Left Behind // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

The Cat and the Little Mouse

Pov Scarlett

I still couldn't grasp the reality; I was on a private plane with just the clothes on my back. Urgency compelled me to contact Kate, postponing our meeting and canceling our plans to record TikToks together.

In my hands, I still held the permission paper that Yn had submitted. My signature was imprinted on it, an exact replica of the document I used to use when Rose traveled. I wondered when Yn had found that paper and modified it. The company's apologies came in the form of a flight voucher, as compensation for not confirming the information with me. The excuse: my identity and my daughter's cunning.

If this situation had been part of a script, I would have laughed, but reality was devoid of humor. My daughter was alone, and despite her cunning, she was still a child. The myriad dangers that existed for a child. I tried to push away the darkest thoughts, but my subconscious wouldn't allow it. My hands clenched the paper, defeated by helplessness, and I decided to stow it away before it ended up in tatters. I wanted to keep it to show Yn and witness her reaction.

The journey stretched into a torturous eternity, despite being a direct flight. I opened my phone and scrolled through the gallery for pictures of my children. Selecting one of my little bean, tears inevitably slid down my cheeks. I longed to arrive and embrace her. I enlarged the photo to contemplate her expression of disagreement with the image, with her innocence and features identical to mine. Who would have imagined that the underachieving student would be capable of devising such an elaborate plan behind my back?

She deserved a good scolding, I thought, but I would save that reprimand for when I had her in my arms and my heart calmed to see that she was safe. I was unaware of what kind of discipline she had received, but it was clear that this situation could not be repeated. For her sake, for mine, and for the well-being of our family.

"Mrs. Johansson, can I do anything for you?" the flight attendant approached, visibly timid.

I forced a smile on my lips, though the last thing I wanted at that moment was to smile, and looked at her with weary eyes.

"No, thank you. Everything is fine."

Third Person POV

Once Scarlett descended from the plane, she was escorted to the airport security, where several individuals awaited her with guilt-laden looks. Scarlett didn't know how to interpret those expressions at that moment and began to feel uneasy, fearing that something bad had happened to her little one.

"Speak, tell me something. Where is my daughter?"

They glanced at each other until one cleared his throat, mustering the necessary courage. "Mrs. Johansson, your daughter is not here," was the response that triggered a panic attack in Scarlett. She leaned against the wall, trying to calm herself, to be aware of her surroundings. She counted to fifteen before turning around and facing the man who spoke first.

"How is that possible?" She restrained her expression, but the tension was palpable in her body, as if she were ready to respond to any attack.

"We were waiting, but the girl... well, the girl was quite clever," once he uttered those words, he led Scarlett to the camera room.

Several pairs of eyes focused on the sequence recorded by the security cameras. Scarlett saw her little one disembark from the plane, and her heart relaxed seeing that she was unharmed. Before her eyes, she saw her running towards a woman whom the actress had never seen in her life, not even during her time in Fresno.

"Who is that lady?" she asked once she saw her daughter leave with her as if she had known her all her life.

"We intercepted the woman; she told us she was waiting for her daughter to pick her up at the airport when the girl approached, saying she was being followed, and her aunt was parking outside. So, the woman pretended to be the grandmother, and they passed the gate controls. We regret it, Mrs. Johansson; my colleague didn't receive the photo in time and couldn't verify it. By the time we realized, we went after her, but she took a taxi, and we took down the license plate," the man narrated, assuming the blame, with the silent support of the other colleagues.