THE REJECTED PILLAR

CHAPTER 4-SECRETS UNVEILED

When I woke up on Saturday, my father and Kelvin were on a drive together, discussing Kelvin's situation. I asked my mother if she had talked to Dad.

Would Kelvin be staying? I wanted him to stay. I didn't know much about him, but I felt protective of him, probably because I was the one who had found him. My mother said she wanted Kelvin to stay and she thought my dad did too. After he talked to Kelvin, it was just a matter of getting everything legally settled. There would be papers to sign and things like that. I helped my mother clean the dishes after the boys' breakfast. They had smashed a box of frozen waffles. I skipped breakfast. I usually did. Besides, it was already eleven o'clock. I had slept so late that it was going to be time for lunch soon anyway.

Charles and the guys were out somewhere, probably eating up all the food at one of their friend's houses. I basked in the idea of having the television to myself, and settled down to watch something girly. Twenty minutes into watching something about fashion, Kelvin and my dad came back. My dad and my mom talked in the kitchen. Kelvin came into the living room and glanced around like he usually did, checking every corner for near danger.

"You want to sit down?" I asked.

He shrugged. Then he sat down on the other couch. He glanced at the television, then back at me.

"We can watch something else," I said.

"This is fine," he said. He looked back at the television. But he didn't relax. It looked like he might jump up and make a run for it any minute.

"So" I said. I looked at Kelvin. "Did my dad tell you anything?"

"He said he wanted to see if my background checks out," said Kelvin. "He wanted to know where I was born and stuff like that."

I hoped that wasn't dangerous for Kelvin. "And that's okay?" I asked Kelvin.

He shrugged. "I don’t know. I hope so." He was staring intently at the show.

It was good that Kelvin seemed a little more laid back this morning. Last night, he had been so intense. But I hoped everything was okay. I didn't want anything bad to happen to Kelvin. I didn't want the people who were chasing him to find him. Some seconds later, Bobby came in!

We shared a quick kiss. Kelvin looked away and flushed red out of embarrassment. Haven't he seen people kissing before?

"Well," I said. "Cool, then, I guess. Um, I'm going to get some iced tea. Either of you guys want?"

"Totally," said Bobby.

I hurried out of the living room, through the dining room towards the kitchen. My parents and Bobby's dad, Anthony Williams, were in the kitchen talking. Instead of entering, I flattened myself against the wall, so that I could hear them talk, but they couldn't see me.

"...didn't find anything," Anthony Williams was saying.

"So, he's lying?" asked my mom.

Were they talking about Kelvin? They had to be talking about Kelvin.

"Actually, it doesn't prove anything," said my dad. "The story he told me is impossible to verify.

He was born in a home in Shiloh, Georgia. He said the Shiloh in Harris County, but I think there are three Shilohs in Georgia."

"I checked them all. No birth records for a Kelvin Wodden," said Anthony Williams.

He didn't have birth records? What does that mean? Who was Kelvin?

"Yeah, but if he's telling the truth, he doesn't have a birth certificate," said my dad.

"Well, what else did you find?" asked my mother.

"I didn't find anything," Anthony Williams repeated. "It's like this kid doesn't exist. No social security number. No medical records. No fingerprints. No priors. He doesn't have a driver's license or own a car." I talked to my self

Like he doesn't exist. Weird! Like he had popped into existence in the woods outside of Bobby's truck. Kelvin was definitely strange. He was interesting, but he was strange. How can a seventeen year old guy be without a birth record? Nothing at all. Like he just blinked into existence. Kelvin is really mysterious. I continued eaves dropping on my parents’ conservation with Bobby's dad, the Anthony

"What about his mother?" my mum asked

"Marianne Wodden?" asked Anthony Williams. "Yeah, I found a death certificate. She died in '91, right after the kid says he was born."

"So that checks out," said my dad.

"Yeah, kind of," said the Anthony.

"Kind of?" asked my mother.

"Well, the kid said she died in childbirth, right?" asked the Anthony.

"Yeah," said my dad.

"Marianne Wodden was shot to death by her husband. Then he committed suicide. There's no record of a baby."

"But had she given birth?" asked my mother.

"I don't know," said Anthony Williams.

So, Kelvin's mother had been murdered? I couldn't believe this. Kelvin was getting more and more interesting with every passing moment.

"What about the people that Kelvin claims raised him? The man who he says they killed?" my father asked.

"Yeah, there's no record of an Anton Welsh, either," said Anthony Williams.

"Are these people like a cult or something?" my mother asked.

My dad sighed. "He won't talk about them. So we don't have a lot to go on. But I think we all know what they are."

"You think this is him, then?" asked Anthony Williams.

What were they talking about? How did they all know what the people who raised Kelvin were? And why had Anthony Williams placed such an emphasis on the word "him?" I was so engrossed in the conversation, I didn't see Bobby approaching.

"Bella," he called.

"Shhh! quiet please" I said. But it was too late.

