A/N: Hola! I'm back from England, and it was brilliant and smashing! It's nice to be home, though, and have regular Internet access. : ) I ended up working a lot on this story, and a bit on LSAI. I have lots to type up, so please let me know what you think. I'll be posting more of this story within the next few days. Thanks for waiting for me!
Nick and Sara felt the guiltiest they'd ever felt in their lives a few days later when they dropped off Kelsey at Butterfield Academy for her first day of school. She hadn't said a word to her parents on the way there or when they pulled up to the door. Perfectly pressed in her dark green and navy plaid skirt, white blouse, and navy cardigan, her scowling face didn't seem to match at all.
"Bye, sweetheart." Sara called from the Denali as Kelsey closed the back door. Kelsey just slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked in to what she felt would be a living nightmare.
Her mother sighed from the car, tired of being ignored and shunned. They watched her until she disappeared into the door, because she'd threatened to run away from school of they actually sent her. It hurt them that they had to take such extreme measures, but it had sadly become necessary. Nick would call the school later to make sure she'd gone to her classes.
Nick took and kissed his wife' hand as they pulled away. He could tell how much this was upsetting her, and he felt there was nothing they could do any more. They'd tried everything, but nothing seemed to make a difference with Kelsey – she didn't want to be helped. Nick had also been thinking about what Warrick had brought up – his daughter was being so secretive and careful with many things in her life. Little things were starting to add up – never wearing a tank top though she did before; locking her door all the time; never swimming or sunbathing. These were all typical teen behaviors Nick and Sara had seen in Kelsey years before, but that they never saw now.
"Sara?" Nick said softly after a while. She'd been in a daze and Nick thought now would be a good time to bring up Warrick's concerns since her problems were so fresh in their minds.
"Huh?" She managed to snap out.
"Can we talk more about Kelsey? I have more concerns."
Sar put her head in her hand. Obviously, she was still very frustrated, as he was.
"Now? In the car?"
"When we get home, I mean." He clarified, stealing glances at his wife.
"Okay." It was sad in a 'I can't take much more of this' tone that he growing more accustomed to.
Minutes later, Nick was sitting his wife down at the kitchen table and explaining Warrick's thoughts to her.
"He wants us to investigate her?" Sara gaped. "Our own daughter? Is he crazy?"
"Sar, he has a point."
"What point is that?"
"She's been acting strange for a while now, and it's our job to figure out why. We don't know what she's been doing in her room. She locks it and barely says a word to us."
"Well, I've never seen anything in her room." Sara said, knowing better. She thought something was really wrong for a long time, but it's a hard thing for a parent to come to terms with. Denying it and explaining it away was a safe feeling that she wasn't sure she wanted to give away.
"Sara, you know better than anyone that doesn't mean anything. People are sneaky, and our daughter is a master at that."
"What do you think she's doing?"
"I don't know, but I want to find out. We need to find out."
"So, you want to snoop around in your daughter's bedroom? If she finds out, she'll never speak to us again!"
"She doesn't speak to us already, Sar." He pointed out, rubbing her leg supportively. "Sweetheart, if she's doing something really dangerous, we need to do something. Pretending there's no problem won't help."
Sara started crying softly. It was all too much in such a short time. Nick held her softly and stroked her hair as she cried.
"I just want her to be normal."
"Baby, we haven't done anything wrong. She's just so angry. She'll get through it, but right now we need to make sure she's keeping safe."
"Well, wouldn't drugs or alcohol affect her blood-sugar level?"
"I don't know sweetheart. Probably." Nick guessed. It wasn't something he dreamed of looking into that affected Kelsey's condition at this stage in her life.
"Alright. Let's get this over with."
Nick and Sara spent the next hour searching through their daughter's room. Nick concentrated on her closet and desk, whereas Sara searched her bed and underneath her dresser drawers and nightstand. It felt very wrong to be investigating Kelsey like they did the worst suspects, but they wouldn't be doing this unless they thought it was completely necessary. Kelsey had left them no choice.
After a long time, all they had found were old magazines, dirty clothes, and a few unapproved CDs. Nick sighed as he searched through her bottom desk drawer. He sifted through junk and old school notebooks until he reached a tiny cranny in the back. Nick picked up a tiny paper bag and opened it – it was full of bloodied tissues.
"Sar, I think I found something." He announced reluctantly, pulling one of the tissues from the bag. Sara joined him crouching on the floor.
"There's at least a dozen in there." Sara estimated, examining one.
"What the hell was she doing?" Nick asked, a little grossed out, but just overall concerned. "Why would she keep a dozen used, bloody tissue in her desk drawer?"
"She's hiding them."
"Why? Nosebleeds? Does she have a blood fetish or something?" They had seen a variety of odd things over the years. Hiding nosebleeds didn't seem rational.
"Nick!" Sara stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't you see it? Locking the door, being secretive, never showing her upper arms and now bloody tissues. I think she's cutting herself."
Sara had seen such cases before and couldn't see how she could've missed the signs. Granted, every case was different, but she should be able to see it in her own daughter. It had been such a drastic change in attitude and demeanor, but Sara also new cutters could be very good about hiding the evidence. But, luckily Kelsey's parents were experts in finding and analyzing evidence.
"Cutting? It could be from her blood-sugar testing." Now Nick was the one in denial.
"That much blood? And why would she take such lengths to hide it if it was just for that? We know she tests her blood."
"Sara, you're being ri-"
"You were the one to say if she has a problem, we need to fix it."
Nick thought about what he'd been saying for a moment, and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Sar. I didn't know it would be this serious and calculated. And I mean, don't girls usually cut their wrists?"
"No, it's different case to case. Kelsey probably cuts her shoulders and upper arms."
"How? And why?"
"With some sharp object. We should probably check all of them in this room for blood evidence. And why? She's probably down on herself. You know what her behavior's been like."
"Okay, and how to we confront her?"
"I don't know, Nick. Not yet. Not when we're still angry and shocked."
Nick searched through her desk drawer a little more for an object she may have used to cut herself with. He found nothing. Sara searched her nightstand again and under mattress, and again found no clues.
"I don't see anything, Sar. How about the razor she uses to shave?"
Nick and Sara ended up testing her shaving razor, scissors, and a few pieces from her manicure kit. Apart for a few spots that could be explained away by unavoidable slips of the hand, there was nothing Kelsey could've been using. They were at a dead end, and not sure whether to confront Kelsey immediately or not.
"Maybe we should just ask her about it." Sara reasoned.
"She'll be upset. And what if we're wrong?"
"I wish we were, but I really don't think so."
Nick brought Sara into a supportive embrace. They held each other as they wondered how life had turned so difficult.
