Project Equality

Vacation (5 of 7)

Hazel

Hearing that Mr. Cane would talk to no one but me about the others was the first in a series of events that led me to where I am today. Ever since I moved to the States, I knew what I wanted. You remember: I just wanted to go back home to London. It was my home. I had a plan on how to effectively do it, too. As soon as I graduated, it was a one-way ticket back. An IB diploma to get into an international college, going into biochem, it was all laid out ahead of me. Even meeting my six best friends didn't change what I wanted for myself.

Of course, then I met Andrea. I stopped thinking about my future as much, because I wanted my present with her, but in that time, something inside of me must have changed without my realizing. It was only days after meeting her that I put together the crime board, starting drawing connections. I was good at it, looking through old articles, getting Ami to hack a couple of files (don't tell Tracie). It was all so obvious. I knew that Mr. Cane did it. Thinking back through every encounter I ever had with him, I felt stupid for not suspecting him sooner.

When I heard that I was the only one he would talk to, though, there was a new Hazel that was here to fight the old one. My future and every decision I would make from that point on were the stakes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"May, I'm terrified," I confessed to her as we sat in her tiny apartment, awaiting the other seven to arrive (Andrea and Lauren were joining us on our group vacation this year).

"As am I, Hazel." I'm sure she was telling the truth, but I couldn't really imagine Mayella Cane being afraid of anything. "Mr. Cane has obvious reasons for wanting to see me, but you are a stretch. I suspect it is only partly to do with your testimony against him."

"What the bloody hell would the rest of the reason be?" I shrieked. "Why me?"

"To torment Agent Simon, I should expect," she reasoned. "She has taken all of us under her wing in different ways, but she sees potential in you."

My voice caught in my throat. "What kind of potential?"

"I do not believe that I need to answer that."

She was right (I don't think Mayella has ever been wrong). Tracie saw potential in me to be an agent one day, just like her. I was clearly good at figuring things out, and something inside of me wanted to get justice for everyone possible. I just didn't know how it fell in line with the rest of my plan. There was a different bad guy I wanted to catch, by the name of cancer, and I think it's about time I told you why.

In primary school, I had a best friend named Julie, and she was my first crush. We all have one, right? But the thing was that she was diagnosed with cancer when we were eight, and she didn't get long. Most kids don't. I guess something in me never let go of that, and I wanted to keep it from ever happening to any other kid again. Maybe that was just my first exposure to craving justice, though.

"I feel like my whole world's falling apart," I confessed. "All my life, I thought that I knew what I wanted."

"There is no shame in a change of direction, Hazel. Especially not this one."

"I have to think about all of this. Who knows," I laughed, "maybe your dad will give me a push in the right direction."

"He is not my father anymore. I left that behind the day before his conviction."

"May Bean!" Lisa's voice rang out, interrupting our conversation. "Did you pack yet?"

"We are leaving in three hours," May sighed. "I have time."