The Assignment

Chapter 12: Unrequited

Haden's POV

First off, I had serious jet lag. Secondly, Emmaline has been bothering me about going to see all of these tourist attractions and whatnot as soon as we got off of the plane. Third, we were hopelessly lost in the middle of gate three at the busiest airport in the world: Heathrow.

Emmaline and I were supposed to have met an escort at the entrance of gate two an hour ago. I knew where we were going until she pulled me off to a busy coffee shop to get her a caramel cappuccino or whatever fancy word for expensive it was. We spent almost twenty minutes in the line there, and then after that we spent another ten in a sandwich shop. I was willing to do anything to make Emmaline happy, but she was starting to go a little overboard.

"Come on, Haden, I see the sign for gate two right over there." Emmaline stressed, tugging at my arm while I looked at a wall map. "In fact, there's a line of escorts right there. Ours ought to be in there." She pulled on my arm again.

"Alright, Emmy, I'm coming." I said tiredly. This girl would be the death of me.

Slowly, we began walking towards the gate entrance. As we got closer, I could see that the escorts were mainly composed of fancy butlers and tired limousine drivers. None of their small, paper concierge signs bore either of our names. Continuing to go down the line, we began to panic.

The search got increasingly frustrating as more people came and went, bustling about their own business. Our worrying escalated as we came to realize that we might have missed our escort. How long did they stay, anyhow? We had no way of telling where we were meant to go, what we were supposed to do, how we should act. Emmaline and I were here, completely alone and unsure of ourselves. In a foreign country. Hopelessly lost.

"Haden?" A sweet voice asked, as clear as a bell. Familiar, none the less, but buried away in the deep recesses of my mind. Sealed off in a special part of my thoughts, encased in a protective barrier so that they would never cross my mind again. But, all at once, they came bursting free.

"Mom?" I choked, turning around to face the person who had spoken to me. Sure enough, it was my mother's beautiful face swelling with joy, matching my own. All those years ago, I thought that I'd lost her, that I would never see her again. She had lost her battle. How could she be here, standing in front of me? Was this even real?

"Where have you been all these years?" I asked suddenly, pulling back. "Why did you leave dad and I? You drove him nuts, you know. Absolutely mad! We thought you were dead.." I trailed off.

My hands went to my head, knotting themselves into my hair. I felt Emmaline put a hand on my shoulder, trying to console me. I didn't want it. Not here, and especially not now. Shrugging her off, I move to lean against a nearby pole. Millions of questions coursed through my mind like a raging river. How could she be real?

"You can't be my mother," I accused, venom lacing my words. "She had cancer and died soon after her diagnosis. We could see her losing strength every day. Last time I saw her, she was unresponsive. She died that same night. How could you be her? Who are you?"

"The question is what am I?" The woman says, beginning to massage her temples. "I'm obviously not a real human. If I was, I would be much different. But this is not a conversation to have here. Not now. We need to leave." She says frantically, taking Emmaline and I by our arms. "We need to go."

Her sharp nails dig into my shoulder as she drags us through the crowded airport. People stare, some look as though they are scared of my mother. If I could even call her that. She doesn't stop for anything, nor does her firm grip lessen. A sense of fear begins to slowly creep over me.