Page 125 of Web of Lies

No bullshit, I miss you too. Like crazy, babe. School’s tough this year. I’ve been swamped trying to keep up.

Me:

I know me too. Senior year is crazy busy. I’ve picked up extracurriculars to keep impressing my college. Plus, my secret mission is moving along nicely.

Tristan:

Glad to hear it’s going good babe. Just…don’t get hurt, please.

Me:

I’m always safe.

Tristan:

And your boyfriend is making sure of that?

A grin tugs at the corner of my lips, expanding over my face.

Me:

He wouldn’t let anything happen to me. Extra protective, almost like there are three of him.

Tristan:

Ha! Good! Sorry, g2g, fam, stuff going on. Ttyl babe……

I sit my phone down next to my computer on my desk, sighing. We’ve been so busy with classes, homework, and tutoring, we haven’t had time to research. So, while the twins have dinner with their father and Chase has one-on-one practice with his football coach, I’m doing the research.

Victoria Ann Van Buren.

On Google, a regular search engine, I search for the name. Although, I expect little information in the public domain. Nothing in the search results pop up, not even an old birth announcement. So, I go the private route next, knowing it’ll provide the results I need. Bringing up the suggested hospital name Carter told me, Sacred Heart, I hack into the private patient files.

Victoria Ann Van Buren.

Her results pop up instantly, with page after page detailing her medical history at the facility. Borderline Personality Disorder. Prone to psychotic episodes triggered by stress, anxiety, and depression.

Age: 16

Born: November 29

Sex: Female

Admitted by Lucas Van Buren. Biological father.

Doctor’s notes:Victoria presents with minor hallucinations and hearing voices. Father says family revelations brought symptoms on. This is the first time her father has brought her to seek help. She’s been self-medicating with alcohol and has self-harm scars on her arms from previous attempts to relieve the pain.

One week into treatment:Victoria is responding well to therapy and treatment very well. I have prescribed her anxiety and depression medication to help ease the symptoms, but mainly therapy to help.

Two weeks into treatment:Victoria has had a few setbacks this past week after a scheduled visit from her mother. After many years, her mother and stepfather are divorcing, and he has left without notice. Her biological father has commented he only recently stepped into her life and is stepping up to care for and nurture her. Victoria is visibly shaken by this revelation and has retreated into herself.

The notes go on and on. Victoria, like many people all over the world, is fighting a mental battle with herself. Her brain was wired differently, but she also suffered through bouts of depression, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations. Her mental state was very fragile, and the notes went on and on about her family’s woes. Her parents divorced. She found out the man she called Dad wasn’t her dad. She also found out who her actual father was, a man she had never met but seemed to care enough about by admitting her into care.

I flip through all one hundred and twenty pages of notes, medications, and treatments. Why on earth would Carter send me to her? Who is she? And then when I flip to the last page, with her admissions picture, I understand why Carter sent me her name. She’s younger, wide-eyed, and frizzy-haired. But I’ve talked to her frequently. I guess I should have put two and two together before seeing her face and—

I frown, looking down at my vibrating phone, showing an incoming call. “Mom?” I hesitate.

She rarely calls me, I mean, we text every day and communicate, but she says she hates to disrupt my learning and social life.