Chapter Nine:
For the record this is what four teens do when trapped in a evil man's office:
1. Dig through his desk, looking for some sort of something.
2. Bang on the windows and try to open then, they don't open (or break). Evil guys are smart about their windows.
3. Stare at each other.
4. Bang on door screaming help.
5. Smash your fist through all his pictures. (That was Ian and me.)
6. Sit in the chairs and cry.
7. Flip over his desk, you're done searching it anyway.
8. Try to break open the air vent. (He nailed it tight.)
9. Search desk for screw driver.
10. After finding no screw driver scream and beat on door again.
11. Try to break door down.
12. Cry again.
13. Pass out from not sleeping.
When I woke up again, I sat up and moaned. Still in Tower Prep. Ian was already up and walking around the room. I stood up. "Hey Ian."
Ian turned around, "Hi."
I walked over to him, "What's the matter?"
Ian sighed and looked out the window, "I failed Ceej, I promised I wouldn't let them take you, or Suki, or Gabe back. Now look where we are."
I put my hand on his arm, "Ian."
"No CJ, no."
"Ian!"
"CJ! I failed."
"You didn't fail."
"Then what do you call not being able to protect you all from Whisper and her army of Gnomes."
"You tried." I told him.
"And failed." Ian said.
"Ian!"
"Ceej."
"Ian, I love you."
Ian looked at me and smiled, "Ceej, I love you too."
And just as he leaned into kiss me the door was thrown open.
"Good morning." Headmaster cried. I jumped away from Ian.
"What's so good about it." Gabe muttered just now waking up.
Headmaster smiled at me, I rolled my eyes, "Candace, I'm going to allow you to talk to your mother."
"Mom is alive?"
"Yes very much Candace, but I must warn you now she may not know you."
"What? How, she's my mom! Did you brain wash her too?"
"No Candace, she's, well. She is in an asylum."
"An asylum?"
"Yes." Headmaster said.
"Why?"
"Your mother had a bad mental condition when I met her. They thought she had it under control with the medicine, but shortly after you were born, the meds stopped working. Your mother would have moments where she threaten to kill you or me. Then she be perfectly fine for hours even days."
"I wouldn't care. Why didn't she stay at home?"
"Because Candace, when you were four your mom picked up a knife against you. She never got close enough because you had picked up on her mood and called me at work. I had taught you how. I can rushing home. Your mom was throwing open doors looking for you. I had no choice but to call the cops."
"Mom wouldn't do something like that." I said tears started burning at my eyes.
"You can't remember her. I made sure."
"I know that but no mother would try to kill their child."
"But yours did. The cops were able to retain her. They put her in an asylum where she stays to this day. They are trying to cure her. She has her good days were she talks clam and talks about you. Then there are the days were they have to strap her to a table to stop her from hurting herself." Headmaster said.
I shook my head, "You! You! You took me from her!"
"Candace there was nothing else to do!"
"You wiped my memory of her! I would of liked to at least known the good side of her."
Ian grabbed my hand.
"Candace by the time you were old enough, she didn't have a good side."
I swallowed, "Let me talk to her."
Headmaster walked over to his desk, (We had set up right once again.) And pulled out a little cell phone. He clicked buttons on it and then handed it to me. "Here." He said.
I pressed it to my ear and looked out the window I was only kind of aware of Ian holding my free hand.
"Hello?" A voice asked.
"Mom?"
"Who is this?"
"Mom! It's Candace, CJ, your daughter." I said.
"Candace?" The women on the other end said.
"Yes."
"Candace, I had a daughter named Candace. My name is Candace."
Candace Junior, CJ. "That's me!"
"Your me?"
"No, I'm your daughter."
"My daughter? The last time I saw her was when she was four."
"Yeah, I know."
"Where is your father?" My mom asked.
"Standing behind me."
"I love you CJ." It was all the sudden. I took a deep breath in.
"I love you too mom."
"When can I see you?"
"I don't know mom."
"I want to see you." Her voice was angry now.
"Mom."
"I WANT TO SEE MY DAUGHTER!" She screamed.
"Mom?"
"Daughter, daughter? What daughter! I never had a daughter. Never. That's what I'll tell the cops. Stuff her body at the bottom of a lake..."
"I think that's enough." Headmaster said suddenly taking the phone before mom could continue.
He hung up.
I looked at Ian. Ian looked worried.
"That was your mom." Headmaster said.
"She did try to kill me." I said more to Ian then Headmaster.
"She did." Headmaster said.
"She was going to stuff my body in a lake and tell the police she never had a daughter." Warm tears dripped down my face. Ian reached his hand out for my cheek, and rubbed one tear away.
"She's still my mom." I managed.
"And I'm still your father." Headmaster said.
I shook my head, "A father would never take his daughter away."
"I did what I had to." Headmaster said.
Ian sighed, "I so hate to interrupt again, but what's the catch?"
"Catch?" Headmaster asked.
"Else I hit you that hard in the head, your still an evil old guy who would NOT let his daughter speak to her mother, else there was some kind of catch." Ian said.
"Mr. Archer. Or can I call you Ian. I'll call you Ian. There is no catch... for now."
"That's a catch!" Ian cried.
Headmaster smiled, "I see that Ian. I will need you later. Till then, goodbye." Headmaster turned and walked out.
Ian squeezed my hand.
"I'm going to die here aren't I?" I asked.
Ian shook his head, "Nope, I failed to keep you out so I'm going to break us out."
"Again?" Suki asked.
"Again but this time, I'll keep us out," Ian looked down at me and took my hands, "I swear."
I smiled, "Ian, I believe you."
"I'm going to need that." Ian said.
"So when this plan start."
Ian smiled, "As soon as I can."
I laughed, "Okay."
And then I laid my head on his chest and looked out the window. And for once, I didn't feel like screaming.