Unexplained

🛫》2 - Strangers《🛫

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I wake up to mama moving me a bit from her lap. I groan and open my eyes. "Go back to sleep sweetie, I'll be back soon." Mama says with a soft smile and she walks away. I sit up and rub my eyes looking around. We are still in this stupid tent at the airport that we had to stay in after we got off the plane. It is annoying and it is very boring here with nothing to do. I sit where I am just staring for what feels like forever until mama walks out again. "What'd you tell him?" Uncle Ben asks not really looking at mama. "That I don't know anything." Mama says looking over at Uncle Ben then wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to her. "Good you don't. We want to stay far off their radar."

"But aren't you seeing things, hearing things in your head? They think it's my fault. They always blame the pilot." The captain says and I look back at the wall of the tent and I lean my head against mama's shoulder. "Hi, I'm Saanvi Bahl. You're Cal's family?" Saanvi says to all of us and she puts out her hand for Uncle Ben to shake. "Ben Stone. This is my sister Michaela and her daughter Violet. How do you know Cal?" Uncle Ben asks and Saanvi looks at me and mama and then back at Ben. "I'm a doctor. I do cancer research. Cal's new treatment came from the work that I was doing before the plane disappeared." Saanvi says

"You were on the flight?" Uncle Ben asks Saanvi surprised. She wouldn't be here if she wasn't on the flight or is that a rhetorical question? "I know. it's some coincidence...If any of this can be a coincidence." Saanvi says and then another number gets called out, "sir, what is our status here? Are we under arrest?" Mama asks the person standing up, "No, you're merely detained." The guy says and I look at him confused, "actually, we're not. I'm NYPD. I know how this works. We've told you everything that we know, so if we're not under arrest, then you need to let us go." Mama says to the guy and he walks behind the tent flap that blocks off the interview room. "And the radar signal established." Uncle Ben says and I giggle a little bit. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you have given your statement you are free to go. However, the events surrounding Flight 828 are a matter of national security. You're instructed to observe a strict media blackout. Discuss this matter with no one. Not reporters, not your families...no one." Vance says

"You could've played the cop card eight hours ago." A woman says passing by us quickly, "oh, you're--you're welcome." Mama says and we all walk out of the garage towards our cars, "drop us at the precinct?" Mama asks Uncle Ben as we walk quickly. I can barely keep up with how fast they are walking while mama is holding my hand. "yeah, after we swing by the house. Grace must be worried to death."

"We'll take the train, papa bear." Mama says to Uncle Ben as we start to walk away from him. "Hey, not a word to anyone." Uncle Ben says as we are walking, "cause NSA guy said so?" Mama asks, "no because it's safer that way. We're obviously scapegoats here. And until we figure out what happened to us, I don't trust anyone." Once we get to the gate there are lots of reporters and I hold on to mama's hand tighter as we push through the reporters. It feels like I am being squished and I hate it. Once we get out of the crowd and away from the reporters we stop walking and mama crouches down in front of me. "Are you ok?" I nod and I keep holding on to mama's hand, "Once I start working again, I will get you a new iPad. Does that sound good? So I know what's going on in that brain of yours." I nod once again and mama kisses my forehead and stands up. We start to walk towards the train station. Why is it so far away from here. We keep walking for a while until we get to the train station and get on the train that will take us to the police station. We get off on the stop nearest to it and we walk a couple of blocks to it. I like taking the train better we don't have to walk as far. Once we walk in and turn the corner I see Aunt Lourdes. I don't know how mama wants me to feel about her, I'm not sure how to feel about her. Everyone has changed, everyone are strangers to me and I don't like it. "I came by the house last night. Grace said you'd gone out." Aunt Lourdes pauses and mama says nothing she just looks at her for a bit in shock. "Hi." Aunt Lourdes says, she looks like she is about to cry. "sorry, uh, Lourdes. Hey. Um I got to catch up with the boss. I'll-I'll see you soon, okay?" Mama says pulling me away from Aunt Lourdes, she takes me to the chairs that Aunt Lourdes was sitting in and she sits me down on one of the chairs. "You stay here. Don't go anywhere. I will be back soon, I promise." Mama says kissing the top of my head and walking away. I sit where I am and I swing my legs back and forth. Aunt Lourdes looks over at Jared and then she walks out of the station. I sit where I am minding my own business until my mom walks out a couple of minutes later. "We have to go see someone upstairs." Mama says taking my hand and we walk up the stairs to where we are supposed to be. We walk into a room that looks like where I used to do therapy. There is this lady with white hair, brown eyes, her hair used to be brown because her eyebrows are brown. She is also wearing clothes that grandma would wear to church. "Hello! You must be Michaela and this must be your daughter Violet. I heard she spends lots of time around here!" The therapist says, I move closer to mama, this is a real stranger not like how family feels who weren't on the plane, but a real stranger, like stranger danger stranger.