The Secret (Boston's Best 1)

Chapter Three

6am.

My insane mother booked our flight for 6am.

Which means we had to get up at 2am to be at the airport at 3am just to make sure we have time to do everything.

Like I'm sorry Niamh were you planning on spending the remaining two hours after we check in just standing in a gift shop looking at Michael D Higgins souvenirs?

No? Didn't think so.

I now can attest that I was 100% right in calling my mam insane because it is now 4:47 and we're just sitting in the airport Coffee Room eating a pastry and drinking an iced coffee, cause the McDonald's and all the good restaurants are all in Terminal 1 and we are in Terminal 2, which sucks for food.

"Mam could you not have booked a flight that leaves in T1? I was looking forward to a McDonald's." Whines my little sibling.

My mam shakes her head "No Riley, none of the flights for America leave out of T1 so it just wouldn't have been able to happen. Unless of course, you want to get on the wrong flight for the sake of a McFlurry?"

They slump back in their seat "No, mam." Then they jump up. "I'm gonna go to the toilet."

I put my coffee down "Do you need me to come with you?"

"No Maddie. I'm 12, not a baby, I can go to the loo by myself."

I hold my hands up in surrender "Okay, okay. Off you go then."

We sit in silence for a few moments before my mam takes my hand and looks at me "Thank you for being so understanding about this all Maddie."

"It's fine. And besides, I was gonna be moving out here for college in literally a few months anyway."

"No, I know that Madeleine, but you finish secondary school at the end of May then you'd be done with your Leaving Cert before June is even over. I just hate that I'm disrupting you like this when you are so close to finishing up."

I smile at her "I'm still nearly finished. Doesn't matter if that's in Ireland or some fancy prep school in Boston. I'll be done with it all in no time. And also how often does someone from a different continent get asked to come in and be the head of a whole department in one of the best hospitals in the States? Not that often. But you were asked and I'm not gonna let you give that up."

"I am pretty great aren't I?"

"Yes, you are. And besides, I think Ri is the one you should be worried about. They still haven't been able to come to terms with the fact that we're leaving dad behind, yano?"

"What are yous talking about?" Riley asks as they jump back onto their chair.

"Nothing, just how I'm gonna get the bigger room in the new apartment."

"What? No. You're not even gonna be living with us by September. I should get the bigger room!"

"Actually Maddie, in the school yous are going to, the 9-12th grade kids have the option of staying in the dorms on campus so you have that option if you want?" Mam says to me.

I stare at her in shock "No way, really? Oh, mam, that would be great!"

She smiles "Okay that's that settled then, when we get you enrolled I'll set that up."

Riley boasts "Ha! So, I'll get the bigger room anyway."

Mam laughs at us and checks her watch "Alright guys we better get going. We board at 6 and it's 5:15 now and so we better get there twenty minutes ago."

I stack our plates and cups before we all grab our carry-on bags and start to walk down the never-ending halls of the airport. I check my ticket again and see our information: