Chapter Fifty

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Chapter Fifty

"Come with me to visit my family over Thanksgiving break," Daniel tells me one November afternoon when we're lounging around in the dorm kitchen.

            I'm mixing a cake batter, sitting on top of one of the counters. He stands next to me, watching, playing with my hair and occasionally stealing frosting. The small television in the corner is on some soap opera about a rich girl and poor guy. It looks horrible as the characters dramatically swoon for each other, but Daniel and I pretend to watch anyway.

              I stop mixing my cake, looking sideways at him. "What?"

            "Come to Boston with me. It's just for a couple days," he says.

             "What? To meet your parents?"

             "Yeah, and my little brother, Devon."

            "Your parents?"

             "Yes."

             "That's a big deal, Daniel," I say, putting down the bowl and giving him all my attention. "I mean, we've only just begun going out and I'm still not used to us being a couple but to meet your family? That scares me."

             He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. That's the only place he's kissed so far. Just like he's promised, he's done everything right to make me comfortable. "Well, I'm serious about you. It doesn't have to be serious if you don't want to though. Think of it as a quick road trip and a free turkey dinner."

               My mind runs to Mom, who hasn't changed at all lately. It's almost been half a year since her accident if you think about it. What was my plan for Thanksgiving this year anyway? Sit in my empty dorm room in this soon to be empty building since everyone is going home for Thanksgiving and just eat leftover takeout from the night before? Mope and weep and maybe sleep the break away, occasionally doing homework? Maybe go get some frozen dinners and eat with Mom in the hospital?

           "Daniel," I say even though I'm pretty sure I'm going to give in. "I don't know...."

              "Listen, my parents will love you," he says. His hands find their way to my back and he pulls me closer, his eyes cast down affectionately at me. "What's not to love about you?"

               Cheeseball. Although my hands are a bit dirty from the flour and eggs I mixed in earlier, they rest on his chest, where it always feels safe. "You think?" I murmur, looking down. I haven't even met Lee's mother. My eyes widen at the dangerous line I've crossed once again. No more Lee, I told myself. So, no more. "Okay."

             "Yeah?" Daniel says and his signature grin spreads across his face, the one that makes the corners of his eyes all wrinkly and makes me feel like a splash of warmness has spread inside my own chest.

              "How can I say no to you?" I say, smiling, as I lay my head down on his chest for a while. We've survived two months of college together. I can survive a weekend or a couple of days with his family. Besides, Thanksgiving is in a week. I have time to prepare to be the best girlfriend I can be. Nothing some apple pie can't fix.

            He pulls away, still grinning. "You're the best."

            "I know." I grin along and then continue mixing the cake batter. Giselle's, my carefree hippie roommate's, birthday is in a couple of days and we're trying to throw her a big surprise party but so far this cake situation is not working out. This is the third cake of the day and they're all coming out plain. They don't taste bad but they're not sweet enough to count as cake. "Now help me out with this cake."

            Daniel nods and takes the bowl for me, finally doing something. I shift around and look for yet again another clean cake pan. Suddenly, I hear urgent footsteps into the kitchen but keep my head in the cabinets I'm looking in. Tons of students have walked in the last few hours, wondering how the hell we've made such a mess of the kitchen. The only person I'm worried about coming in is Giselle but she's out for the day.

           "Uh, Ivory," Daniel says.

         "Yeah?" I ask, on my tiptoes to reach a pan I see far up on the third shelf. It's a dark gray and I can feel it in my bones this is the cake that will work.

             "Ivory, I think there's someone here for you."

            A small feeling of confusion envelops me as I turn around to see a man standing in the kitchen. My eyes start from the shoes to the tailored pants to the black suit. I see a nice royal blue tie and my heart catches for a second. But the face, it's not the face I was expecting. This man has strong facial features—sharp nose and sharp eyes. He stands straight with his hands in front of him in a clasp. A stranger.

