The Truth About Me and My Family

Dahila stood still and waited nervously. It was almost her 18th birthday. In a few days, her house would be filled with joy and celebration, but she felt different.  Something felt off, it felt like she was missing something - something she needed to know before she turned 18. 

    Her mom was in the kitchen, cleaning the counters and cabinets, preparing for Dahila’s 18th birthday. She was wondering why she felt this way - it was her 18th birthday after all - the one special day you only get once in your life. Her family had always made a great deal of everyone’s 18th birthday - the transition to adulthood. So why… why did she feel so miserable..? 

    Dahila walked away from the wall she had been staring at for so long and went upstairs to her room. The walls in her room were covered with many childhood pictures that were ...happy. She looked happy in them, an emotion she couldn’t remember feeling. Dahila walked to the walls of her tiny bedroom and started to take down her childhood pictures, one by one. It didn’t even matter anymore, why did she need these? They were just useless anyway. She placed them all in a pile and placed them at the very back of her closet.

Dahila hadn’t been in her room for so long. She had been attending a private school faraway for the past four years, but couldn’t remember anything beyond that. She hadn’t seen her family in forever, and now, when she turns 18, she was afraid that she would not have the opportunity to see or be with her family again. She wanted to feel happy; she wanted to have a good time with her family, but somehow she found herself unhappy and alone locked up in her room.

“Dahila, quickly, your uncle wants to see you!” The sound of Dahila mom’s cheerful voice interrupted the silence that was present in her room. She immediately got up and went downstairs to see her uncle.

“Well, how are you doing Dahila, I haven’t seen you since … you were very little.” Dahila stood in confusion. How come out of all the uncles she has known, she has never remembered him? 

“Umm, hi...uncle…..-?” Dahila said uncertainly.

“Jeremy. Uncle Jeremy.” Uncle Jeremy finished. Dahila forced a smile. She looked down in embarassment to not knowing who this uncle was. “No need.” Uncle Jeremy spoke as he saw her look down. She was more embarassed at this point and went to sit on a nearby chair. 

“So... you’re my uncle.” 

“Well, yeah, isn’t that the obvious?” Uncle Jeremy stroked his long beard. He looked like he was in a rush, always checking his watch and tapping his feet. Dahila noticed his figure, so she decided to wrap up the conversation.

“Uh, I have to go .. and prepare for my 18th birthday coming up.” Dahila waved a “goodbye” as she got up from her chair. Uncle Jeremy stopped her.

“Ahh, why so early? Your 18th birthday is not here until a few days, why don’t you spend some time with Uncle Jeremy.” Dahila stopped and turned around hesitantly. She knew that her mom would be disappointed in her if she said no to his request, so she agreed, but had a queasy feeling in her stomach. 

She told her mom that she and Uncle Jeremy would go on a walk in the park nearby, to which her mom replied with a smile. Her mom loved seeing Dahila spend some time with family after all those years at the private school. 

After getting in the car, Uncle Jeremy started to drive to the park and started some small talk. 

“So, what did you do at the private school all those years?” asked Uncle Jeremy, humming some tunes.

“Well, I learned a lot...umm, I met some friends, Fiona and Gwendolyn, they are my roommates.” Dahila stared out the window.

“That’s interesting. Oh, look’s like we’ve arrived at the park...let’s walk, shall we?” Dahila got out of the seat and walked toward her uncle. There were many people in the park, but Dahila and her uncle walked on the quieter parts of the park. While she and her uncle were walking, he asked some very odd questions that seemed completely out of nowhere. “So, Dahila, I was just wondering… by any case, do you remember anything from when you were little? Beyond your private school years?” He then smiled forcefully, expecting an answer. Dahila simply said that she didn’t and didn’t really care about it either. She was going to be an adult soon, so why should she try to bring up memories from when she was very little?

Dahila and Uncle Jeremy ended their conversation at that. At this point Dahila had brushed off the odd question Uncle Jeremy had asked her, not wanting to be more unhappy before her 18th birthday. As they were walking towards their car, a man in his late fifties approached them.

“Good morning, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to ask.-” The man paused and thought. Dahila stood by Uncle Jeremy who looked in a rush again, clueless of what he was in a rush about. “Ah, I was wondering.. - you.” The man stopped to point to Dahila with a sincere look on his face. Dahila’s blank expression turned to a curious one. This random man from the park was wondering... her? What did that mean? Suddenly her endless questions were interrupted with the sound of Uncle Jeremy’s voice.

“..her? What were you wondering about .. her?” Uncle Jeremy said it was overprotective. Dahila noticed Uncle Jeremy’s overprotectiveness and decided to step in. 

“Uncle Jeremy, you are aware that I am 18, so there is no need to be so overprotective.” Dahila said confidently. Uncle Jeremy’s expression settled down and he turned to Dahila.

