Like a Train Wreck - 43. Chapter 43: It's Not What Happened It's Who

"Aiden!" Miracle ran out to the jeep and grinned.

"Woah!" Aiden climbed into the driver side and laughed. "You're excited, why?"

"I don't need the gang anymore!" Miracle climbed into the jeep. "I've come up with a plan."

"Really, what is it?"

Miracle thought about it. "Well it's complicated but I have this best friend from New York and...he almost got framed for killing my other friend and then killing my evil jock ex which I don't know if I should even call him an ex because it wasn't really a relationship, I guess..."

Aiden's eyes widened. "I'm following...but, how did it go?"

"Well I shouldn't spill the details...with, you know who, hanging around but the thing is...both of the murders went unsolved. My friend was cleared because some of his hair was on the cement. He was drugged and laid on the ground after the wreck and then propped up in the drivers seat." Miracle explained.

"Okay, can you uh...label these people for me?"

"Oh, right, would probably be easier." Miracle nodded. "Okay S, M and B. So how it goes is B gets butchered and then later, lots of time later S gets drugged and thrown in his car and then S's car is used to wreck and kill M and then the knife that killed B is put in glove compartment. Then S is propped in the driver seat so it looked like he did it. Well they find out S didn't really do it, cold case. Make sense?"

"Okay, makes better sense, so how does this plan go?" Aiden asked.

"Well, come to think of it, this makes a lot of sense or..will make a lot of sense, if it works. Well S is going to have and I quote, memory recall of Eric walking away from the car which would make sense. I mean if I were Eric and M stabbed me with a syringe, drugged me and I had a bad temper...well...maybe Eric just had a little road rage."

"So this all depends on your friend going in and saying he remembered Eric kinda walking away from the wreck after propping him up and hoping Eric doesn't have an alibi?" Aiden questioned.

"Well pretty much." Miracle nodded.

Aiden sighed. "I...don't want to be just one more person that goes downing every idea but if he's a man that's so powerful that you feel like you need the Hells Angels to take down..."

"At least S was positive." Miracle frowned.

"I'm not being negative. I'm just saying if you want to nail him legally, you need to try to pile everything you can on him."

"Well he killed my friend Robin." Miracle sighed. "Well he made my adoptive Mom do it and the only one that can prove it or possibly would of is dead." Miracle went quiet.

"I'm sorry..." Aiden frowned.

"Wait..." Miracle's eyes widened. "Skylar's diary. The things that you'll think of when you're grasping at straws." He grabbed his phone. "I got to make a call."

"Is that S?" Aiden asked.

"Oh, no..Skylar is dead." Miracle flipped through his contacts.

"How did she die?" Aiden asked.

"She tried to burn Jasmine in her house and Jaemin fought Skylar and the floor gave out and she fell through it and into the fire."

"And you just happened to get her tell all diary?"

"Skylar...was a conflicting enemy." Miracle found Sterlings name. "She dated my adoptive brother. The way she went about going after us, she used a system in which we could possibly figure out what she was doing, she wanted us to be able to figure it out. That's actually why Jasmine was rescued."

"Okay, lost again." Aiden made a face. "Sorry."

"She used a fable action and consequence system but instead of going present, she back tracked. Jasmine and fire? Consequence to her fire extinguisher stunt. Skylar wanted to appear as if she was working for Eric like she was supposed to and that we were just managing to live through it to which we literally were because of her system, almost."

"Interesting." Aiden said, thoughtfully.

Miracle tapped the screen and skyped Sterling.

"Hello?" Sterling popped up on Miracle's screen.

"Hey! I had to skype you, this is my new friend, Aiden." He turned the phone briefly so the two could see each other. "This is S."

"Oh, hey S" Aiden smiled.

"Nice to meet ya." Sterling smiled.

"Listen, we were just talking and he thinks we need to pile more evidence." Miracle said.

"Like what?" Sterling asked.

"Has Hunter found anything incriminating in Skylar's diary? Like against Eric?" Miracle asked.

"I don't know, should of probably called him. I could ask. We could go through it." Sterling said.

"Wait..." Miracle grinned. "This is perfect, metaphoric dynamite."

"Huh?" Aiden looks at Miracle.

"Eric wouldn't know what is in that diary, whether anything bad is actually in there or not. So we can pick our crime and get a tell all with him." Miracle looked around to make sure Jaemin wasn't around.

"Yeah but this is from Skylar's point of view, what if you accuse him of something he actually has no knowledge of? Like how we thought he was the one who hired someone to make Robin pregnant instead of Skylar but unless her diary says otherwise Skylar could actually be guilty of that." Sterling said.

"It's a gamble but I don't think it should be about Robin, we always go in at the Robin angle and there is always something wrong with it. Cody's Dad is a hardcore murder. And where the hell did his Mom go?"

"No one knows." Sterling said.

"So if Skylar took Cody's Mom, she would of been freed when Skylar died unless Eric had knowledge of it and is continuing to keep her captive. Skylar didn't care to hide bodies, she had his Dad strung up on the cross." Miracle rambled.

Aiden listened between the two with a look of disbelief.

"So what are you thinking? Tease him with an entry?" Sterling questioned.

"I did my part, I murdered him dead, Cody's Mom has a mark on her head. I do what Daddy says, if I leave this world, I leave with a lingering clue, it's not what happened to her, it's who." Miracle smiled.

Sterling started laughing. "Wow...that even sounds like her."

"Well thank you." Miracle grinned and shook his head.

