Sometimes I wonder if there's a silent noise. A disturbing sound of nothing. A voice for the speechless. It makes me think deeper whether saying nothing or screaming everything is the answer to that tricky upcoming question.

When you stay silent which voice is louder? The one inside you or the outsiders'?

Me, Sam, Mom, and Dad were all in the living room standing straight, literally screaming at each others' faces.

"How could you talk to me like that?..."

"And you came up with a home and an 'us'...."

"What was I suppose to do?.."

"You blame me for what exactly?.."

It was the same for about 15 minutes and no one noticed until my throat felt sore. Dad gathered all the power he had left and directed them in shouting 3 words in the loudest way possible.

"LISTEN TO ME" I think he may not be able to speak with an audible voice for a few days. They all stopped their arguments and turned to look at Dad expectantly.

"First, we are all in this together alright? No one should be blamed for what happened" Dad sat down on the couch with a huff. Mom rested both hands on her hips.

"Second, all of us should be grateful for Sam to get us out of that sticky wicket. Not to mention, me going along with you reduced the chance for mom to figure the whole thing out." Mom and Sam looked at each other for a moment then shrugged.

"We have to think about what will we do next calmly" Dad made an air quotation when he said 'calmly' to get the point.

"I think you forgot that we are divorced" Mom scoffed and dad glared at her. 

"Natalie, we are divorced because of you. Remember that you cheated on me" He waited a little bit trying to contain his anger. Mom winced at the word 'cheated'.

"It's not okay with me neither to still be around you, but this is my mother we are talking about." He was hurt as he said these words. Dad's response was like a slap to the face for mom. It was obvious that she held her tongue from saying a lot to him.

"You are right, I guess it's better if we let that aside for a while." Mom took the high road and didn't argue more with Dad.

"So what now?" Sam asked dad like an idiot.

Scratch that he is an idiot.

"Now, we all have to move in together in one house. Our house. Mom can never suspect anything going on behind her back. So, all what we need to do is pretend to be a big happy family." Dad announced with authority.

Mom and I looked at each other and shrugged, he made a valid point.

We were once a family a big happy one, without complications. However, it was too good to be true for us to stay the same, we faced changes. Accordingly, the way we think changed and unfortunately, we changed. 

And it's all because of one person, one lie and one misunderstanding.

I turned to take a long look at the wall standing tall next to me. A cheerful memory crossed my mind at the sight of what I found.

The white fluorescent light was lit and directed on our family portrait. The wooden crafted frame made the picture more lively. It was a photo in the woods, a memory of the time we explored it out of curiosity.

The green grass, the fresh air and the smell of rain. I remembered all of it like it happened yesterday. Our sticky hair and ruined clothes were worth the smile that was on all of our faces.

Sam was ruffling my hair while Henry was laughing at my miserable state. Mom and Dad were hugging each other sideways with a loving smile that I miss.

I inched closer to the living moment I want to go back to, only to hear Sam's voice interrupted my peaceful moment.

"Does that mean I can take the larger room?" Sam asked me excitedly with a toothy grin. I stared at him with wide terrifying eyes.

"Is this a game to you? Don't you get that we could have caused a disaster? And we still can if we don't think with open minds?" I asked even though I knew the answer. He just shrugged with a smirk. 

I can't believe how he is dealing with all of this light-heartedly. He should be more responsible than this, yet he acts like a spoiled teen. 

He wasn't always like that.

We were in a horrible situation when dad first came into grandma's room at the hospital. He didn't get how we all acted normal as a signal to go along with us. Granny almost sensed the tension that coated dad, almost is the keyword here. I don't know how to say it, but Sam did save us time.

Even if it was in the most reckless and unprepared method.

He asked Grandma to grab her things from the hotel and move in with us until she gets better. It's a great idea that's for sure, just an unexpected one. We were all stuck in a point where we didn't know how things will go.

How long does this have to take?

How many lies will be said?

How is she going to look at our faces when she knows the truth?

Ugh, can life get any more complicated?! 

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

The sound of the doorbell was the end of our secret meeting and the start of a play. A play where all of us has a main role that has to be done well. Or we could risk the life of Granny.

"I hope that I am not late for dinner" Grandma beamed at me once I opened the door for her.

"Not at all, you're actually right on time" I hugged her tightly then realized that she's outside.

"Oh, sorry. Come on in" I welcomed her.

"Thank you, darling. I'm just waiting for Marcus to grab my bags" she explained. My mouth turned into a thin line when I saw him close the car's door.

"Alright, I'll leave the door open for you" I said then paused.

"Both of you" I grunted.

After all the greetings and hugs, the whole family gathered on the dining table. Sam sat on my left and Uncle Marcus on my right.

