SORROW WOODS (16 page)

thought she’d just ask me questions about what girls wear or something.

“Was anything you ever said the truth?” she demands.

I snort. I’ve had enough of this. Why am I being questioned by her so intently? Not even the

police doubted me and they have enough reason to. “Yes. All of it.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I whip my head around and find her staring at the ceiling. “I don’t care.”

She blinks and snaps her eyes onto me. “What?”

“You heard me. I don’t care if you believe me or not.”

She smiles but it’s not a happy smile, more like a sarcastic smile. “If you don’t care, then you

should have just left me alone. You should never have tried to rescue me.”

“You know what, Serena?” I snap.

She raises her eyebrows mockingly at me. “What?”

“I wish I hadn’t.” I huff and spin fully around to face her. She doesn’t flinch. “I’m sick of this.

I’m sick of you and all the shit that you’re giving me just because I did the right thing.”

She blinks and opens her mouth. “I-“

I’m not ready for her to talk yet. She needs to hear a few things. “Finding you,” I interrupt,

“and getting to know you so you’d have someone that you knew in this new part of your life was

probably the only good thing I’ve ever done in my life, but now you’re making me wish I hadn’t done it.”

She screws her face up, throwing her hands up in the air with anger before letting them drop

back down heavily onto the bed. “You tried to kidnap me yourself! Was it the money, Kaiden?

Janet’s told me all about the campaign and the reward. Did you see me in the woods with Elodie that day and get blinded by the dollar signs?”

I shake my head at her. I thought we’d already agreed that we wouldn’t talk about this

again. Is she always going to bring it up and throw it back in my face? I fucked up. I know that. She knows that. There’s no need for her to keep making me admit to it. “No. Yes. No.” I sigh. “Actually, fuck it. Yes, I did. I wanted the money.”

She glares at me and holds my gaze for a few seconds. “Then what makes you any different

from the woman who took me fourteen years ago?”

Is she for real? Is she actually saying that she thinks what I did was as bad as what that bitch

did? I fly off the bed so quickly that I stumble into the wall. I can’t believe she thinks that. What the hell is wrong with her?

“I was giving you back to your real parents, Serena, not taking you away to live like a wild child in the middle of the fucking woods!” I yell.

She remains on the bed appearing calm, even though I can see the anger and resentment

bouncing around in her eyes.

“You don’t need to swear,” she finally huffs, “and I don’t understand why you changed your

mind the first time but ended up doing it anyway?”

“I did it for the right reasons this time,” I say, by way of explanation.

She huffs. “That’s debatable.”

“Whatever. Is this why you asked to see me today?” I can’t believe I came all the way out

here today to be interrogated like this.

“No.”

“Then why? Please tell me that I didn’t drive four and a half hours for nothing.”

She huffs and turns away from me. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Fine. See ya.” I shove my hand into my pocket and throw the bracelet that I’d chosen this

morning at her.

“Oh, and happy birthday.” I watch the bracelet land on the bed beside her head.

“You need to stop being selfish, Serena. You were stolen from your real parents when you

were two and that was shit. I feel sorry for you, but I had to spend my whole life listening to your real Mom cry. My own parents spent hours with yours, helping them with the campaign. Your real

parents are suffering and have been for fourteen years. You didn’t know you were missing so you’ve spent the last fourteen years being relatively happy in those woods, swimming and running and

having a good ‘ol time. Think about them and how they feel. I know you’re confused and scared, but you just have to deal with the fact that shit happened and this is what’s happening now. Think of this as a new chapter in your life. You read books. What do the main characters in your books do when

something shitty happens to them? Do they sulk and moan and act ugly to everyone, or do they just get on with it?”

A single tear slips down her face as she turns to face me. “I think you should leave.”

I smirk. She’s bugged the shit out of me. The last thing I want to do is to stay.

“I was already going.” I don’t look at her again as I stride out of the door and slam it behind

me.