"Okay..." Aiden took a deep breath.

"I think my friends getting scared over here." Miracle laughed. "Bye Sterling!"

"Bye!" Sterling laughed and disconnected.

"I'm sorry." Miracle said, though the grin remained. "I just want to be able to drop the gang before it goes any further." His smile faded. "You know that job I went on? It was staged and recorded."

"What?" Aiden looked at Miracle, alarmed.

"That's what Jaemin was trying to tell me, he went through an old friend and in a vague way got the message to me." Miracle looked up at him. "It was Damien's house, he wasn't there. I didn't even know it was Damien's house. The whole thing was staged, either it was a sick joke or...I don't know."

"I don't know what to say."

Miracle shook his head. "There is nothing to say but...I want out, it was a huge mistake, the whole thing, I want nothing to do with it. I feel in just as much danger here because of it as I did in New York if not even more so."

"Speaking of danger, that is why you are not staying in that house alone. We'll go get your stuff and then...you're coming home." Aiden smiled, hoping that some comfort might be found in the idea.

March 2009

Aiden walked to Miracle's room, seeing the door open, he knocked on the door frame to get Miracle's attention.

Miracle had been playing a game on his phone and he looked up and saw Aiden. "Oh hey. Just break through the invisible hidden door, it's weak." He laughed a little.

Aiden grinned and then mimed testing it out before walking through. "Oh! I did it!" He shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Miracle sat up on the bed.

"Well it's about the acting. I know, you didn't want to do drama club. My Mom actually said that maybe you might be naturally more advanced than that. She thinks maybe you should audition for something, you know like something small or whatever, see what it's like."

Miracle slowly nodded. "Really?" He then shook his head. "I wouldn't even know where to start. I don't know all the technicalities or anything. Like where you go or...what you're supposed to do. I don't even know any of that, really it's just something I do randomly."

"It would be wasted talent if you didn't." Aiden sat on the bed.

"It's not wasted, you get to enjoy it." Miracle laughed and fell back against the pillow. "Your Mom's nice though, kind of like...the perfect Mom without trying so hard to be perfect. I mean I had this adoptive Mom that was so...Stepford Mom and then my real Mom is more like...the cool best friend sort of Mom."

"What were they like together?" Aiden asked.

"Well my real Mom was more like another teenager for my adoptive Mom and she rebelled...and after my adoptive Mom moved out, my real Mom went right into her bed room and lit up a cigarette." Miracle grinned. "Then not long after hooked up with her ex husband."

Aiden grinned and shook his head. "I see where you get yourself from then. Trouble maker."

"No...I'm innocent, I swear." Miracle smiled.

Linda walked by the bed room and looked inside. "Miracle, it's time for our session."

Aiden looked at his Mom. "That's creepy. Can't you just ask him when he wants to talk?" He laughed.

"No, it's like royalty." Miracle grinned and climbed off the bed and walked out of the room.

Linda grinned and winked at Aiden and then walked down the hall and into her home office.

Miracle followed after Linda and took a seat in the sofa chair near her desk as Linda took a seat at her desk and opened up the file she had created for him and grabbed her pen.

"So how have things been?" Linda asked casually.

"Uh..relatively okay." Miracle nodded.

"Relatively?" Linda asked.

"Well I have my ups and my downs, mood swings, it all depends on what happens and sometimes can determine how I see a day as a whole." Miracle nodded. "My last psychologist said I had uh..borderline personality disorder."

"Really? That can be a chaotic disorder, confusing too."

"Well, I trust his opinion, I think he was really a professional, he was smart and insightful." Miracle tilted his head to the side. "Thing about him is...he was creepy."

"In what way? Why do you think that?"

"Well he was attracted to me, kind of obsessed, he wanted me. Plus...he wasn't just my psychologist. I had a stalker back home, I guess you could say and my psychologist kind of worked with him, told him things."

Linda jotted some things down and looked up at Miracle. "Tell me about the stalker."

"He's crazy, he caused a lot of problems in my life." Miracle looked up with a saddened expression. "He really hurt me."

"Is that why you are here?"

"Yes, we tried to make it all work but..it just didn't. He made everything hell." Miracle looked around.

"And I know Aiden said you were staying in your Mom's house alone, why aren't your parents here?" Linda asked.

"Well my adoptive Dad has a really stable job in New York and my birth Mom, shes in a relationship with him. She came out to New York from here after I attempted suicide. It was my adoptive Mom's idea. Anyway they are together now and my adoptive Dad, like I said he has a stable job and a house and my adoptive brother goes to college and he lives at home and everything is really settled. My Mom didn't like the idea of me leaving on my own, she still wants me to come home. She thinks she messed up by letting me leave but I made the choice, I felt it was the only way to stop all the mess. I came with my now ex boyfriend."

"You had adoptive parents. How did that happen?" Linda kept writing notes.

Miracle smiled. "I lived with my real parents until I was five. Life was so perfect, we had this house right on the beach, away from everything. It was beach that was our property so we got it all to ourselves. My Dad left to join the army to try to make up for bad finances. My Mom didn't know, he disappeared in order to do it because he knew she wouldn't have let him. He made her a video but she never watched it. She didn't watch it until we were reunited. He was only supposed to be gone for three months, he never came back. We don't know what happened to him. My Mom waited for as long as..well, she waited. Then she decided if she couldn't have a perfect family, why have one at all?"

"Do you feel like that was selfish? How did you feel when you saw her again?"

Miracle shrugged. "I was angry at first but she was very hard on herself. She was really young, right out of high school. I forgave her, I had to, she...was more family to me as a parental figure, as a mother figure than my adoptive Mom was. I mean I attempted suicide and my adoptive Mom's solution was to have my real Mom come and deal with it? What kind of message does that send?"

Linda looked up and nodded. "I can understand that point of view. It's kind of a neglectful reaction. To call someone else to come and deal with it and especially your real Mother, at such a delicate time, not knowing how you would even feel or react to it. Now..your suicide attempt, how did that come about?"

"I had been sexually assaulted and beaten a little while before and it had come out. My adoptive Dad, I'm just going to call him Craig. He reacted with anger and hostility. He..was going to make me a prisoner in the house, that's how I saw it at the time. Home schooling, no outside contact, nothing. He said it was protection, not punishment. It would have cut me off from Jaemin and Sterling and..I needed their love and affection, the loneliness would of killed me. I was so upset that I went to Sterling, I told him to take the pain away and he slept with me, took the pain away. That's how it works..or how I thought it was supposed to work. After he fell asleep, I tried to overdose in his bathroom, he woke up and saved me, called the ambulance."

Linda looked down and wrote some more notes. "Sex takes your pain away?"

"It's twisted, I know but...it's the heat of the moment, when I feel connected with someone, when I feel love...even if for only a little while but then when they leave, that's when the coldness sets in." Miracle breathed nervously as his eyes started to glaze with tears.

"So you were in the system, were you in any foster homes, prior adoptions before the current family that you have?" Linda asked.

Miracle nodded. "Might as well spill the beans, you must wonder where my screwed up thinking comes from. I was, it was with a man, his name was David. He used to molest me and record me and exploit me on the internet. I didn't understand any of it but even to this day it is so confusing for me. I know it was all wrong but that man, he would take what he wanted but he would tell me he loved me, he would tell me that what he did, what we did, that it was love, that we would be together forever. He would tell me that I was his everything, his world. He spoiled me with toys, he took me out, we did all sorts of fun things. I don't over idealize my time with him because he literally over idealized it, he made it extra special and wonderful. He was all about me, I was everything. He promised to love me forever and they came and they took him away. Now I know they were the cops."

"I'm really so sorry to hear that." Linda stared at Miracle as if her heart was breaking for him.

"Yeah, well then I went back into the system and eventually got adopted by who I ended up with. When I got older, it was my obsession to find someone who would promise me forever. David twisted my mind, my view of the world. People have explained the truth to me time and time again but...the mannerisms, the after effects, the results of it, they still mess me up." Miracle looked towards the window.

"That's because you were young and despite learning the truth, those things became part of your personality at a time when your personality was being shaped and built, it's not easy to change your personality as it is who you are, it takes a lot of hard work, just knowing it was wrong doesn't fix your mannerisms or your behavior or your emotions. In fact most of your actions are driven by your emotions which in my opinion are still regressed to that time so even if you know mentally, emotionally you may not." Linda explained.

"Kind of makes sense." Miracle looked at her.

"Have you ever thought about seeing David again?" Linda asked.

"Seeing David again?" His eyebrows lifted. "What would that do other than be creepy and a waste of time?"

"Well for one you are left with the memory of the cops taking him away and his promise of forever being broken and in that memory you don't even know they are cops, in that memory it's just they took him away and he broke his promise. By seeing him again, you create one more memory, with much more knowledge, with better knowledge for starters. You know what he did was wrong, you know that they were the cops, you know why he broke his promise and you know it wasn't his choice. And you should also know that his promise was probably a lie, he was a child molester, as soon as you were older, he probably wouldn't of cared about you. Going to see him now, older, and finding out how he feels about you now would confirm that."

"And what if he does still want me? Linda, there is this thing with me and men, when I go places, men seem to want me, they take advantage of me. What if he doesn't care? I mean I don't know what it is but what if he sees whatever it is that every other guy sees?"

"I didn't say going there to find out he doesn't want you is the purpose of it, that was my theory but just going there to see how he feels period is the purpose and then seeing how you feel about it. Maybe it might make a difference in your life?" Linda wrote a few more notes.

"I don't even have a way there, I was in Australia." Miracle shrugged. "Maybe it's a good idea but I have no way there."

"I would send you, I would pay for it." Linda said.

Miracle's eyes widened. "Why? You don't even hardly know me. I appreciate you letting me stay here, but sending me on trips like that?"

Linda smiled. "First of all, Miracle. I care about the jobs and the patients that I take, no I don't send them all on trips. However you are my sons friend and I find your story very touching. Plus my son says that you are hurting terribly and whatever I can do to help you make your way towards recovery, I am willing to do that. Besides it is just one trip and I am sure you have friends you can stay with, so how expensive could it be?"

Miracle thought about it. "I didn't think of that. I've worried to death about missing my friends in New York but I didn't even give my friend in Australia a second thought." He frowned. "That is awful of me."

"No, it sounds like you went through a lot in New York, I doubt you were really able to think about anything or anywhere else other than where you were and what was happening in the moment." Linda closed the file. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

Miracle smiled. "Australia..." He looked up at Linda. "That is...the best gift anyone could give me right now."

Miracle walked through the crowd at the airport, he had never felt so safe and far away and yet so close and at home, he felt truly at the beginning of everything, even before his encounter with Eric because he still had so many memories here, part of him wanted to stay, part of him wished he could stay, part of him was really tempted to stay. He looked around until he spotted Lacey holding up a sign for him and grinned at what it said; Looking for a Miracle! He laughed at that and ran out of the crowd and over towards her and let go of his roller suit case and hugged her.

