastically. She put her head down and drifted back to sleep.
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Peter leaned back in his chair. The police had come and gone, with their sirens on, waking all the students. All of them had been upset with the news. This was one of the hardest situations, in which he had ever been.
"Peter, why don't you take Ivy back to the house?" Sophie asked.
"No, I need to stay here," he answered.
"Take Ivy where?" Ivy asked confused. She had just woken from her slumber on the couch.
"Nowhere Ivy," Peter replied.
"Then why did you say Ivy?" Ivy asked.
"I was saying, that Ivy has a birthday tomorrow," Peter said, trying to smile.
"If Leah isn't back, I don't want a birthday," Ivy said. "Well, I'm afraid it will be your birthday, with or without Leah," Peter told her.
"Do you think Leah is okay?" Ivy asked.
"I think that Rob is making sure, that nothing happens to her," Peter said.
"I feel sorry for you and mom, someone took your good daughter," Ivy remarked.
"Our good daughter? Sweetie, why would you say that?" Sophie asked.
"Leah is perfect, she gets good grades, she never gets in trouble. Me, I'm just a reject. I'm surprised you keep me around," Ivy said.
"Ivy, you aren't a reject," Peter told her.
"I am so," Ivy retorted. "Why else would you send me away from Leah?"
"We weren't sending you away from Leah. We were getting you help for your problems," Sophie answered.
"Right, there aren't any other drug treatment programs, beside Horizon," Ivy remarked.
"Ivy the drugs, that you were using were pretty serious," Peter said.
"I don't care about the drugs. I never used them to get a high," Ivy told her parents.
"Then what were you using them for?" Sophie asked.
"The pain," Ivy quietly.
"What kind of pain could a syringe fix?" Peter asked.
"Loneliness," Ivy answered.
"How are you lonely?" Sophie asked.
"You and Dad have been ignoring Leah and I, for the past four years. That's a long time. You are always too busy with your precious little school, to spend any time with us," Ivy shouted.
"Ivy, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry that you feel this way," Sophie stated.
"It isn't just me, it's Leah too. I don't she'd ever dream of telling you. She keeps everything secret. I bet you didn't know your precious little Leah has been looking for our birth parents," Ivy blurted out.
"Leah has been doing what?" Peter questioned.
"She has been going to the library, just about everyday, searching for our birth parents. She knows their names, she knows that they had other kids. She has been doing this for over a month," Ivy informed them.
"Ivy, why are you telling us this now?" Sophie demanded, "Why didn't you say something when the police were here?"
"I didn't think it was relevant," Ivy said.
"You didn't think. Ivy, your sister is missing, and you are picking what information you're giving to the police, based on what you think is relevant," Sophie yelled.
"You know what? I don't need this, I don't need any of this," Ivy screamed as she stormed out of the room.
At first, Peter and Sophie just starred at each other; neither of them said a thing.
Finally, Sophie broke the silence, "Are you going to follow her?" she asked.
"Why would I do that?" Peter asked.
"Well maybe because she is about halfway to the entrance of the woods," Sophie answered.
"I thought, that she'd just went to sit and be alone," Peter said.
"She is moving a little fast for sitting," Sophie commented.
"I'll go," Peter said, as he grabbed his coat and headed outside. The cold December air met him. He started to run in the direction, that Ivy had gone. When he reached the woods, he pulled a flashlight out of his coat pocket. He only moved a few feet, when he saw Ivy sitting against the trunk of a tree.
"Are you hurt?" Peter asked.
"Not psychically," Ivy told him.
"Ivy, I'm having a really hard time understanding you. You say, that you've been hurting for a long, but why haven't you said anything until today?" Peter asked, as he sat down next to her on the ground.
"I don't know, maybe I thought you wouldn't care," Ivy responded.
"How could you ever think that?" He asked, pushing Ivy's hair out of her face. "I don't know. I don't know anything," Ivy said.
"You know lots of things," Peter told her.
"Like what?" Ivy asked.
"You know how to laugh, you know how to smile, you know how to break my heart," Peter responded.
"How do I break your heart?" Ivy asked.
"Anytime you do something to hurt yourself, it hurts me. I think it even hurts your mom more," Peter explained.
"If Leah comes back. I mean when Leah come back, can I go home?" Ivy asked.
"Are you ready to go home?" Peter asked.
"Yes, everyday I wake up wishing, that I were there, instead of here," Ivy said.
"We need to take this one step at a time. I can't make you any promises, but we shall see," Peter answered.
"Sounds good, Ivy said, "and Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Can we please go back, I'm freezing," Ivy said.
"We can go back," Peter said, pulling himself of the ground.
The pair was almost to the office, when Ivy said, "You're wrong."
"About what?" Peter asked.
"We can't go back, we can only move forward," Ivy said.