Past? What Past?! [ F I N I S H E D ]

Past? What Past! Part19

Four days passed in a blur due to my extremely busy week. There was the whole drama of Christmas and visiting relatives and such but then my parents tried the tactic of 'not trying' to get me to stay in Scotland. They gave me all this privacy and left me to my own devices in order to show me how different it would be living with them.

Also, Aurora was taken off my hands by Andy - I'd wake up each morning and find him sitting against my wall beside the white cot, fast asleep, with Aurora in his arms. Sometimes, I wondered whether Andrew cared for me in the slightest, as it seemed all his affection was directed at Aurora! I mean, he had only talked directly to me four times in the time I'd been back, and on all four of those occasions, he was asking me about something to do with Aurora! Not a word about my relationship with Harry or how I was liking England or school there or anything. Nope, he was only concerned about Aurora and not his sister.

I woke on the twenty-ninth - the eighth day in Scotland. My carry on bag had been packed the night before and I was all ready to leave for home. I had showered late the night before so I didn't have to disturb anyone the next morning - smart thinking, huh? I quietly got dressed quietly and removed Aurora from a sleeping Andrew's arms, replacing my baby with a plastic baby that little children are so very attached to.

I crept downstairs and waited silently in the living room for the taxi that Harry had organised for me to take me to the airport. With five minutes to spare until the taxi showed up, I heard the stairs creak. I stayed silent.

"Where are you going, Abigail?" asked my father.

I did not reply.

He walked into the living room, blue dressing gown thrown on and hair all messy. He was just putting on his glasses that he wore in the morning before he put in his contacts. With his glasses on, he looked more intimidating, especially when he glared at you, like he was doing to me. "Where are you going, Abigail?" he repeated.

"Back to England," I told him quietly.

"But where will you live? Harriet has told us she kicked you out weeks ago - we assumed you were staying at a friend's house until Christmas, but you don't have to go now. We're very accommodating here, now."

"Yes, I'm staying at a friend's house, and I will continue living there until I have finished my education. I love it down there - I love my school, my friends, my teachers, my house, my ... my everything."

"There's a bloke involved, isn't there?"

At that point, there was a light tooting of a taxi's horn. I stood up and picked up my bag. I left the room and at the door I turned around and said: "you sent me there. Remember that, Dad."

Then I left my house with no intention of ever returning.

I clambered into the taxi and didn't look back as it drove away from the house I had lived in for sixteen of my seventeen years on Earth. I didn't feel loss, I didn't feel remorse, and I didn't feel even a hint of sadness. All I felt was joy, as I would be back with Harry soon. The hour journey to Edinburgh airport felt like a year. I was all bubbly joy and anticipation at the prospect of seeing all my friends again. I was even looking forward to going back to school!

I checked in and made my way through the boarding area and straight towards duty free. I stopped to buy some chocolate, a magazine and a can of Diet Pepsi and some tacky Scotland souvenirs for the guys back home. Then I made my way over to the seats beside the gate for my flight.

Aurora was still sound asleep and probably would be for the journey down - no doubt she would wake in time for landing and experience some more ear-popping pain, causing her to cry again. I settled her into a comfortable position on my chest and opened the can of Pepsi and started flicking through the magazine, occasionally eating a wedge of chocolate.