"Your Miracle has arrived!" Miracle said.

Lacey smiled and gasped a breath of air as she dropped the sign and wrapped her arms around him. "It's been so long! I've missed you so much!" She pulled back. "How have things been?"

Miracle smiled. "I don't even want to talk about America. Lets get to your car? You know I hate airport crowds!"

"Oh yes, don't I remember." Lacey grinned and grabbed his free hand and headed out of the airport where the cab was waiting just outside. "I didn't bring my car, cabs wait just outside so it was much less of a hassle." She smiled and opened the door and climbed in, moving across the back seat to the driver side.

Miracle laughed and climbed in after her and shut the door. "Oh wow, I got to get used to this again, the whole driving down the other side of the street, the cars being right side wrong."

Lacey laughed. "You done got unused to it?"

"It doesn't take long." He looked at Lacey and laughed. "It really doesn't."

"So I have to ask because I remember our last talk as clear as if it were yesterday." Lacey grinned. "Did you ever find your true love?"

Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "Huh...America's just as much of a mess, I think people are just fucked up in general."

"Awe...I'm sorry." She stuck out her bottom lip in a goofy away and then patted his leg. "Well just enjoy your time here while you have it."

"Oh trust me, I plan to. I've been home sick, stressed, out of my mind, life has been so messed up, but I didn't come to talk about my problems. I got the opportunity to come here and feel better and that is what I plan to do." He smiled.

"Well my Mom gave me a good bit of money. We can go and drive by your old house if you want, for nostalgia's sake." Lacey looked at Miracle. "I should also tell you my plans. After I graduate, I plan to come to America, where ever you go to college, I'm going to go there too so we can be together."

Miracle smiled at the idea. "I would love to have you with me. I think...I just need to pick the right people to be in my life and then it'll be how it should be."

"Get into a bad crowd?" Lacey asked.

"You could say that." Miracle nodded, it was putting it very lightly.

"So you're really going to go see David? Are you scared? Do you want me with you?" Lacey asked, concerned.

"I am, but no, I don't think you should be there. I don't think we'll get a truly honest meeting unless we're alone." Miracle looked over at her. "I just wonder if he'll be normal or just keep on drumming that fantasy land he created. You know? Will he talk to me like a grown up?"

"Who knows?" Lacey rolled her eyes. "He's a creep. You should take me with you anyway so when you're done, I can have my shots at him."

"He'd just end the meeting with you." Miracle shook his head.

"Maybe you should go to the orphanage while you're here? They might could tell you where you're really from, like where your parents lived."

"I could just ask my Mom if I wanted to know. Martha tracked her down." Miracle said.

Lacey's eyes widened. "Really? How did that go? What happened?"

"Long story but I get along with her. My Dad joined the army and then disappeared and then my Mom gave me up a little while after." Miracle shook his head.

Lacey looked up at the cab driver. "Stop here!" She looked out the window. "There is your house, Miracle."

Miracle looked out the window to see his old house, a new family had already moved in and there were a couple of children playing in the front yard. "That's it."

"Want to get out and look?" Lacey asked. "I can make the cab wait."

Miracle watched the children for a moment and then slowly shook his head. "It's okay, it's not my house anymore."

Lacey frowned. "I'm sorry, wish it could of been empty." She looked at her cell phone. "The visiting hours are still available. Did you want to do it today or get settled in at my house?"

"Lets go to your house, the longer I put it off, the longer I can stay." Miracle looked over at Lacey. "Not exactly in a hurry."

"Maybe you should be, it's prison. He could die and then you miss your chance. Don't worry about it, you can stay as long as you want."

Miracle thought about it and then nodded. "Okay, lets get it over with."

Aiden shut his locker and fastened the pad lock and then looked over when Jaemin approached.

"Where is Miracle? He never misses school." Jaemin asked.

Aiden thought about it and then grinned. "He's on vacation. Thinking about it right now, he could use it as his ultimate escape from this whole mess if he wanted to, leave you with all the mess."

Jaemin narrowed his eyes and pressed a hand against the lockers. "Vacation? Where? How could he take a vacation?"

Aiden's grin brightened. "Well, unlike you Jaemin, Miracle has a way of just getting lucky streaks. Doesn't that just bother you? He just keeps landing these sweet spots of lucky charms. How would you feel if I told you he managed to leave the country? Vacation abroad?"

Jaemin grinned mockingly and looked down and nodded. "You know, Aiden, for someone who has no connections to anything, it's kind of dangerous to play games like this, knowing who is involved."

Aiden grinned. "I'm not afraid because I hold a hand of cards. If anyone wanted to find him, they would need me for the information."

Jaemin looked up at Aiden and stepped closer. "Yeah? Do you know what the military does? Or the government for that matter, when they want information? Think about people who went to the middle east who had been captured and tortured for their knowledge. I can only imagine the techniques with which they use."

Aiden nodded. "Oh sure, I am quite aware of the stuff that happens. You see though, I am also quite aware of the fact that you don't want Miracle to hate you. Even though you totally threw Craig in his face, knowing such a thing would get him killed if it were revealed yet you cared enough to make sure he knew he was set up and recorded for that job he was made to do."