My mother called from the kitchen, "Bella, are you out there?"

I glared at Bobby but entered the kitchen. "Hey, Mom," I said. "I was just getting some iced tea for Bobby and Kelvin."

"Oh, that's sweet, honey," said my mom. "But why don't you go back to the living room? I'll get it."

“Okay mum” I left the kitchen, furious. When I caught up to Bobby, I said to him in a pointed whisper,

"Why did you do that? I was listening to them."

Just when I was getting real information about Kelvin, my boyfriend Bobby just had to spoil everything.

"Why did you do that? I was listening to them" I asked with a frown.

"You were eavesdropping on them, you mean," Bobby replied

"Well, how else am I supposed to find anything out?"

"Maybe you don't need to know." he said

We were back at the living room at that point. Bobby had changed the channel to ESPN, and there was a cheerleading competition on. Girls in sexy revealing outfits that left little to your imagination. Kelvin was staring at the TV, his mouth slightly open. Great! Bobby was already corrupting him.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Do we have to watch this?"

"You're jealous of cheerleaders on TV?" Bobby asked, settling down on the couch.

I plopped down next to him. "Why wouldn't I be? You're clearly attracted to them."

"I'm not even going to respond to that," said Bobby. But he picked up the remote and started changing the channels. "There's a party at the Dalvin farm tonight," he said to me. "You want to go?"

"I don't know," I said. "Those things never get good until after my restriction."

"So sneak out," said Bobby. "It will be fun."

My parents were pretty cool and let me stay out late on weekends until one o'clock. Still, I was seventeen years old, and a lot of the parties my friends threw went on much later than that. I didn't always want to party until dawn, but sometimes I did. The parties at the Dalvin farm were notorious.

Dalvin was an old family in Bramford. Their farm covered acres and acres of land, and they owned fields that weren't being used for anything. Fields far from any houses. The Dalvin kids, who always threw the parties, were twin guys. Dave was on the football team with Bobby. He was a nice guy. Dan was on the wrestling team. He was an absolute jerk. They always managed to hold-up several kegs. Half of Bramford High would show up, pulling their cars onto the field, creating a circle of shining headlights. People would blast music on their car stereos, party and dance.

I was once at a Dalvin farm party in the summer, my best friend Jane and I got roped into a wet t-shirt contest. We were both kind of drunk. Generally, I found that sort of thing pretty sexist and stupid, but at the time it seemed like a good idea. Jane won the wet shirt contest.

She was much better endowed than I am. Plus, Jane was no virgin. Not like me. Jane hadn't been a virgin since the tenth grade. In fact, Jane lost her virginity at a Dalvin farm party. To some guy named Jack, who moved away last year. Jane was a lot crazier than I was. I would have liked to be a little crazy, but it was like everybody had somehow decided for me that I was supposed to be this goody two-shoes. Like me not having s*x with Bobby or him cutting me off after five beers.

"I don't want you to get sick," he would say.

Maybe I was insane not to be grateful for such a considerate boyfriend, but just once, I wanted to do something completely outrageous without anyone "looking out for my best interests."

Other people did all kinds of crazy things at Dalvin farm parties. Like drugs, chicken contests in their cars, beer pong.

Tonight, I was going to the Dalvin farm party. At night, my house was dark and quiet as I tiptoed through the kitchen towards the front door. I didn't sneak out of my house much. I took careful steps towards the front door. Several times already, the floor had creaked so loud I was sure my parents were going to wake up and ask what exactly I thought I was doing. But so far, I was safe.

I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned slowly and slowly. The doorknob turning didn't make any noise. But as I eased the front door open, the door whined on its hinges. To me, the sound was deafening. I paused, holding my breath, waiting for the sound of my parents wandering downstairs to investigate the noise. But no one came.

I slid out the front door, carefully closing it behind me, and started across the lawn. Bobby was going to pick me up in his truck at the end of my driveway, which twisted up and around a hill so that it was out of sight of the house. Once I crossed the lawn and got on the driveway, I only had a few feet to go before I was out-of-sight and home free. I tried not to make noise as I hurried. It didn't take long until I was on the driveway. I couldn't believe I was actually sneaking out to a party.

The gravel crunched under my feet, but I was pretty sure that I was too far away from the house for anyone to hear. Still, I tried to walk as quietly as possible. Then I noticed something. I could still hear the sound of gravel under feet but it wasn't coming from my feet.

It was a different rhythm than my footsteps. There was someone else walking on the driveway!

Damn it! I knew someone had heard me. I turned, looking behind me. I could still see my house, still and dark in the night. There was no one there but I could still hear the footsteps.

“Were they ahead of me?” I thought

I stepped forward, then thought about what Kelvin had said. He said that his staying with us would make it dangerous for our family.

“Were the people after Kelvin walking down my driveway?”

“Were they coming for Kelvin? For us?”

My whole body kept shaking out of fear. I only wanted to sneak out to the party and have fun but now, I was almost killed.