I'm surrounded by the two I don't want to be around.

Yay!

The spaghetti with meatballs was the only good thing in the dinner. Thank god for having a mother who can cook this good!

When we finished our meals, we chatted about nothing in particular. Honestly, granny did most of the talking, but I was more than happy to see her in a good mood. I heard my phone ringing in my bedroom, so I excused myself to go up there.

The phone was still ringing when I entered my darkroom. I looked at the caller ID to find that it was Sam.

"What the..." I didn't even get to finish my sentence when I heard the door closed shut.

"Hey sis" Sam's voice surprised me. I placed my hand on my chest as if that would reduce the hammering of my heart in my chest. He chuckled and turned on the light.

"Your face was priceless" He was laughing uncontrollably. I narrowed my eyes at him and let my hands rest on my hips.

"What do you want?" I inquired carelessly. He sat on my bed and stared at me silently.

"I wanted to talk to you. I didn't want to let the others notice our secret conversation so, I called you." He explained with complete seriousness. I swear he got mood swings that could make you go nuts.

"Why does everyone suddenly have an interest in talking to me?" I questioned myself with a low mumble that earned me a weird look from Sam. 

"Look, I'm here because I want to make things go right. Because I want things to go right and I can't do this alone. You've to listen to me or you'll not get any of what I'll say correctly." He implored with a tired tone. 

"I don't have to do anything. You are the one responsible for all of what happened to us, to me. You are the reason why mom and dad got divorced, why dad doesn't trust me the same way he did before. You left me when I needed you the most and you came back when you were ready to face me." I lectured him harshly with partial control on my tone volume. I didn't want Granny to hear us talking like this. 

"So, no. I don't have to listen to you. I don't have to do anything to you actually. You don't deserve that chance and you never will." I found that if I continued talking it might get worse so, I stopped.

"Fine" He responded after a few seconds of total silence, got out of the room and closed the door behind him. I was bewildered from his reaction, wasn't expecting this at all. However, I was glad he didn't push it any further. One thing I still like about my brother; he still knows when to stop arguing.

The rest of the night wasn't eventful. Uncle Marcus didn't stay for long after eating a dessert with the rest of us. Soon, we all said our good nights and headed to our bedrooms. I was the lucky one who shared her room with Granny. I didn't know how mom and dad will manage their sleep, but I knew one thing.

One of them will sleep on the floor.

And that one probably will be dad.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

I woke up with a yawn the next day and wasted no time to get ready for school. I tried my best in not disturbing my grandma's peaceful sleep. Taking a cold shower followed by wearing my school uniform made me lose my appetite for some unknown reason.  When I entered the kitchen I found a note left next to the boiler.

My sweet Hale, I had to leave early today. I left some money for you to grab a sandwich on your way to school.

Love you.

Ugh, I don't have enough time for breakfast anyways. 

I took the keys and the money then waited for the bus to arrive. Once the bus' honk signaled its arrival, I shouldered my bag and climbed the 3 small steps. I looked at the spot I sat on yesterday to find Lucy sitting next to Daniel, a heated argument was visible from afar. 

"Umm, excuse me. That's my seat here" I stated as I pointed to the place they occupied.

They looked at each other then Daniel stood up and moved into another empty seat, silently.

Well, that's weird.

"So, you want to convince me that there are other versions of us in a place called a parallel universe?" Daniel asked with perplexity, resuming what they were talking about. Lucy nodded excitedly.

"It's not a place, Dane. There are multiple universes that we are not aware of." She explained.

I looked at her sideways with confusion.

"What are you even talking about?" I didn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't a look of disgust that she gave me.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face" I panicked a bit and started to touch my face to check if there was something in there.

"You really don't know what you did?" Daniel snickered. I shook my head for a negative response.

"We really didn't think that you would do such a thing, Haley. I thought you were a good person" Lucy said with disappointment. 

"What's going on here? What are you talking about?" I seriously had no idea what they were talking about. Lucy looked at Daniel and he shrugged. She stared at me for a long moment then sighed in defeat.

"We'll tell you later at school. Can't talk to you about it here." She said in almost a whisper then put her headphones on. I glared at Daniel for a second then decided to say what I want.

"If this was a silly prank, I swear I'll make you suffer" I threatened him.

I put on my headphones and let my mind race with thoughts. The way their attitude towards me changed made me repeat all that I did to them yesterday. The end result of the brainstorming I had was absolutely nothing. I guess I will have to wait for their explanation.

⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎

The moment I placed my feet on the school's ground, I found myself in never-ending tasks. I can't even recall all that happened during the school day. All that I find worth recalling is lunchtime as it was when the mystery was partially solved. Just partially.

