Learning Me (Lightworker Trilogy #1) (9 page)

Chapter Twelve

Later that night, Courtney realized her audition was fast approaching and she had yet to learn the part she was supposed to use. Oddly enough, she couldn’t get the energy to worry about it, or even care. Finding her real family had become far more important.

A pang of guilt settled in her gut as she realized she was going to have to back out, but it had to be done. She fingered the script and allowed herself to daydream about going through with the audition, but she couldn’t see how to make it work. In her mind, there was little chance she would do a good job with such a huge distraction hanging over her head, and she refused to go unless she could give it her best effort. At least the play was over tomorrow night.

Courtney stood from her bed and walked over to the door, clicking the lock shut. Secure that she had the privacy she wanted, Courtney opened her computer to do some more research. She tapped the surface of her desk while she mulled over where to start. She decided the best thing was to check for any kidnapping cases around that time in the area the note came from.

Courtney entered the search terms and waited for the results to pop up. She picked up a pencil sitting on the desk beside her and absentmindedly twirled it as she waited. The list of results brought a sense of unease. There weren’t that many in the area, but there were enough that it would take time to get through each one to compare the facts she knew with the articles.

She went through the links slowly, taking in every detail, but nothing seemed to quite fit. She tried again, using a couple of other places where she had family, but had the same luck. There was no shortage of cases, but all of them seemed to have at least one detail that didn’t match up.

She shut the computer off and got up, pacing the room over and over. The dead-end made her stomach knot. Each failure pointed more and more to them telling the truth, and she didn’t know if that was something she could deal with. She plopped down on her bed, gripping the corner of her pillow tight as she curled up against it, snorting at the idea she would almost prefer them being criminals at this point.

She realized if she was going to get any further, she would have to get her hands on her parents’ old stuff. She needed solid information that came from something other than her father’s mouth right now. She just hoped they still had it in the house somewhere.

****

Courtney stood backstage feeling even edgier than she usually did before a performance. After she walked offstage, she, Matthew, and Sam would head back to her house. The idea of what she might find that night made her feel sick to her stomach, but she breathed through it in an effort to avoid messing up in front of an auditorium full of people. She may have lost her sense of self, but at least she still had her pride.

As usual, the moment she stepped onstage everything else disappeared and Courtney allowed herself to get lost in the fictional drama of her character instead of her own. She put everything she had into the performance, almost breaking down several times. At the end of one scene in particular, the audience stared at her in stunned silence. The quiet engulfed the room for several beats before giving way to thunderous applause.

She felt the same energy flowing through her for the rest of the show, and she let it carry her to the curtain call. When she took her bows, she felt like she was flying. She’d never experienced such a sensation in her life and she loved every second of it. After they stepped offstage, Miss Hernandez cornered her.

“Courtney, I don’t know what happened, but that was outstanding! I don’t think I’ve seen a performance like that out of you in all the years you’ve been here, and that’s saying something. Congratulations!” She gave Courtney a hug.

“Thanks,” she responded, wiping a couple of stray tears that came out. “I don’t know either, but I’m glad it did… Especially on closing night.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see what you’ll do at that audition this weekend. You confirmed, right?”

Courtney’s stomach dropped as the inevitable question came out. She looked so proud and excited that Courtney hated to disappoint her, especially after a night like this. “I, um… I’m not going to be able to do that after all. It’s a long story, but something personal came up and it’s going to take up most of my time.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? It’d be a shame to see you back out, especially after that performance.”

“I wish I could, but it’s just not possible. I’m really sorry. I wish I had known sooner.”

Miss Hernandez sighed, patting Courtney’s shoulder reassuringly. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but things happen. I hope you’ll consider trying something else once everything’s been worked out.”

“Thanks. I will. I’d better go now, actually. I’ve got a ton of stuff to do tonight, but thanks again for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight, Courtney.”

Someone backstage called for her, and Miss Hernandez gave Courtney a quick wave before rushing off to whatever drama might be happening offstage.

Courtney turned and made her way through the wings and into the dressing area, dodging her fellow cast members, who were chatting excitedly as they made their way to the after-show party. She couldn’t help but feel bad about skipping out on it, especially since it was the last one. Courtney figured she must look like the biggest diva in school. She couldn’t worry about that now, though. There was something far more pressing demanding her attention.

Once she’d changed, she waited outside the theatre for Sam and Matthew. The warm air helped to take away the chill she always got from being inside the auditorium. She swore they must keep the place glacial on purpose. She assumed it was because of the lights — they couldn’t have any students passing out in the middle of a production. Still, Courtney would’ve preferred being hot. The change back and forth was never pleasant.

She sat down at a bench and leaned against the wall with her eyes closed. The sounds of people milling about the parking lot and cars pulling out mixed with crickets chirping.

“Court!”

Courtney snapped to attention at the sound of her name. She searched the bustling crowd, spotting Sam and Matthew by a vending machine a few feet away.

“Hey,” she called out as she stood to join them. “You guys ready?”

“You bet,” replied Matthew. “Let’s go.”

Courtney nearly burst out laughing at the look on his face. He reminded her of a mischievous child getting ready to play a joke on someone. That was one of the things she liked best about him; he wasn’t afraid to get in a little trouble. She supposed it balanced out her overly-cautious nature.

“Ready when you are,” Sam said as he gave her a quick kiss. “By the way, you were awesome tonight. What happened up there? I mean, you’re usually incredible, but tonight was something else.”

