Safe Travels

Truth Be Told

I didn't sleep at all. Even when Alaine wrapped her arms around me and tried to comfort me, I found I was too restless to sleep. Around four o'clock I gave up on resting and hopped in the shower. The hot jets of water soothed my tense muscles and calmed my rapidly beating heart.

"Megan?"

"In the shower!"

Alaine had been surprisingly kind to me. She didn't force me into anything I didn't want, didn't ask any intrusive questions, and listened on the rare occasion that I wanted to talk. I briefly wondered if there was some catch I wasn't aware of with this girl.

"Hey um... I'm coming out and I kind of forgot my clothes. Can you just... Uh..."

She giggled and muttered put a yes. I was so glad she couldn't see my blush at that moment.

We ate breakfast at the hotel. I had never had French food before, and I was surprised to find that I actually liked it.

Alaine and I were in the middle of feeding each other and giggling when my phone buzzed. Automatically, my stomach fell. I wanted to puke.

"Hello?"

"Megan Abbey?"

"Y-yes this is she."

"Your uncle is Thomas Abbey?"

"Yes ma'am"

"He's not gonna be coming out for a while. You can come see him if you want."

My mouth hung open for a minute before I realized the woman was waiting for an answer.

"Yeah. I'll come by right away"

Alaine looked at me with concern, but
when she caught the tears of uncertainty staining my cheeks she took my hand and led me away from the hotel. The anxiety in my stomach got worse and worse the closer we got to the station, but I swallowed it down and kept going. I had too many questions, and only Thomas had the answers.

I only slowed down when the cops had to pay me down and send me through a metal detector. After that, I ran ahead of Alaine, who just nodded when I glanced back at her.

I walked briskly down the hallways that were vaguely familiar. There were mostly desks and offices for the higher ups, but near the back were a few interrogation rooms and temporary cells. Thomas was in the first glass room to my right. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep that night, and he was obviously hungover.

The cop watching him opened the door for me and stepped out, allowing us a false sense of privacy.

"Why aren't they letting you leave?"

"Megan, sit down"

He sounded so defeated, so broken, but it only made me angrier.

"Why are they making you stay?"

"Megan, please sit down"

He looked at me with pleading eyes, and in that moment all I could think was that he was a kicked little puppy. I did as he asked, took a deep breath, and sat down as I exhaled. My anxiety was quickly being replaced with dread.

"Why aren't they letting you leave?"

"They're going through my record. They can't release me until they're sure I'm okay to be let out again."

"Record? You have a criminal record?" I was on my feet again, my palms flat on the desk in rage.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I have a history of drug abuse and violence." He looked down in shame. "I just got clean a month before your mother sent you here."

My mouth was agape. How could she send me to live with someone so unstable? Especially since the reason she sent me away in the first place was because I was unstable!

That thought made me cringe. I hadn't exactly told Thomas all about me either, and I had a fairly rough past as well. Maybe I didn't have a criminal record, but I wasn't the cleanest kid.  My face softened a bit and I sat down again. Thomas's shackled hands found mine on top of the table and he smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry about all this. Mary may be older, but she doesn't always make the best decisions. It probably wasn't a good idea for her to send you to live with me." He chuckled darkly and added "trust me, I know all about bad decisions."

I thought about that for a second. Here I was, talking to my uncle in a glass room, surrounded by security, not even sure when we could go home. But that's the thing, Thomas and his home were also my home now. His pristine white walls and meaningful works of art (which contradicted his impersonally decorated apartment), his thoughtful looks and understanding silences, were all my home.

"No," I muttered with conviction. "No, I'm glad mom sent me here. I'm home now. If I didn't live with you, I would've probably ended up in a hospital again. I wouldn't get to travel Europe, even if this first trip was a bit of a flop. I wouldn't have me Alaine..." I smiled at that last part, and Thomas looked up at Alaine like it was the first time he'd ever seen her.

"You came here with her?"

"I never left her."

The words sent a shiver down my spine. They were so concrete, so obvious, like it would be absurd if Alaine ever left me. She put a hand on my shoulder and offered Thomas a small smile.

"Thank you... That means a lot to me. And I'm sure it does to Megan too."

Both parties laughed at my bright red blush. I just started to join in when I heard a tap at the door.

"Alright," the cop uttered monotonously. "Time to go kids."

I sighed and walked towards the door, giving Thomas one last glance before walking out.

Alaine held my hand as we walked down the street to no where. It was comforting. I had told her to just drag me wherever she saw fit. I didn't know where she was taking me, but judging by the look on her face, I would enjoy it.

Truth be told, my home was right here, with Thomas and Alaine.