          "Um...can I help you?" I ask him, giving Daniel a look who returns the same confused look at me.

           "Miss Flores?" the man says, his voice deep and serious. As if my life couldn't get worse.

              "Yes...?" I look him up and down, searching for the neon pink visitor's pass that the lobby gives out to people who are allowed to be up in the dorms, but he doesn't have one. "How'd you get past lobby security? Who are you?"

            "Please follow me."

             I look Daniel a look again and he shrugs. "Um...no thanks," I tell the man. He looks sketchy and just because he's in a suit doesn't mean he can be trusted. I mean, look at the government.

              "Please Miss Ivory, I suggest you come on your own will. I have only been sent to fetch you because someone very important would like a word with you," the sketchy man says. His jaw pops out in a tiny action of anger and I'm ready to throw the cake batter at him and run with Daniel.

              "Who?" I ask.

            His eyes slide to Daniel suspiciously. "I cannot relay that information."

             "Is it the President or One Direction?"

             "No, ma'am."

              "Then you can run along because I'm not interested," I tell him, crossing my arms. "Unless you're campus staff or it's any of the people I've listed, I'm not going anywhere. If this so called person really knew me, they could just call or text me. So, once again, no thank you."

               The man suddenly walks towards me and a spike of fear crawls up my spine. I wasn't really planning to actually challenge him to a fight or anything but that doesn't mean he won't punch me. I step back just as Daniel cuts in, pushing the sketchy man away.

            "Hey, lay off," Daniel warns, sending a heavy glare.

                The sketchy man rolls his eyes and then takes Daniel's arm off his chest. One second, he's just holding it, the next he's got Daniel on the table face down with his arm twisted behind him. Daniel screams in pain as the man holds him down with one hand and reaches for a napkin with another nonchalantly.

           "Hey! Let him go!" I yell, frozen in fear. Who is this guy?

            The man quickly pulls out a pen and jots something down before letting Daniel go and handing me the napkin. He nods for me to read it. Daniel stands again, his eyes menacing with the looks of someone about to kill. He twists his arm around to regain control.

               "Who the fuck are you?" Daniel says, his voice at a level I've never heard.

               I open the small piece of paper and there's only one word scribbled: LEE.

             My eyes widen and travel to the strange man in the kitchen. Lee wants to see me? That's impossible and it's so unlike him. He hasn't tried to talk to me in over two months. Why would he start now? But I know he could have a man like this hired to get me if he wanted to. But why? Curiosity gets the best of me...or maybe something else.

                "Okay, I'll go," I say. "Just leave Daniel alone."

              The man nods.

              "Where do I go?"

              After I assure Daniel a million times I'll be fine but to call the cops if I don't show up again within twenty minutes, I follow the strange mob guy downstairs and out on Broadway. Honks and tires skidding are all I hear along with the noise of footsteps on pavement. The city's usual chatter surrounds us as we slide through people to get to a weird creepy alley.

             Now, I'm out.

           "Listen, this has been fun and everything, but I'm going to go now," I say, slowly backing out of the alleyway. There's a sleek black car waiting there and even if it could be Lee, I wouldn't go. Everything about this seems weird. Who meets in a dark alley? How much more creepy cliche could this get?

           "Please, ma'am, I promise you are in safe hands."

           "That's reassuring."

           He sighs, walking over to the backseat door and opening it, eyeing me to get in. I walk over just a little, enough to glimpse inside the car but not to get dragged in and kidnapped. I see someone sitting with black pants on and nice shoes but I can't see who exactly it is. There seems to be nobody else in the car but the driver either so I deem it reasonably kind of safe.

             "Daniel will call the cops if I don't return in five minutes," I warn the dude as I step inside the car. He rolls his eyes at me again. "Hey, mister! Don't you roll your eyes at me!"

           He shuts the door behind me and stands outside in his stiff pose again. I quickly turn around, eager to find out who is waiting for me. A frown spreads across my face.

             "Madam Jin?"