“Ah yes, my apologies.” Uncle Jeremy replied in a rush. He looked to the man who had spoken earlier and motioned for him to proceed. 

The man continued, now with a suspecting, but settled look on his face, “You remind me of my wife, she had beautiful brown eyes with a face just like yours.” Dahila’s eyebrows shot up. Dahila had nothing to say. Honestly, she was expecting more than to be compared. She then turned over to see Uncle Jeremy scanning around the park, with eyes that were as sharp an eagle’s talons. 

“..Uncle Jeremy? Are you looking for something?” Uncle Jeremy jumped at the sound of Dahila’s voice. He then relaxed and smiled. 

“No, no, I’m just looking at the beautiful scenery, trying to catch every detail.” Dahila smiled back. She would've never thought a guy like Uncle Jeremy would be so intrigued at the park, he looked like the type of person who doesn’t have time to do anything but work. 

“Well, I’ll see you in town, nice talking to you.” The man grabbed his belongings and left the park. Uncle Jeremy turned to Dahila. 

“You know, we should probably get going too, I mean your mother would probably be expecting us by now. Dahila nodded and got in the car. Though Uncle Jeremy seemed like a nice guy, she had a bad feeling about him.

Dahila and Uncle Jeremy got home just in time for lunch. Her mom had been preparing Dahilas favorite dish - chicken quesadillas, and was now setting the table. RING..RING. Dahila’s mom rushed over to the telephone in her office and motioned Uncle Jeremy to come over. 

“Um, Dahila, would you mind giving us a little space real quick, it is some family business we need to talk about.” Dahila nodded and went up to her room. This was odd. Her mom never kept anything from her, even her business and family phone calls. Dahila was usually the first to know. 

Dahila sat on her bed and looked across the room, until she thought about what had just happened, She didn’t want to suspect her mom, but something was defeinetley wrong.

At the exact moment, the door to her mom’s office swung open. Dahila’s mom and Uncle Jeremy came out, calling for Dahila to come down. Dahila agreed but kept the suspicious activity in mind. She came down with a smile. 

“Hi mom, hi Uncle Jeremy, so what did you call me down for?” Dahila said with some annoyance. Her mom noticed the annoyance in her voice and decided to ask about it.

“Dehlia? Is there anything you are annoyed about? You know you can talk to me, right?” Dahila shook her head. To answer, she simply said that she was feeling tired, so she might have come off as slightly grumpy when she talked. 

Uncle Jeremy nodded. “Oh, you must have been tired from the long walk we had in the morning, why don’t you rest for now.” He motioned his hand upstairs and nodded. Dahila walked upstairs, actually feeling tired and took the advice. As soon as she got to her room, she got a call from her roommates from the private school she went to. 

“Hello?” Dahila asked. She heard no reply. “Hello-ooooo?” She said again. Immediately laughter burst through the call.

“Haha! Got you! We were supposed to play a prank on you.” Fiona and Gwendolyn said playfully. Dahila thought to herself. This was odd. Her friends never played pranks, and they hated pranks too. Maybe they had just changed? Wait..no, how could they suddenly like to play pranks all of a sudden when it’s only been a month since she got back from the private school? Dahila was worried. A few seconds later, her friends spoke again, this time in a more serious tone. “Dahila, is anyone in the same room as you? Your mom.. Uncle Jeremy?-” Dahila panicked. How…did they know that Uncle Jeremy was here, and how did they know that she had an Uncle named Jeremy..? 

“Fiona, Gwendolyn, no, no one is her besides me, but….. How do you know that I have an Uncle named Uncle Jeremy? I just met him today…” Dahila replied nervously.

“Look, we need you to listen very carefully and do everything we tell you. This is a very serious matter and we’ll explain the rest when-” Dahila hung up. What was going on? How come all of a sudden her friends went from a happy mood to such a serious mood? This was not right. Dahila couldn’t be anymore unhappy before her birthday, so she just ignored it and went downstairs. 

“Hey mom, hey Uncle Jeremy.” Dahila said with a tired voice. Her mom and Uncle Jerermy both smiled.

“Dahila, up so early? Didn’t you start resting a few minutes ago?” Uncle Jeremy said with a forceful tone. Dahila was now well aware that Uncle Jeremy was either being very suspicious or was very suspicious. 

“Well, I actually still feel tired, but I feel like instead of resting I should go on a walk, you know, get some exercise?” Uncle Jeremy nodded in agreement.

“Sure thing, can I come?” Uncle Jeremy added. Dahila, wanting to go on a walk by herself looked at her mom’s expression and agreed. She didn’t want to disappoint her mom, after all, she was always doing the best for her. 

