The Best Thing for Me

by Lauren Jackson

  I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows together. His over-protectiveness was unappreciated right now. I sighed. He was just trying to look out for me. I was just in a grouchy mood.

  ‘It’s my brother. He isn't crazy. Well... anyway. It was sort of a last minute thing. I'll explain everything later. I'll come by yours this afternoon. X '

  I turned my phone off and jammed it in my pocket. I glanced over to Luke who was staring back at me, eyebrows raised. I ignored him and looked out the window again. I wanted to just get this over and done with.

  "So why do you need to show me? Why can't you just tell me?"

  "I'd rather her tell you."

  I sighed at his evasiveness. It was silent. I turned the radio up, in hopes that it would distract my worrying brain. I was beginning to get really nervous. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans and worked on relaxing my breathing. It was over an hour into the drive until I broke.

  "Okay, where are you taking me?" I demanded.

  "You'll see."

  "How long until we get there?"

  No reply.

  I thumped my fist onto the dashboard. "Luke Ross you answer me right now or I'm ringing the cops and saying you abducted me."

  "You wouldn't do that." he stated calmly.

  "Okay." I challenged.

  I grabbed my phone out and pretended to dial.

  "Seriously?" he asked.

  Suddenly, he slammed on the break and I flew forwards, my forehead smacking against the dashboard. A scream escaped my throat as my seatbelt dug into my skin painfully. I slowly sat back, my heart beat pulsing in my ears.

  "What was that for!?" I exclaimed.

  I wrenched the door open and got out of the car. Luke did the same. He stormed around the car and I began backing up. My head throbbed, but I tried to push the pain away. He looked me in the eye. Anger flashed through them and I suddenly felt afraid. I didn't even know what he was capable of doing. He did murder somebody.

  "Give me your phone."

  "N-no!" I stammered.

  "Pass. It. Over. Now."

  With trembling hands, I threw my phone at him. He glanced at the screen with an emotionless expression. "It's turned off."

  "Do you really think I'd call the cops on you?" I asked in exasperation.

  He put my phone in his pocket. "I know now. Get in."

  I felt like running, but 1) I didn't know where I was, 2) I didn't have my phone to call for help,3) He could outrun me and wouldn't break a sweat catching me.

  With a defeated sigh, I nodded and climbed back into the burrowed car. My shoulders were slumped as I rested my forehead on the window pane. It was silent for roughly about twenty minutes before he looked over at me.

  "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just panicked."

  "It's okay." I replied although it wasn’t.

  "No it's not," he said quietly. "You’re my sister. I shouldn't speak to you like that."

  I shrugged it off, even though I felt touched at his apology. I turned up the music and rested my head back, gazing out the window. I sigh escaped my lips. I closed my eyes. I'll just rest them for a few moments...

  "Emma, we're here."

  I slowly opened my eyes and stretched. I unsnapped my seatbelt and drank in my surroundings. It was a shed, out in the middle of nowhere. With fumbling hands, I managed to open the car door. I stumbled out, my eyes wide, taking in everything, including the barb wired fence, the rusty tin lying around and someone's back to me. I squinted at the figure. She was tall, thin and tanned, from what I could see. She had long, blonde hair spiraling down her back, resting on the borderline of her waist. I stared in awe. Her hair was amazing. I wanted mine that long.

  "Come on," he nudged me. I jumped in alarm, almost forgetting the reason why I was here. I nodded and walked with him. We stopped a few meters away. She hadn't turned around yet, but I'm sure she knew we had arrived.

  "Beautiful day." she spoke, her voice echoing around. I stared at her in surprise. That voice... something about it. It was familiar, yet again not. I looked at Luke in question, but his gaze was unwavering and set forward. I would get no help from him. Like usual.

  "She's here." he stated. "She deserves the truth."

  "That she does," the lady agreed, shifting her stance slightly. "I should have told her from the start."

  "I did say that..." Luke trailed off.

  "Emma," she said. My name sounded so comforting when she said it. The way she spoke it, I mean. It was so familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

  "Y-yes?" I stammered, intrigued.