“Thanks. Miss Hernandez said the same thing. I don’t know; it was like I just got lost for a while there. Maybe my subconscious decided I needed a break or something,” she joked.

Sam walked Courtney to his car with his arm around her shoulder, flirting with her the whole way while Matthew followed at a respectful distance. She blushed and played along with his flirting, knowing he must be trying to keep things light. She had to admit, she’d been a ball of stress the entire day and had even started getting on her own nerves. She couldn’t blame him for trying to lighten her up, if that was what was behind the extra attention.

Once they got on the road to her house, the three of them fell into an awkward silence. Courtney considered all the things she could possibly discover that night. What if they were telling the truth and her parents really had supernatural powers? The possibility made her nauseous.

“Guys,” Courtney said as Sam pulled into her driveway, “let me out here and then go park somewhere else okay? I’ll leave the back door unlocked so you can sneak in.” She stole a glance at the house of the neighbor who usually kept an eye on their place when her parents were gone.

“Sure thing. We’ll see you in a little bit,” Sam agreed.

“Thanks.” Courtney got out and waved goodbye as she ran to the door. Courtney unlocked it and walked inside as Sam pulled out and drove away. She just hoped they were discreet enough and this wouldn’t get back to her parents. They’d have a fit if they knew she had a couple of guys in the house while they were gone, especially when one was her boyfriend. Courtney almost laughed at the absurdity of worrying about that, but she supposed old habits die hard — especially when one was scared her parents were really criminals.

Okay, where should I start?

Courtney unlocked the backdoor as promised while mentally reviewing the house for potential hiding places. Their closet came to mind, but Courtney dismissed that idea along with the attic. If they were trying to keep more details from her, they would’ve gotten rid of anything in either place once she confronted them with the picture and note.

A part of her wished she had waited to do that until she went through everything in the attic more thoroughly. Who knew what other skeletons might have been hiding in there? She supposed it was too late to worry about that now and decided to try the study first. She’d only been searching for about fifteen minutes when she heard Sam’s voice calling to her.

“I’m in the study,” she called out. “I’ll be out as soon as I can.” Courtney crept to the desk and carefully rifled through each drawer, disappointed to see they mostly contained old bills and other assorted junk. She was surprised. She figured they would be a lot neater than that. Her mother was always after her about keeping her room clean.

“Okay,” Sam answered.

The desk turned out to be a waste of time, and the closet wasn’t much better. Her cheeks flushed with annoyance as she made sure everything was just as she’d found it. The cabinet in the corner of the room also came up empty, making her suppress an annoyed scream. There had to be something!

“Okay,” she muttered, “where else would they hide stuff?”

Courtney studied the room, taking in the faded carpet, the dark oak furnishings, and the antique lamp that illuminated the space. An image of her as a child played through her mind. She had only been about three at the time, so she couldn't be sure of the reliability of the memory. Still, she could swear there was another spot in this room she was missing. She closed her eyes in concentration as she focused on the hazy recollection. She’d come running into the room, chasing her old cat, Maxwell. 

“Courtney Lynn, haven’t I told you not to come running in here like that? This is Mommy and Daddy’s office and isn’t for playing!”

Her mother had nearly jumped before saying the words, her hand brushing the wall as she stood.

“Sorry, Mommy,” Courtney said with a pout. “Maxwell and me are playing tag and he wouldn’t listen.”

“It’s okay. Why don’t you take Maxwell into your room to play?”

“Okay,” Courtney said, a big smile spreading over her face over being forgiven for breaking the rules.

The more Courtney thought about it, the more she realized just how protective they were of this space. The image of her mother standing at the wall like that made her wonder. Could there be some hidden space in here she didn’t know about? 

Courtney marched to the wall with her gaze fixed on the family portrait over her father’s bookcase. She’d always liked that photo. Her parents had such a look of joy and pride in their faces, and Courtney was holding one of her favorite childhood dolls. She smiled, thinking of how she’d been convinced it could really talk to her. Funny how she never noticed that the doll always said the same things without fail—sometimes multiple times in a row.

Her interest in the picture was far different today. She stepped closer, reaching out for the frame with both hands, hesitating a moment before gripping both sides and taking it off the wall. Her eyes widened at the opening the picture hid. No wonder they’d never wanted her in this room.

The space was only about a foot wide and just as tall. She opened the little door with her stomach doing flip-flops. Who knew what she would find inside? Courtney reached her trembling fingers inside and pulled out the first thing she found. It was a picture of her birth parents standing outside of a large building. She studied the image, tracing it with her finger before turning her attention to the back. A date and place were scrawled across the surface, along with the names Shawn and Ann.

At least they told me the truth about her name…

She pulled a piece of paper out and unfolded the sheet. It was an old newspaper article about a family who’d gone missing. Her breathing accelerated as she read the account of how their car had been found on the side of the road with signs of forced entry. A hat and some other items had been found damaged and strewn about, leaving authorities to conclude the family must have met with foul play. She swallowed hard as she put the article back, wondering whether or not they’d faked the whole thing as part of their scheme to hide her. What if they’d really been hurt? She banished the thought from her mind, realizing that was too much to consider.

As Courtney scanned the article further, she noticed that the names mentioned were different and the picture accompanying it was of someone else. Maybe this was one of those things they got involved in. If it was, she was disappointed to see there was no follow-up article included to tell her how it had turned out.