             And there she is. After four or so months of not seeing each other, you'd think she'd look different. Besides a shorter haircut, she's the same. Dark office pants with a dark suit. Yet, her soft face is feminine and the fur coat around her neck makes her look unapproachable. Her eyes however are sharp as they've always been. I almost don't recognize her.

            "What're you doing here?" I ask, slowly inching for the door. I don't want to hear more of her crazy theories of who my mother could be. I have enough to worry about.

            "Ivory, please listen to me," she pleads, noticing my distance. "I just want to talk."

           "Madam Jin, it's not a good time," I tell her. "I don't want to hear what you have to say. I don't want to talk about my mother or your family. What's happening to my mother is something between the Flores household and quite correctly nothing to do with you. I'd like you respect my wishes for some space. Again."

              She frowns and her eyes gloss over with tears immediately. I feel like a knife has twisted my guts. I don't mean to hurt her but I'm not who she's looking for. I'd be crushed too if I thought my dead family was never really dead in the first place, but I am not her family. I could never be.

              "I've been off the grid for a couple of weeks now, Ivory. I have hunted for anything—any proof—to make you realize that Mary, your mother, is my daughter-in-law," she explains. "I tried to find anything that made this situation make sense."

            "Helen," I whisper, sighing. "Her name is Helen. She's not your Mary. There's no way."

             "But here's the thing, Ivory. I found it. I found evidence."

            My heart stops cold, or at least it feels like it. My breath is suddenly the loudest thing I've ever heard, my heartbeat the second loudest. The world zooms away from me and it feels as if I've been sucked out of my physical body.

           "What?" I ask and I can hear my own voice shaking. Last time she came to tell me this story, I was okay more or less because she had no evidence. I could blame it on her age and maybe insanity. Desperation or denial about her son's death. I could say there were nothing in her words that were true because she had no proof. Lee assured me, combing back my hair as I cried that day, that there was no proof so it'd be fine.

            But now, she has proof. What am I supposed to do with that?

              She reaches over and pulls out a manila folder out of her black expensive bag. After staring at it for a good three seconds of hesitation, she looks over at me and places it on my lap.

                 "When I tried to reach you, nobody was home. Your mother wasn't in that old hospital anymore. Your car wasn't in the driveway. I feared you had fled and once again, I'd lost my family all over again before even officially knowing so," she rambles.

               I can't hear her. My eyes are on this manila folder that can change my life.

               "Silly me," she continues, "you just went to college. Of course, you would. A young, brilliant woman like you obviously would be in school, furthering your educations. Especially in a beautiful city like New York. I bet you've run into Mark or Lee a couple times. I'm sorry for ambushing you like this. I couldn't wait longer to share this information—"

                 I turn and stare at her. "Madam Jin, it's fine. You can breathe."

              Madam Jin freezes, mouth wide. She casts her eyes down at her lap where she clasps her hands together and plays with one of her silver rings. "You're right. Everything will be fine." She looks back up and holds my gaze, softly whispering, "Open it. Please."

                 The manila folder is suddenly one of the scariest things I've seen in my life. I unfold my hands and place my right hand on top of the folder. This is it. This could change my life.

               I flip it open, hoping maybe this is a joke and that Madam Jin actually has nothing. That what I'll find in here is blank space and relief. But there are papers—documents—that look so harshly real. And photographs.

             I pick up the first one I see, a black and white photo taken from a security camera of some sort. The date, time, and location is blurred out but the street looks familiar. And the man in the photo, looking up for a split second as he readjusts his hat and sunglasses—the man is my father. An older looking, disheveled version, but my father nonetheless.

               "This...can't be possible," I mumble. I look to Madam Jin. "This can't be real."

             "It is," she replies in a gentle tone.

                 "He's dead." A hollow feeling grows inside my chest, one you'd think I'd get accustomed to by now. But that's the funny thing about grief. It's an old friend who never really leaves. "He's dead," I repeat. "I was there. Trust me. My mother was destroyed. I watched her pick herself up and glue back the pieces of what my father left behind. He's dead."

