EIGHTEEN MEET THE PARENTS #2
Jack looks giddy. He’s never mentioned fancying Becky, but I imagine he’d drool over any girl who gives him that sort of attention.
‘I’m going to class,’ Lily says, rising from her seat with a huff. ‘See you later, Liam.’ She takes off out of the refectory, deserting her half-eaten pasta salad.
‘Is she pissed at me?’ Jack says.
‘You might want to tone down the “epic open day” narrative. Lily’s still sore about losing out to Becky for the Student Council Chair,’ I advise.
‘Ah, right. I should probably hold off asking her, then.’
‘Asking her what?’
‘Festive Fling. Not long away, mate.’
‘Are you sure that’s a good idea…’
‘I know she turned me down before, but it’s Christmas and there’ll be dancing. She’s into that shit, right?’
Jack has a point – Lily is Christmas obsessed, and she can’t resist a dancefloor. But with Jack? I don’t want him depressed during the festive season if she says no again. But I want to be encouraging.
‘Okay, first of all, maybe don’t refer to that stuff as “shit”.’
‘Got ya,’ he says, nodding.
‘Second, you may want to stop drooling over girls like Becky when they walk past.’
‘Er… you noticed that?’
‘Third, why don’t you ask her more casually this time? For instance, don’t ask her out in a suit.’
I still can’t get over it.
‘What? She told me at prom that she liked my tux.’
‘That doesn’t mean to turn up to her house in it like you’re going to propose!’
I’m not exactly the best source of dating advice, especially considering I’ve never really dated myself. But going all 007 when asking someone on a date is not okay.
‘Alright. Maybe I’ll slip it into conversation at games night tomorrow. Speaking of, is Tariq coming?’
I’d almost forgotten about that. The thought of Tariq spending an evening with my friends didn’t seem so bad a couple of days ago, but now we’ve kissed, things might be a bit more awkward.
‘Yeah, I think so,’ I say.
‘Good, because I might bring along a bottle of voddy, courtesy of my dad’s drinks cabinet. We’ll all get a little messy over Monopoly. And, if you and Tariq leave feeling a bit… looser, you may be in with a chance of losing your v-card. Unless it’s happened already?’ Jack glares at me.
‘No. I haven’t… I mean… we haven’t gone that far. We’ve only kissed, that’s all.’
‘Are we talking a full-on Ledger and Gyllenhaal “I need you up that mountain” sort of kiss, or was it tamer? Like Simon and Bram on the Ferris wheel?’
I must admit, kissing Tariq did feel like a scene out of a movie.
I had my first kiss, and it was incredible.
Is that how all kisses feel, or is it just the first one?
I open my mouth to reply but I’m distracted by something out in the corridor.
My gaze shifts past Jack. A couple – man and woman – are chatting with one of the administrative staff members.
They seem upset; the woman’s mascara has run down her face. The man’s arm is draped around her.
‘Who are they?’ I say.
‘I… I don’t know.’
‘Yes, you do. You always know what’s going on around here.’
Jack lets out a sigh. ‘They’re Katie Ford’s parents.’
I freeze. The woman bears a striking resemblance to Katie, just older.
‘Don’t let it bother you, mate. You haven’t had those dreams anymore, right?’
I shake my head. ‘What are they doing here?’
‘I think they’re meeting with Principal Gellar. Probably trying to find out more info about Katie’s disappearance.’
‘Aren’t they leaving it to the police?’
‘Police have been doing squat, apparently.’
A knot of guilt forms in my stomach. No doubt the Guild have had some involvement there.
I know that Katie didn’t just disappear.
I know it, Tariq knows it, and every member of the Guild knows it.
Charles said they go to great lengths to keep their secrets.
Do those ‘great lengths’ mean Katie’s parents will never know what happened to their daughter?
Or will the Guild manipulate the truth somehow?
‘I’m sorry, mate,’ Jack says. ‘I hoped you wouldn’t see them. I know those dreams messed with your head.’
The receptionist guides Katie’s parents down the corridor and out of sight. I want to follow, to say something to them. But what can I say without sounding completely ridiculous?
‘Catch you later,’ I say, pushing myself up from the table and heading after them.
Jack’s voice trails after me, but I’m already gone.
The commotion of elevated voices spills out of the principal’s office.
I peer through a small window set in the door.
Katie’s parents are sitting opposite Principal Gellar.
Whatever words she’s shared with them, it’s evident that they’re far from content with the news.
It’s weird – the last time I saw Principal Gellar, she was sitting among the crowd at the Guild meeting.
Principal Gellar’s gaze flickers toward the door and I dart to the side. I slump into a seat adjacent to the office entrance. What am I even doing here? What can I even say to them? That I watched their daughter’s murder? That her killer is out there somewhere?
The voices inside the office fall quiet. The door opens. I pretend to read something on my phone.
‘… if there are any developments, you have my assurance that I’ll notify you promptly,’ says Principal Gellar.
I glance briefly at Mr Ford as he reaches out to shake Principal Gellar’s hand. Beside him, Mrs Ford appears too distressed to partake in the formality.
‘Can I show you out?’ Principal Gellar continues.
‘No, we’ll manage. Thank you,’ Mr Ford says; his smile looks forced.
The Fords turn to depart, and I bury my face back in my phone.
‘Shouldn’t you be getting to class, Mr O’Connor?’
Principal Gellar is towering over me. Her eyes just drifting over the top of her half-moon glasses.
‘Er… yes,’ I say, getting up and heading off down the corridor.
Principal Gellar closes her door and I pick up my pace. Guilt is hitting me like a ton of bricks. I can’t just let them walk out of here without saying something. I have to give them some sort of explanation or at least a little comfort.