Jaemin grinned. "That's the thing, Miracle doesn't need to know I was even involved and I might not even have to be involved. 'They' might just come looking for him themselves and Damien knows who you are, he'll know right where to direct them for possible information. They might just do it all on their own without me having to do a thing, I could be literally innocent and knowing them, they probably wouldn't leave you alive to report any of what they had to do to pry the answer out of you."

"And how important do you think Miracle is to them, Jaemin?" Aiden asked. "I mean to pull a stupid prank on him like that? I mean really, to record him posing as a stripper and stealing, probably a fake safe code out of a DVD case, when there is probably no safe at all? I doubt they even continued acting after he left the house. So technically no crime was committed. So how could they even really use it against him? Really all they could use it for is a laugh. In fact, he said they were willing to just let him quit the gang, so that speaks volumes as to how much he is valued by them."

Jaemin frowned. "They were just willing to let him quit?"

Aiden nodded. "Yep, the only reason he didn't was because he needed them to take out Eric but thanks to you, I told him that could never happen because if they take out Eric, he looses his leverage against you and you still have the ability to tell them his secret of what he planned to do to them after Eric was taken out."

Jaemin stared at Aiden. "I didn't really mean that. I was just trying to push his buttons."

"Well that was a mighty big gamble, Jaemin. I've seen Miracle, he can go out of control. You've known him longer than me, did you ever consider that he might actually throw you to the wolves of Eric in a heated rage? And in doing so, he'd be exposing himself to Eric, kind of a self defeating plan just to take you down but as we have both seen, he threatened it anyway." Aiden crossed his arms and leaned a shoulder against the lockers.

"I was angry at him." Jaemin looked up at Aiden. "I know he can't help it, I know he has had a horrible life but I'm human too and I'm not perfect. I've had more patience with him than you know. He's cheated on me so many times and I forgave him every single time because I tried to understand. I've wanted to cry so many times through out all of this mess but I held back so much so I could be strong for him, I only failed in that one time, I cried in front of him and I hated doing that. I love him, Aiden. Even after he said I was as horrible as David, I still love him and in a way, I see why he made those comparisons. I did take him away and because of that, he is hurting and when I gave him that locket, it made promises in a time when he feels hopeless and afraid to trust in having hope."

"If you love him Jaemin? Then protect him from that gang. He is afraid of them. He feels in even more danger here than he felt in New York. Figure out a way to cut the ties for him and for you. It would be really nice if you could do that for him before he gets back." Aiden said. "It wouldn't surprise me if he was tempted to stay where he is at."

"I wish you would tell me where he is." Jaemin said.

"If what you say is true? Then we have a common goal and that is to care for Miracle and my concern is protecting him. I don't need that gang contacting some other group where he is at and having him caught off guard. I'm sorry but I hardly know you and given how things have been, it's hard for me to trust you. How Miracle handles you is his business."

Miracle walked into the visitors station and looked over the booths where name labels had been placed up, he saw only one David, he didn't remember the man's last night but he figured since he had come that they went ahead and notified him of a visitor and set one of the booths up. He slowly walked over and pulled out the chair and took a seat before scooting it forward again and watched the prisoners start to pour into the area on the other side of the glass.

A deep breath was taken as he looked at each one and then he finally zoomed in on one man that looked slightly familiar but he wasn't sure, it had been quite a few years and he didn't exactly think of his time with David ever, much less visualize the memories in his head, at least not if he could help it.

The man that Miracle was looking at walked right over to the booth and pulled out the chair and sat right in front of him, looking right into his eyes with such a blank and empty expression. He sat there like a statue for a moment before reaching for the phone and bringing it to his ear.

Miracle let out a breath and almost wasn't sure if he could draw another one back in as the man sat down and stared at him in such a way, the dead look in his eyes, it was far from the joyous man that he told people about when the story was pulled out of him. He looked over and slowly reached for the phone and grabbed it. He pulled it to his ear and just as he was feeling faint, he forced himself to draw in a breath of air.

"Hello?" Miracle said, speaking in the smallest of tones.

The man stared at him with that same dead, icy, expression, almost as if he were burning a hole through him.

Miracle looked at him, feeling as if his chest weighed a ton as he took moderate shallow breaths. "Do..do you remember me?"

The man kept staring and then finally responded. "How could I forget?"

Miracle nodded. "What does that mean?"

"You put me here." The man said.

Miracle stared at him. "You blame me?" He asked in disbelief.

"Innocent little angels...are devils in disguise. They drive you into things, ruin you and then...they get away." David responded.

Miracle's eyes widened and he shook his head. "You are unbelieveable."

"What's not to believe?"

Miracle kept shaking his head, the whole thing was so absurd that there was even a slight half grin on his face. "The fact that you would even say that this is my fault in the slightest." Miracle's half grin faded and then his eyes began to water. "How could you say that?"

David looked away. "Don't cry, I can't see you cry."

"Why? Does it make you guilty? Do you hate feeling guilty?" Miracle asked.

"I hate seeing you sad." David frowned.

"Then why did you hurt me? Why did you make me believe all of those things that weren't true? You knew they weren't true. Admit to me that you knew they were all lies."

David looked up at Miracle. "I can't do that." He shook his head. "I did love you."

Tears started pouring down Miracle's face. "But it wasn't right, you made it sound right. Now I'm in the world and I'm all wrong. I'm all wrong, I'm wrong like you."

"It wasn't fair." David said.

"You weren't fair to me. You robbed me of a normal life...and now I have to learn all over how to be normal."

"I'm sorry I hurt you." David frowned.

"I didn't come here for an apology because your apology isn't worth a damn to me." Miracle started gasping, on the verge of breaking down and falling apart. "I...I came here...I just came here."