  She turned, facing me. "Hi, honey."

  Oh. My. Goodness.

  I blinked several times. I even pinched myself. This just had to be a dream. This stuff truly didn't happen in real life. This stuff was made up for Hollywood movies. Okay, it was unbelievable I had begun dating Jason, but you know, that stuff can happen I guess. Well, obviously. But this... No. It couldn't be.

  She smiled warmly at me and nodded, as if guessing my thoughts. I just couldn't comprehend this. She couldn't be standing here right now...

  "Mum?"

  39

  "B-but..." I trailed off, my eyes wide in confusion. I stared around at Luke, who just casually was looking around as though this was a normal thing he did. "You're m-meant to be dead!"

  She nodded, smiling slightly. "Yes. I went into Witness Protection."

  "Like Ben on Prison Break?" I blurted without thinking. I ducked my head in embarrassment. I didn't mean to say that out loud. Luke chuckled from beside me and I looked up, mock-glaring at him. He just flashed me a grin. Momentarily, I was dazed. He hadn't smiled like that for well... years.

  She blinked at me for a few times. "I don't know, I haven't seen that show."

  I frowned and again, without thinking, said, "Shame on you."

  Luke snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course you meet your mother who was meant to have died several years ago and the first thing you do is interrogate her whether she's seen Prison Break or not."

  "It's a serious matter, Luke." I scolded. I mentally shook myself and went back onto the original subject. "So... why did you go into Witness Protection?"

  She sighed deeply through her nose. "You're not going to like this."

  "Damn right she won't." Luke muttered, earning a disapproving stare from Mum. Oh wow... it was really weird to even think that. To be saying Mum again...

  "I had an affair."

  I snapped my eyes to her again, as she successfully pulled me out of my mental rant. I gaped at her for a few moments, my mouth hanging open unattractively. "What?"

  She nodded gravely. "One I'm very ashamed of. Your father and I had been fighting, so we were on a break. Do you remember that time I went away for a while? On work leave?"

  "No," I admitted honestly, trying to recall that time. It was too long ago and I hadn't thought anything of it. The memories didn't linger in my mind.

  "Ah..." she trailed off awkwardly. "Anyway, I met this handsome, charming guy. Well, at first he was charming. That was before I saw his true personality."

  "Okay...?" I said slowly. "Who was it?"

  "I'm getting there," she chuckled softly, shifting the weight from her right foot to her left. She folded her arms across her chest, biting her lip. Her actions made her look like me. The way she nervously nibbled her lip and ducked her head. She looked up, sadness clear in her eyes. She looked withdrawn, now that I took a moment to actually see her. "So, we had this fling. I thought I was in love with him. But that's when he got obsessive."

  "This sounds like something from a movie." I muttered, my voice flat.

  Luke glanced at me, but I didn't return his look. I just stared at her. I couldn't believe she'd do that to my Dad. What type of person was she? She cheated on James and then told Luke to kill my boyfriend's Dad. Yeah, she's a lovely role model, huh?

  "It does. But unfortunately it happened. I broke it off with him and said I wanted to go back to my husband. He didn't really like t
hat. He hit me a few times..." she trailed off with a shudder, instinctively raising her hand to her left cheek. "After I had come back, and told James about the affair, we tried to sort things out. Just when we were getting back on track, letters started arriving... threats. All from him."

  I nodded slowly, showing her that I was understanding and made a gesture with my hand to continue. "So then it started getting really serious, as in death threats and threats to you guys. I just couldn't handle it. I decided I wanted to move. I told the Police and they couldn't track back any of the threats, so they had no proof it was coming from him. They decided to put me in Witness Protection for my safety. Your father doesn't know about this."

  "Oh great. You lied to him again." I deadpanned.

  She stared at me with pleading eyes, begging me to understand. I just couldn't let myself yet. I needed to hear her out first, before I decide on how to react. So far, she wasn't really winning me over.

  "Yes. I did. He didn't want to move, he had a great life here. He had a good job, good friends... I couldn't do that to him. So, we faked my death."

