I've Been Living A Lie, chapter 8
I stood there staring at it, thinking about what to do next. He knocked on the door again.
"Are you still there?" He asked softly. I shook my head slightly trying to sort my thoughts. I finally opened the door sort of hoping he would have gone, but, no, he was still there. We just stood there and then all of a sudden I ran forward and hugged him, surprising both of us. At first he did nothing but then he put his arms around me and hugged me back. Like a perfect family moment. Accept we weren't a perfect family and at the moment I was still trying to get to grips with the family part at all. I heard the bedroom door open.
"Charlotte? Where are y- oh!" I heard Katie say. I pulled away from Billie Joe and turned around to look at her. She looked slightly confused.
"Hey," She said to us both. I smiled a weak smile at her before turning back to Billie who was looking down. He kind of reminded me of a little boy not my dad. Then he looked up unsure of what to say, "You should come meet Joey and Jakob," He said nervously. To be honest I'd completely forgotten about them. It didn't feel right knowing I had brothers. I also knew it was bad idea to meet them or get to close to my mum and dad because we were leaving in 3 days back for home. I shook my head slowly and looked at him.
"No, no I shouldn't see any of you. I can't get to close. I'm leaving California in 3 days!" I rambled, and there it was once again the hurt in his eyes. So I turned back into the suite whispering, "I'm sorry," and closing the door. I leant against it and sighed before looking at Katie with sad eyes, she pulled me into a hug.
"Maybe its for the best," She offered. I nodded looking at the locket.
"Yeah...maybe," I pushed myself off the door and rubbed my eyes suddenly realizing how tired I was.
"I think I'm going to go back to bed," I muttered, walking past Katie and Mark, who had just woken up and was obviously confused by what was happening, but at the moment I was to tired to care.
*Adie's POV*
"Mommy I've finished my homework, can I go play?" Asked Joey, pulling on my arm.
"Huh? Oh yeah sure," I answered, though I wasn't really listening. My mind was somewhere else. And I was wondering what happened with Billie and Charlotte. My thoughts shattered when I heard the front door slam and Billie walked in and sat opposite me at the kitchen table, putting his head in his hands. Then he looked up at me.
"You know I really thought I was getting somewhere. She was talking to me... she even hugged me, you know and it felt right... like hugging your daughter should feel. And then she said she doesn't want to see us 'cause if she gets to close to us it will be hard to leave. What are we gonna do? We can't just let her go!"
I nodded. He was right we couldn't just let her go. You can't forget your own flesh and blood.
"But what if that's what she wants? Maybe she wants for us to let her go. And if she does, do we respect that?" I answered nervously. Billie Joe nodded.
"I'm going to ring Mary, I don't think she even knows Charlotte knows."
"Yeah good idea," I said. "And find out what time her plane leaves." Billie pulled out his phone and rang her. I watched him explain everything that had happened. Around 20 minutes later he got off the phone and came and sat opposite me again.
"She was shocked. She has no idea how she found the locket. It was in the bottom of a box with her birth certificate under loads of photographs. And their plane leaves on Tuesday at 2pm," He said. "But I don't think we should go to her. Like you said if she wants to see us she'll come to us."
"She doesn't know where we live though," I responded. Billie shook his head slightly.
"Yeah she does I gave her our address and phone number when she wouldn't open the door at the hotel," He replied.
"Oh, I guess we'll just have to wait and see then."
*Lottie's POV*
It was Tuesday, the day we leave, and I had made no attempt to contact or see Billie or Adie. We were packing around 12:30 pm and we had to leave for the airport in half and hour. So we were just finishing packing and chatting.
"I can't believe it's been a week already, so much has happened!" Mark exclaimed.
"Tell me about it!" I muttered. Katie looked at me sympathetically.
"Well we better be going," She said, grabbing her suitcase. Mark and I nodded and got our stuff. Forty-five minutes later we had boarded the plane. We weren't leaving for about quarter of an hour yet, so I sat down and got out my Ipod. Seconds later, Jack's Mannequin's Bruised came through the headphones.
I've got my things, I'm good to go
You met me at the terminal
Just one more plane ride and it's done
I sat up in my seat. I'd never really listened to the lyrics before and right now they weren't exactly making me feel any better about leaving. The song carried on, me listening intently to the words. I'm not sure but I think it was around about these words-
Sometimes perfection can be
It can be perfect hell, perfect...