 *            *            *

Dahila and Uncle Jeremy took a short walk around her block. Uncle Jeremy kept on looking like he was in a rush, like in previous situations. This was odd, but she just shook it off. Maybe it’s a habit of his, always wanting to be in control of his time? All Dahila wanted was to clear her mind of the bizarre events that had happened so far. She kept on thinking about the interference with the man in his fifties at the park, Uncle Jeremy’s strange behavior, and most importantly, the odd call with her friends earlier….. could this all mean something? 

    Dahila looked up at Uncle Jeremy, wanting to catch a glimpse of what he was doing, and where he was looking. With every step he took, there was a hesitant look on his face, always looking left and right. What was he worried about? 

    The two eventually came circled back to their house, of which they encountered the man in his fifties again… at their house... Uncle Jeremy, panicking and angry, brought himself to settle down spoke to the man. 

    “Excuse me, I am sure we have met, but how do you know where we live, and what are you doing at our house?” Uncle Jeremy pulled something out of his pocket. Before the man could answer, a smell filled the air that caused the man and Dahila to collapse. 

    Dahila saw nothing. Her vision... what happened? What was that all about? She felt like she was awake, but not really awake. Then, all of a sudden, she heard the sound of Uncle Jeremy’s voice. 

    “She knows. She has been suspecting me for a long time now. I see it in her eyes, in her actions.” Uncle Jeremy said in a not so friendly tone. Dahila froze. She was half awake, but decided to pretend to be fully asleep. What was going on? He then continued, “We have to go, we have to do something about her and her father.” Wait what? No. No no no no no no. Dahila tried to stop her brain from processing this. Her father…..? But her mom told her that her father had left her when they were really young, before she had her, that he had moved on with his life. Who were they talking about? Who could be her father? No. Dahila stopped these thoughts from entering her brain. She wanted to trust her mom, no matter what. Her mom had always been there for her, and nothing can stop her from trusting her mom. 

 *            *            *

    The next time Dahila awoke, she was in her bed. Her mom was sitting beside her bed. Dahila turned to her mom and gave her a hug.

    “Mom, I love you so much.” She said while hugging her mom. Her mom smiled. She then left the room to chat with Uncle Jeremy. Dahila was thinking about the event that had just happened to her when she got a call from Fiona and Gwendolyn again. She picked it up, hoping that her friends would be their “normal” selves again. 

    “Hello?” Dahila asked nervously. She didn’t want to be anymore unhappy, but she didn’t want to make her friends unhappy either. No one answered...again. Suddenly a voice mail started to play. 

    “Hi, Dahila. We know you hung up on us last time, but please, listen to us. You could be in serious danger right now. Just, please, check the newspaper back from a couple years ago we sent to your private email. We had just encountered it for a project when that newspaper dropped out of a study book.” Dahila put the phone down. She sat for a moment, then began to think. She could be in.. danger? From what? From who? 

    Unaware of what the newspaper contained, Dahila opened up the email.

    Dahila’s heart started beating fast. She looked closer at the newspaper and it looked too similar to not be true, but she didn’t want to believe. This can’t be happening right now. The newspaper titled, “ROSE DE’LEON, Age 1, kidnapped by two unamed individuals on MARCH 7th, 20xx”. The two unnamed individuals looked too close to Uncle Jeremy…....and..Dahila froze. This can’t be. This must be her sister, anything but her. 

    Her mom stood at the center of the newspaper. Beside her, Uncle Jeremy. She immediately replied to the email. Dahila, now angry, did not believe the newspaper. It had to be fake, it had too. Was this why..? Dahila read more of the newspaper, hoping for it to be some photoshopped newspaper article. 

    “Two suspicious unamed indivisuals were spotted at the De’Leon’s house in the late evening. Mariana De’Leon was preparing dinner when two indivisuals entered the home, security footage showed Mariana frightened, being overthrown by the two indivisuals. Mariana was found unresponsive the next day, and little one year old Rose De’Leon was nowhere to be found.” Dahila refused to believe this was happening. She closed her computer, and put her hands through her hair. 

    Maybe this is all a joke she thought. No. This is a joke. This is not funny Fiona and Gwendolyn, you better be calling right now to tell me this is a joke. Happy thoughts. You need to be happy for your 18th birthday. As she was calming herself down, she heard a knock at her door. It was her mom. 

    Dahila opened the door without hesistence, refusing to believe what she had just read just then.

    “Hi, mom!” She said with a smile, choosing to forget everything that had just happened. Her mom motioned for her to come downstairs to eat what she had just prepared. Dahila immediately rushed downstairs, eager to see her mom. She was starving afterall. Dahila eventually chose to ignore the situation, but it still lingered in her mind. She didn’t want these thoughts in her mind, so she decided to go one with her day as usual, not suspecting anyone before her 18th birthday.