  "But Dad would have gone to the morgue." I stated, confused. I felt a little smug I had thought to ask the question, actually. It made me feel smart. "He would have had to confirm that it really was you that was in the car accident. Or non-accident, whatever it was."

  She shook her head. "He didn't. Your uncle, Paul did. He was in on the plan."

  I shook my head in disbelief. "Who else in the family knew? Everyone?"

  "Only some," she shrugged. "People worthy of keeping the secret. So yeah, that's that. After a few years, I began popping back in around this area. Keeping an eye on all three of you, making sure you were okay. But then... that very man who destroyed my life, began to do it to yours."

  Slowly, the dots connected and I felt my mouth go completely dry. "Your affair... was with M-mark Mayor?"

  She nodded, regret flashing through her eyes. "Unfortunately, yes."

  My legs buckled from underneath me and my butt connected with the hard ground forcefully. My head was spinning with all this information. It was too hard to absorb it all. She rushed over and put her hands on my shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Don't touch me," I whispered.

  The words were harsh, but I said it softly. Her grip loosened and she took a step back. She sat down in front of me, her legs tucked underneath her. She rubbed her hands together as a light breeze swept over us. She hardly even reacted to what I said.

  "I'm sorry. Once I had informed Luke, we began brainstorming a plan to get rid of him. It was a horrible thing to do, one I thought I'd never, ever do in my life. I didn't think I was capable of it, but there we go. Luke hit him. No one witnessed it. No one asked questions. It was just a hit and run."

  "No, you're wrong." I bit out, glaring at her. "A person, who is not my friend at school told me. This is how I found out about Luke."

  She was silent for a few moments, contemplating on how to respond. She opened her mouth and closed it several times before uttering; "Will he tell?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know. He told Jason and I. But I don't think he's said anything else to anyone."

  "Good. Well... If he does, I can maybe-" She began but I cut her off.

  "You're not going to silence him."

  She pursed her lips at me. "You're right. Sorry."

  "So, did you get a name change and everything?" I asked.

  She nodded. "I'm not Rebecca anymore. I'm Rachel."

  "Okay. Now what are we going to do? It's hardly fair that Luke and I know you're still alive, but Dad doesn't."

  She lowered her gaze and fixedly began playing with a loose thread on her pants. Again, she reminded me of myself. All the little habits she did.

  "I guess I should."

  "I guess you should too," I snapped. She looked up, chewing at her lip. I sighed running a hand through my hair. "Sorry."

  She shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm sorry. This is a lot to take in. Oh, and I really like your hair blonde."

  "Thanks," I muttered.

  "So. Jason is a nice, young fellow," she smiled, warmth seeming to radiate off her. "Nothing like his father."

  "He's great." I said, the corners of my mouth twitching. Despite everything I just heard, it was nice to have a conversation with my mother. "I really like him."

  She tsked at me. "We both know you more than 'like' him."

  I felt a blush blossom at my cheeks. Even though she had just informed me of all these horrible things, it felt really nice to have a conversation with her. I had really needed a Mum when I was growing up. Having two males around hadn't been too helpful with my hair, make-up and other lady problems. Thankfully, I had Mel and her parents. They had guided me through a lot. I'd be forever grateful to them.

  "Mmyeah."

  "We should head back soon," Luke informed us, glancing at his watch.

  "Oh," Rachel said sadly, looking up at me. "That's a shame."

  She stood up and thrust her hand out to me. I stared at it for a few moments, hesitating. I then clutched it with my own and clambered up. "Thanks."

  Without warning, she hurled herself at me, suffocating my body with her arms. She was crushing me. I began wheezing. "Mum! You're killing me!"

  She stood back, her hands still on my shoulders. Tears began swimming in her eyes and she beamed at me. "You called me Mum."

  "Uhm..." I trailed off awkwardly. "Because you are?"

  "I didn't think you would after hearing what I had to say. I love you so much, Emma." She wrapped her arms me and gave me another rib-breaking hug. I squeaked and she let me going, tears falling down her face. “I have wanted to do that for so long now.