- Then I got up. I ran back to the front of the plane to the exit, my Ipod still running.
Hours pass, and she still counts the minutes
That I am not there, I swear I didn't mean
For it to feel like this
Like every inch of me is bruised, bruised
The airhostess stopped me from running.
"I'm sorry you can't get off the plane!" But I wasn't listening. I was still listening the song as I pushed my way past her and ran off the plane; vaguely aware Mark and Katie were following.
And don't fly fast. Oh, pilot can you help me?
Can you make this last? This plane is all I got
So keep it steady, now
Cause every inch you see is bruised
I was now running through the airport and it was then I broke down. And it was then Katie and Mark caught up with me.
"What the hell Charlotte?!" Mark exasperated as Katie picked me up off the ground.
I lace my Chucks, I walk the aisle
I take my pills, the babies cry
All I hear is what's playing through
The in-flight radio
Now every word of every song
I ever heard that made me wanna stay
Is what's playing through
The in-flight radio, and I
And I am, finally waking up
I pulled the earphones out of my ears and turned to them never-ending tears falling from my eyes.
"I can't do it. I can't leave. It's not right without talking to them." They nodded, Mark looked out the window.
"Well, we might as well come too, the planes leaving." I followed his line of gaze and he was right the plane was leaving. I turned back to them.
"I'm so sorry, I dragged you off." They just shook their heads.
"Don't worry about it," Katie said. "Do you know where they live?" I nodded pulling the piece of paper Billie Joe had gave me.
"Well come on then. We'll get a cab there," Mark said as we walked out the airport and onto the street. Katie hailed a cab and I told the driver the address. Ten minutes later we had pulled up outside the house. Mark paid the driver and we all got out and walked to the door. I went to knock but then I pulled away.
"I can't do it," I panicked.
"Yes you can," Mark said and knocked on the door. I gasped and Katie smacked him round the head.
"What!? We'd have been here all day!" He debated innocently. I was about to say something back but the front door opened and I heard a gasp. I turned to see Adie staring wide-eyed back at me.
"Are you still there?" He asked softly. I shook my head slightly trying to sort my thoughts. I finally opened the door sort of hoping he would have gone, but, no, he was still there. We just stood there and then all of a sudden I ran forward and hugged him, surprising both of us. At first he did nothing but then he put his arms around me and hugged me back. Like a perfect family moment. Accept we weren't a perfect family and at the moment I was still trying to get to grips with the family part at all. I heard the bedroom door open.
"Charlotte? Where are y- oh!" I heard Katie say. I pulled away from Billie Joe and turned around to look at her. She looked slightly confused.
"Hey," She said to us both. I smiled a weak smile at her before turning back to Billie who was looking down. He kind of reminded me of a little boy not my dad. Then he looked up unsure of what to say, "You should come meet Joey and Jakob," He said nervously. To be honest I'd completely forgotten about them. It didn't feel right knowing I had brothers. I also knew it was bad idea to meet them or get to close to my mum and dad because we were leaving in 3 days back for home. I shook my head slowly and looked at him.
"No, no I shouldn't see any of you. I can't get to close. I'm leaving California in 3 days!" I rambled, and there it was once again the hurt in his eyes. So I turned back into the suite whispering, "I'm sorry," and closing the door. I leant against it and sighed before looking at Katie with sad eyes, she pulled me into a hug.
"Maybe its for the best," She offered. I nodded looking at the locket.
"Yeah...maybe," I pushed myself off the door and rubbed my eyes suddenly realizing how tired I was.
"I think I'm going to go back to bed," I muttered, walking past Katie and Mark, who had just woken up and was obviously confused by what was happening, but at the moment I was to tired to care.
*Adie's POV*
"Mommy I've finished my homework, can I go play?" Asked Joey, pulling on my arm.
"Huh? Oh yeah sure," I answered, though I wasn't really listening. My mind was somewhere else. And I was wondering what happened with Billie and Charlotte. My thoughts shattered when I heard the front door slam and Billie walked in and sat opposite me at the kitchen table, putting his head in his hands. Then he looked up at me.
