by Amy Cross
He nods. "Unfortunately, Abigail... Abby... Unfortunately, your birth mother died many years ago, shortly after you were born. She was able to hold you once. It was brief, but she did at least manage to meet you before she passed away".
I take a deep breath. For some stupid reason, I feel like I want to start crying. Sophie Hart, my mother, is dead. I never met her. I never even knew her name until now. But the knowledge that she's dead feels so... huge. "Did she die in childbirth?" I ask.
"No," he says. "She died shortly after you were born. I can tell you the whole story at a later date. It's extremely complicated and I'm afraid we don't have time at the moment. For now, it's very important that we get going. We have a long journey ahead of us, and -"
"Wait," I say, suddenly feeling like this is becoming too overwhelming. "Back up. I don't remember agreeing to go anywhere with you. Where exactly do you think you're taking me?"
"It's okay, honey," Evan says.
"We're taking you to meet your father," Benjamin says.
"And what if I don't want to go?" I ask, feeling a sense of panic rise through my body. "I mean, what if I just want to stay here, or maybe I want to be by myself? I mean, if this Patrick guy wants to meet me so bad, maybe he should come and find me instead of sending you three. What kind of person sends other people to collect his daughter? Or if he doesn't know you're here, maybe it's best like that. I mean..." I pause, aware that I'm rambling. "I don't know if I want to go with you," I say eventually.
"You have to," Evan says.
I turn to him. "Why?" I wait for an answer. "There's something you're not telling me," I say after a moment. "I feel like you're all in on some big secret, and I'm the only one who's being kept in the dark, and I'm not going anywhere until you fill me in".
"You feel different," Benjamin says. "It's true, isn't it? You feel like you're not the same as other people".
"I'm a teenager," I reply. "I've got... hormones and stuff".
"But this is more than that," he continues. "You know, deep down, that there's something very, very different about you, and you're right. There is. Haven't you noticed the way other people react to you? Doesn't it feel as if other people can instinctively sense that you're not one of them? When you come with us, you'll get to find out exactly what makes you so different". He points at the younger, kind of hot guy he brought with him. "This is Todd Hart. He's your uncle. He's Sophie's brother".
I stare at this Todd guy. "Seriously?" I ask, swallowing hard.
"Hi," Todd says. He seems like a kind of sombre guy.
I look at the woman standing next to him. "Are you my aunt?" She shakes her head. "Are you my grandmother?" I ask. She scowls at me, and I turn back to Evan. "Do you remember when I was a kid, and you taught me not to go off with strangers? Well... These people are the strangest strangers I've ever seen. I mean, how do you know they're not just a bunch of weirdos?" I glance back at Benjamin. "No offense".
"You can trust them," Evan replies. "Abby, do you really think we'd send you away like this if we weren't absolutely certain that they're trustworthy?"
"Mrs. Parlour," Benjamin says suddenly. "May I call you Ruth?" She nods. "Forgive my indiscretion in broaching this matter, but I believe you have struggled for many years to conceive a child of your own".
"It's why we adopted," she says, her eyes filled with tears.
"Would it surprise you to learn," Benjamin continues, "that you're pregnant right now, and that the child is absolutely healthy and will be carried to term?"
"Shut up," I say to him, knowing full well that this is something that has haunted Ruth for years. It's not right for this Benjamin guy to come in here and start messing with her emotions like this. "You have no right to talk to her like that," I tell him.
"Benjamin, I think you might be over-stepping the line," Evan says to Benjamin.
"Do you have a pregnancy test in your bathroom?" Benjamin asks Ruth, ignoring the rest of us. "Perhaps you kept one around, just in case?"
"Get out!" I say, realizing that this guy is taking liberties. I stand up, determined to drag this asshole out of the house and toss him onto the curb. "You can't just come in here and start messing with people like this! You're a -" I look over at the doorway and see that Ruth has already gone through to the bathroom. Even though it's obvious that Benjamin is lying, she can't help latching on to the possibility that maybe - just maybe - he's right. "This isn't fair," I say, turning to Evan. "Why are you letting him say stuff like this?" I hurry through to catch up to Ruth. When I reach the bathroom door, I knock. "Ruth! Are you okay in there?"
