Agent Michael Garrett found himself in an unexpected situation, even when he thought he could go back home after his workday. Nonetheless, he kept a professional demeanor, though inside he was excited to be in front of one of his idols. What else could he do but make things easier for him?
Given the data provided by Professor Marquez, they were waiting for the response from the Spanish police. Once the other children returned home, the problem would explode, and if the Smiths were guilty of something, they could use that time to disappear off the map.
Scarlett had lent her mobile phone to Althea, who was playing a game. After kissing her on the forehead, Scarlett lowered the volume of the music a bit. The silence was interrupted by Professor Marquez's personal phone.
"Excuse me, it's one of the monitors," he apologized with regret to have a brief conversation. "What? Yes, take care of it," he shook his head. "Luckily, she's okay. We just have a little inconvenience on our hands, but I can't explain it yet. Let the children have dinner, I don't think I'll make it in time. Perfect, thank you."
Marquez looked at the people present again with regret for the interruption, and finally, his black eyes focused on the girl playing with the mobile phone.
"Althea," the professor called.
The little blonde head rose.
"Are we leaving now?" impatient Althea asked.
The professor cleared his throat.
"No, what I want to know is if you saw John when you went to the bathroom."
Althea shrugged.
"I don't know," she answered absentmindedly before returning her gaze to the game. Scarlett smiled at the girl's behavior because it reminded her of Rose.
"Who's John?" Agent Garrett asked, who seemed to be out of context.
"Her twin brother," the professor replied. "As I've been told, he confessed that he was the one who closed the bathroom. Anyway, Althea shouldn't have gone alone, but should have asked for permission and waited to be taken."
Althea closed the phone and slumped her shoulders as she was scolded.
"I'm sorry, Professor," she said in a low voice. "You were busy with Marco, Chloe was making Susie's ponytails, and the rest of the girls were waiting. I didn't see Peter." She started to cry and covered her face, ashamed of doing so in front of everyone. "Don't tell Mom and Dad, they'll be very angry with me." Although it wasn't her fault, she knew her parents wouldn't be good to her, and she was afraid of the possible punishment.
Marquez felt a little uncomfortable and rubbed his neck. Suddenly, his gaze collided with Scarlett's, who seemed to be furious.
Scarlett got up from the chair, put away her phone, and picked up Althea in her arms. The little girl took the opportunity to hide from the stares, and the professor sighed as he saw her hide. He knew she didn't deserve to be punished and that maybe his nervous tone hadn't been the best, but he also knew he shouldn't have left alone without any further notice.
"What you should do is keep quiet," Scarlett said to the professor in a firm tone. "The parents trusted you to keep an eye on the kids. If you can't do it, don't embark on a trip like this, or demand more collaboration. Not just two monitors, especially if they're young kids who will move around. Anybody with half a brain knows that. So don't blame a little girl for not knowing how to do your job," she continued as she calmed the distressed girl in her arms.
Scarlett was angry with the professor, and if she wasn't holding Althea, she would still be lashing out at him. But she also worried about the fear the girl seemed to have towards her parents. "Agent Garret, do you require us for anything else?" Scarlett asked. "It's late, and Althea needs to have dinner."
Garret turned his gaze from the professor to Scarlett and coughed before speaking. "Well... I can personally wait for the call," he said as he stood up and extended his hand. "For anything, I'll contact your lawyer to inform you, and they'll probably have to come for the results."
With a nod and a handshake, Scarlett left with the little girl in her arms without saying goodbye to the professor. He was so red that he couldn't say anything.
Harold Grant, Scarlett's lawyer, said goodbye to both of them with a smile on his face before following his client. Agent Garret looked at the professor with some compassion before extending his hand.
"She certainly has character, she's a mama bear. Think of the positive side, it could have been Natasha Romanoff, and she would have ripped your head off," he attempted to add humor to ease the situation. "To avoid legal issues, I suggest you keep everything that has been said in this office a secret, at least until everything is clarified. We don't want rumors spreading without knowing all the necessary information, it could hinder the whole process. Make up any excuse for why the littler girl couldn't return."
"You make it easy," Professor Marquez replied as he wiped the excess sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Scarlett sat her in Rose's chair and adjusted the seat belts due to the difference in build, knowing that if everything went as expected, she would need to get a new chair. "Don't cry anymore, precious," she wiped her tears. Althea let out a long sigh that made Scarlett laugh, who kissed her nose again, making her giggle.
"Are you taking me to the hotel?" she asked with her innocent voice.
Scarlett stroked Althea's cheek. "No, honey, we're going home. Rose isn't there, but she'll be back in two days. Tomorrow you can play with Cosmo," she smiled, then tickled her to make the girl stop overthinking. "I'll be driving, no touching the safety buckle," she said, the same thing she told Rose every time she had to leave her alone in the back seat.
Althea looked out the window as she saw the streetlights on, then realized that Scarlett hadn't explained why she wasn't taking her to the hotel. She knew the names of Rose and Cosmo because they were the kids that appeared in Scarlett's phone photos, and she had asked their names herself. "Can I call Iratxe? She's my best friend."
"Of course, princess, as soon as we get there. Do you remember which room you're in?"
" Yes, in room 101, like the Dalmatians," smiled Althea. It was easy for her to remember the number from the movie.
"I have to go to the hotel tomorrow to get my backpack for the airport," Althea remembered.
In her backpack, she had two favorite sweatshirts, one was from Marvel and the other was from Winnie the Pooh, and she didn't want to lose them for anything in the world because she liked them very much, and they were a birthday gift from Iratxe and Carlitos. She also didn't want to lose her drawing notebook and her Little Mermaid backpack that Elisa, the neighbor, gave her for school when she bought a bigger backpack because she was older.
Scarlett lightly bit her inner cheek at Althea's comment. She had to explain to a seven-year-old in a comprehensible way that she couldn't leave, and she knew that after becoming a mother there would be many questions. She didn't want to have this conversation in the car. "When we get home, and you have dinner, we'll talk about everything, okay?" she looked at her through the rearview mirror and, to her relief, saw her nod.
Extra, extra, new update! What will happen to the Smith family? In the next chapter, Althea will already be at Scarlett's house in New York, and Scarlett will have to answer the innocent questions that Althea has, all without revealing too much. Let's remember that Althea is young, and we have to wait for the results, even if Scarlett feels partly complete.
After that chapter in which they have that conversation, there will be another chapter in which we will see what happened seven years ago, but don't worry, we will return to the present soon.
I want to dedicate this update to @MatildeSantos66 for their lovely comment in the chapter "Rescuerd." And to say that comments like yours encourage me to keep writing and updating without losing my enthusiasm. Thank you, heart! ♡
I also want to thank everyone who gave me a star, indicating that they liked the chapter or the story. It's a welcome and necessary feedback. I hope you enjoy it, and please share your comments or give me a star, which I value a lot. You can also follow me on Instagram @emotionlinkin where I share digital art with humorous phrases.
Have a great Thursday, beautiful people! ♡