Page 30 of Echoes of Eternity
“It’s about Elizabeth.” Pulling a vape pen out from a drawer in her desk, she set it on the table. “This was found in Elizabeth’s locker.”
Emily’s heart dropped into her stomach. “What? Really? Wait, I don’t mind your searching her locker, but why . . .”
Lifting a hand, Sarah nodded. “I know it’s strange, but it was a mandatory search after hours last night because some teachers saw smoke in the girls’ bathroom during school hours. It was brought to my attention at the end of the day.”
Tilting her head as she touched her forehead, Emily then rubbed her temple as she sighed. “How is this possible? She doesn’t even have friends . . .”
“The teachers noticed Elizabeth and Jasmine walking out of the bathrooms shortly before the smoke was seen. Or steam. Whatever it is with vape pens. I don’t know. The point is, this can’t happen at our school. The school board is meeting this afternoon to determine the consequences for Elizabeth. Hopefully it can be a warning this first time. I also am going to pull Jasmine and Elizabeth out of class to talk with them here in an hour or so. But I wanted to give you a heads-up before all this goes down because I consider us friends.”
A hint of a smile lifted on Emily’s lips despite the situation. As tears began to fall onto her cheeks, she said, “Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate it.”
“I’m so sorry this is happening, girl.”
“Thank you. I have no idea why she did this, and it will not happen again. I promise you that.”
Rising to her feet, she exited the office and thought of calling Ryan but stopped herself. She wanted to talk to her daughter first, to try to understand the rationality behind her choices.
A little later in the day, during her lunch, Ryan called her.
“I can’t focus on anything.”
“Why?” She bit her lip. Had Sarah or the office called him?
“This stuff about my dad . . . it’s upsetting. He lied about everything.”
Relief filled her for a moment, then she responded to his comment about his father. “He wasn’t the perfect man we thought.”
“Great. Now you hate my dad.”
“No. I just . . . I feel gross about it, Ryan. He wasn’t the man I looked up to as a father all these years. I thought he was a great man of God, and I kind of feel like you, that everything was a lie.”
Ryan was quiet for a long moment. Then he finally spoke. “It’s upsetting, I know, Em. But I just have to believe he kept the truth away from us all for a reason. From what my mother said, this town would never be okay with what happened, and I know for a fact that my siblings would struggle with the revelation.”
“Why would they be okay with what happened? The truth is that he was a liar, and they deserve to know who Frank really was. I don’t know if it’s right to keep it from them all. Doing so will make you carry on the torch of deception.”
“I just don’t think telling them is a good idea. They don’t need to know.”
“Well, I guess the good news is at least Linda is behind us all.” Seeing another teacher standing by her classroom door, Emily continued, “I have to go. Love you.”
Ryan’s prevailing thoughts of the day circled around his father and the mysterious child who had been conceived. As he created a banner graphic for a client’s website, his prior trip to Spokane invaded his mind. Then, he remembered the child who answered Linda’s door. He froze, realizing that must’ve been his half-sister.
Jumping up from his desk, he raked a hand through his hair as the disturbance echoed through his being.
Unsettled, he began to go through his father’s desk, searching desperately for any information about Tiffany. Yet, there was nothing. Just old bills, notes, and various meaningless papers. Not even a photograph.
Unsatisfied, he went up into the attic.
Searching through boxes of old keepsakes and pictures, he still couldn’t find anything.
The only thing left in the attic was an old moving box in the corner labeled: Cedarwood Creek Grill Finances
He wondered just how far the payments went back. Was it a full fifteen years, or did he start recently?
Ryan walked over and got down on his knees. Opening the box up, he immediately found an envelope marked with his name on top.
Weird, he thought as he lifted it and slowly began to open it.
It was a letter.