Everything Changed That Year

Chapter 15: The Questions Nobody Answers

I couldn't stop thinking about my dad's reaction. It was strange. Not the normal kind of strange. The kind that stays in your mind even when you try to ignore it. All night, I kept remembering the way his hands tightened around the steering wheel. The way his voice changed. The way he avoided my question. It was only a house. At least, that was what he wanted me to believe. But I knew my dad. And my dad never reacted that way to something that meant nothing. The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual. I stood in front of my mirror, getting ready for school, but my mind was somewhere else. Ashcroft House. I didn't even know why I cared so much. Maybe because moving to Papal already felt like stepping into a story I didn't know anything about. Everyone here seemed to have a history. Everyone seemed to know things I didn't. And now I was starting to wonder if my own family did too. "Divia!" I heard Mom calling from downstairs. "Breakfast!" "I'm coming!" I grabbed my bag and walked downstairs. Dad was already sitting at the table. For a moment, I studied him. He looked completely normal. Like yesterday never happened. That almost bothered me more. "Good morning," he said. "Morning." Mom looked between us. "Everything okay?" I smiled. "Yeah." But I wasn't sure if that was true. During breakfast, I wanted to ask him. I wanted to say: Dad, why did you look scared when you saw that house? But something stopped me. Maybe because I had never seen him like that before. Maybe because I was afraid of the answer. At school, I tried to focus on normal things. Classes. Assignments. Clara's endless talking. But my mind kept going back to yesterday. "You're doing it again." I looked at Clara. "Doing what?" "Thinking too much." I laughed. "Is everyone suddenly able to read my mind?" "No." She smiled. "You're just easy to read." We walked through the hallway together. Then she noticed my expression. "What happened?" I hesitated. "Can I ask you something?" "Of course." "Do you know anything about an old house in Papal?" Her smile faded slightly. "What house?" I looked at her. "Ashcroft House." The change in her face was small. Most people wouldn't notice. But I did. "You know it." She looked away. "Everyone knows Ashcroft House." "Then why did my dad act weird when he saw it?" Clara looked at me. "Your dad?" I nodded. "He drove past it yesterday." For a moment, she didn't say anything. Then she spoke carefully. "Divia… maybe you should ask your dad about it." "I tried." "And?" "He avoided the question." Clara became quiet. That scared me more than anything. Because Clara always had something to say. But this time… She didn't. After school, I walked home slowly. I wasn't ready to admit it. But something had changed. Before yesterday, Papal was just a new town. A new beginning. Now it felt like a place with hidden doors. And I had just found the first one. When I reached my street, I saw Noah outside his house. He smiled when he noticed me. "Hey." "Hey." He looked at me for a moment. "You look distracted." I smiled. "Everyone keeps saying that." "Maybe because it's true." I sat down. For some reason, talking to Noah always made things feel less complicated. "I saw something yesterday." "What?" I looked at him. "Ashcroft House." The smile disappeared from his face for a second. Only a second. But I saw it. "You know it too." Noah looked away. "I've heard stories." "What kind of stories?" He was quiet. "I don't think I'm the person who should tell you." That answer confused me. "Why does everyone keep saying things like that?" Noah looked at me. "Because sometimes the truth changes everything." I stared at him. And for the first time, I wondered… How much did people in Papal know about my family? That night, I stood by my bedroom window. The street was quiet. Everything looked peaceful. But I didn't feel peaceful anymore. Because I finally understood something. My move to Papal wasn't just about starting a new life. There was something here waiting for me. Something connected to my family. Something connected to that house. And somehow… I knew I wasn't going to stop searching until I found the truth