"You know I really thought I was getting somewhere. She was talking to me... she even hugged me, you know and it felt right... like hugging your daughter should feel. And then she said she doesn't want to see us 'cause if she gets to close to us it will be hard to leave. What are we gonna do? We can't just let her go!"
I nodded. He was right we couldn't just let her go. You can't forget your own flesh and blood.
"But what if that's what she wants? Maybe she wants for us to let her go. And if she does, do we respect that?" I answered nervously. Billie Joe nodded.
"I'm going to ring Mary, I don't think she even knows Charlotte knows."
"Yeah good idea," I said. "And find out what time her plane leaves." Billie pulled out his phone and rang her. I watched him explain everything that had happened. Around 20 minutes later he got off the phone and came and sat opposite me again.
"She was shocked. She has no idea how she found the locket. It was in the bottom of a box with her birth certificate under loads of photographs. And their plane leaves on Tuesday at 2pm," He said. "But I don't think we should go to her. Like you said if she wants to see us she'll come to us."
"She doesn't know where we live though," I responded. Billie shook his head slightly.
"Yeah she does I gave her our address and phone number when she wouldn't open the door at the hotel," He replied.
"Oh, I guess we'll just have to wait and see then."
*Lottie's POV*
It was Tuesday, the day we leave, and I had made no attempt to contact or see Billie or Adie. We were packing around 12:30 pm and we had to leave for the airport in half and hour. So we were just finishing packing and chatting.
"I can't believe it's been a week already, so much has happened!" Mark exclaimed.
"Tell me about it!" I muttered. Katie looked at me sympathetically.
"Well we better be going," She said, grabbing her suitcase. Mark and I nodded and got our stuff. Forty-five minutes later we had boarded the plane. We weren't leaving for about quarter of an hour yet, so I sat down and got out my Ipod. Seconds later, Jack's Mannequin's Bruised came through the headphones.
I've got my things, I'm good to go
You met me at the terminal
Just one more plane ride and it's done
I sat up in my seat. I'd never really listened to the lyrics before and right now they weren't exactly making me feel any better about leaving. The song carried on, me listening intently to the words. I'm not sure but I think it was around about these words-
Sometimes perfection can be
It can be perfect hell, perfect...
- Then I got up. I ran back to the front of the plane to the exit, my Ipod still running.
Hours pass, and she still counts the minutes
That I am not there, I swear I didn't mean
For it to feel like this
Like every inch of me is bruised, bruised
The airhostess stopped me from running.
"I'm sorry you can't get off the plane!" But I wasn't listening. I was still listening the song as I pushed my way past her and ran off the plane; vaguely aware Mark and Katie were following.
And don't fly fast. Oh, pilot can you help me?
Can you make this last? This plane is all I got
So keep it steady, now
Cause every inch you see is bruised
I was now running through the airport and it was then I broke down. And it was then Katie and Mark caught up with me.
"What the hell Charlotte?!" Mark exasperated as Katie picked me up off the ground.
I lace my Chucks, I walk the aisle
I take my pills, the babies cry
All I hear is what's playing through
The in-flight radio
Now every word of every song
I ever heard that made me wanna stay
Is what's playing through
The in-flight radio, and I
And I am, finally waking up
I pulled the earphones out of my ears and turned to them never-ending tears falling from my eyes.
"I can't do it. I can't leave. It's not right without talking to them." They nodded, Mark looked out the window.
"Well, we might as well come too, the planes leaving." I followed his line of gaze and he was right the plane was leaving. I turned back to them.
"I'm so sorry, I dragged you off." They just shook their heads.
"Don't worry about it," Katie said. "Do you know where they live?" I nodded pulling the piece of paper Billie Joe had gave me.
"Well come on then. We'll get a cab there," Mark said as we walked out the airport and onto the street. Katie hailed a cab and I told the driver the address. Ten minutes later we had pulled up outside the house. Mark paid the driver and we all got out and walked to the door. I went to knock but then I pulled away.
"I can't do it," I panicked.
"Yes you can," Mark said and knocked on the door. I gasped and Katie smacked him round the head.
"What!? We'd have been here all day!" He debated innocently. I was about to say something back but the front door opened and I heard a gasp. I turned to see Adie staring wide-eyed back at me.
