Her eyes, his lies

Chapter 28

It was the first time in her life that she had stayed out all night, only to come home late the next day. True, she had essentially been kidnapped by an emotionally unstable teenage girl, but Jane was choosing to look on the bright side.

It seemed kissing Ryder had that effect on her.

Keys in lock, jacket unzipped, she stepped into the familiar hallway of her home. She sighed with relief, the exhaustion welling up within her bones. All she desired was to go to bed. It appeared her mother had other plans, however.

She leaned against the entryway of the kitchen, the corner of her lip raised. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Ugh, mom," Jane groaned, "nobody says that anymore."

Her mom's face broke into a grin. "So, gonna tell me where you've been? Hm?"

Jane gingerly lowered her bags, both the IMSI catcher and her laptop. She was racking her brains for something, anything that would constitute a credible excuse for being out all night. Luckily, her mother did it for her.

"It was that boy you've been seeing, huh?" she asked.

Jane's cheeks colored. "Mom! It's not like that..."

Her mother grinned again. "Oh, don't worry, I was like that too at your age. All boys, boys, boys."

Right. Boys. Not slowly dismantling a criminal organization. Jane dearly wished she were a normal girl.

"Okay, you got me," Jane lied. She just wanted to go to bed.

Her mother sobered up somewhat. "Just promise me you're being careful, Jane. You know how wrong things can go."

"Right... like why we had to move here." Jane couldn't help it. A tinge of self-hatred filled her voice. Guilt at its purest form.

She just could not stop poking her nose where it didn't belong. They'd paid for it twice-over, before. This time, she was determined not to repeat history.

"But, baby, that was in the past. You're better now!" Her mother came closer, taking her hand. "You don't do any of that anymore, right? You're a good girl now."

The guilt reared its head within Jane. She couldn't bear to look her mother in the eyes. She didn't want to face her own emotions. Reflexively, she lashed out. "You're telling me to leave it in the past?"

Her mother's expression froze for a moment, half-way between shock and hurt.

Jane's face flushed again, though this time it had nothing to do with embarrassment. She marveled at her own ability to always say the wrong thing. "Sorry... I'm just tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

She slipped her hands out from her mother's grasp, and attempted to side-step her.

"Wait," her mother said, "come to the kitchen with me. I want to show you something."

Jane glanced back, curiosity momentarily overpowering her tiredness. "What is it?"

Her mother didn't respond, instead beckoning her from the kitchen doorway. Curiously, Jane followed.

The floor was as clean as she had ever seen it, the ever-present alcohol stains between the tiles had been scrubbed off, leaving only white porcelain beneath. On the table, a small army of empty liquor bottles stood, glass twinkling beneath the aged kitchen lights.

"You didn't drink all that, did you?" Jane turned back to her mother, who was still in the doorway.

She laughed. "No. I poured it out. I'm trying to change. From today on wards, I'm getting sober!"