Chapter 4: A Final Goodbye

Breaking up is hard to do.

The detective and a few officers took me home to pack. Mud was spilled on the sidewalk from where the trucks and cruisers had driven. The rain had finally stopped and I was grateful.

The house seemed darker. There was a dark ominous cloud that hung over everything. Most everything was thrown around from the struggle of the arrest. The police and Woods stayed in the lower section of the house as I walked up the stairs. Before I reached the top I spun around and yelled. “What about Tagg’s stuff?”

Woods was picking up a picture frame as he looked up towards me. “Everything will be put into storage. He’ll be able to get it when he comes back.” I nodded and returned to my first task.

My finger flicked on the light to my room. Everything was the same as I left it that very morning. Somehow everything seemed different though. I was a completely different person this morning. I had a regular life with a regular family. Now I was the kid whose picture was on the back of milk cartons. There were shirts made up with my face on it. People searched for my dead body in the forest and in dumpsters. That wasn’t normal. I wasn’t normal, not anymore at least.

The dark brown comforter that covered my body every night was tucked into the end of the bed. My mother would come up every day after I left and make my bed. She was a stay at home mom with my dad working hard on something. I never knew what he did. Apparently in his spare time he kidnapped children.

I couldn’t think of my parents as criminals though. They weren’t, never to me at least. All they ever did was love me. They gave me a perfect home where I could bloom and grow into a functioning member of society. I admit life wasn’t always the best but can anyone say that theirs was? It had its ups and downs just like everything else. Nothing ever seemed out of place or strange. Moving was the only thing that would’ve sparked any interest. It wasn’t uncommon for kids to move around. Through my travels I’d met many kids who had moved more than I had. Sometimes that’s just how life goes. It wasn’t my life though. I was living the life of someone else. When back where I came from someone had died. A life had been taken from a poor unsuspecting family.

That family, what would they be like? It’s not like I had a choice in meeting them. They were my parents, they were my family. I wasn’t even allowed to see the parents who raised me, the criminals. Not criminals my parents. The others they were step parents almost. That’s what I’d have to call them to keep my mind straight.

Tonight I would be flying out to Idaho. Probably the last state I ever dreamed of living in. In fact I’d never actually lived there. I’d live in forty eight states not a single one of them was Idaho. What was in Idaho? Safety, probably. I couldn’t even see myself living there. I couldn’t see myself with my new family. What would happen to Tagg? Would he and I be forced to separate? He still belonged to my parents he was still their child. Perhaps he could see them. He could ask them why they did it. Why couldn’t they just adopt me like any other time? Why was I so different?

My bag was halfway packed by the time my mind slowed down. I didn’t want to leave this house now. We’d only been there about four months but it was turning into home. Life had just begun to make sense.

My body collapsed on the large mattress in front of me. The pillow surrounded my face as I tried to hold back the tears. Why did this have to happen to me? Why couldn’t this have happened to my neighbor? To anyone but me.

There was a slight knock at the door. “Are you ready to go, Fischer?”

Fischer, what a ridiculous name. I hope my new family didn’t expect me to go by that. “It’s still Thatcher, thank you.”

Woods stepped in and grabbed the bag lying on the floor. “The plane leaves in an hour. We had better get going.”

It was hard to get up. The soft comforter bubbled back up where my body had smashed it. I had to take it. It’s what kept my warm and it smelt like home. Woods gave me a strange look as I wadded the large piece of fabric in my arms. Before I left I grabbed the last family picture we had taken. I refused to forget what my parents had done for me. They raised me and that’s more than I could’ve asked for.

Author's Note

Again.. anything.. even if it's grammar.. remember I totally suck at it. haha.

Reviews

[Zombeh]

Holy cow :O You are adding these chapters so fast XD
I really like this chapter too, I didn't spot any errors, I wasn't really paying attention to the grammar [meaning there was nothing noticeable to me]. I like how the main character doesn't just go off and hate her 'parents', she doesn't think they're criminals. It's a different way to view things and I like that. Keep it up!