David shook his head. "What did you expect from this then?"

Miracle took a few deep breaths and then closed his lips tightly together and then let out a sigh. "I wanted...I don't know. I wanted to know you, now that I can actually understand you."

David nodded. "Well this is me, I'm a prisoner and my soul is dead and I am empty. I died inside. Understand?"

Miracle shook his head. "Don't be stupid. Sure, I get it, you hate prison, it's depressing, who wouldn't? I mean before this."

"I don't know what answer you're looking for."

Miracle frowned. "You know, I thought.." He shook his head. "I don't know what I thought. A child molester is a child molester, they take what they want and thats it. The consequences for the victim are bad enough. Why did you have to twist my reality and tell me all those lies and make it all nice and wonderful? Why did you have to be the most evil, worst parent in the world and yet the best and most loving at the same time but then blur the lines of parent child love and then make it sound like a...a love story? You know what you did."

"Because, not all are evil and I did love you, in so many ways and we could of been a love story, just like I said, just like I told you. I just had to be more parent first until you got older...but we never got that chance." David said, though his tone lacked any emotion or compassion, his eyes just a dead stare.

"Oh my god...you really believed everything you said. You really still believe it now." Miracle looked at him as if he were crazy.

"What I have a hard time believing is that you are here." David said.

Miracle lifted his free hand and wiped his eyes and then sniffled. "Yeah, well make a good memory of it because you will never see me again. I just want you to know that you ruined my life, you twisted my mind, you made me believe that the world was something it was not and because of that, people have done nothing but hurt me and use me and take advantage of me and it was all because of you..." Miracle started crying again. "And I hate you for it, I'll always hate you for it." He then slammed the phone down on the receiver and got up and ran out of the room.

Miracle sat on the spare twin bed in Lacey's room and grabbed his phone and called Sterling.

"Hello?" Sterling answered.

"Hey, it's me." Miracle said.

"Hey, you sound like you've been crying. What's wrong?" Sterling asked, concerned.

"Don't tell anyone, especially Jaemin."

"Your secrets are mine, you know that, Miracle."

"I'm in Australia. Aiden's Mom paid for the trip. I went to see David."

"How did it go?" Sterling asked.

"Unbelievable. The man really believed in all the lies he told me as a child, he still believes in them. He told me that he just had to wait until I was older to have our love story come true and that we just never got that chance."

"That's twisted." Sterling shook his head. "I can't even imagine how that made you feel."

"Aiden's Mom thought it would help, I don't know if it did any good, I just wonder if it only hurt me more. I feel like...it's like I got this tingling feeling in my chest and it just makes me want to cry as loud as I possibly could."

"Maybe it will help, maybe it's not immediate, maybe it takes time. It sounds like it just happened." Sterling said.

"Yeah, I just got back to my friend Lacey's house. So um...anything on the idea I gave you?"

"Well I started to go to the police but then I didn't." Sterling answered.

"Why?" Miracle asked.

"I was scared, for one. Laquisha is smart, I don't know if she would believe I was even in and out of conciousness to even get a memory and if I was, what if she questions why I didn't just know it right away? And then there is also the fact that Brad's parents came in and told them that Jaemin killed Brad, if it wasn't for Eric doing that favor for you, they wouldn't of took it back. If we try to strike him, he could undo the whole thing." Sterling said.

"But if he does, Brad's parents will get in trouble for lying and if they do, they will tell the cops that Eric had men force them to take back their statements then he will get in trouble." Miracle said.

"Then Eric will say he did it for you. That is if Brad's parents even know Eric was behind it, could of just been hired men that scared them into it."

"You know, I'm so tempted to just stay in Australia." Miracle frowned.

"Well you still have your fake diary entry."

"How do I call him without him finding me?" Miracle asked.

"Maybe you could exchange your ticket?" Sterling suggested.

"Then how would I get home?" Miracle scratched his head. "Maybe I could always do one of those like, flights where they stop somewhere and then switch planes, maybe stop in Mexico or something."

"Or to be more simple, just do it right before you leave, he'll go hunt you down in Australia but by the time he gets there, you will be gone. Just don't do it at your friends house."

"I don't know, I just feel like there is a reason Jaemin tells me no on all my ideas. I mean..." Miracle looks out the door and then lowers his voice. "He has gotten away with Brad's murder for this long."

"Just trust yourself."

"Maybe." Miracle pulls the phone away and hangs up.

Jaemin walked inside Damien's apartment and shut the door.

"So, where is he?" Damien asked.

"Aiden wouldn't say." Jaemin turned around to look at Damien. "Did you know they were planning to trick Miracle? Is that why you wanted to get me away from here?"

Damien sighed. "Yeah, I knew. They wouldn't do something like that to me and my place without me knowing."

"Why? What was the point of it?" Jaemin asked.

"You want an honest answer?"

"Nah, I asked because I wanted to be lied to." Jaemin crossed his arms.

"As far as I know, they just wanted a big laugh. If it's anything more, I don't know about it." Damien held up his hands. "Honest word."

"So they're not taking Miracle seriously? Do you think he could get out? Break the ties?" Jaemin asked.

"Hells Angels has never needed an innocent bystander before. They wouldn't need a stripper to go in to help them in a robbery. If that situation were real, they would have just gone in packing heat. I think your friend made a joke of himself, so much so that I think they wanted to play a cruel joke on him." Damien paused. "I will say though, if Miracle keeps insisting on sticking around, they might continue and...the jokes might become far more ugly."

