Rhiannon

Part 4: Journey to New York

I lay on my bed and watched as my mother darted across my room to each of my drawers where she took out several outfits and stuffed them in my suitcase. I had offered to help her, but my mom insisted to do it for me. I didn't have the heart to refuse her since I wouldn't have the luxury of someone else's help in a few months. Soon, my parents would drive me to the airport where I would be on my way to New York City to visit my grandmother, possibly for the last time.

The night before had been the most difficult night for me to fall sleep. My siblings came home eventually and my parents explained the situation to them. My brother, Glenn laughed, and my sister, Carina called me a freak. They both insisted that they knew something like this would happen to me. My mother started crying and their laughter stopped. My father scolded them and they apologized. Then something amazing happened. It started to sink in with them that I was actually leaving soon, possibly forever. Then they hugged me and said something I never before believed to be true, that they loved me, and would miss me very much. I guess I underestimated them. I started crying too. That night, I tossed and turned. I don't remember actually falling asleep, but I must have, because I woke up the next morning. It was time to prepare for my first goodbye. Goodbyes were something I didn't think I'd ever get used to, even though I knew I had a lot of them ahead of me.

Phoebe had texted me the night before to check on me just as she promised. All she said was "Are you ok?" I didn't have the energy to respond at the time, so the next morning I just texted back with a quick "yeah" and then she gave me a smiley face emoji. Great talk. Glad to know that my best friend was really going to miss me. I remembered just a few days ago when my biggest problems were seeing Neil with another girl, or attempting to pass all of my classes this semester. Now I was dealing with the fact that I might never see my friends or family again, depending on whether or not I could survive at a school in space.

The fateful hour came for my parents to drive me to the airport. My mother, a nervous wreck probably hugged me about four or five times before finally letting me go through security. I was just going to New York. I wondered how she would act when it was time to leave me at the rocket station. The plane ride was thankfully short and there were no delays. I was really excited to see my grandmother even if it was only to say goodbye. She was the one person in the world that I felt understood me the most, even more than my own mother. When I landed in New York, I was met with a car service at baggage that my father had arranged to take me to my grandmother's apartment. I would stay with her overnight. My suitcase was very small, my mother only packed what she felt I absolutely needed. I rode in the car service all the way to the apartment building where my grandmother lived. The driver helped me retrieve my bag from the trunk, and gave me his business card. Then he drove away leaving me to face the double doors of the building where my grandmother lived. I took my small suitcase in hand, and entered the doors, making my way to the front desk. An older woman sat at the desk with a pen in her hand and big glasses on her face.

The apartment building that my grandmother lived in was big and open. Almost all of the walls were made of glass and each room had an incredible view of the city. When my grandmother decided she wanted to move in to an apartment from her house, my mother was very careful about helping her select a building, and this was the nicest one they could find, even if it was a tad bit far away from us.

"Can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked me in her secretary voice.

"Yes. I'm looking for Stella." I said. The woman looked through her book.

"Are you family?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm her granddaughter." I said.

"She's in room 1258." the woman said pointing in the direction I was supposed to go.

I took my suitcase and made my way down the hall towards the elevator that led to the twelfth floor. As the doors opened and I went inside, a man asked me what floor number, and I said twelve. The doors opened and I exited with my suitcase and made my way down the hall. Everything on this floor was gold, gold walls, gold tables with gold mirrors over them, gold flowers, and even the floor was covered in a golden rug. I found my grandmother's apartment at the very end of the hall. I knocked on her door and she answered. I knew that she had been waiting for me. My mother had told her I was coming, but she didn't tell her why. My parents wanted me to tell her in person. When she saw me, her face lit up and she opened her arms to give me a big hug.

"Rhiannon!" she cried gleefully.

"Grandma!" I exclaimed. My voice shook and immediately my grandmother recognized that something was wrong.

"What's the matter, honey?" she asked.

I couldn't meet her gaze, not yet. Instead, I took a deep breath and rolled up my sleeve to reveal the red mark in the shape of a flame. I looked at my grandmother and watched her face fall as she realized the reason why I had come. She now understood that I was here only to say goodbye. In a mere couple of days it became unclear whether or not I would see my grandmother or anyone else I cared about ever again.