Chapter 41

By the time I woke up again, it was dark out. I must’ve been asleep for quite some time. True to his words, Mason was still in the seat to my left exactly where he was when I had fallen asleep. James was still on my right as well, looking at papers with his glasses. Mason was looking at something on his phone before he began typing, probably texting someone. I tried my best to stretch without hurting myself only to groan in pain. This caught the attention of Mason and James. They both smiled at me, but I was mainly focused on Mason.

As I looked at Mason, I heard James stand up. Looking over at him he had a small smile on his face as he looked between the two of us. “I’ll be right outside,” he said.

With that, he opened the door and shut it softly behind him. Through the blinds on the window, I could just see him sit down on a bench in the hallway. Despite Mason still being in the room with me, I was grateful for James to still be close. With that comfort, I looked toward Mason.

He was looking at me with sad eyes, despite the smile on his face. He was wearing the same outfit as the day I met him. But he looked so tired. I reached my hand out for him to take and he did. He gave a small laugh which was obviously fake. “Isiah and Kevin were just asking about you.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded but his smile disappeared as his eyes dropped to the iv in my hand.

“Hey, I’m alright.”

He nodded, but tears began to fill his eyes. He placed his elbows on the bed and held my hand in both of his. He lowered his head until it touched my hand and I could see his body shake with sobs. “I was so scared, Sera. I was so worried that I’d never see you again. When my mom told me that you had never made it home, I ran straight to your place. And when your parents confirmed it, my heart shattered. I couldn’t believe it. And then you were gone for five days… I… thought I lost you.”

My eyes watered but I kept myself together for his sake. Pulling my hand out of his grasp I lifted his chin so that I could see his face. His eyes were red as tears continued to slide down his face. I gave him a small smile and placed my palm on his cheek. He leaned into my touch and covered my hand with his own closing his eyes. Wiping away a few tears with my thumb, I used my other hand to reach up to my neck to touch my owl necklace. Only, it wasn’t there.

A machine next to me began to beep louder as my heart began to race. At the increased beeping, Mason opened his eyes and looked at me concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“My necklace...where is it?!”

“Hey, cam down, Sera. It’s right here. I have it.”

He reached into his pocket and extended his hand. Resting gently on his palm was the diamond owl that got me through this whole thing. Immediately, my heart rate dropped back down and Mason breathed a sigh of relief.

“They had to take it off of you, safety reasons. They gave it to James and when I got here he gave it to me. Told me I should be the one to give it back to you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. Using his sleeve, Mason wiped away his tears and sniffled. Leaning forward he wrapped the necklace around my neck and connected it. With the necklace secured in its rightful place, he gently kissed my forehead before sitting back again. I silently asked for his hand again and once I had it I used my right to touch the owl.

“This necklace…” I started, “gave me hope. It reminded me of you and my family. It kept me going when everything seemed hopeless. This necklace saved me, Mason. And for that, I’m grateful. I don’t know if I would’ve made it out of there without it.”

Mason squeezed my hand and I could see his eyes had begun to water again. “You’re so strong, Sera. I know you would’ve made it out regardless. I can’t believe all of the things you’ve been through. And here you are still smiling. How?”

“I can still smile because I have people like you in my life. People who mean a lot to me, people who showed me the light, people who make me laugh, people who make me happy, the people I love.”

One single tear fell from his eyes and he smiled. Leaning forward once again he placed a gentle kiss on my lips before leaning back.

It was silent for a few minutes before Mason spoke up again. “So, James and Tessa aren’t your real parents then? They adopted you?”

I looked over at the window where James was still sitting and nodded. “They might as well be my real parents though. I’m sorry I never told you.”

I looked back at Mason to see him shake his head and laugh. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that they love you and that you’re back safe and sound.”

“They do love me. I’m sure of that.”

His phone buzzed from his pocket and he let go of my hand to pull it out. I watched silently as he read the message and typed a reply. “That was my mom…”

“You have to go home don’t you?” I sighed.

He frowned and nodded. “She’s waiting outside.”

I smiled at him. “You better get going then.”

He nodded and stood up, placing another kiss on my forehead. “I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise.”

I nodded and watched as he opened the door and walked out.