Mind Control

Coincidences

I cannonball into the deep end of the pool, laughing as I come up. It's a perfect summer day; the sun is shining, the sky is almost cloudless, and it's about ninety degrees out. I splash around in the pool for some more time, and then come out. I have one towel around me, and Mom is putting one around my hair. 

I look up at her. She is so beautiful, with long, straight hair and a pretty face. She is kind and caring, she is the perfect mother. Dad comes out and smiles when he sees us. 

"Daddy, can I have lemonade please?" I ask.

He bends down to look at me and smiles warmly. "Anything for you, sweetheart," 

He asks the servant to bring the lemonade, and then he hugs Mom. The lemonade comes, and it looks different. It's cloudier than usual. Mom and Dad don't notice though. Mom pours out three glasses, and she takes the first sip. 

Immediately, she freezes. The glass slips from her hand, and her eyes go wide. Dad is frantically calling people, but all I can do is stare. Suddenly, she screams, and collapses. Tears are streaming down my face as Dad checks on her. He slowly turns around, and his eyes are full of pain and agony. 

"Lydia, I won't lie to you. Mom is dead," he says softy.

I start to sob. "B-but Daddy NO! I w-want her back!"

"Lydia, listen to me. I know you're upset, but we can deal with this later. Right now, I need you to listen to me. Your mother was murdered, and I will find who was responsible. But this person wanted to kill you and me too. So you cannot trust anybody from now on, apart from Aunt Julie, Uncle George, and myself. Got it?" 

I nod slowly. 

When I wake up, the sun is high in the sky. I look at my watch. It's eleven forty-five. I sit up and stretch my legs, wondering why I had that dream. I normally don't dream about memories, but my mind seems to want to torment me. 

The next thing I notice is the rather handsome guy sitting across from me. He's wearing cargo shorts and a green t-shirt, and it goes well with the sun-kissed, blond hair-blue eyes look. He's staring at me in amusement, and I panic. Does he work with William?

"Haven't you learned that gaping at strangers is rude?" he asks, grinning.

"If I recall correctly, you were doing the same thing," I retort.

"Well, not exactly. You're not really a stranger,"

"Really? Then, what do you know about me?" I challenge. I'm panicking, because if he knows who I am, he's probably a problem.

"Your name is Lydia Rose Williams, nineteen years old. You're going to Princeton in the fall to study law, and your father was Henry Williams, found murdered about a week ago"

I stand up and grab my things. "How the hell do you know all that?"

"I watch the news from time to time," he smirks. I sit back down. 

"Oh," I say stupidly. I'm still suspicious, but I'll just wait it out until I can ditch him. I may be able to kick ass, but he looks a lot bigger than me, and would easily be able to overpower me.

"I'm Drew. Why are you here?" he asks.

"I could ask you the same question," I reply wryly. Wait a minute, he looks very familiar. Oh my God! "You're Andrew Lynch!"

"Oh, so you watch the news too. Good to know," he says sarcastically.

I narrow my eyes. Why is he acting like this? "Cut the crap, Lynch. Why are you here?"

His eyes bore into mine. "My father was murdered, and I was kidnapped. I escaped, and came here, because my father used to take me here camping in the summer,"

I stare at him in shock. What the hell? That is exactly the reason I'm here. My red flags go up. I know it's not likely that he works with William. His father was a scientist too, specializing in genetics. I would know, because my father, who is an expert in neurology,  worked with him many times. 

"This is going to sound crazy," I laugh nervously. "But that's exactly the reason behind why I'm here. When was Troy Lynch murdered?"

"I found him stabbed in the living room last week," he says sharply.

I feel extremely uncomfortable, and start fidgeting with my hands. "Okay, I don't know about you, but I'm not going to sit here and wait for my kidnappers to find me. Nice meeting you, Drew,"

I transfer the food and water from the backpack to the purse and start climbing down from the cave. A hiking backpack is too conspicuous. A few minutes later, I hear a voice behind me. 

"Hey, wait up! Where are you going?" Drew asks.

"I'm going to my aunt and uncle. Go away," I reply impatiently. He grabs my arm and turns me around.

"Why don't you go to the police?" he asks.

"Why didn't you go to them last night? They have too many people Drew! If we go anywhere near a city, they wil find us. It's a wonder we made it here," I say angrily.

He puts his hands up. "Alright, alright, I'm coming with you though. And don't try to convince me otherwise," he adds, seeing the look on my face.

I sigh and hike back to the parking lot, with Drew following me. There are many cars parked here, and groups of people are slowly filling up the trails. These aren't the serious hikers though; those would have been out at the crack of dawn. I would know.

I walk over to my bike, when Drew frowns. "We are not taking that thing," 

He walks over to a small blue Toyota and opens the passenger door, motioning me to get it. I sigh and get inside. Cars are faster than bikes, and a hell of a lot more comfortable. Drew gets in and starts driving. 

"They live a little south of here. It shouldn't take more than an hour. Keep driving till I tell you the exit," I order.

He hesitates before replying, "Lydia, this is the way to my aunt and uncle's house."

"Let me guess. They're not actually related to you, but you were told to trust only them after your mother died?" I ask softly. 

"Murdered, actually. She was murdered," he said, his voice cracking.

We sit the rest of the way in silence, apart from my directions. What the hell is going on? We have way too much in common to dismiss as coincidence. There is nothing I can do but wait, so I push all thoughts out of my mind, and enjoy the coastal view.

Drew pulls up to the driveway of the small house in the middle of the woods, looking disturbed and deep in thought. 

"Drew?" I ask carefully.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?"

He looks at me. "Everything. This is Julie and George's place. Our situations are too similar to be dismissed as a coincidence. Everything seems off,"

"I know. I feel the same way. I'm sure Julie will have answers. Let's go," I say softly, tugging at his sleeve. He nods, and we walk up to the door. I take a deep breath and ring the bell. The door opens, and a slim, blond woman in her forties walks out, looking shocked. 

"Lydia, Drew? Well, um, I guess I have some explaining to do. Please, come in,"