Hope for Us (NEWT) [COMPLETED]

Ch 2 - Field Trip

Sara followed Janson around the house as he scattered around in search of his car keys.

Once he found them, he ran to his garage to where his car was stationed. There it was, covered in a blanket as if he never wanted anyone to touch it or even look at it.

He uncovered the car and opened the door of the back seat, bidding Sara to take a seat. She raised an eyebrow but decided not to question his decision of having her sit in the back.

"It's for your safety. In case the guards spot us, you'll be harder to see in the back," he explained, and she nodded before climbing into the seat.

He shut the door and walked around the front of the vehicle to reach the driver's seat. He ignited the engine, opened the garage, and finally started to head off before closing it back up.

Something about watching the garage closing—the slow movement of the machinery—gave Sara a sense of finality. Like this was the last time she'd ever see her home again. That even though this was her uncle's house, the garage shutting somehow symbolized her eternal departure from everything she knew and loved.

"Okay, listen to me carefully," her uncle's voice ripped through her thoughts. "It's not safe here anymore, so we're going to my workplace, alright? But don't worry, the place is large enough and you'll be comfortable. We'll stay there permanently—or at least... until all of this is over. You stay close to me, and I'll protect you, understood?" he instructed, making sure she was following his words.

Sara responded with only a nod.

Even though tragedy had roamed the earth for most of her life, the current situation was nothing less than stupefying. It sounded like the world was ending, but none of it made any sense. She was sitting in her uncle's car, on her way to some alien place her uncle claimed existed... and none of it made sense.

In the morning, she was chatting away with her parents at the breakfast table, and now she was escaping literal death with her uncle, and her parents unfortunately hadn't made it this far.

She hadn't had the chance to fully educate herself on the repercussions of the catastrophe. That could either be good in a sense that she wouldn't be exposed to the whole truth, or it could potentially pose a threat to her life. But she knew nothing about either one. Again, needless to say, nothing made sense at all.

Sara only held onto the possibility of finding her mother, aunt, and cousin at Janson's job. However, little did she know that her entire life was about to make a one-eighty degree turn as they approached Janson's workplace.

"Uncle Janson?" she timidly asked.

"Hm?"

"Do you think mom will know how to find me there?"

Janson intently focused his vision on the road ahead of him. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were drained from color, but then he managed to half-smile as he replied to his niece.

"I honestly don't know, Sara." She hadn't spent a lot of time with her uncle growing up, and it was difficult for her to tell whether he was alright with her persistent questions. Sara only hoped he'd understand. After all, they had both been granted a massive amount of trauma to last them a lifetime.

He sighed loudly, as a means to calm himself down.

"Don't worry about that for now, Sara. I can at least keep you safe, but I can't promise you that your mother will be there—most likely, she won't. She couldn't have gotten there herself. You just have to be prepared for anything. This isn't just happening to you, Sara. This is happening to many children abroad."

"I've seen who the guards are targeting. They're taking away children much younger than I am," she mentioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Mhm."

"So... why am I also being targeted? And Maggie, if she's gone, they must've taken her too. Why us?" She wondered, her voice quivering.

Once more, the mention of his daughter was a subject he preferred to avoid. He forced a straight face through his pursed lips and with a sharp intake of air.

"I wish I knew," he mumbled softly, and Sara could see through the rear-view mirror that his lip was quivering.

The wheels in her mind were turning.

It was fair to ask why she was being targeted along with her cousin, but there already existed another concern in the first place.

"So, why are those guards stealing children from their homes anyway? Do you know what the heck is going on—?"

"I don't, Sara." He cut her short. "I'd love to give you what you want to know, but I can't give you something I don't have." He put an end to her questions before he became more uneasy.

Truth was, he did know something; he ought to have known. But he couldn't bring himself to tell her anything.

The truth would kill her.

And he vowed to protect her from said truth.

Hence why he had to be tactful if it was to be hidden and locked away, out of her reach. And more importantly, to keep her on his side so they could both survive.