Unaccompanied

Safety in Distance

Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. -Psalm 31

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The sound of her suitcase wheels echoed loudly through the hall of glass and tile. The sound reverberated loudly back to her ears making her feel self-conscious. Walking slower than her strutting aunt hoping to quiet the roaring noise she fell further and further behind. 

"Pearl! Just pick it up! Hurry!" She shouted as she stopped walking long enough to shoot daggers at Pearl.

She grabbed onto the side of the suitcase and pulled it up into both arms toddling along to keep up with her aunt. You could see the indomitable aurora radiating off of her aunt, as she walked with a snarky sway and a nasty sneer pasted across her lips. Pearl knew her aunt had thought she won this imaginary war she raged against her own niece. But Pearl knew the control freak was about to lose her hold. 

Pearl struggled to keep her loaded suitcase in her arms. This suitcase now contained everything she owned. Mainly clothes but also a few prized possessions. She constantly readjusted how she was carrying it for a better grip as she stumbled along down the bright hallway.

The hustle and bustle seemed endless in this place, people coming and going. The PA squealed alive with the voices of robots and announcements, departure times and arrival times, and with the occasional search for a specific individual. She then seemed to realize how many fish were truly in the sea. 

She felt small, alone, and scared. Chills rolled down her arms making her core quake. Her heart jumped into her throat and tears welled in her eyes, she was about to be forced to leave everything she ever knew behind. She was about to be completely alone. 

She watched as her aunt stopped and stared at her, she jerked her head in the opposite direction of Pearl without breaking eye contact, urging her to hurry into line. They stood in a very awkward paralyzing silence. Her aunt beamed around putting on a show for everyone not paying them any attention, as she flounced her weight from one foot to another almost annoyingly too often. They stood in silence as the world around them passed them by, no one else felt their tension, no one else noticed Pearl's demeanor. 

She tried so hard to look helpless and scared so that maybe someone would notice her and help. She mentally reached out, staring at security officers making her eyes beg for help. Though just like the CPS workers, no one noticed. 

Standing in line internally sobbing while trying to withhold tears, she was becoming an emotional wreck. On top of being scared to be alone and so far from home, she was scared to fly. She knew this flight would take her out of the darkness, but what would happen when she got there?

This may have been any other 17-year-olds dream, it was not hers. This was her nightmare. A nightmare she had been living for the last 4 years had finally escalated into a daytime terror.