Raindrops trickled down the car window, a small breeze whipping my hair back. I let the coldness wrap itself around me, chilling my bones. The

"Christ, Tarryn," Carson muttered, reaching over me to roll the window up. I looked at my brother, his grey irises blanketed with concern. "Are you trying to get sick?"

I ignored him, staring at the road ahead. "I don't know why we're going shopping. It feels ... weird."

"We don't want to go either," Skyler said, from the passengers seat, and I turned to look at him. "But when mom comes home, she'll be happy to see you're not wearing the same clothes she last saw you in."

I scoffed, pulling on the rain jacket I wore. "I have clothes."

"Those are my clothes," June reminded, speeding down the highway. "You're not allowed back to the house and we have no idea if mom ..." she trailed off and my heart clenched painfully.

"If what?" I said, glaring my sister in the rear view mirror. "You think she's not coming back?"

"No, that's not what I meant," my sister murmured. "I'm sorry, bub. It's not what I meant at all. All I'm saying is that while you stay with dad, you need some clothes that are yours."

I grunted, knowing she was right.

"Mom is strong," Skyler said, breaking the silence. "She's resilient and smart, I know she will be okay."

"It's been forty-six hours," I said, the words bitter on my tongue. "She should have reached out by now or to the police or -"

"Hey, hey," Carson said, reaching for my hand, "don't stress out. Sky is right. If anyone can get through this, it's mom."

I hoped they were right.

June helped me pick out a few pairs of leggings, shirts, some plain tees, plaid shirts, two hoodies, socks, bras (and sports bras), underwear, a few pairs of sweatpants and pyjamas. Well, more like she threw stuff at me and I didn't complain. She knew my style though, including my favourite colours and size. I let her do it all for me, preoccupied with my thoughts.

Carson and Skyler ended up carrying everything, grumbling as they followed us throughout the mall. June quickly put them in their place, leaving no room for their whining.

My siblings were adamant that I got everything I needed and refused to go home until I had everything that a teenage girl needed. It made me wonder how long they thought I would be with our dad. I hoped just for a few days, until the authorities could locate my mom and sort this whole mess out.

"What are you thinking about, bub?" June asked, pausing. "Is it mom?"

"I don't understand ... there's just too many questions and no answers. Whatever mom was involved with, it had to be bad. And whatever it was, someone wanted to keep it quiet." Enough to silence them for good.

June marched around the clothing rack, stopping in front of me. She rested both hands on my shoulders, her grey eyes darkening with promise.

"What you went through, it never should have happened," my sister murmured. "The person who did this, will not get away with it. We will find mom. Okay?"

I nodded and glanced down. June leaned closer, bumping her head against my forehead. "No matter what, we will find her. Until then, let us in, let dad take care of you."

"Okay," I mumbled, melting into her for a hug. My sister didn't let go, her grip loosening. I glanced over my shoulder to see our brothers walking up to us.

Carson shoved Skyler, making him stumble. "You're fucking immature. Why did you do that?"

Skyler grinned, kicking at Carson. "You're blushing," he cackled.

June groaned. "What did you do this time, Sky?"

"I gave his number to the sales lady, the pretty blonde," he said, rolling his eyes and Carson swatted the back of his head. "Ouch, save that for the -"

"Shut up," I hissed, scrunching my nose. "Go wait in the car, you vulgar imbecile." 

+++

When we got back to the house, my dad had gone out, his car missing from the driveway. Trey stood waiting on the porch, hands shoved in his pockets. The sun had vanished long ago, leaving a starry night and a brisk November breeze.

My brothers grabbed the shopping bags from the trunk and I took a bag that carried new bowls for Gilbert, a mint and black padded bed, along with some toys and catnip treats. I walked towards the house, my lips stretching into a small smile. "Hey, Trey. What are you doing here? I thought you had to sort something back home with your professors."

He stretched, returning the smile, and gathered me in a bear hug. "I have everything sorted and drove back here this afternoon. I thought it'd be best to stay here," he murmured. "What took you guys so long?"

"Those idiots," I said, jerking my thumb back at Carson and Skyler, who were bickering over who could carry more. June rolled her eyes, her patience running thin. For being grown ass adults, my brothers were childish.

Trey chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Ah, makes perfect sense," he said and opened the front door, holding it as we filed inside.

