How could I have imagined my sister? My amazing twin who I loved more than anyone in the whole world.
I wanted to hurl. If my stomach hadn’t been empty I would have. Instead all I could manage were uncontrollable dry heaves, twisting my stomach until it felt like it was being ripped from the inside out. Someone reached for my arm, trying to calm me, but I fought them off. I was inconsolable. I wished I had never left Mother’s house. Why did I leave? In one swift moment I had lost everything I believed in.
When I woke hours later the sun was no longer shining through my window. The blinds were still open, so I could see the stars sparkling in the night sky. I couldn’t remember ever seeing stars before or how beautiful they were. They weren’t warm like the sun, but they held my attention just the same. My mind drifted to Dr. Marshall, but I pushed it to the far recess of my mind. I wasn’t ready to accept her uninvited truth. I physically ached from my loss.
I was so deep in thought I didn’t notice the chair next to my bed shifting.
“Hi, honey.”
The woman with the familiar face had returned. I mean Mom, I guess. I knew who she was. Mother led me to believe she didn’t want me and then suddenly she was here. She did want me all along, so did my father. I didn’t know how to wrap my brain around this revelation. Thinking about it made my head start to pound painfully all over again.
I eyed her warily, unsure of what she expected from me. For that matter, what anyone expected from me. I had no idea who I was anymore. Dr. Marshall’s last words blared through my head. “You are Mia Klein. There is no Leah.” The statement was like a tidal wave that wiped out my entire world. I blinked and a line of tears tracked down my cheeks, blurring my vision.
Mom stood up and grabbed a handful of tissues. I expected her to hand them to me but she reached over and gently mopped the tears from my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, sweetie,” she murmured, stroking my hair. Reflexively, I jerked away. Her eyes clouded over.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked.
Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “Never apologize, Mia.” I flinched at the name, but she missed it as she reached for the plastic pitcher sitting on a tray opposite the bed.
“Thank you,” I said, accepting a cup of water gratefully. I took a long swig before placing it on the table.
“It’s my pleasure, honey.” A tear escaped her overflowing eyes.
“Are you sad?” I asked. I had Dr. Marshall’s version of the truth, but I had to hear it from Mom. I needed proof that this was all real.
She shifted forward in her seat and wiped away her tears as she smiled. “No, baby. I’m just really happy. I never thought I would see you again. When I think about what that monster did to you—” Her voice broke off as a man entered the room—Dad. He was older than I remembered. They both were. Of course they were. It had been a long time. His hair had slightly grayed and he had more wrinkles around his eyes. The easy smile I fondly remembered from years ago was absent. His face was distant and guarded.
“Hello, Mia. How you feeling?” he asked formally, stepping around Mom’s chair. I flinched again at the name, only this time it hadn’t gone unnoticed. Mom and Dad exchanged a look of uncertainty.
Snakes of dread withered in my stomach.
They knew.
I was fractured.
I closed my eyes, wishing I could block out the world. Sleep would have been welcomed. My new reality was as difficult as the one I had just escaped from.
My eyes opened again with Dad staring down at me. He did not reach out and I was relieved. His granitelike expression was more difficult to read.
“I’m okay,” I lied. I wasn’t hurting on the outside, but between Dr. Marshall’s bombshell and Mom’s tears and piercing words about Mother, my insides were a tangled mess. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.
Mom shook her head but Dad stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. “She deserves to hear it from us. It’s all over the TV and besides, she’s already been questioned by Detective Newton.” He talked over me like I wasn’t there but I caught the gist of his words. Mother was in trouble—had she been caught?
“Mia can’t handle this after what happened this afternoon.” Mom’s voice rose an octave higher. “We shouldn’t be pushing her.”
“She has a right to know,” Dad clipped out. The tension in the room became thick and uncomfortable.
Mom protested again but I interrupted her. “I have to know.” She sank deeper into her chair as if my words had deflated her.
Dad began again in a flat tone, filling me in on what they knew about my abduction. On a bright sunny day in August of 2007, Judy Lawson had taken me from our front lawn when I was six years old. Mom and Dad hadn’t given up on me like I was led to believe. According to Dad they had done everything in their power to find me. They worked with the FBI and even hired private investigators when the authorities eventually gave up the search.
Ironically, Mother’s house—Judy’s house—as it turned out was less than four miles from our house. Considering how long I remained locked in the basement, it may as well have been oceans apart. On the day that I escaped, an off-duty sheriff’s deputy, who lived two houses from Judy, was outside watching his kids ride their bikes they had received that morning for Christmas when I burst from Judy’s house and ran out to the middle of the street. He was the one who called the ambulance when he saw my scars and fresh bruises. Judy tried to get away in the confusion but he apprehended her before she could escape.
I sat in mute shock as all the details were laid out for me. Halfway through Dad’s recollection Mom reached for my hand to comfort me. I had to fight the urge to pull away, not wanting to hurt her. I knew she was happy to have me back but I didn’t know her. I didn’t know either of them.
Mom squeezed my hand. “Are you up to some company?” she asked once Dad had finished. “Jacob has been eager to come see you, but we wanted to talk to you first. I don’t think wild horses will keep him away any longer,” she added.
Jacob?