Serena

They’re nice and I knew they were when I met them for the first time yesterday. Sitting opposite

them on one of the cream sofas, I keep catching them looking at me out of the corner of my eye. In fact, Angela Scott hasn’t taken her eyes off me the whole time.

I’m looking down at the bracelet that Kaiden threw at me while constantly twirling it around

my wrist. Janet told me that it’s a charm bracelet. She says that you buy the chain and then you pick the little charms that go on it from thousands of possible choices. I touch the little green and brown tree, the tiny replica of Earth, the silver book, the red strawberry, and the star that sparkles and glitters in the light. Each of them dangles off the bracelet and I think about how he couldn’t have picked anything more perfect for me. Even though I was furious at him, I wish I’d have thanked him.

I can feel someone watching me as I turn it around and around. I glance up and see Angela

smiling at me.

“Was that a present from someone?” she asks.

I nod.

Angela glances quickly at Auden before turning her attention back to me. “For your

birthday?”

I nod again. “It was from Kaiden. He came to visit me.”

“Oh.”

I watch both of them look at each other. Then their eyes move towards the door as Janet

walks back into the room.

“I think that’s everything,” smiles Janet, handing my bag to Auden. He stands up, takes it

from her, and shakes her hand. She turns back to me and throws her arms around my shoulders.

“I hope you’ll be very happy, Serena. Your parents never stopped looking for you and now that

they’ve found you, I’m sure you’ll soon realise that this is where you belong.”

I look up at her and try to smile. I know that what she’s saying makes sense. I know that

those words are the right words for her to say to me, but I don’t agree with her. Not yet.

Angela stands and weaves her hand gently into Auden’s. I stare at their hands until Angela

sees me looking and pulls herself away from him.

“Are you ready, Serena?” asks Auden. His voice is deep and husky. I wonder if he has a sore

throat. I’ve never heard a voice sound so manly before.

I look up at Auden and nod.

“We’ve got a private plane ready at the airport so we can get you home quicker and without

the press making a fuss over you.”

“The press?” I ask.

They glance at each other and nod. Angela steps forward and bends down in front of me.

“The whole state knows your story, Serena. Lots and lots of people have helped us look for you over the years.”

I stand up and smooth down my over-sized dress. Angela blinks at me.

“You’re beautiful,” she says, “but we need to get you some clothes that fit you properly. All

the ones I have for you are only big enough for a toddler.”

I watch her eyes glaze over and look away when Auden pulls her to him. Janet silently opens

the door and leads us all down the corridor. My parents walk behind me as I follow Janet to the front door.

“Right then. You have a nice life, you hear?” says Janet.

I nod. I turn back towards my parents who step forward, pulling my hands into theirs. The

doors open and in an instant, I’m bathed in sunlight. They smile at each other as they step forward, pulling me with them.

The second we’re out of the door, I see flashes of light everywhere. People I don’t know are

calling out both of my names. I keep my head down and let Angela and Auden pull me into the back

of a big car with black windows. Once we’re inside, they strap on their seatbelts and lean back. Both of them sigh at the same time.

“That went pretty smoothly,” says Auden. Angela nods at him and then looks down at me.

“Are you alright?” she asks gently.

“Yes,” I breathe, “I think so.”

I sit back and watch the real world whiz past my window. I can’t believe I’m finally with them

and that they’re taking me to their home. My home. I wish Elodie was sitting here beside me, but I understand that she’s younger than me and needs to have time getting to know her new Mom too.

Janet told me that her Daddy and her Mommy split up after she disappeared, and that Elodie will

just be living with her Mommy. I feel bad for her and hope more than anything that she’ll be okay.

Janet told me that she went with her new Mother a few days ago and is supposedly settling in well. I hope I get to see her soon so I can ask her myself.

I let my eyes trail over my new parents. I have no idea what’s going to happen or where

they’re taking me. I guess I’m just going to have to accept whatever it is that’s thrown at me now.