"Leave me alone!" she calls back.
I turn to Benjamin, who has come through to the hallway with Evan. "Do you see what you've done?" I ask, turning to Evan. "I can't believe you even let these freaks into your house".
"Benjamin first contacted me many years ago..." he replies.
"And you fell for it? Are you so fucking gullible?"
Behind me, the bathroom door opens and Ruth emerges, holding a pregnancy test stick. She looks stunned. "It's positive," she says, her eyes wide as she walks slowly over to Evan. "It's positive," she says again, as if she can't believe it. She just stands there, completely overwhelmed. "It's positive..." She says for a third time.
"Bullshit," I say, walking over and looking at the test stick. "It's probably an old kit. How long have you had it?"
"Just a few weeks," she says, turning to me with tears in her eyes. "I know the doctors said I'd never be able to conceive, but I still..." She pauses for a moment. "I still checked every month, just in case. I never really expected it to happen".
I turn to Benjamin. "This is a trick," I say, but something deep in my gut tells me that I'm wrong. I want to believe that somehow Benjamin placed a fake test in the bathroom, that somehow he's just an asshole who's out to mess with us, but deep down I'm starting to realize that something bigger is happening here. "How..." I stare at him as Evan and Ruth embrace. "Who the fuck are you? How did you do this?"
"I didn't do anything," he says. "Let's just say that the people I work for have their methods". He turns to Evan. "I promised you, the first time we spoke, that this would happen if you and your wife kept your side of the bargain. I believe you'll find that I've delivered".
"You know this would happen?" Ruth asks, stepping back and looking at Evan.
"I didn't allow myself to believe it," he replies.
I take a deep breath. So it's true. Ruth's really pregnant, after all these years, and that means that everything else Benjamin told me is probably true as well. My mother, Sophie, really is dead, and my father is a man named Patrick. Suddenly the full weight of this realization hits me. "You're gonna take me to meet my Dad?" I say, feeling as if I might faint at any moment.
"It's all true," Evan says. "We've known this day would come for a long time".
"It's true," Benjamin says "and it's imperative that we leave immediately".
"What's the rush?" I ask. "Can't I..." I turn to see Ruth and Evan hugging again, lost in their own world of joy, and it occurs to me that they don't need me any more. I was the fake daughter, the one who didn't quite work out. Now they're going to have a child of their own. "Can't I have one more..." I start to say, and then I realize it would be pointless to stay another moment. Part of me wants one more night in my old bed, one more night in my old room, one more breakfast at the same old table. "Are we leaving right now?" I ask.
"You can bring a bag," Benjamin says. "We have a van with plenty of space".
Ten minutes later, I've packed a large hold-all and I'm standing at the front door. Apart from some clothes, it turns out I didn't really have that much I wanted to take with me anyway. Benjamin, Todd and the woman are waiting out in the van, and now - somehow - I'm supposed to say goodbye to Evan and Ruth. To be honest, over the years I came to resent them, and until yesterday I just wanted to get away from them. Now that I'm being pulled away, though, I suddenly realize how much I'll miss them. For one thing, I want t
o see their happiness when Ruth gives birth. It feels like they're finally going to get the family they want, and I feel sad that I won't get to be a part of it.
"I'll come back," I say, close to tears. "I'll come back and visit. I'll come and see your kid". The words sounds so strange coming from my mouth. I'm still not used to the fact that suddenly I'm talking, like a normal person.
"We look forward to it," Ruth says. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she puts a hand on either side of my head. "I want you to remember," she says, barely able to talk through her sobs, "that you can always come back to us. I want you to know that we'll always love you, because to us you'll always be our daughter, okay? I'm sorry we weren't the best parents, but we love you so so much". She breaks down crying. Not knowing what else to do, I put my arms around her.
"She means it," Evan says. "You'll always be in our hearts, Abby".
