Cabin Fever | ✓

(70) You're In Wonderland, Alice

"That night? What night is he talking about? The night — the night they left?

"There's not a clue in here," Marley breathed out, shutting the journal and rubbing at her temples, "It's just quote unquote 'brotherly advice'. I've been through it a thousand times. Aiden," she kicked his thigh gently with her socked foot, "Can you read it over again? I think I'm missing something."

While Marley had Gabby on FaceTime, Aiden was laid beside her on her bed. Or, more accurately, he was laying on her pillow on his back and she was sat up on her knees, her reading glasses on, hair up in a bun and a bunch of papers scattered around her attempting to solve the mystery that is her broken family.

"Marley," Aiden scolded calmly, grunting when she shoved the journal into his hands which were reaching for her instead, "I've already read it, too. Four times. It's dinner. Let's order something-"

"Not until I figure this out," Marley cut him off stiffly, opening the letter that she found in the back of the journal again.

"Aiden's right," Gabby said from the screen of his iPhone, "You've been dissecting this journal for four hours, and I've been on FaceTime for two of those hours. Take this to the police."

Marley shook her head automatically, "Not until I find a way to scan it, and learn more about cryptography. This entire journal could be a hidden message."

Aiden sighed, and before she knew it the letter was being snatched out from under her. She yelped, attempting to grab onto the journal but he already had it out of reach.

"Hand it over," she demanded.

He held their gaze evenly, "No."

She rolled her eyes, turning away from him with a huff, "I have partial photographic memory anyway. I remember enough. Gabby," Marley picked up Aiden's phone, holding it up so she could see her blonde best friend giving her a disapproving look she ignored, "Jacobi talked about a truth about my parents that he couldn't write down. My father said there was a night I almost died. That night. He said there was something I forgot. Recalling lost memories-"

"Requires hypnosis-"

"Or electric shock therapy." Aiden finished with a loud sigh, falling backwards onto her bed, "We went through that an hour ago, Marley. We also agreed that was way too extreme of a reaction to this situation. You can't possibly tell me you're considering shocking yourself for an old journal that you can't even validate is true."

She shot him a look over her reading glasses, "I never said I was going to. But all of the information I have to go off of is slim to nothing. My fathers' room was a dead end. So all I have is this journal, my father himself-"

"Who you can't visit anymore because you gave him a frickin seizure."

"He's fine now!" Marley defended loudly, "And if I left a second before I wouldn't have known about a supposed night I don't remember. I essentially have nothing right now and-"

Marley cut herself off, her mind screeching to a halt on one lead that she hasn't followed yet. She scrambled from the bed, wide-eyed and rejuvenated. She knew she was acting crazy right now, and was certain her boyfriend was questioning her sanity by the look on his face, but none of that mattered.

Marley has spent seven years in the dark, clouded with questions and fears and uncertainty. But the journal — that hunk of paper and her fathers' words, became the sun breaking through the clouds. It wasn't as simple of an explanation as she was told. In the back of her mind, Marley always hung on to her instinct that there was more to the story of her mother and brothers' disappearance than the A-B-C she was given.