My remaining hours at home in California flew by faster than the last week of senior year, a feat which previously I hadn't thought possible. I blinked, and it seemed as though suddenly all the hours vanished and I was sitting in the car on the way to the airport. My very last opportunity to turn around.
Sometimes, I really wish I would have.
"Are you excited honey?" My mom asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah." I looked out at our little town as it flew by my vision. Raindrops splattered on the windows as we drove, blurring the image of our surroundings.
"Nervous at all?"
"Yeah," I said absentmindedly, my gaze still fixed out the window. I heard her chuckle beside me. "You seem a little distracted," she remarked.
I didn't respond. I had far, far too much on my mind to be capable of answering my mother's questions with long winded responses. How long would the plane ride be? Where would I be living for the next three months? How many other trainees knew nothing, like me? What type of training would we be doing? How the hell am I supposed to know what to do?
Not to mention that I was avoiding thinking about how much I would miss Ian and Marcy, both of which I would be saying goodbye to at the airport. The worst part was, I didn't know how long it would be until I could see them face to face again.
At least I have Ian's app, I thought to myself. I would make sure that nobody found out about it; it would be my one secret.
"We're here," my mom said as she parked the car and unbuckled her seat belt. I got up and grabbed my bags from the trunk, avoiding making eye contact with her.
I knew she was upset with me leaving--her oldest child, off to... well, she didn't even know where I was going off to. To be fair, neither did I, but the thought of my mother being upset because of me was enough to make me shiver with self-loathing.
As we walked through the airport in silence, I suddenly reached for her hand. "I'm going to miss you mom," I said as I finally looked up at her. Unshed tears made her eyes shine as she flashed me a small smile.
"I'll miss you too, honey. Call me once a week, okay?" I nodded, and my mother practically beamed at me. I noticed the emotion flashing behind her eyes--a mix between sadness, and pride.
Was she proud of me? I wondered as we walked towards the airport gate. I had never even thought about that--the fact that maybe my mother was proud of her oldest daughter for attempting to do something with her life.
We reached the gate too quickly. I saw Ian and Marcy wave to us from the gate, with a very bored and annoyed Roger Polkevich standing slightly behind them. My friends ran up to me and swooped me into a hug, which must've lasted longer than it seemed because Roger cleared his throat in annoyance.
"The plane leaves in two minutes, Ms. Roberts," he said, and I turned to my mom to say my goodbyes. "I'll miss you," I said quietly, and any restraint my mother had vanished as she hugged me fiercely and held me as if she would never see me again.
"I'm so proud of you sweetheart. I hope you know that," she said into my shoulder, and I smiled to myself.
"Thanks, mom," I said, flashing her a small smile. She's proud that her daughter is a soon-to-be assassin, I thought to myself, and I did my best not to feel guilt for both lying to her and my future profession. I would be working towards justice, not reasonless violence, and besides, the less she knew the better.
"Call me often, and take care of yourself, okay? No rambunctious shenanigans, and don't put yourself in harms way--" I could've swore I heard Roger chuckle slightly at that. "-- and stay safe. I love you sweetie."
YOU ARE READING
How to Keep a Secret
Romance"I know your type," he said, piercing me with his unwavering gaze, as if daring me to contradict him. "My type?" "You don't know where you're going, or what you want to do with your life. And yet you have such potential," he said, suddenly leaning f...