"I know," I say. "I have to go and meet my father. You understand that, right?"
"We wouldn't let you do anything else," Ruth says.
Realizing I'm close to tears, I give them both another hug before turning and walking away. After fantasizing about getting away from here for so long, suddenly I feel like I don't want to go. I guess I'm scared to find out what my father's like. I mean, what if he's not a nice guy? As I reach the end of the driveway, I spot a familiar figure walking along the road, headed straight for my house. It's Donna, grinning like the psychotic bitch that she is. "Hey, fuck-head," she says, with a look of pure, delighted evil in her eyes. She's carrying a small cake. "I came to take your family up on their kind dinner invitation. I hope you're hungry".
"Whatever," I say as I walk past her. "Go fuck yourself".
As I walk away towards the van, I don't even look back, but I see Donna's stunned face reflected in the window as I climb into the passenger seat. Todd starts the engine and the van pulls away. I know it seems crazy to just go off with a bunch of strangers like this, but I trust Evan and Ruth when they say that this is the right thing to do. Besides, they're going to have a baby of their own - a real baby - and they don't need me around for that. I also get the feeling that maybe - just maybe - I'm going to find out the truth about who I really am, where I came from, and why I feel so different to everyone else. I've never been the kind of person who believes in things like destiny and fate, but right now I have this strange feeling deep inside that what I'm doing is right. Still, I'm scared. Terrified, actually. Something tells me this isn't going to be easy.
Chapter Eight
"So are you avoiding me or something?"
Staring straight ahead, I try to ignore Abby. After traveling non-stop for two days, we've finally taken a break at an all-night diner just outside Dedston. Since we left New Mexico, I've barely said a word to Abby. There are two problems here: first, I have no idea what to say to her; and second, her resemblance to Sophie is too spooky for words. It's as if someone has dug Sophie up and given her the mind of this dumb-ass teenage girl. I don't know what I was expecting from Abby, but so far she seems scarily normal. I was probably assuming that she'd be the spitting image of Patrick, but I guess there must be some of his personality buried inside her as well. She can't just be a younger clone of Sophie. For all these reasons, and more, I guess I have been avoiding her.
"I'll take that as a yes," she says, sitting on the stool next to me.
"I'm not avoiding you," I reply, turning to her. "I just don't know what we're supposed to talk about when -" I stop, stunned once again by the fact that she looks so much like Sophie. "Never mind," I say, looking back down at my drink.
"Do I look like her?" she asks.
"Yeah," I reply.
There's a pause. "Does it make you feel weird?"
I take a deep breath. "Yeah".
There's a sudden gurgling sound from next to me. Turning, I see that she's using a straw to get to the last drops of milkshake at the bottom of her glass. "Sorry," she says sheepishly.
"Don't apologize," I say.
She smiles. "Did my Mom like milkshakes?"
I think about it for a moment. "You know what? I don't think she did. Not so much, no".
"Well..." She pauses. "That's a difference, right?"
Finally, I smile. "Yeah," I say.
"I'm not used to talking," she says, tilting the glass to let the rest of the milkshake dribble into her mouth. "I've always been completely silent, and suddenly now I can chat away but I don't know if I'm doing it right. Am I talking too much?"
"No," I say, shaking my head. "It's just that I've got this..." I pause for a moment, watching her desperately trying to finish the drink. "For God's sake," I say, grabbing the glass and setting it on the counter. "Can we get another milkshake here?" The waitress smiles as she takes the glass to refill it.
"You're not like the others, are you?" she says.
"Who?" I ask
"Benjamin and Todd". She pauses for a moment. "You seem different".
"I guess so," I say.
"How well did you know my Mom?" she asks.
"Very well," I say.
"What was she like?"
I take a deep breath. "She was my best friend," I say after a moment. "She was also, at times, a god-damned idiot. Seriously, kid, she made some dumb choices".
There's an awkward pause as the waitress sets a new milkshake on the counter. "How did she die?" Abby asks eventually.
