A “Dead” End

Chapter 13

Hope clicks a selfie with Sarah…this this the start of our new journey….the first picture for our memory book. Sarah, who had decided to live this experience to the fullest was having a lot of fun eating her first ever slice of pizza and it clearly showed in the picture Hope had just taken. She thought back to the hour before when Hope and Abby had taken her on a tour of this huge mansion. They started with the living area as Hope wanted Sarah to see her bedroom first. Her room was similar in size to Sarah’s but it was Hope’s personal touches that made it so inviting and cozy. She showed Sarah all the pictures of her and Anna and Abby doing various fun activities. Sarah looked in amazement at the pictures of them skiing and skating, horse riding, riding in the hot air balloon and so much more. She imagined herself at all these places, a part of this fun loving and close knit family….

After Hope’s room they headed over to Abby’s room. It was bigger than Hope’s as well as Sarah’s room. All the furniture was practical and functional…the heart of this space was the wall of memories full of pictures of Abby and Hope..from Abby’s pregnancy to Hope’s birth and all the years till date. It showed memories like Hope in various Halloween costumes… cutting her birthday cakes, dressing up for prom…all those landmark moments were beautifully captured. It also featured some art work made by a young Hope…most importantly it showed the love between the mother and daughter and their closeness with each other…

They went to the guest room then…it was decorated in neutral and tasteful shades…be it paint or furniture…. They took the lift down to the ground floor… Sarah had already seen the living room and the dining area, this time she went into the huge kitchen that was clearly the heart and soul of this floor. Susan was busy preparing their pizza, there was a smaller…a six seat dining table…Hope explained that they all used this table, unless they were expecting some guests that is when the outside table was used. The kitchen had all the modern gadgets but the built and design was cozy and homely. There were pots of fresh herbs on the window sill and lots and lots of windows bringing in the natural light and the most scenic views of nature’s beauty.

They decided to skip the tour of the garden and the greenhouse for now and headed to the basement. This was Abby’s personal domain. Her lab and medical facility was built here. She spent the bulk of her time here, when she was not busy with Hope and her never ending shenanigans. As it happens, this turned out to be Sarah’s favourite place in the house, a close second to the kitchen. Now that she had decided to give her trust and let her soak in the warmth and love of this family…this area did not feel like prison anymore. She imagined spending hours here, inventing new gadgets and making new discoveries. Abby was delighted at Sarah’s interest in her pet project. 

Hope saved the best for the last. The second floor…. It may seem out of the way to not go there first but Hope wanted to take her time showing Sarah her favourite part of the house. The second floor had a huge, indoor swimming pool, a sauna, a hot tub and a state of the art gym/exercise room. This is where she did her Physiotherapy to get back in a fit and fighting form. Soon Sarah will also join her for her own physical recovery. Sarah liked this space way better than her training grounds at the complex. Unlike the complex’s dark and dreary vibe this place was fresh and airy and full of light. There were several large skylights in this room bringing the magic of outside….indoors. Sarah could not wait to use this room as well.

It was only the promise of delicious….cheesy gooeyness…. Susan’s special pizza that made them leave this area and head back to the kitchen. Susan made the girls wash up before serving their dinner. Abby watched, amused, as Hope tried to negotiate for the privilege of having Coke…finally Susan relented and allowed them a can each but only because it was Sarah’s very first pizza. No way would she allow such liberties on a regular basis. Abby could easily see through Susan’s tough act. Hope had her wrapped around her pinky finger and they both knew it…Sarah had also created a very soft spot in Susan’s tender heart. 

After dinner, the girls moved to the entertainment room…which Hope had deliberately left out from the house tour earlier. There was a huge 120 inch tv, mounted on the wall. There were several deep and comfortable leather couches and recliner chairs in this room. Hope played a classic comedy movie for them to watch. It was Sarah’s first time watching a video that was not related to her studies or training. The plot was stupid and unbelievable but she’d never laughed so much in her life… it was so ridiculously funny that by the time the end credits rolled she was holding on to her stomach. They finished the amazing evening by eating ice cream, another first for Sarah…..

Over the next few weeks Sarah lived the most amazing time of her life…each day Hope had something new planned for her…Susan would make a new a delicious dish for her to try and Abby would let her spend some time in the lab assisting her. Her wounds were healing very quickly….so quickly that Abby was equal parts baffled and amazed. The broken ankle and hand that would normally take 12-13 weeks to heal were healed, like they had never been broken, in less than 3 weeks. Abby shared information about the anomalies she discovered in Sarah’s blood…they were both working together on figuring it out. After Sarah’s miraculous healing speed they both wondered if it had anything to do with the abnormalities in her blood. 