"I ordered pizza."

"Did you get pineapple?" Skyler asked and I pretended to gag.

"Ew. Please tell me you didn't Trey," Carson whined and I laughed.

"Don't worry, no pineapple. Sorry Sky."

"Not cool, little brother," Skyler huffed, pushing past Trey. "Tarryn, I'll put these in your room."

I nodded. "Thanks." June lead me into the kitchen, Trey following.

"Okay, eat your little hearts out."

I grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza. "Where's dad?"

Trey shrugged, taking a bite of garlic fingers. "Not sure. He was gone before I arrived." His eyes flickered to June and Carson. "I texted him earlier, no answer though."

This captured their attention. "Did you call?" My sister asked, leaning against the counter. "He usually doesn't answer when he's in a business meeting."

"Why would he be in a meeting at 7 p.m?"

"He had one scheduled for this afternoon," Skyler said, entering the kitchen. "It probably ran late." Trey soon changed the subject and my focus faded in and out, barely paying attention to my siblings. My thoughts began to wander back to Jed and my missing mother.

It was safe to say I didn't sleep that night. I tossed and turned, yet my eyes burned with exhaustion. My mind had become chaos, trying to make sense of everything.

Who came after my mom? Were they planning on killing her too, like they did Jed? However, the most important question on my mind, why?

I needed answers. Whatever happened to my mom, I needed to know. Why did someone want to kill Jed? I wouldn't be able to sleep, not with my thoughts racing.

I threw the duvet from my legs and hauled myself out of bed. Pain pulsed through my chest, a reminder of the last few days. Reaching for the hoodie I stole from Trey, I made a mental list of things that needed to be done:

1. Find pain meds.

2. Get Paul Kessler's case file.

... The latter would be much more tedious. But not impossible. While my brothers and sister were good at hand-to-hand combat, something my parents taught us at a young age - I mean, I could fight, but I was clumsier than the rest of my siblings - so I excelled in other things.

I loved computer science. I liked to code. With a love of computers, I learned to hack into a secure database, personal files, and much much more. One might even say, I'm an evil genius. Okay, okay, it's just me that thinks that.

I tiptoed down the hall, passing my sisters and my dads bedrooms, careful not to wake anyone. Usually, it was only Trey, my dad, and I. Carson, Skyler and June shared an apartment together in the city. All my siblings were here, except one.

Hurrying down the staircase, avoiding the creaky spots, I felt a wave of dizziness. I had to grip the railing to keep from falling. Everything blurred, white dots hindering my vision. Until it passed, I leaned against the railing.

I kept going, rounded the corner, reaching the kitchen. I found some pain killers, ibuprofen, a little less potent than I wanted but it would have to do, and chased them down with water I took from the fridge.

My bare feet slapped against the hardwood flooring as I continued down the hall, nearing the back of the house and entered my dads home office. The French door was open a smidge, a lamp illuminating the room. My dad must have left it on.

I circled around the cluttered desk. In the centre, he left his laptop open and without hesitating, I took a seat in the wore leather chair and opened it. His computer was password protected, but of course, that wouldn't stop me.

"You need a new password, dad," I muttered, guessing password on the second try. When the home screen opened, I scanned the files, searching his encrypted documents for anything. Anything that would give me answers.

I skimmed his emails too.

I was about to close out when I noticed an email in the junk folder, titled Eleanors. I double clicked, opening it, my heart lurching with horror.

Photographs of a dead woman appeared on the screen. I gasped, heart thumping, but not able to pull my eyes away. The woman lay against a brick wall, her face bloodied, eyes open, lifeless.

"Oh, God," I whispered, scrolling down. More photos of the woman, each a different angle and position. One photo captured a close up of her arm, a tattoo of a skull on her inner wrist, the inscription

I recognized the tattoo and words, one place coming to mind. Why my dad had photos of a dead woman, I didn't know, but I knew where the first place I'd look for more answers. In town, there was a tavern, my dad would take me and my siblings for dinner. It had the same inscription and design as the tattoo.

An uneasiness settled in my stomach, knowing I couldn't bring this up with my dad or siblings. I knew they weren't murderers, but they dallied in illegal things.

Going to them wasn't an option, which left me with only one.

Josiah.