I catch up to them just as they enter the reception.
‘Are you Katie’s parents?’ I ask, catching my breath.
The couple stop in their tracks, turning toward me.
‘Yes,’ says Mr Ford.
I didn’t think this through at all. I’m standing here with nothing but raw emotion and a chaotic jumble of thoughts.
‘I… I knew… I mean, I know Katie. She is in my film studies class.’ My voice quavers as I try to steady it.
The Fords exchange a glance.
‘What’s your name?’ says Mr Ford.
‘Liam. Liam O’Connor.’
They take a few tentative steps closer, Mrs Ford’s expression a mix of inquiry and surprise at hearing a stranger speak their daughter’s name.
‘There’s something you should know…’ The words spill out impulsively. I meet Mrs Ford’s eyes, her face etched with sorrow. My eyes start to well up. How can I tell them their daughter is dead?
‘Yes?’ Mrs Ford’s voice trembles with desperation, her gaze locked onto me.
I can’t do this. It would defy the Guild.
As much as I don’t agree with what they’re doing, I’m not even one week into being a Keeper; I don’t want to get on their bad side.
Explaining it to the Fords would make me sound off my head.
In any case, I don’t want to be the one to shatter their hope of ever seeing their daughter again.
‘She’s a good person,’ I blurt out, words that feel feeble and pointless. ‘I mean, I don’t really know her well, but she seems like a good person. You should be proud of her.’
The couple exchange another glance. I know they were expecting something more, but I can’t give it to them.
Mr Ford studies me for a moment. He lets out a heavy sigh before putting an arm around his wife, preparing to leave. But Mrs Ford’s eyes remain fixed on me.
‘You mentioned you are in her film class?’ she asks, her voice shaky yet insistent.
I nod, feeling more trapped by the moment. What on earth was I thinking?
‘Did you talk to her? How was she?’ Mrs Ford struggles to hold back fresh tears, her resolve wavering.
Mr Ford tries to console her, but she shrugs him off.
‘I never really talked to her, I’m sorry,’ I say in an attempt to shut down the conversation.
‘Mr Hurley told the principal she left early the day she disappeared. Was she upset? Did someone say something to her?’ Her tone sharpens.
‘I was late to class that day, sorry. I didn’t see anything.’
‘Nora, leave the boy alone,’ Mr Ford interjects.
Mrs Ford steps closer to me. ‘Did she confide in anyone? Mention anything, even about a dream?’
Dream. It catches me off guard. Katie was a Keeper, which means she would have dreamt about her predecessor like I dreamt of her.
‘Nora!’ Mr Ford’s voice is stern.
Mrs Ford breaks down into tears and rushes out of the automatic doors, almost bumping into a group of girls making their way inside. I can’t begin to imagine the pain she’s experiencing. Her daughter has been missing for more than a week now. And because of the Guild, they will never find her body.
‘I’m sorry, it’s been a very difficult time for both of us,’ Mr Ford says, slumping into one of the armchairs. Why is he not going after his wife? Maybe he knows she needs some space. Considering the torment that they’re going through, it’s not surprising. He looks like he hasn’t slept in days.
‘It’s okay,’ I say, joining him in the adjacent armchair. ‘Mrs Ford mentioned something about a dream?’
‘Katie was haunted by nightmares. At first, we brushed them off, but they grew worse. She became fixated on this place, claiming what she saw in her dreams was real.’
I’m all too familiar with that feeling – dragging Lily and Jack out to Smokers’ Clearing.
‘We tried seeking help, but nothing worked. So, we sent her to her grandmother here in Sarumbourne, hoping the change of scenery would soothe her mind. And it did. The moment she arrived, her grandmother told us, the nightmares vanished. Nora and I were astonished. Katie was born in Sarumbourne, but we moved away when she was little. She’s never been back.
She shouldn’t have any memories tied to this place, especially not ones that could lead to these dreadful dreams.’
‘Katie had no problems during her time here?’ I say.
‘During the summer, it seemed like she was back to her old self – carefree, happy,’ Mr Ford continues.
‘Then, we enrolled here, and her obsession started up again. A few weeks ago, when we visited, her mother found drawings in her room. She excelled in art, you know, won awards at her last school.’ His gaze drops to the floor, grief and memories mingling.
Katie’s Instagram grid was full of artwork.
‘But those drawings were different. Disturbing. A building in flames, a young man drenched in blood. She kept talking about a church from her dreams, and a man dying right before her eyes.’
Thomas. That was her predecessor – she must have seen what Tariq and Opel saw in that church. Draven killing Thomas.
Would Katie have been driven to investigate herself? Just like me. Was she searching for the church the night she was murdered? Running through Craythorn Forest in the dead of night? Did she encounter Draven and the Dark Friars there?
‘I just want her found.’ Mr Ford buries his face in his hands.
My heart aches for him, yet I have no words to offer that can support him.
‘I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m pouring all this out to you.’ Mr Ford stands abruptly, taking a deep breath. ‘If you hear anything about Katie…’
‘Absolutely,’ I assure him.
With a half-smile of gratitude, Mr Ford leaves.
For a moment, I wrestle with the urge to chase after him and spill the truth about Katie.
They should know, but not yet. Not while Draven’s still around.
I need to do something. I need to figure out why Draven’s back in Sarumbourne and what he’s after.
It has to be something to do with what I saw in my dream.
Maybe once I’ve figured it out then we’ll have a shot at stopping him for good.
Forget the offer; if the Guild don’t care, why should I?
It’s risky, but isn’t that the whole point of being a Keeper?
I need to level up, to hone my skills; I need a real challenge to test me.
No more punchbags and training poles. I’ve got to be ready. And I know just who to ask.