| “Piper, something tells me there’s more to this story than how your sister broke her wrist.” Erin said. She didn’t seem to recognize either Mulder or Scully in the room. She knew there was a reason for them to be there but all she wanted to know was what Piper was trying to tell her. A tear slid down Piper’s cheek. “When I looked towards the playhouse, I saw something there. It was a body and they said my dad had killed it and put it there twenty-one years ago when he built it for Suzanne.” Erin was taken aback. She didn’t know what to say and even if she did, she wouldn’t know how to say it. “Erin, we found out something else about the body.” Scully said. “Something that I haven’t shared with anyone. I autopsied the body that Piper found and it isn’t human, like she suspected. I can’t be sure exactly what it is until I receive more tests from Quantico but I’m almost certain that the body Piper found is extraterrestrial.” Neither Piper nor Erin said anything. They didn’t know how to respond. Piper thought for a moment and knew what she had to do. “Then there’s something I have to tell you.” Piper said. “Something that I only told Maxine….” “You told Maxine before you told me?” Erin asked. She didn’t seem to care what Piper was about to reveal. She was angry at Piper for not telling her but she was angry with Mulder and Scully the most. She felt as if everything Piper had gone through in the last two years was their fault even though she knew it wasn’t true. “Erin, shut up.” Mulder said, sternly, wanting to know what Piper was going to say. “Erin, I’m sorry but after what they almost did to you because you wrote those messages for me in the newspaper when all of our friends were dying, I couldn’t involve you again. If they thought you were connected again, they could put you in jail.” Piper argued. “I told you the last time you were in jail that I would follow you to the end, no matter what cost.” “Okay, enough.” Mulder said sternly. “Piper, tell us what you were going to tell us.” “Well, Suzanne and I were walking towards the back of the playhouse when I stepped on a stick, or something. All of a sudden I started feeling really weird. I felt as if something was inside my head, pounding to get out. I fell down to the ground because I was in so much pain but then it stopped. I told Suzanne I was okay so we went to get more wood when the whole thing happened.” Piper explained. “Why wouldn’t you tell us this before?” Scully asked. Piper pondered the question but she didn’t know how to respond. She had no reason for not telling Mulder and Scully. She didn’t want to admit that she was afraid. She was scared of what would happen to her or her family if someone found out. Piper could remember a time when she was a great student with a perfect record. She had nothing to worry about and she wasn’t afraid of anything. Now, everything changed. From the day she had seen the first dead body at Girl Scout camp her life had changed. She now had a record with the police department for suspicion of being an accomplice to murder. Piper always wished she could re-do that past two years of her life but she knew she couldn’t. She knew she had to stay strong for everyone else involved. “Piper.” Mulder said, hoping she would answer Scully’s original question. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” “I did.” She said. “I told Maxine.” Erin gave her a strange look. Piper knew she was upset that she wasn’t the first to know about the murders. “I thought that if I told someone, they would lock me away for being an alien or something. I mean, nothing happened to my sister or you guys when you went back there. It was just a little spell that probably has nothing to do with the case.” Mulder thought, knowing the mysterious spell did have something to do with the dead body. Nothing was conclusive and Mulder hoped it didn’t stay that way. “So now what do we do?” Erin asked. “Wait.” Scully said. “We wait for the autopsy results to come back to find out what really was behind that playhouse. We wait to see what killed that crow.” “And we wait to prove my family’s innocence.” Piper added in. Scully nodded. “I hate waiting.” Erin said. Piper smiled and began to laugh. Erin giggled, too, and it loosened the entire room. No one felt as pressured anymore and everything seemed to be okay. Erin stopped laughing as she heard a chime. Piper perked up, knowing it was the doorbell. She ran upstairs, wanting to be the first to answer the door, but she wasn’t. Suzanne was standing at the door. Two police officers were standing outside. “Crap.” Piper said, recognizing the officers as the two who were in Piper’s back yard earlier. Piper stayed by the parlor mantle as Mulder, Scully, and Erin made their way up the stairs. Mulder was about to speak when Piper put her finger to her lips. He shut his mouth and watched. “We have a warrant to search the backyard of this house. We ask that you not move anything nor get in our way.” One of the officers said. Suzanne looked backed to Piper and gave her a weird look. Erin slinked downstairs while Mulder and Scully stayed at the top of the stairs, staring at the officers. “Piper, what’s going on?” Suzanne asked. The officers pushed their way into the house, glaring at Mulder and Scully as they passed. They walked through the kitchen, dining room, and sun room, making their way outside. Mulder went into the sun room and watched as they searched behind the play house. Piper looked to Scully who looked down towards her feet and then went into the sun room with Mulder. “Piper, do you know them?” Suzanne asked. “I wish I didn’t.” She mumbled. “They were here earlier and Scully kicked them out because they didn’t have a warrant to search the backyard. I guess they got one." Piper paused as she heard the phone ring. It rang again and both Suzanne and Piper stood where they were. “Are you gonna get that?” Suzanne asked. “Erin, can you get that?” Piper yelled down the stairs. The phone rang once more and then stopped. Suzanne walked back towards the computer room and sat down. Piper followed her and watched as she played a game called the Sims. The game was fun and it seemed to always cheer the girls up when they were down. Piper sighed and walked back downstairs. Erin was just hanging up the phone. A tear was rolling down her cheek as she sat down on the couch. Piper walked over to her and sat down next to her. “Erin, what is it?” Piper asked. Erin was silent for a moment before she spoke. “That was my dad on the phone. Someone killed my three dogs.” “What?” “My dad came home from work and found my three dogs dead with a message on my answering machine.” Erin explained. She wiped the tears from her face. “What was the message?” “It was a male voice who said something like you were an alien and that means that I must be an alien, too, because I’m your best friend. They said that if I was an alien, then my dogs must be, too.” “I knew I shouldn’t have involved you in this.” Piper said. “I don’t see how you can be so calm.” Erin said. She paused. “I mean, this person is going around saying you’re an alien.” Piper smiled to herself. “Erin, I’ve had to deal with being called worse than an alien. I’ve been called a murderer, a bad word…actually many bad words. After about the fourth of time of being convicted of a murder I told myself that no words could hurt me.” “But, Piper, if they think I’m an alien because of you and they killed my dogs, think about your own.” “The question is how did they find out about any of this? We never said anything outside of your house and I doubt Mulder and Scully would share the information.” Piper said. “Suzanne?” Erin wondered. “No, Suzanne and I might fight but she wouldn’t do this.” “Do what?” Mulder asked, walking down the stairs. Scully followed him and they sat down on the other couch. “Erin, what’s wrong?” Scully asked, noticing Erin’s teary eyes. Erin tried to speak but she couldn’t. She didn’t want to have to repeat what she had just told Piper. “Erin’s dad called about a message on her answering machine. Her three dogs were killed because they called them aliens.” Piper paused but continued when she saw Mulder and Scully’s confused faces. “They think I’m an alien so they called Erin one, too. Someone knows that the body isn’t human. Someone knows exactly what we’re talking about.” “They’re bugging the room.” Erin said suddenly. “Erin…” Piper began. Mulder jumped up from the couch and ran to Piper. He wrapped his hand around her mouth so her voice was muffled. He removed his hands a few seconds later. Piper understood what he was trying to say. Scully went to Piper’s computer desk and picked up a piece of paper. She took a pencil from a mug and wrote a message on the paper. She showed it to Erin, Piper, and Mulder. It read: We have to find bug. No talking! |