Quickly closing the browsers down and shutting down the laptop, I made my way out of my dads office. An anxious feeling crept over me, my arms covered with goosebumps. I couldn't get the photos out of my head.

Did my dad kill that woman?

Why did he have photos?

Was it connected to my moms disappearance?

I had to talk to Josiah. He could help me figure this out. Tiptoeing through the kitchen, I swiped Carson's car keys front the basket. He'd freak out, but I didn't care. Something was off and I needed answers.

"What are you doing?"

I froze, looking up. "Hey, Matty," I said, slowly, facing my third oldest brother. He stood in front of me, black hair disheveled, a smirk etching across his lips. A cut under his lip and he sported a black eye, a bruise trailing his jawline "You look like crap."

He chuckled, reaching out to flick my nose. "You're one to talk. Where are you going?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Out of all my siblings, Matthew was the coldest and most irritable. He had a temper and liked to hit things. Not people, never people. He had the tendency to lash out.

Matthew was a troublemaker and proud of it. And despite being three years older than me, we were close. We weren't best friends or anything like that. But if we had having a family dinner, with all of our snobby cousins, narcissistic aunts, and uncles that make inappropriate jokes about how much I've grown - Matty would be the person I'd find first to complain to.

We didn't see each other much since he moved out three years ago, but whenever Matthew found out I was in trouble, he would be the one knocking on my bedroom door, hauling my ass out of bed, and ordering a bunch of greasy takeout while I poured my heart out.

I'm not sure why my brother willingly choose to spend time with me, his annoying, baby sister. Maybe it's because we shared a love for computers. He taught me everything he learned at college.

"Hey, excuse me?" Matthew snapped his fingers in my face, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I asked where you think you're going."

"I'm going for a drive," I said, "to clear my head."

"Yeah, no," he said, stalking towards me and I picked up my pace, inches away from the front door when an arm wrapped around my waist. I pushed him away.

"Leave me alone, Matty. I know what I'm doing," I snapped, keeping my voice low. My brother blocked my way. "I have to do this for mom."

"No. It's not safe ..."

"You don't understand -"

"Tarryn, you are not leaving the house." He reached for my arm, but I turned, head pounding. "Are you out of your damn mind?"

"Yeah, possibly," I said.

"Give me the keys or I will scream this bloody house down."

I snorted. "Dramatic much?"

The vein on his forehead bulged, a telltale sign he was annoyed. "Give. Me. The. Keys," he growled, nostrils flaring. "You have a concussion, you can't drive."

"Don't tell me what to do," I snapped. "I don't care about a stupid fucking concussion, Matty. Not when mom is missing."

His gaze shifted over my shoulder, the scowl replaced with a smirk. "Hey, Carson."

I glanced over my shoulder, cursing. Carson stood behind me, hands on his hips, seconds away from going into mother hen mode.

I gave a weak smile. "Uh, hey, Carson ... what are you doing up? It's late."

"I could ask you the same," my older brother said, his eyes flicking with concern. He glanced down, noticing the keys looped around my finger and held out his hand. "Give me those."

"Carson -"

"Now, Tarryn." I sighed, tossing my brother the keys. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought if you were actually planning on stealing my car."

"It's not what-"

"Tarryn, you can't leave in the middle of the night." Carson pinched the bridge of his nose and I looked away. "Go back to bed. Matty, go with her."

Matthew wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his chest. "Gross. You smell like wet dog," I said, making my brother glare. Carson waited patiently, his eyebrow raised. I gritted my teeth, annoyed. "I can't sleep, I need to know if -"

"You need rest," my oldest brother snapped. "How will you be any help in finding mom if you don't get sleep? Don't be stubborn."

Fuck him for being right. I sighed, defeated. "Fine," I grumbled. Matty nudged me forward and we climbed the stairs, our older brother disappearing into the kitchen. I wondered if they knew anything. 

We reached my room and seeing my bed, I yearned for sleep. I looked up at him, only to find him studying me with concern. "Will you stay?" I asked, almost a whisper.

Matty nodded, his eyes softening. "Yeah, if you want," he said and I crawled under the duvet. He lay beside me, his feet dangling off the edge of the bed. My eyes grew heavy with exhaustion and I didn't fight it, resting my head on my brothers shoulder.

"G'night, Matty."

+++

What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading , stay safe - Charlie 🧡