Lost In London

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Dedicated to heart9635, for your pure excitement and for "Killing you softly". 

Picture of Cara on the right or up top, I picture her to be Barbara Palvin. 

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Chapter 3

“Alright, I’m off to work,” mom announced that morning.

 

“Bye,” Kaleb replied with a slur in his tone. I just sat there in the living room, keeping my eyes trained on the T.V. However, Kalebs look that he threw me did not go unnoticed. He was expecting me to say bye to mom too, but I didn’t.

 

I heard my mother sigh before she left to the garage. After confirming that her car pulled out of the driveway, I stood up to walk upstairs.

 

“You know you could have at least say ‘bye’ to her,” Kaleb told me. “It’s only been five days since the argument, I thought you’d get over it by now.”

 

Annoyance boiled within my veins. “Well, I’m not.”

 

The deadline for the school trip had surely passed by now. I missed my first chance of going with the other students to London.

 

Secretly though, I knew that even if I couldn’t go to London with the school, I could just go alone by myself. I was eighteen, the age alone ensured my freedom.

 

“Well, I think mom forgives you. I mean, she doesn’t look mad anymore.”

 

“But, I’m pretty sure she still wouldn’t let me do anything.” My mother was like that, sorry for her outbursts, but silent in her regrets--if she did regret anything at all. “I’m going upstairs.”

 

As I walked up the stairs, I was finally able to shrug off the feeling of bitterness, and actually felt a little excited. My short disappearance that one night seemed to go unnoticed by Kaleb and my mom. I was able to run down to the ATM and withdraw a couple thousand from my account. Without anyone knowing, I got back into my room the same way I got down, through the window.

 

My room was across the hall from the stairs, but my mothers was on the otherside. Instead of turning into my room, I turned into hers.

 

It was the biggest in the house, but that’s what one would expect from the master bedroom. When I was little, I always questioned the space that she had, but how she would never need it because she’d be the only one in there. Although, there was the times when Kaleb and I got scared and we’d sleep on her bed...but where was the father that was supposed to be there?

 

I knew that I had a dad, and Kaleb knew he had one. All the other kids had a dad, but not us. It wasn’t till when we came home that day that we asked our mom where dad was, and why he wasn’t there.

 

It was the first time I had seen her tear up, but she only she answered with, “Your father was a good man.”

 

Understatement? Overstatement? I don’t know, but that’s what I want to find out. Who and what kind of man my father was.

 

So why London? There was a reason why I was fixated on it. What I found in my mom's closet one year ago will explain just that. I knew my mom was very reserved on topics such as these, but I didn't know she kept secrets from us. 

 

In her walk-in closet, there was a certain place behind all of her clothes that she kept our important documents. I knew she kept my passport in there, which explains why I’m in here now, but there was something else.

 

I hastefully slid the box out from the shelf, and placed on the counter island in the center of the closet. Opening, the lid of the box, I pulled out the vanilla folder.

 

“CLASSIFIED” it was labeled.

I opened the flap of the folder, and various pieces of papers slid out. I didn’t bother to read them, I’ve read them all before. They all showed the same thing based on what I could read:

Location: London

Comments: Headquarters for the K▬▬s, South East London. 

Target(s): ▬▬▬,C▬ll▬▬, ▬▬▬er

Assigned: Kira Stryker 

The names were blacked out, and so were the headquarters. But Kira Stryker is a name that stuck out to me. Kira Stryker is my mother. 

I don't know what type of work she does in software developing, but for sure it had something to do with my father. If this mysterious folder didn't speak wonders, than the photo attached would. 

Buried underneath all of the papers, were snapshots of one particular man. He was tall, mascular, and had dirty blond head of curls. There was a short beard on his pale face, but what stood out were his green eyes--bright green eyes that I'm sure Kaleb and I had inherited. 

If my mother was working in London to meet him, than he must be my father. Why would she keep all of this junk in one box if he weren't of importance? 

I closed the folder, and took out my passport. Carefully, I placed the box back into it's original spot on the shelf and made sure it was as if no one had even laid a finger on it. 

Exiting my mothers room, I walked back into mine. My luggage was still sheltered in the corner of my closet, hiding away from anyone who might see it. 

Laying my head back against my pillow, I made a mental checklist for my departure for London. 

Suitcases...Check. 

Passport...Check. 

Money...Check. 

Taxi...Check.