Can't Outrun The Past {Book 3}

Chapter 10: Getting The Whole Truth Part 2

*Noah's POV*

Have you ever seen the really old movie Watcher in The Woods? You know Tom Callie? Well him and Magnus could have been friends. Even his house mirrored Tom's.
His house was creepy looking, it was a rundown flat with broken windows and a heavy wooden door. I waited by the door for Nanc and Connor to catch up. I knew they didn't share my enthusiasm, but I was thankful for them coming anyway.
Connor knocked on the door then turned back to us. "What if he's asleep? I mean it's almost six in the morning."
"Nah, he's up. The lights are on." Nancy had just finished speaking when the door jerked open.
A very tall and stout man with dark hair appeared at the door. "Who's there?" He demanded, looking above us.
"Um down here." Nancy said quietly.
"What do you.." His eyes fell on Noah and he cursed. "What do you want? Is this a joke!"
"What no. Listen I'm Noah-"
"Come to mess with me have you?" He asked, his voice chilling.
"No one has come to mess with you, Sir." Connor took a step forward. "Jimmy sent us here."
Magnus shook his head. "Who are you to be?" He queries. "I get it they're to be the girls, but you look like none of us."
"Wait, are you saying we look like those people?" Nancy put two and together.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Magnus agreed. "She looks just like El except the hair." He said pointing at me.
"If you let us explain, I believe your find it's not like that at all, Mr. O'Malley." Connor stated.
"Fine come in." Magnus led us to a huge study where a fire crackled and burned.
Pictures lined the wall above the fire space; pictures of the same seven people.
"Explain, child." Magnus looked directly at my twin as he spoke.
"Okay, well you see, we moved into the Morrison Cabin, and my sister here found out about the murder." Connor explained.
"We ran into someone by the name of Jimmy Conrad who told us some on the story." I took over for him. "But he said if he talked much more about it he'd be killed."
"So he sent us to you." Nancy concluded. "He said you could tell us the whole story."
"I gave that up years ago." Magnus sighed. "Why would you want to know about such a
horrid thing anyway?"
"Because I have to know." I pleaded. "Please, Sir, you said I look like her, did you don't?" I half demanded, a dangerous tone laced my voice. One that made Connor sink farther back in his seat.
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "Yes much like her. You sound like her too." He paused. "It's scary, actually, how much you remind me of her. Standing there, your arms crossed and stubborn eyes. You could be her reincarnated." He leaned forward in his office chair and motioned for me to sit back down. "And for that, I will tell you the story, Noah. I will answer your questions."
I gave a small smirk in victory. "Start with her. Tell me about her and when you met and go from there."
Magnus nodded. "Alright then." He got up and returned to his chair with a file and an album. "I was fourteen when she moved in with my girlfriend. She was fierce and determined. When she spoke people listened. The very first time I met her, she had decided to come with us to Mr. Whitticer's house, where we often hung out. She was arguing with our leader Raphael about something. At the time she had long brown hair and plain clothes on. She gave no notion of the girl she really was. It wasn't until the next day when she showed up at school after we thought the cops had gotten her, that we became friends. That was also the day her and Alex's short friendship ended."
"Why did it end?" Nancy interrupted.
"It's a bit of a story, like everything with her. When we ran from the cops, she got left behind, but our leader couldn't leave her there so he went back. The story goes that they went back to her house, but no one was there to let her in. She stayed with him that night because she had no other place to go. The next day Alex and Jer were so mad because they scared them that Alex went off on her, ending their friendship completely." Magnus paused. "Nothing really happened for a couple months. It wasn't until Alex brought his new girlfriend Mack around that things got interesting....."
'Mack? Alex? Raphael or possibly Rafe?' I pondered, the pieces starting to click together. Magnus continued to talk and after a while of thinking I became to listen again.
".... Her brother soon came to town bringing Jack and a guy named Adam with him. You see, our mysterious friend had a troubled past. She even went to jail for quite a few accounts for around six months and that was when she came to London. She worked for her brother, did everything he asked her to. He gave her drugs which she accepted and for awhile she knew no better than to take them. Crime and hard life was the only thing she'd known until England." He paused, looking at the file in his hands. "Her brother tried to get her to come home, but she refused so he threatened to kill her, like he had her lover and brother before. He almost succeeded, but Mack drank the poison instead and killed the attacker. Mack was in the hospital two weeks, before then Mack and her hadn't really been friends, but after that they were inseparable." He shook his head. "After Jasper and Grace went to jail, life was fine. That is until her stepfather kidnapped her and tortured her until he finally killed her." Magnus went silent for several minutes. "But she didn't die." He finally stated. "She left a video for all of us-The Troublemakers-and special things for each of us. But before she left, she sent Phillip to erase our memories of her, but she was my Effy Stonem and I never forgot her. She left me with this file." He held up the file. "It has everything that's happened during that year and in general in it. She said I'd know what to do with it when the time comes." He got up and came to stand in front of me. "I believe she was talking about you, Noah." He patted my head, and handed the file over to me. "I believe she was waiting for you."
"What was her name, Magnus?" I asked softly, looking up at him with curious and pleading eyes.
"Eleanor. Eleanor Bates." He confirmed all my suspensions.
I looked over at Connor and Nancy to see them completely awestruck.
"Do you have pictures of her?" Nancy questioned after a long minute.
"Yeah, I do. Here." He handed us the album. On the front was Rafe, Mum, Uncle Jack, Alex, a girl I didn't recognize, and Magnus.
"She's my mother." I said, running a hand over the picture. "My mother is Eleanor Bates." I whispered to myself

Wow