Abby could clearly see how close the girls had gotten to each other. Sarah had built a connection with every member of the household. She learned cooking from Sarah, which made the older woman really happy as neither Abby nor Hope were interested enough for her to pass on her special recipes to but Sarah..she was not only interested but she was a quick study but she was a natural too…Luke was really happy that he finally had someone he could share his love of gardening with. He might be a tough guy and a special forces man but he was most happy with his plants and Sarah was very knowledgeable and helped him finally find success with the hybrid grafting he was struggling with for several months now. As for Hope and Sarah…they were like two peas in a pod. Abby could hardly see any signs of the Sarah they had brought into their lives. Gone was the aloof, distrustful, cautious Sarah with haunted eyes. This Sarah was warm and loving and greedy to enjoy every moment of life…..

She still could not control her laughter when she thought of the karaoke night the girls had planned… Susan had to finally take a stand and plug off the microphone, they were both tone deaf but they did not care how unpleasant it was for others to listen to their attempts at singing..they were too busy laughing at each other…roasting and making fun of each other. Hope was a changed person because of Sarah. Her baby had been an introvert and lacked confidence in taking any initiative…Anna was not just her friend but she was her crutch…but ever since she took on the role of a “protector” for Sarah she’d had her own inhibitions to ensure Sarah was able to experience everything she’d missed out on. Hope had finally come out of her shell and blossomed into a confident, caring, loving, open and outgoing person. She was also back on her previous training regime and wanted to advance her level…..

Today Hope was going to practice nail art on Sarah. She had ordered the supplies well in advance and had finally managed to convince Sarah that this was a completely normal and safe to try “fun” experience….it was practically a must on the “right of passage” list… Abby had come across Hope’s ridiculous lists. While the first one looked silly and harmless the second list almost gave her a heart attack. She’d been keeping a careful eye on the girls’s activities…as soon as they will near the end of list one she’d tighten their reins…there’s no way she’d let her girls kiss strange boys that are absolutely unworthy of them. 

While Hope was thinking about the girls they were both sitting in Sarah’s room, which was now full of pictures of Hope and Sarah with each other and family…but mostly of them doing their “things”. Hope was reading the instructions to attach fake nails…Sarah was quite apprehensive as Hope did not seem very confident about the whole thing, but she put up a brave face for her friend…after all it was just nails. Despite being a novice, Hope was able to attach the fake nails quite neatly. She then coloured them with shades from a modern pallet of colours. Then she picked a few rhinestones and attached them on every alternate nail in a modern art pattern. The end result was not bad…in fact it was quite nice looking…now she just had to get used to the long, squarish nails without breaking them….apparently, that too was an art in itself. 

That night, as they girls were living their version of a pj/slumber party in the entertainment room, Hope asked Sarah about the one thing Sarah had been trying to avoid talking about since she came out of coma… their conversation in the limbo…the girl she’d told some of her secrets…while struggling to survive in a state of limbo. Sarah, you told me that you have just escaped and that you have a very important mission that will save thousands of lives, if successful….you have not mentioned anything regarding it since then…is the mission not required to be carried out anymore…are things fine now…will you tell me, please… 

Sarah asked Hope for tonight…tomorrow I will tell you everything… okay Sarah, I will wait for as long as you need me to. Sarah was not able to fall asleep. She was thinking about the horrendous past and the wonderful memories of the past month. Should she tell her friends about her past…will she bring ugliness into their lives by introducing them to the hell she’d lived through. What if they decide they want to help me…No..no…it was too dangerous…they were innocent…they did not have the kind of training I have gone through…they do not have the same experiences as I have had with deceit….cruelty and lies… with her mind made up, she moved stealthily towards her room and packed some essential stuff …. A change of clothes, her device and a few pictures of her “family”. She changed into jeans and a simple t-shirt and sat down to pin a letter for her family…

She explained her reasons for leaving without telling anyone….without saying goodbye and thanking them for their love and acceptance. She told them how much she loved them and that it was the first time she’d said those words to anyone… and most importantly that if she survived her mission then she will be back to see them.. she went to Abby’s room and kept the letter on her nightstand and left before she became weak and changed her mind. She was about to cross the front entrance when the lights were switched on and brightened the entire room… I knew you would do this….I could see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice…I won’t stop you but I will not let you leave like a coward in the middle of the night. You will face everyone and tell them you are abandoning them….you are abandoning me…Hope cried out.. 

She had literally shouted the last words at Sarah…her voice echoing in the silence of the night…it woke up Abby too, who saw the letter placed on her bedside table and connected it to Hope’s reason for shouting in the middle of the night. She picked up the letter and headed towards the girls, without bothering to read it first. So you were going to leave just like that…no explanation, no goodbyes…just nothing…Abby said a bit bitterly as she had come to consider Sarah her daughter too. Sarah hated the look she saw in their eyes… it’s not like this guys. I did not want to go…I wish I could stay with you all forever but I love you too much to put your lives in jeopardy…

What do you mean? How would you put our lives in jeopardy…tell us clearly Sarah…we deserve that much.. okay, I will tell you… everything about myself….my situation, the danger I pose to anyone who supports me….if you both decide that you are still willing to stand with me then I promise I will never even talk about leaving you and we will finish all the activities from you list, even the weird things like skinny dipping… Sarah, why are you talking like that? You know that no matter what the truth is…whatever danger is involved we will always stand by your side….I know that now…I did not believe it before but now I do but Abby and Susan and Luke they all have the right to know what they will be getting into…the danger everyone will be facing if I continue to be a part of your lives….okay but I can tell you right now that mom will never back away from doing the right thing, no matter how dangerous it could be…. I hope so, Sarah thought to herself…..for the first time in my life I have a taste of what family and togetherness feels like, I do not want to lose it….