              "I am so sorry, Ivory. But your father is very much alive," Madam Jin says, her own hand wiping away a tear from her right cheek. "It's the truth."

               I pick up the stack of photos, going through all of them. They're all from the same night as my "father" is wearing the same clothes in all of them. The documents are bills and car payments of someone under the name of Ren Lofsate. But all of this means nothing because I know my father is dead. There is nothing more to it.

           "These pictures could be fake for all I know," I say weakly. "They don't even have any information to the dates or location. Why would you blur that out? And my father's name wasn't Ren, it was Nate."

           Madam Jin gasps but maintains her composure. "Is that so...?" She smiles at her own inside humor before turning to me, her face serious once again. "And the date and location are blocked out for a reason. All I can tell you is that these pictures were taken last winter or so. Late December?"

           "Late December?" I ask. My mind searches for any matches in my brain, anything out of the ordinary last winter. The only irregular event was meeting and falling for Lee around that time. We'd been fighting then anyway until he needed me for his birthday. My eyes widen suddenly. His birthday. When I could've sworn I saw a man who looked like my father.

          "Do you remember something?" Madam Jin inquires, suddenly sitting straight and leaning in.

              Should I tell her? If I'm being completely honest, how well do I really know Madam Jin? I met her through Lee and she seemed nice enough but I can't just go around trusting every old nice woman now, can I? I could be releasing information to the wrong person.

             "Please trust me," she says, placing a hand over mine.It's like she read my suspicious thoughts. "I would never hurt you or be malicious towards you. Even if you aren't related to me, I still think you're a bright girl that has a kind heart. Please trust me."

              Well, I already came to this creepy alleyway and got into the car so issues with trust don't seem to be a big problem at the moment. Besides, Mom's conditions are the way they've always been and maybe if I tell Madam Jin, give her the false hope that we're family, she can upgrade my mother to more advanced doctors. It sounds cruel to use her, but it's my mother. I'd do anything to be able to have her hug me by Christmas. Maybe it'd give Madam Jin some closure.

               I wish I had a kind heart, Madam Jin.

              "I did see my father...I think," I say and Madam Jin's face automatically changes, her eyes widening and eyebrows raising. Tears gloss over her eyes and she brings her hands to cover her mouth. "I'm not sure though."

           "W-When was this?"

           "Lee's birthday party last December. I thought I saw him but I think it was just a man who looked like him. I didn't get close enough to see," I admit. "It still couldn't be him though. There's just no way. Nothing makes sense."

              Madam Jin suddenly sits straight, gripping her knees. Her eyes are frantic, her mind working faster than a bullet. "It all makes sense," she whispers.

             My eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean? Do you know something else?"

             She covers her face and takes a deep breath. When she removes her hands from her face, she leans over me and taps on the glass of the window, signaling for the sketchy man from earlier. He opens the door and leans in. "Yes, ma'am?"

             Madam Jin turns to me. "Which hospital is your mother staying at right now?"

          "Lenox...," I say hesitantly. "Why?"

              She faces the man again and says, "Get all my people of Division One in that hospital now. Try to move Mary—Helen Flores to V.I.P. immediately and make sure there at least two guards posted at her door and several rounding the area. Do you hear me?"

         The man nods with no expression and leans back out, pressing his earpiece and talking in code to whoever else might be on the other end. He shuts the door and it's just us again.

           "What was that for?" I ask.

             She doesn't respond.

            "Hello?" I say. "Madam Jin! Could you please tell me what the hell is going on? Excuse my language, but could you tell me why you're sending your "Division One" people up to my mother's room? I need answers right now."

           A deep sigh escapes her lips and she takes another breath before turning her body to face me. She looks me in the eyes and I'm suddenly hesitant to know what's going on. "What I'm about to tell you," she says, "must

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