  I had hardly realised she had released me before she slapped her palms to my cheeks. "You've turned out to be such a lovely girl. I am so proud of you."

  Tears welled in my eyes and I sniffled, feeling my own smile stretch across my face. God, I had missed my mother so much it hurt.

  She smiled warmly at me. "You have to come see me soon. Promise?"

  I nodded, feeling a little numb. I didn't know how to process this all. Luke cleared his throat and reluctantly, she let me go and put some distance between us. With one last dazzling smile from her, I turned and followed Luke back to the car. I waved over my shoulder before sliding in. I snapped the seatbelt up and rested my head back, wiping my cheeks. Luke revved the engine and soon enough we were gliding across the roads on our way home. It was silent, apart from me hiccupping every now and then.

  I still can't believe my Mum is alive.

  "You're kidding, right?" Jason asked, gaping at me. His eyes were so round I thought they'd pop out of their socket. I'd just broken the news about my Mum to him. We were lying on his bed, and he was propped up on his elbows looking down at me, as I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.

  "Nope." I replied, popping the 'p'.

  I looked down and began playing with the bottom of my shirt. I just had a loose, blue top on and some tea-cup shorts. (Short at the front and longer at the back. Don't worry, they aren't extremely short. Dad wouldn't have let me out of the house if they were). I ran my eyes over Jason's long figure, taking in his loose, faded jeans and his black, three-quarter shirt. He looked pretty darn good. His blond hair was ruffled and his eyes a liquid blue. Once again, I felt extremely lucky to have him in my life.

  "Jeeze," he breathed, running a hand through his hair, before bringing it down to support him up again. He shook his head, letting out a low whistle. "Are you okay?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess? It's really strange. I feel kind of numb."

  "Well that's probably a good thing," he reasoned, collapsing onto the mattress with a whoosh. I turned on my side as did he, so that we were facing each other. I kept my eyes down though, taking in the patterns of his bed spread.

  "Mm. Like, I was really angry with her at first, because she'd had an affair and then left us. But I guess she needed to, to save
herself. Even though Mark was really, really making our lives difficult, he didn't deserve to die. The fact that she set it up only makes it that much worse."

  "Yeah," he agreed. "It's pretty crazy, but she did save a lot of people. He was really not a nice man. Even though it was wrong, it's a lot better this way. It's a hard thing to hear, and to even say, but it's true."

  I sighed. "You're right. But how are you so casual with this? My brother killed your Dad and my Mum told him to. You should be hating me."

  He shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips. "I don't think I could hate you, for one thing. And the other, he made both Mum's and my life miserable. It's just a lot better with him out of the picture. It just sucks that it was your relations that had to do it. But hey, I don't care. As long as the world is rid of someone like him."

  "You're amazing." I blurted.

  His smirk completely stretched across his face and tensed his muscles, making me want to melt into a little pool. He was just way too handsome for his own good.

  "I know I am," he joked.

  I smiled and arched myself up so that my lips gently grazed his. I pulled back but he placed his hand behind my head and kept me there. Our lips moved together slowly before coming a bit more intense. He ran his hand down my cheek, to my shoulder and down my stomach. I broke away and began giggling.

  "Why are you laughing?" he asked, frowning.

  "S-sorry," I said, rolling around, laughter escaping my lips. "You just tickled me."

  He wasn't finding this as funny as I was. He pursed his lips at me. Just as I was settling down, an evil look came over his face. Uh oh. With a blink of an eye, he was on top of me, straddling my body. I squeaked as he began furiously tickling my sides. I burst out laughing and soon enough was gasping for air.

  "Please - stop!" I cried out, my breath coming out as wheezing. He chuckled and got off me, rolling to the side. After I'd gotten my breath back, silence lapsed. We both just stared up at the ceiling.

  "Want to go star gazing?" he asked quietly.

  "Yes!" I said, sitting up in excitement. I just wanted to go do something that would distract me. Not that lying on the ground is much different from lying on the bed, but anyway. "Yes please!"