When it was time to leave, I felt an even mixture of dread and longing. I’d missed Scarlett, but my community were everything, and it was hard to be without them.
“Not long now,” Bernadette said, handing a paper bag that would be filled with snacks for the journey back.
“Thank you. I cannot wait until we’re back here for good.”
Our goodbyes were longer, everyone hugged me and my family for longer, trying to shorten the time we would be apart, even by precious seconds. We knew what it was like to be separated now.
Donald and Fiona approached, leaving their goodbye with me until last.
“Noah,” Donald said. “I cannot even begin to express how proud of you we are and how grateful.”
“You are doing a wonderful job of keeping Scarlett safe,” Fiona added. “But I know that it is not easy, so remember why we are doing this. Keep that in your heart and you will be fine.”
I felt like she could read my doubts and see how much I felt for Scarlett. Would they have said that anyway or were they concerned that I was falling so felt they had to back up our beliefs?
“It isn’t easy, but I know what I have to do, and I know it’s the right thing for us all.”
Donald smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. “You are wise beyond your years, son.
Sometimes I didn’t feel it. Coming home for a while was exactly what I needed but that didn’t stop me wanting more for Scarlett before she made the ultimate sacrifice for our community. If I thought they would consider my request and let me go back to her, I would have asked them for those four years. I could stay with her, see that she did everything she wanted to and then in four years time bring her here. But I knew if I asked they would question my loyalty and I couldn’t risk that. And I knew I’d never bring her back.
“Thank you,” I replied.
“Are you ready, Noah?” Dad asked. He had one of the community’s cars running. My tearful mum was already in it, and Finn was saying a last goodbye to Zeke, Willow and Skye.
With an uncertain nod of my head, I replied, “I’m ready.”
As we got in the car, people shouted things like ‘bye’ ‘see you soon’ ‘take care’ and ‘remember we love you’. I took a deep breath and waved home goodbye. Knowing I would see Scarlett soon made me miss her more. I was anxious to get back to her. My heart beat faster knowing I would see her soon.
I felt sad to leave, but that was quickly replaced with a content smile at the thought of holding her again. The whole way home I was silently counting down the hours until I could go and see her.
I was hopelessly in love with her.
And our love was hopeless.
Scarlett
I WAS COUNTING down the seconds until Noah got here. Two days without him around was awful. I didn’t know how to look my parents or Jeremy in the eye. They’d told so many lies I didn’t even know who they were anymore. I wanted to know more, but I couldn’t handle them dressing up the truth again. Noah was right. I needed time.
“Scarlett, good morning, honey,” Mum said, pouring boiling water into four mugs as I came downstairs and ignored them.
I grumbled a ‘morning’ and sat at the table.
“Come on, please talk to us. You have to understand why we made the choices we made,” she said.
“I understand. I really do. If you hadn’t stopped me from being murdered then you wouldn’t be the people I know, deep down, you are, but you lied to me for twelve years. You moved us around so much and told me it was because of Dad’s work. You had your parents and son lie. That’s the part I can’t get past. You didn’t have to make some elaborate story up; you could’ve told me the truth.”
She looked at me like I was insane. “You were a child. We thought about it, believe me, but we couldn’t risk you saying something, we had to keep you safe, all of us safe. This was the easiest way to do that, and I’m sorry that you feel betrayed but keeping you alive meant more to us than you being upset about us lying.”
“Is Evelyn your daughter?”
“No,” she said.
“She’s not a doll?”
Shaking her head, she replied. “No.”
“She was a friend of Jeremy’s?”
“She was, yes.”
“Is she dead?”
“I don’t know.” Lowering her head she wiped her eyes. “I think so.”
“Why couldn’t you tell me that?”
Sighing, Dad said, “We were trying to protect you.”
We could go over it and over it, but it would never get us anywhere. I would never think they were right for letting me believe something that wasn’t true for so long. While I was younger, sure, but I was sixteen, and they could’ve told me a few years ago, when we moved here. They should have told me when I started remembering.
“This isn’t getting us anywhere,” Jeremy said. “We’re not sorry, Scarlett. If we’d have done things differently, you could be dead now.”