It’s the only thing I can do.

“Can I be honest with you?” asks Angela after a few minutes.

I turn to her and nod.

“I need for you to tell me how you want us to do this. This is just as weird for us as it is for

you.”

“Angela,” says Auden in a warning tone.

She looks up at him over my head. “I have to say this to her, Auden.”

She turns her attention back to me and smiles. “I’m sorry if that was a little blunt, Serena, but I don’t want us to suffocate you with information. At the same time, I don’t want you to feel like

we’re keeping things from you or that we’re treating you as if you’ll break.”

I like how she talks to me like I’m an adult. She doesn’t treat me like a child as the police did, or how Janet did some times. I like that she’s honest like I am.

I’ve thought about this and have my answer ready for her. “I was taught to be open and

honest. I don’t want you to assume that I don’t know stuff, so just talk to me like you would as if I’d been with you all my life. If there’s anything that I don’t understand, I’ll ask. Is that okay?”

Angela smiles. “That’s more than okay, and I do want you to be open and honest with us as

much as you can. This will work much better if we communicate with each other and trust each

other.”

Auden leans around Angela and smiles at me.

I look at the two of them. They sound more professional than parental, but I suppose they’re

out of practice because I haven’t been around all these years. Angela takes a deep breath and

pushes it out of her mouth.

“This is difficult,” she says with a sigh. “I always knew it would be an adjustment if you ever

came back to us, but I want you to know that I love you, Serena. We both love you and always have.”

“I can’t say that to you,” I blurt out. My eyes flash up to Angela’s shocked face. “I know you

probably want to hear it so I’m sorry, but I’m not going to say something that I don’t mean just

because it’ll make you feel better.”

Auden smiles and leans back in his seat, tapping Angela’s leg with his hand. “Honest and

straight to the point. Like Mother like Daughter, huh?”

She rolls her eyes at Auden. “Well,” she smiles, turning back to me, “I guess I did say I wanted

you to be open and honest with us.”

I blink at them. “I’m sorry, was that mean?”

She shakes her head. “Not mean, just very honest. Some people are not used to others being

so truthful. Sometimes, as they say, the truth hurts.”

“I’m not used to knowing what I should and shouldn’t say,” I confess. I look away from them

and stare at a group of children who are all wearing similar clothes and running around together at a playground. That must be a school, I think. “I’ve always just been able to say exactly what I was thinking when I thought of it.”

Angela puts her arms carefully through mine. “We’ll teach you,” she promises. “It’ll take time

so you don’t need to worry about it. Some adults don’t know how to behave properly even after

forty years. Just be yourself.”

We don’t speak the rest of the way to the airport. We pull up smoothly against the curb and

wait until two men in suits walk up to the car and open the door for us.

“Mr. and Mrs. Scott?”

“Yes,” Angela and Auden say in unison.

“Do you have luggage in the back?” the taller and broader of the two men ask.

Auden leans forward. “We have two suitcases and a small brown case.”

The tall man nods before walking around to the back of the car, opening the back of it. I watch

him carry our bags through the sliding, automatic doors before disappearing out of view.

The other man nods at us. “Ready?” he asks.

We all look at each other. I can already see crowds of people with cameras waiting by the

doors. We all nod slowly at him. He offers his hand to Angela and helps her out of the car. The first flashes of light go off and people start shouting at her. She ignores them, pulling me close and I let her. She covers me with her body whilst Auden stands on the other side of me.

Between the two of them, they smuggle me into the airport without me being able to see any

of the reporters that are calling out our names. We don’t go and queue up with our cases like other people seem to be doing. We follow the man in the suit through doors and down corridors until

we’re being patted down by other people wearing suits and led out into a baking hot open area.

When I look up and see the planes all waiting around, I realise we’re actually on the runway. I’ve never even seen a plane in the sky, let alone been on one. Should I worry that we might fall out of the sky? Probably not. I’ve read that flying is proven to be the safest way of travelling.