Hero

Chapter 23 - "Where's the GO button?"

Chapter 23 "Where's the GO button?"

“No! No – there’s no way that’s happening!”

After Piper was sent upstairs and all of us had gathered in the living room, I continued on to tell her our plan to go back to the prison…which caused this screaming fit. Dad tried to reach out and calm her but the look on her face scared him. Hell, it scared me; she had the look of death all mothers will give you if you mess with Mama Bear’s cub.

“There’s no way I’m letting you go back to that sadistic place! What if you get caught, what if you get killed?” He choked on her last word, forcing her to stop talking and catch her breath.

“Mom, nothing is going to happen, I swear-”

“Rhylee, I agree with your mother.” Justin spoke up. This time I was the one to give the look of death.

“But you agreed to let me go with you!”

He shook his head, “No, I said we would talk about it. This isn’t talking about it; this is planning…we’re not planning anything.”

“Why would you say we’d talk about it if you were just going to say no either way?” I muttered darkly.

The living room grew ice cold as I glared at him with my arms folded across my chest. We were sitting in the loveseat, like earlier, with Mom on the green couch and Dad in his recliner. While the men in the room were trying to keep the fort, Mom and I were butting heads.

“Hah, he agrees, so you can’t go!” Mom gave a victorious smile as she folded her own arms.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t go; he’s not the boss of me.” I snapped back to her. I felt bad for being this way when I just saw her for the first time in six years, but I really had to go there. Not only did Justin and I have to find out more about this drug, I wanted to see if I could save someone else. Surely they’ve replaced Robert, Amy, and I. I wondered if they kidnapped children, like Justin had with me. Were they just as scared as I had been?

Justin shrugged his shoulders, “Well, I’m sorry to say it, Rhylee, but I’m the only one here who knows where it is. Plus, you don’t know how to drive.”

“I’m sure it can’t be that hard…” I grumbled.

He snorted then turned to my parents. “It’s okay, if she tries to leave, we’ll know. You could hear her from the driveway; ‘where’s the GO button?!’” The three began laughing at his joke while I just glared at the side of his face, wishing I had laser vision.

“Are you finished?” I asked when he finally began to calm down.

He rolled his eyes, “Look, Rhy, I’m sorry. But you’re not going and that’s final.”

“You’re not my dad.” I snapped.

“No, but I am.” Dad growled. “And I say you’re not going either. If you have a problem with that then I’m sorry, but no is my final answer.”

I opened my mouth to protest further but was stopped short when a small person stumbled inside, smirking at all of us with her soft pink lips. “Um, what are you guys talking about?” Piper asked, looking from person to person, evaluating their expressions.

“Nothing, honey,” After throwing me a dirty look that said ‘don’t push it’, Mom turned and hugged Piper. “Are you hungry?”

She nodded.

“What about you two? You didn’t even have pizza at lunch time. What do you say we all go out for dinner tonight, as a family?”

Justin looked to me, asking with his eyes if this was okay. With everyone’s eyes on me, I gave one short, reluctant nod. Satisfied, Mom turned back to Piper. “Alright, where should we go, Pipe?”