"What do you mean?" Jaemin asked.

"They forgot to delete the video off of my computer, it still recorded after Miracle left, I watched it, watched them talking, as I'm sure you did if you were stuck hiding in the bathroom."

"Yeah." Jaemin sat on the couch.

"The fact that they chose a stripper role, that's sexual, the way Rick said he thought Miracle had issues about it, the way Philip spoke about it." Damien sat on the arm of the couch and looked at Jaemin thoughtfully. "It sounded like to me, they were testing him out for...sexual jobs and were criticising how badly he played the role of the stripper."

"What are you saying?" Jaemin shook his head.

"I'm saying it might escalate and that they might...maybe, try to get him to do jobs that require sexual performances...of any kind and that every job will be just like the one we're talking about, a set up between friends." Damien frowned.

"Wait, you're telling me that they might try to pimp him at each other under the belief that he's working for them with the promise that they will eventually take care of Eric for him when really they never will?"

"Exactly, as for my opinion of him just quitting, I think he could. It's all stupid jokes to them, if my theory is the case, they won't care, jokes go on, there will always be more jokes, they won't care."

Jaemin looked down thoughtfully. "So that night when he was supposed to do the job, they offered to let him walk, that was because they didn't care, it was just a stupid joke?"

Damien nodded. "Yeah, they will probably offer to let him walk each time, see by giving him that option, if he chooses to take the job, they get kicks out of his desperation, his need for them, his belief that he's really working, really a member, really going to get his half of the deal."

"That's the last thing that he needs." Jaemin said, thinking about Brad and his gang momentarily.

"What they want is people like, you for example. I haven't seen you fight but you were sure ready to show me what you had at the library." Damien said.

"I can fight, I have all confidence in my ability." Jaemin looked over at Damien. "So for me, if I proved myself, would they deliver their half of the deal, what Miracle bargained for? Because I'm not a joke, I can assure you of that."

"Quite possibly. All I can say is that your friend needs to get out." Damien nodded.

"Well he is out...far out." Jaemin said. "Aiden said he is out of the country on vacation."

Damien slowly nodded. "He might just decide to stay and not jump back into crazy town."

Miracle stood in the airport and looked around before seeing a man sitting in a chair reading the news paper. He looked around and then walked over towards the man. "Excuse me, sir?"

The man looked up at Miracle. "Yes? Can I help you?" Clearly a business man in his middle age with short hair that had already become gray and a lanky figure with a brown suit.

"Um.." Miracle looked at him. "My phone doesn't seem to work to well in the country, I moved to America and uh, well I'm just visiting so...I was wondering if yours might be working better? My parents probably just bought me a cheap phone, you know how the parentals can be." He smiled.

"I remember that age, they always go bargain." The man smiled and handed over his phone. "Go right ahead."

"Thank you so much." Miracle took the man's phone, he had already memorized Eric's number after looking at his phone earlier and so he dialed the number and placed the phone to his ear. "Could I just step a little away? It's kind of private."

"Sure." The man said with a smile.

Miracle gave him a thumbs up and walked a few feet away. He then pulled the phone away and selected to record the call and then brought the phone back to his ear.

"Hello?" Eric answered.

"Eric, it's been so long. How are you?" Miracle asked.

"What a pleasant surprise, Miracle." Eric grinned. "You sure know how to play hide and seek. And when your frustrated, the hammers your tool."

"Not sure I understand what you mean." Miracle said innocently. "But I will say I tend not to get frustrated because I always get things done so that I don't have to worry about them in the future."

"That's a good thing to live by." Eric said.

"I just..I wanted to quote something interesting that I found in your daughters diary. Skylar? You remember Skylar, right?"

"Her diary, you say?"

"Yeah, see what you didn't know about her is that..well she was close to someone that I am close to and she wanted to make sure that her life didn't go unheard, if you understand that." Miracle said.

Eric grinned and took a sip of his champagne. "So go ahead, quote away."

"Okay, I just found the page." Miracle said and took a deep breath. "I did my part, he is dead, Cody's Mom has a mark on her head. I do what Daddy says, if I leave this world, I leave with a lingering clue, it's not what happened to her, it's who." Miracle paused briefly. "So what happened to Cody's Mom? If I am right, it implies that you would know, she did what you said."

Eric grinned and lightly laughed into the phone. "She has quite a way with words, doesn't she? Miracle, I am afraid I don't know a thing you or that diary is talking about. Skylar...was always a troubled child, always telling tall tales, I couldn't control her and when we moved to New York, she became a wild child, one day she went out and I never saw her again, next time I saw her, she was nothing but charred remains."

"Really? So what do you think the police would think of this? You're not innocent Eric, they know you did drug me and kidnapped me, they were coming on the scene just as you escaped on your boat, Melanie stabbed you with the syringe, Cody saw it up close and personal."

"What they saw, Miracle, is Melanie assault me and my friends saving me from her. You came in my room all on your own, your choice, we had sex, you chose to do it." Eric grinned. "And it was great and then we left and went somewhere else and then all that horrible stuff happened."

Miracle sighed. "Eric, why won't you just stop? Seriously? You got revenge on Martha and it's Jaemin you really want, so why can't I just be left alone?"

"Well I really like you, Miracle." Eric sat his glass down. "Though, if you were willing to give up Jaemin, I might consider leaving you and your family and...sadly whats left of your friends alone. If not though, be assured, if I found your location, well you would get visitors, you could never come home and in fact my patience now might just wear thin and I might just send visitors around here."

