Searching for You

A Weekend Away

It hadn't taken long at all for the weekend to arrive like I thought. Anticipation flooded through me. Today was the first real day I was going to go look for my dad, and I was going to make every second count.

Mom twisted the wheel to the left and the car pulled into the driveway of the Davenports' million-dollar mansion. She sighed and put the car in park, giving me a long look. She didn't look upset, but there was definitely something in her eyes that was throwing me for a loop. It was a mix of a bunch of different things.

"What is it, Mom?" I asked her. "You've got that look again."

She shrugged, leaning back in her chair and unbuckling her seatbelt. Was she getting out of the vehicle?

Before I could ask, she opened the door to the car and stepped out, walking confidently up to the front door of the Davenports'. I scrambled out of my seat and scampered after her, my backpack slung over my shoulder. What had gotten into her? She never got this spontaneous before and not too long ago she was completely against me going anywhere and was entirely disinterested in meeting any of my friends. I guess after the reconciliation we had---after I got shot, mind you---she had warmed up to more than I thought.

I approached the front door with her and she rang the doorbell. Crashes and shouting erupted from behind it and Mom looked at me in confusion and amusement.

"There's no telling what Adam has gotten into," I told her. "It could also be Adam and Chase. Or it could be all three of them. Or Leo could be in there, too . . ."

She laughed heartily. "Just how crazy are these people?"

"Depends on the day."

"What?"

The door slammed open to reveal Bree, who was looking exhausted and fighting with her newly-messed-up hair. She had that famous grin on her face that told me she "definitely didn't get into any sort of trouble right before this, don't worry about it and don't ask questions". It's a wonder to me to this day how they managed to keep their abilities a secret for so long. They were awful liars.

Bree blew a strand of hair out of her face. "So," she began with a grin, "how are you guys doing?"

Something crashed behind her and she cringed. My mom jumped and we exchanged a concerned glance while I tried my best to hold in my laughter. That was most likely Adam and Chase fighting over a video game. And Bree trying to make everything look normal made the whole situation so much more hilarious.

Bree sighed and looked at Mom apologetically. "I guess there's no point in hiding the chaos, is there?"

"No worries," Mom laughed. "I grew up with five brothers. This is normal to me."

"You had five brothers!" Bree exclaimed, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. "I have no idea whether I should be impressed or horrified!"

The three of us walked inside and, just as I suspected, Chase and Adam were wrestling on the floor for the last video game controller while Leo sat on the couch with his face in his right hand, his left clutching the other controller. Out of all the things Mr. Davenport couldn't afford, I would never have guessed a third controller would be one of them.

When Leo saw us, he started yelling at his brothers to get their attention, but to no avail. They kept grabbing at each other and at one point Adam even went to punch Chase, but Chase managed to duck out of the way. I could separate them, but I didn't feel like it. It was too entertaining.

Then realization struck me.

"Bree, why are you all messed up?"

Her eyes widened again and her mouth clamped shut. She folded her arms and I saw her face turn bright red behind a curtain of brunette hair. What on earth could she have gotten into?

"I play video games sometimes, too, okay?" she mumbled in response.

Angry footsteps shook the ground for a moment and that was when all the chaos stopped at once, fear being the resounding feeling radiating in the room.

That was probably . . .

"Guys!"

. . . Mr. Davenport.

And there came the middle-aged ball of fury himself, all red faced and looking like he was having his third stroke of the day. I was honestly surprised he had made it this far with his kids. I would have curled into a ball and cried my woes away years ago. And most-likely have just eaten a bunch of powdered donuts in a corner so that I could have them to myself.

Am I really starting to relate to a middle-aged man? Unbelievable.

But hey, that might mean I can relate to my dad a little more when I finally meet him.

"Guys," Mr. Davenport repeated through clenched teeth, "can't you see we have guests?"

Chase and Adam collectively looked up at him and then trained their gazes over to me and Mom. They laughed sheepishly and pushed away from each other, standing slowly. Chase looked really embarrassed while Adam just smiled from ear-to-ear. I swear, nothing can bring that man's day down in any way. He will always find the entertainment in any situation.

Unless someone took away his gummy bears as punishment, that is. Sometimes he was mature and other times he was a six-foot toddler full of muscle. It really just depended on the day.

"Hey, guys," Chase greeted sheepishly. "How are you doing?"

"We're doing well, thanks," I replied. I walked up to him and gave him a hug, which he returned cheerfully. 

I exchanged hugs with Adam, Bree and Leo and I introduced everyone to my mom. She matched their warm energy and put on a nice, wide and genuine smile. I had never seen my mother so vibrant in front of other people before. It was amazing to see. I was glad she was finally warming up to new things after we had that long talk in the living room the year before. She was a totally different person.

Of course it takes me getting shot, I thought to myself. But it's good to know that she still cares about me.

But he cared about me, too.

I pushed the thought away. Why Marcus was beginning to occupy my mind again after a year of being dead, I wasn't sure, but I also didn't like the fact that I was letting it happen. It was interesting because it seemed like I couldn't help it. Like I wanted him to still be present, but I knew that it wasn't possible. He was crushed under tons of rubble, his metal endoskeleton just a pile of scraps and his hard drive filled with his memories flattened. He could possibly be fixed, but . . .

Why was I even considering that option? My dad was the priority. 

Speaking of . . .

"Mom, do you know why we're here?" I asked her, turning in her direction with my arms crossed.

She shrugged. "I have a general idea, I think."

"We're here because the Davenports are going to be taking me to New York to look for Dad."

Mom stood there in stunned silence for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise. She wasn't angry but she was definitely questioning bringing me here.

I don't blame her.

She blew a raspberry with her cheeks puffed. "Well, that's not what I was thinking after all," she chuckled.

"I hope you're okay with this, Miss Strickland," Mr. Davenport soothed. "It'll only be for the weekend. She'll take the jet with the kids and be back in time for school on Monday."

"Alright," Mom sighed. "Why not? You're sixteen now and it's not like anyone is going to be able to hurt you guys." She pulled me in for a tight hug. "Stay safe, Kiddo."