Susan, Luke could you both come over to the house…yes, I know it’s the middle of the night…I would not have called if it was not urgent or if it was something that could wait till the morning… once they both came over, from the cottage they had built for themselves on the property, Luke asked gruffly…so where’s the fire…. What is it that could not wait till a decent hour.. It’s Sarah, Hope caught her trying to sneak away…without telling anyone. She says that anyone who tries to help her could be in danger by association….so she needs us to know all the details before we decide if we want to help her further or not…. Luke and Susan looked at Abby, Hope and at last Sarah…. Luke gave a subtle nod, okay Sarah…shoot away… what kind of danger are you involved in? and what kind of danger would that put us in…. before the conversation could move further Hope…who was clearly upset at the very thought of loosing her best friend….her sister… panicked and said urgently… mom, we will stand by truth….no matter what danger we have to face, right mom? 

Susan held on to Luke’s hand, knowing that whatever Sarah had to tell them will change their lives forever….she needed Luke more than ever…. They have to be strong for Abby and Hope and Sarah, for she had looked into that girl’s eyes and knew whatever she had lived through….whatever she had survived….whatever she was running from had to be “hell”….nothing less than pure, unadulterated hell can bring such sad…hopeless and haunted look in a person’s eyes…. 

Everyone moved into the living room…Susan and Luke sat together on the live seat. Abby sat on the couch, waiting for Hope to join her but Hope sat besides Sarah on the opposite side..so they were facing everyone else… it was like Hope had declared where her loyalties were and whom she would be supporting. Sarah implored Hope to take a seat besides her mom for she needed to look at all of them to say what she had to tell them. Hope got up reluctantly and sat besides Abby. Sarah took a deep breath as if she was gathering courage and said… I want to thank you all for saving my life and taking me in your house, without knowing anything about me and my circumstances. I should have told you as soon as came out of the coma but…I have ashamed to admit this…but I did not know if I could trust you…..

I want to tell you everything about myself….who I am, where I come from and who I have running from….you need to know all this, if you decide to support me further. It’s not easy for me to trust anyone….it’s even more difficult for me to share things about my life so please listen to everything I have to say, without asking any questions for now…. once I finish telling you about my life till date….. have no more secrets then you can ask me anything you want to. She kept her head down while talking, as if she was afraid to look into their eyes….in case she saw disgust…distrust or hatred….she knew she was not thinking rationally but she was very scared of losing Hope….losing them…this family…..

I do not know where I was born or who my parents were all I know is that my mother was murdered and I was taken away from her….Abby wanted to interrupt her and ask how she knew this….the mother in her wanted to comfort her but she kept quite and let her continue. I was brought up in an underground complex, somewhere in New Mexico….I know that because I chose a path that took me towards the Black Range in Sierra County. I was kept in a cell all by myself. The only people I came across in all the time I lived there were the guard and teachers assigned to me. I had a fixed schedule that required me to train 14 hours everyday… I studied for the first 8 hours and spent the next 6 learning about various forms of martial arts…weapons and combat training. 

There was a gasp….it was Susan, her gentle heart was crying for the little girl who was telling about every mistreatment she’d gone through as she was auditioning for the role of a news anchor. She told them about the “dark room” she was sent to for punishments. Hope could not stop herself from speaking at the mention of the “room”…. Is that how you knew so much about coming out of limbo…your own experience in that darkness helped you help me…. Sarah smiled for the very first time at the mention of her first meeting with Hope. Yes, I did not realize how helpful those punishments turned out to be till you mentioned limbo…thanks for giving it a meaning…….

I graduated from high school when I was 9 years old and since then I have completed 7 graduate degrees and 4 PHD’s and I have studied 17 other languages apart from English….It was Luke who managed to speak first, after this shocking announcement… so combat training, what did you do in those classes?...I learned Judo, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Aikido in hand to hand combat and weapons and explosives training as well…. Okay…swallowed Luke…so what level are you, he asked…afraid that he already knew the answer… Masters Level, replied Sarah…confirming his suspicions…. There was quiet once again and the only sound was Sarah relaying one shocking fact after the other. 

I knew at some level that there were other children there but I’d never come across them in the 18 years I spent in that facility. My only companion was “the voice”….He started talking to me when I was 9 and since my very first conversation with he became my friend….mentor…father…everything. I lived to make him feel proud of me. I started putting more and more effort into training and started absorbing all the knowledge and skills I could lay my hands on….all to make “him” proud. It was him who told me that I was in that place for my own protection and that I’d be set free on my 18th birthday…..