Eric then grinned. "Though I might just visit that cute little group you had going in West Virginia first, go hiking in the mountains. I would hope none of them were afraid of cliffs because they could be amazing look out points."

Miracle sighed. "How do I know if I did that, you wouldn't keep your end of the deal?"

"I saved Jaemin for you once, didn't I?"

"Yeah and that came with a catch didn't it? I had to attend your party where you set up Robin to die." Miracle said.

"No, that was Martha. Don't you remember? That horrible woman strapped herself with dynamite and threatened to blow us all up."

"Actually I never remembered hearing her speak, I didn't even see a detonator in her hand, I didn't see a detonator until Jordan tackled her and then suddenly he had one." Miracle said.

"Well it was crowded and there was so much chatter." Eric took a sip of his champagne again.

Miracle frowned and then looked over at the man he borrowed the phone from, knowing he probably was wanting it back. "I have to think about it."

"You do that, and Miracle? Don't be a stranger. I've missed you." Eric grinned.

"Well if you hadn't chased me away, that wouldn't be the case." Miracle then hung up and went through the phone and sent the recording to his phone and deleted the recording off the man's phone but he wasn't sure if the recording was any good, it seemed useless.

Miracle walked back over to the man and handed it over. "Sorry I took so long, you know how Mom's are, they ramble." He forced a smile even though he felt like shit.

"That they do." The man smiled and took his phone back.

"Yeah, I figured, why drag it out? Might aswell come back and deal with everything. Once you run from your problems, you're always running." Miracle then heard a knock on his door. "I'll have to call you back, Lacey." Miracle then smiled. "I love you too." Miracle then hung up the phone and walked over and answered it to see Philip standing there. "How did you find me?"

Philip grinned. "Small towns, it's not that hard." He looked inside the house. "Are you alone?"

"My friend had basketball practice and his Mom is teaching a course at the university." Miracle turned and walked away from the door.

"Good, I like privacy." Philip walked inside and closed the door.

"Yeah but you don't respect it." Miracle turned around. "I know what everyone did."

"Really?" Philip grinned.

"It was staged, it was recorded, I got Punk'd. Happy with yourself?" Miracle crossed his arms.

"Jack said it was a test run." Philip stated. "We never said test run was a real job, we needed you to think that it was so that you took it seriously and gave it your all and we needed it recorded so that we could observe how you performed."

"Really? Still feels like a sick joke on me." Miracle sat on the arm of the couch. "So? Why are you here now?"

"Well since you know the truth, I guess I can speak openly about it. My judge on the scene felt like you were stiff in the beginning but played the customer service role quite well, he feels like you had issues with the stripper part of the role. I viewed the video, I feel similar, your entry was to forceful, there were awkward pauses and you chose to be a clutsy stripper by immediately knocking the DVD's over to avoid playing the role for to long."

"So? Strippers are stupid, I felt dumb, so I just got it done." Miracle rolled his eyes.

"Fair enough." Philip walked over and sat on the opposite arm rest. "Do you have issues though? Sexually?"

"Like I'm going to tell you?" Miracle looked at him.

Philip stood up and walked over to Miracle. "Fine, then don't tell me, why don't you show me?"

Miracle stared at him and grinned mockingly. "And that's even worse. Guys don't even think they have to pretend to be nice anymore." Miracle stood up. "Instead, they just come at you with these lame pick up lines that aren't even original but instead play offs of what you just said."

"Why are you so mean?" Philip grinned.

"I'm mean?" Miracle laughed. "What a joke." He shook his head. "Thing is, Philip. I am starting to really hate men, really. And that is a very strange and new phenomena to me but in a way, it kinda feels good, makes me kind of feel free actually."

Philip gave a single nod. "Well, I was hoping we could solve that performance anxiety, a new job is coming up, you know."

"Really? What kind of job? I'd love to hear this one." Miracle tapped his foot a few times while leaning the rest of his weight on his other foot.

"Well this is a little more personal, more of a revenge scheme, if you will." Philip looked at Miracle. "A guy stole Jack's girl, if he can't have her back, he wants to at least break them up."

Miracle's eyebrows lifted. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"We'll supply you the drugs, all you have to do is make a sex tape with him, Jack's girl sees it and then the tape is destroyed." Philip shrugged. "That simple."

"You know...these jobs are kind of starting to sound a bit far fetched for a gang like yours. Couldn't you just hire a hooker?"

"With the drugs? No, that would risk her turning us in."

"I doubt someone would turn you in, a gang with your reputation, you spread fear where ever you go." Miracle said. "And besides, I don't want to do anymore of your jobs."

Philip tilted his head. "And what about the crazy man? You know, Jack is a little more careless but I find it quite sad that you were chased away from home, away from your family and friends. If it were my call, we would of made a strike by now but it's his process."

Aiden walked in with his gym bag. "Who's this?"

Philip looked over at Aiden. "Oh hey, I'm..."

"Just leaving." Miracle interrupted and walked to the door and pulled it open again. "Thanks but I'm not interested in your super duper vacuum or your pro heater microwave!"

Philip grinned at Miracle. "Right, well maybe I'll bring by the pleasure pro vibrator, see if that interests you." He walked towards the door and walked out.

Miracle slammed the door behind Philip and practically almost hit him in the back with it.

"That was one of those jerks, wasn't it?" Aiden asked.

"Yep, don't ask." Miracle leaned back against the door and frowned.