Blue Fire (Edited)

Chapter 26: Who am I?

They drove through housing complexes, and Phillip navigated with precision, impressing Elaine with the knowledge he seemed to absorb in just a single month. Finally, they arrived at Complex D. Phillip drove up to an intercom machine and pressed the round silver button.

"Hello, who is it?" a voice came through the intercom.

"Hi, this is Phillip and Elaine Scuterburg. We're here to see the Scuterburgs," Phillip replied.

They heard a beep, and a mechanical female voice said 'access granted.' A moment later, the gates opened completely, and they drove through. Guards sat in a small enclosure on the left as soon as they entered. Phillip pulled up next to them and found out the building number where her family was staying. They weaved through the neighborhood, and Elaine noticed the building numbers ascending as they made their way further in. Each building seemed like a lavish three-story house with a front yard and parking garage. Finally, they reached building 53, where her family was staying. Right away, she spotted her Honda sedan parked out front. They had kept her car.

Up to this point, Elaine was a bit nervous about seeing her family. So much had transpired that she wasn't sure how their reunion would unfold. But seeing her car somehow replaced those feelings of uncertainty with an overwhelming eagerness to see them. As soon as Phillip shifted the gear to park, she unfastened her seatbelt and flew out of the car, hurrying to the front door. She rang the doorbell and waited. Glancing back, expecting to see Phillip still getting out of the car, she was startled to find herself up against his chest.

"Oh!" she gasped.

He grinned at her surprise. "I like seeing you excited," he said in his low, deep voice. She grinned sheepishly, feeling her cheeks burn. She turned around just in time to see her mom opening the door. Her mom immediately started sobbing at seeing her. Elaine darted towards her mom, stretching out her arms and engulfing her small frame in a tight hug.

"What's all the commotion..." her dad was saying as he rounded the corner to face the front door. Upon seeing them, he engulfed both women in his big arms, and for the first time, she saw her dad sob.

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After they had all gotten past their first influx of emotions, Elaine got around to introducing Phillip, who had been standing in the doorway awkwardly, looking unsure of himself for the first time. Her parents both gave him bear hugs and welcomed him in with open arms. Elaine's brother and sister were both out running errands, but she was eager to see them as well. She felt guilty at having been the reason they were all yanked from their lives and brought here, but they started catching up on everything that had happened since her disappearance. She could see that news of her death had taken a toll on her family. After about an hour, her siblings arrived, and more waterworks ensued. But it was great having everyone she cared about under one roof. And her family seemed to genuinely like Phillip, which she had realized was also important to her.

As dinner time approached, she went into the kitchen to help her mom make dinner. She was bewildered by how good it felt to do something so mundane. She stole a glance at Phillip and noticed he was looking her way as well. She couldn't stop the smile that crept onto her lips.

"You two are good together," her mother said, noticing her smile. "Of all the guys you dated, I never once met one who I felt cared for you like that young man out there. He looks like he's willing to go to war for you."

"He kind of did, Mom," she answered. "Phillip is the only reason that I'm out of that place. And I really am sorry I put you all through this ordeal. I never thought about how my one decision to go investigate could even remotely affect you guys."