Yes, you read that title correctly. TWO CHAPTERS! Nope, I’m not pulling your leg. I don’t have money to give you all a gift, so my gift to you is this; two chapters every Saturday for the month of December. Did I think this through? Nope; but when has that stopped me? So, we will start with Hide – Chapter 16 and I’ll let you know when we start Lies – Chapter 17. Enjoy.
Hide – Chapter 16
Adam woke up, the dimly lit room slowly swimming into focus. Where was he? What happened? As his surroundings came into focus so did his memory. His parents had come to get him, there was a chase and then a crash. Then someone had taken him from his parents. He sat up,taking in his surroundings. The door opened and a kindly looking, elderly woman walked in carrying a tray.
“Oh good. You’re awake. You must be starving. How are you feeling?” She placed the tray on his lap and the smell of homemade muffins, fresh fruit, and oatmeal drifted up to him, reminding his stomach that he was starving. He managed a smile.
“Thank you. I am hungry. Where am I?” She sat in the armchair near his bed, motioning towards the food.
“Please, eat. There’s plenty more if you need it. You are safe in my home, Adam.” She saw the surprise cross his face, his muffin stopping its journey to his mouth. “I’ll explain, but only if you eat.” He took a bite of the muffin and she smiled at the look on his face. “They’re good? I just made them this morning.” Adam swallowed before speaking.
“This is amazing. I’ve been to some amazing bakeries, but your muffins put them to shame.” She smiled, looking quite pleased with herself. “What flavour are these, Mrs…?” Waiting till he took another bite, she settled back in her chair. It was then that Adam saw the dark circles under her eyes.
“Burma, Mrs. Burma is what everyone calls me. And that is a chocolate zucchini muffin. I have to say, those are my favourites. Now, to explain a bit more of what’s going on. Daniel and Nancy Ness are not who you think they are. Nancy used to work for my husband, as his assistant. Daniel worked with Mick, the man who drove you here. They both worked for a gentleman by the name of Wallace Vanderboon. He heads up a special agency, here in the states. They answer to the president of the United States!”
*
Mick joined Doctor Burma at the kitchen table, accepting the hot cup of coffee that was offered.
“You always have the best coffee. Thank you. How soon can we move Adam? I don’t think we can hide here much longer without putting you in danger.” The kind man waved the concern away.
“You worry too much Mick. You can hide here as long as we work through the lies the Ness couple has filled that boy with. Elijah doesn’t know about this place. Besides, I’ve reached out to Wallace to see what the next course of action should be. He is sending someone to help with an evacuation plan.” Mick raised an eyebrow.
“Just one person? Who?” He shrugged.
“He never said, but it must be one of his top agents if he is only sending one agent.” Mick stared into his coffee, believing he knew who it would be. He hoped he was wrong. She was still mad at him.
*
“The President? My dad worked for the President of the United States? I don’t buy it.” Mrs. Burma smiled.
“Yes, it’s true that Daniel worked for this agency, at one point. That was before he met Nancy. Things went sideways after the two met. You see, unknown to all of us, Nancy was working for a man named Elijah. He leads an ever growing number of followers. Their mission is to topple our government. Mr. Vanderboon’s agency was tasked with identifying all of his followers and arresting who they could, and killing whoever wouldn’t surrender.” Adam paused eating again.
“Wait. My dad is a secret agent and my mom is an enemy spy? You do realise how rediculous this all sounds, right? There’s no way you’re talking about my parents.” She smiled sadly.
“Why do you think they hide so much and tell you so many lies? You see, Adam, Daniel betrayed the agency when he found out about Nancy, because he loved her. They went into hiding.”
“We are talking about my parents here.” She shook her head.
“I never called them your parents, did I?”
Lies – Chapter 17
“Daniel?” Sighing with relief, Daniel moved from the window to his wife’s side, gently taking her hand as he sat on the edge of her bed. Her smile disappeared when she looked around the room. “Where’s Adam?” Daniel ran his free hand through his hair.
“I don’t know. When I came to the paramedics said that it was just the two of us found at the scene. The police have been searching for him all night, but so far, no sign of him.” He gently held her down as she tried to sit up. “Take it easy, my love. You have three broken ribs and two fractured ribs. One of the broken ribs had to be reset more than the others because it was putting pressure on your lungs.” Nancy looked at her husband, helpless.
“We need to find Adam. If Vanderbloon’s people found him, they will tell him everything. The lies that we have been telling him, while we tried to hide will come to light. We’ll never get him back! Elijah-” She broke off crying and Daniel moved to sit in the bed next to her, cradling her in his arms as her tears soaked into his t-shirt.
“Shhh. We will figure this all out. We have to.”
*
Doctor Burma rushed into the room, his eyes landing on the tray and all the contents on the floor before looking at Adam and seeing the hurt and anger in his eyes. The man turned as Mick and Drew rushed in.
“It’s okay. Get a broom and mop to clean this up. My dear, are you alright?” Mrs. Burma managed a shaky smile. When she told Adam that his parents were not his parents, he had lost it and thrown the tray, calling her a liar.
“I am alright, just startled is all. Perhaps I should have told him a bit more gently than I did.” She accepted his help getting up, seeing the concern on his face. “My heart is fine. I’m more worried about Adam right now.” The doctor turned to the young man, who seemed to have calmed down a bit as he listened to the conversation. Guilt replaced the anger.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-” His voice trailed off, hot tears starting to run down his face. Stepping over the mess, Mrs. Burma hurried to his side, perching on the side of his bed and pulling him into a hug. Instinctively, Adam hugged her back. Her husband smiled and walked around to the other side of Adam’s bed as Mick and Drew returned with cleaning supplies.
“Adam, why don’t you and I take a walk?”
*
Adam followed the doctor outside, the two moving to sit on the porch bench. The sunlight peeked through the trees as they danced with the gentle breeze. His clothing had been dirty and the man they called Drew had brought him some clean clothes. He was surprised that the dark jeans fit him properly, and the t-shirt was light and loose, perfect for the warm weather.
“Has my life really been a bunch of lies?” The doctor pulled out a pipe and lit it, puffing it. Adam couldn’t help but smile. With his curly white hair and large rimmed glasses, the pipe just added to the look. There was something about these people that bothered Adam. They, in the short time he had been with them, had shown his kindness, empathy, and seemed to be more honest with him than his parents ever had. He stared at the ground. Not his parents, if they were telling the truth.
“Adam, did you really believe everything was okay? Would you call your parents normal?” Adam felt the doctor’s eyes on him and shook his head. “Then why do you think that what we are telling you is just a bunch of lies?” Sighing, Adam looked out across the yard, watching a squirrel chase another up a tree.
“I knew my parents were lying about something, but never once did I think they were lying about being my parents. I’m sixteen, unless that’s a lie too.” The older man shook his head and Adam continued. “That means for sixteen years, everything I thought I knew about myself, who I am, has been a bunch of lies. What am I supposed to do with that?” The doctor puffed his pipe for a moment before replying.
“Let me tell you who you really are!”
Hide and Lies
I know, Lies was a bit on the shorter side. Sorry. I’m a bit short on time again today. But, it looks like we are starting to get somewhere. Adam is starting to get some answers. Finally, am I right? Will Adam be able to work through all the lies and how long do they have to hide? Well, that’s all that we are getting today, but stay tuned next week for our next two chapters. Have a great rest of your weekend.