I glance at the waitress, and I can see from the look on her face that she's overheard part of our conversation. "You should ask Benjamin," I tell Abby. "He's the one with all the answers".
"I'm asking you," she replies. "Benjamin keeps telling me he'll give me answers when it's the right time, but I want to know now. I mean, I'm not gonna get to meet her, so I figure I at least deserve to know what happened". She waits for me to say something. "The more you guys refuse to tell me," she says after a pause, "the more worried I'm getting about the answer".
"It's complicated," I say.
"That's what Benjamin keeps telling me. You're just like him".
"I'm nothing like him," I say. "Look, if two people say the same thing, then maybe you should just accept it's true? Have a little patience".
"Why's it such a big deal?" she asks.
"It's not!" I reply, exasperated. I just want to stand up and walk out of here. I could be in New York right now, partying and drinking and not worrying about any of this. Instead, I'm sitting at a diner, close to a town I left sixteen years ago and to which I swore never to come back, and I'm being pestered by a girl who looks like the ghost of my dead best friend. We're the only people in here, apart from the bored-looking waitress. Todd and Benjamin are outside, working on the van. I kinda wish they'd come and join us, if only so I wouldn't have to talk to Abby so much. I look over at the window and see the van outside on the dark forecourt. Something moves over at the other side of the window, but by the time I look over, it's gone. I wait a moment, but I guess I must have imagined it. Lack of sleep, probably. "Just leave it alone for now, okay?" I say eventually, hoping to shut her up.
We sit silent for a few minutes. "Were my parents happy together?"
I can't help but smile. "If only you knew," I tell her.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," I say.
She sighs. "I guess I'll have to ask my Dad when we get to him," she says. "Hopefully he's a little more talkative than the rest of you".
"I wouldn't count on that," I say. At that moment, I hear something directly overhead. Looking up, it sounds for a moment as if something is running across the roof of the diner.
"Did you hear that?" Abby asks.
I turn to her. "Yeah," I say. Behind her, I see the door open and Todd hurries in. I immediately tense up as I see the worried look on his face.
"We need to get out of here," he says, with a sense of urgency in his voice. He grabs Abby's arm. "Let's go".
I want to laugh, but I can tell from Todd's concerned expression that something's wrong. Suddenly, out of the corner of
my eye, I see something move over by the window again. This time, when I look over, I see an indistinct shape move up the pane of glass on the outside, quickly disappearing out of view. Looking up, I hear something scuttling across the roof again.
"What was that?" Abigail asks, clearly concerned.
"Nothing," I tell her.
"Tenderlings," Todd says. "I knew something like this would happen. We have to go". He damn-near pulls her off the stool, marching her to the door. She still has her milkshake. I follow, starting to worry about how things are going. When Benjamin said the other day that 'things' would start seeking Abigail out, I kinda thought we'd have a little longer before they'd show up. I knew we might be in danger, but I didn't know it would be quite so direct.
"What's a Tenderling?" Abby asks, turning to me. "What the fuck's going on?"
I shrug, trying not to worry her too much. I think I heard Sophie mention Tenderlings once, but I can't remember what she said. Sophie used to talk about a lot of crazy stuff. "Let's just go," I tell Abby. "We can talk about it later".
"It's not safe to be here," Todd says as we reach the door. "There's not a -" Suddenly a face appears at the window directly in front of us. I feel my blood start to run cold as I stare at the horrific creature: it's like some kind of small red goblin with bright yellow eyes, and it seems to be resting on the side of the building, clinging to the glass and looking intently at Abigail. It doesn't look very friendly.
"What the fuck is that?" Abigail says, backing away. I grab her arm.
"Stay calm," Todd says, but moments later another of the creatures appears at the window. Reaching forward, Todd locks the door.
"Hey!" shouts the waitress from behind the counter. "What the -" Suddenly she falls silent, which I guess means she's seen that more and more Tenderlings are starting to swarm outside the window. They're scratching at the glass now, trying to find a way in.
"I know this is probably a silly question," I say, turning to Todd, "but are those things dangerous?"