Rhiannon

Part 3: Grieving Parents

My father, Edwin Stark, was mostly bald, except for the dark hair he had on each side of his head that had begun to gray. He was short for most guys his age and always wore big glasses. He dressed nicely no matter what the occasion. He walked into my room, and sat at the foot of my bed. My mother soon followed after. They both looked at me with concern in their eyes. They had on their faces the same expressions as parents who had been told that their daughter had some kind of terminal illness. My mother held on to my father's hand for dear life and shivered while she tried not to cry. They were both making an effort to be strong, but I could still tell that they were extremely worried. My father examined the mark on my arm and his eyes filled with grief.

"I always hoped that the government would leave our family alone." he said solemnly.

"I'm sorry, dad." was all I could say.

"It's not your fault, Rhiannon." my mother said. That was starting to become her favorite line.

"Your mother's right." my father said. "These types of things can happen to anyone. No one has been able to figure out yet the reasons behind how a person is marked and why. You shouldn't blame yourself. Instead, you should be proud that the government has somehow seen potential in you." he reasoned.

I avoided his eyes. I wanted to believe him. I really wanted to believe him, but I couldn't. Not yet. I refused to believe that the government chose me for being special. That was impossible. I wasn't special. I was weird. That must have been the real reason why. I was just too weird for planet Earth and that's why the government was about to send me away, away from my friends and family to a place beyond the reaches of any normal civilization.

"Yeah." was all I could say. "I just don't know what to do." I said. My parents shared a look.

"Well it appears there is only one thing we can do at this point. Your mother and I will help you pack so if the agent approaches you, you'll be ready to catch the next rocket out to your new school." my father said. My eyes filled with tears. I was so lucky to have them both. I was so grateful that I couldn't open my mouth to thank them. I just started crying uncontrollably. My mother grabbed me and cried with me while my father held my hand. What would I do without them? Going to another state for college was one thing, but I wouldn't even be on the same planet with the people I loved. I would be orbiting the moon with thousands of strangers. Worrying thoughts raced through my mind. Who knows what kind of people were chosen for this sort of thing? What if I didn't make any friends? I'd have nowhere to run to. No one really knew what actually went on at Providence. Whenever somebody was shipped off to that school they were immediately sworn to secrecy for everything that they witnessed there. The general public only knew the very basics, but there were still so many mysteries surrounding Providence. The government did everything they could to keep it that way.

"You can make it through this. I know you can." my father said. I nodded. I didn't completely believe him, but I wouldn't let my mother see how skeptical I was. I didn't want to worry her more than necessary.

"It's going to be hard letting people know what happened to you." my mother said. "Your siblings will certainly miss you, and so will the rest of our family, especially grandma." My heart sank. I forgot all about grandma. What would I tell her? She was eighty-eight years old, but I was still very close with her. This sort of news would break her heart.

"Perhaps Rhiannon can visit her and tell her the news in person. That way she can say a proper goodbye." my father suggested.

"Travel all the way to New York City? Alone?" my mother asked worriedly. I sighed. My mother really had to get used to the idea of me being on my own. I was about to attend a school in space after all. New York was just another state. One short plane ride was all it would take to get there.

"I'm sure it will be fine. Besides! She's eighteen! People her age live on their own." my father said. My mother didn't seem fully convinced, but nodded in agreement anyways. "Helen, I'll go online and book some plane tickets so that Rhiannon can visit your mother. We might even be able to get her some tickets for tomorrow." my father said to my mother. It was already Friday, so booking plane tickets so soon would be difficult, but I had faith in my father for that sort of thing. He always found a way. My mother nodded in agreement and left the room briefly to get her laptop before returning with it in her hands. She handed it to my dad who began to make the travel arrangements. "There. I booked you a flight on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon to and from New York. That way you'll have all of Saturday evening to visit your grandmother at her apartment." my father said. "I also looked up when the next rocket leaves for Providence which is on September 1st." he said. My heart jumped. It was so soon, only a few months away, but at least I would have the summer after all. He put his hand on my shoulder. "It's alright. We'll be with you right up until it's time to say goodbye." he said. I relaxed. I knew that I would remember this moment when I was up in space, fighting for my life, and fighting for the sake of humanity against the monsters in the stars. I would always remember this time when I had people in my life that actually cared about me. I really wished that I never had to let this moment go.