After buying a proper lunch meal for me, I took a seat in the same spot as yesterday's. I waited for Lucy and Daniel to join me as Lucy wrote to me on a sticky note during math class. Soon, both of them came with trays in hands, their troubled faces made my stomach have butterflies.

"To cut it short, someone told us that you have a blog page where you make anyone's life ruined. The blog reveals secrets of random people from the school with no limited age. Teachers and the principle are also included" Lucy said in a hushed tone, careful not to be loud for the others to focus on us.

"That's Stacey's blog, not mine" I denied her accusation smoothly.

"Who's Stacey?" Daniel seemed to be thinking about me trying to lie.

"Stacey is the unknown one who owns that blog. The irony about that name spacefically is that our school doesn't have any student on any grade. She or He is spreading rumours and secrets for almost 3 years. Many students and teachers collaborated to know her or his true identity, but all their attempts ended with ultimate failure" I explained as I held my stare at him. I wanted to show him that I didn't lie. More importantly I wasn't afraid of any of those accusations.

His eye pupil darted all the way through my face, from forehead till chin. He seemed to be looking for a slight hint of nervousness. Bad for him to think this way about me. I took a bite from my sandwich carelessly.

"That's so messed up, but there's something I don't get. Why did Helen tell us for a fact that this blog is yours?" She added ketchup to her chicken nuggetts.

Of course Helen told them I am Stacey.

Helen is the Queen Bee of the school. She's got what every girl would dream of; money, social rank and the look of course. She literally detested me ever since Henry turned her offer of hanging out down once.

Truth to be told, I don't like her at all! I hate those girls who think they are fat cats.

So knowing that she is spreading rumours about me didn't surprise me at all. However that doesn't mean that she will have to pay for messing with me.

I wonder how long does it take for hair to grow once more? Gotta read the instructions of hair removal before using it to know.

"Don't mind her, she likes to put me under the spotlight of school" I moved my hand dismissively. Lucy seemed convinced unlike Daniel.

"I don't think so, she didn't seem like the girl who likes to grab the attention for someone else." Daniel crossed his arms. I couldn't control myself anymore.

"Look Daniel, you believe what you want to believe. I told you the truth and nothing else. You are free to keep giving me weird looks like everybody else in this godforsaken place. Just know that I don't care what you think about me. I don't care about what anybody says about me behind my back" I growled with spitting most of the words. He wore a smirk amused by my sudden outburst.

"There's a lie in what you said" He said in a tone that made me wonder if it's a fact or a question.

I took my sandwich without thinking twice and left the cafeteria to eat in my secret spot.

==========

The time I spent afterwards wasn't much. My English class was cancelled which was merciful for me to go home a few hours earlier. During my ride back home, I was thinking about everything.

Daniel's accusations, granny's lie, my parents recent divorce and Sam's betrayal.

And most importantly, I had one question that needed and still needs to be answered. What would Henry tell me to do?

He was the only one who knew the right advice to give me in every trouble. I don't remember that I once needed him and didn't find him. He always got my back and I got his.

I really miss him.

I wipe the silent tears that escaped my eyes with the back of my hand. At least there's improvement, silent tears are better than smashing everything in my room.

As soon as I reach home, I didn't want anything other than sleeping peacefully. Despite the fact that my day wasn't full, I felt totally exhausted.

I climbed the stairs, went straight to my room and prepared my favourite pyjamas. My phone produced a quiet beep signalling a new message that I received. I opened it to find it sent from an unknown number.

Unkown: Hey Haley

Haley: Who are you?

Unknown: I think I have something you need.

Haley: What is it?

Unknown: I know what happened that day.

Haley: What day?

Unknown: The day your brother died.

Haley: I asked who are you???

Unknown: I am Stacey.

Wee woo wee woo! 🚨🚨

That was an intense chapter, or am I the only one who thinks so? 👀

Sam tried to talk to his sister, a little sympathy there for him?😬 No? It's okay there's a lot coming up that will change your mind anyways.😁

What do you think about Daniel? He was so doubtful of her ☹️ I really hate when that happens 🙄

We can't keep ignoring what happened so I have to come to that🤭 I know all the bombarding questions you have. What happened the day Henry died? How does Stacey know all about it? What will Haley do? But I promise all of them will be answered soon. 😊

⭐ Important question (please don't skip)😅

Would you like the book to have different POVS or just Haley's? And if yes, which POV would like to see? 🧐

Please let me know, it's really important for the upcoming chapter's fate.🙈

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and the previous ones😍

Comment all the way you want

Vote if you think it's worth it

Share it with your friends if you like it

And most importantly, keep smiling 😄