Secrets in the Shallows

Chapter Five- The Disappearing Act of Bethany Alaina

CHAPTER FIVE

The Disappearing Act of Bethany Alaina

I turn to see Amelia standing behind us, wearing her matching set of blue floral pajama pants and shirt. Her short hair is also tied into a low ponytail. Her loose strand of curls against her forehead.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, my face is heated with embarrassment.

"You guys woke me up when you left the cabin. What are YOU even doing here?"

"What does it look like? We're trying to sneak into this cabin."

"To do what?" She makes a confused, yet curious, look.

"None of your business," Hanna snapped.

"I'm not going to help you pick that until you tell me." Amelia stands, her arms crossed as she studies the unusual scene.

"Fine, we want to know more about Alaina," I tell her, summarizing the whole situation in one sentence.

"You mean the scary story Phineas told by the campfire?" She asks. I am actually telling her the truth, and I can tell that she still doesn't believe me. "Why are you guys so obsessed with that?"

"I know you think I'm crazy, but we saw someone and we wanted to make sure it wasn't her that we saw," I explain, but it's not clicking with her still.

"Who do you think it was then?" She asks more questions.

"That's what I want to know," I answer.

"So....you can't use your phones?" She asks.

"You're forgetting that we are out in the middle of nowhere," I tell her.

"Fine, I'll pick the lock," She says, pulling out another pin from her hair, "But only because I want to know too."

In a matter of a minute, the door lock clicks and Amelia pushes the door open. She takes her pin and puts it back in her hair.

"Well," I sigh, "I really didn't think you could do that. Thank you." I smile.

"No problem," She says, walking into the cabin, "We need to be quick before anyone else catches us."

Inside the cabin, there is a wooden desk facing the front window. The desk makes an L-shape against the left wall of the room. Past the desk, there is a long hallway that goes to unknown rooms. All I see in the dark hall is a printer in another room.

The abandoned desk is organized with a desktop computer with its back facing the window. There are two desktop computers. One faces the front door and the other on the side of the desk that is facing the left wall.

There are several pamphlets and flyers advertising Camp Jasper Wood. There are picture frames from the secretary who works here. There are all pictures of her family. No one I recognize.

There is a lamp next to the first computer. I see no sign of filing cabinets.

"So, what are we looking for exactly?" Amelia closes the door behind her. She quickly scans the windows to make sure no one has been following us and proceeds to look at us for further directions.

"Any articles having to do with whoever I saw earlier today? I haven't really thought that far ahead," I take a seat in front of the computer that is facing the front door. The desktop is black, so I start to search for a power button. When I find the right one, the computer starts to hum.

In a few minutes, the desktop photo of the mountains lights up the room. I click to unlock but it is password protected.

"There's a password. Any guesses?" I ask, trying not to panic yet. We've already been able to pick the lock to get in here. Now we just need to pick the computer lock.