We were only in Philadelphia for a day. Lin just had to give the Penn state commencement speech. I was laying awake in my hotel bed. Lin and Vanessa were in the one next to me. I turned over in bed to see them, fast asleep. Vanessa looked peaceful, Lin looked dead. I smiled, seeing them. I rolled back onto my back. I felt the stinging pain on my ankle, and was trying to ignore it. Eventually, I gave in and tiptoed to the bathroom. I pulled my pajama pant leg up, and unwrapped the bandage. The cuts on my ankle were still horribly tender in the surrounding skin. I had to think of another way to keep them bandaged without having an ace bandage under my pant leg.
I rummaged through the hotel bathroom, until I found a first aid kit, I pulled it out, and found a box of band-aids. I grabbed the biggest one I could, and plastered it over the tentative skin. I pulled my pant leg back down, then threw the ace bandage away. I tiptoed back out of the bathroom, to see my parents still fast asleep. I crept into bed and pulled the thick blankets over me, then slowly drifted off to sleep.
I woke up to light in the room. I sat up in bed to see Vanessa opening the drapes to let sun into the room.
"Morning." I groaned.
"Morning Mija." She replied brightly. "Happy Saturday."
"And a Merry Christmas to you." I said, and face planted back onto my bed.
"Come on sweetie." She said and started shaking me awake, "it's just the flight and then we're home."
"Okay." I said, and pushed myself up. "Where's Dad?" I asked.
"Getting breakfast with Seb." She said.
"Okay." I said, and got out of bed.
About an hour or two later, our cab was pulling up in front of the airport, after we walked in, I had to go to the bathroom, so, I took my bag and I quickly walked over. I was leaving the bathroom when a guy stopped me.
"Where are you going?" He asked, standing in front of me.
"Oh, New York." I answered.
"City?" He clarified.
"Yeah." I nodded slowly.
"Okay." He grabbed my arm and pulled me into a corner, "what I need you to do for me is, I need you to put this in your bag." He pulled a small statue out of his bag.
"Why?" I asked nervously,
"Let's just say, if they find this in my bag, I get in a lot of trouble."
"What if they find it in my bag?" I asked.
"Okay, let's put it this way, if you don't put it in your bag, I'll shoot you." My heart stopped, and my breath hitched in my throat.
"No you won't."
"Okay, I'll shoot them." He grabbed my arm again, and pulled me out to the open, and pointed at a little seating area, where Lin and Vanessa were playing with Seb.
"Okay okay." I said, and grabbed the statue and shoved it in my bag.
"Alright cutie, we're on the same flight, so, what I'm gonna need is, you to find me, on the plane, and hand it off."
"What if I don't?" I asked.
"I'll follow your little family out of the airport and start with the baby."
"Okay, please don't hurt Seb." I pleaded.
"So you're going to be able to get that to me." He prompted.
"Okay." I sighed.
"There's a good girl." He smiled at me, "now, go back to your parents, you wouldn't want them to worry about you." He gave me a little push on the back, and I walked back to Lin, Vanessa and Seb.
"Okay!" Lin said brightly, "we good to go?" He asked.
"Yep." I smiled at him.
"Fantastic Mija." He wrapped his arm around me. "Do you want me to take your bag?" He asked.
"No." My answer was rushed, "it's fine."
"Okay." He said.
My heart started to speed up the closer we got to security, I was terrified, as they were scanning my bag, the TSA worker was a little confused.
"Sweetheart, we're going to need to check your bag." The lady said.
"Wait, why?" Lin asked.
"This." The lady held up the statue from my bag, "it was reported stolen from a nearby art museum."
"I swear I didn't steal it." I said.
"Abi, baby, what's going on?" He asked, hugging me into him.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, I need to call security." She said, and called for security on her radio.
"Abi? Peanut?" Lin spun me around, "what's going on? What happened?"
"Someone said they were going to shoot you." I whispered, crying.
"What?" He asked, "who was going to shoot me?"
"Him." I spun around and pointed at the man from earlier, who had just passed through security without a hitch.
"Alright Peanut." He said, "I'll deal with this, I promise."
"I'm sorry." I whimpered.
"No, don't be sorry." He said.
"Miss?" I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, "I'm going to need you to come with me." I turned around to see a security guard.
"Okay." I whimpered.
"Hands behind your back." He said.
"Wait, wait." Lin started, "she's a kid. She's a fifteen year old girl."
"Hands behind your back." He repeated, and I did it, I felt metal clasp onto my wrists, tightly, I squeezed my eyes shut, and a tear slipped out.
"Wait wait, peanut, it was him?" Lin asked me, pointing at the man from earlier.
"Yeah." I whimpered.
"I'll deal with this." He said.
"Okay." I whispered.
"Shut up." The security guard said, and started pushing me away from my family. He walked me down to the back of the airport.
"Is this airport jail?" I asked.
"I said shut up." I did as he said, and he pushed me into a small room."
"Can you at least take these off?" I asked, referring to the handcuffs, he didn't respond, and just slammed the door.
•••
I was sitting on the little bed in the small room, and had been for hours. My arms were killing me as the guard had refused to take the handcuffs off. I eventually laid down on the bed, realizing no one was coming. It was freezing.
I was crying, I couldn't stop crying. I was in airport jail. It was probably late, I was cold and uncomfortable. I was supposed to be in my own bed at our apartment, I was supposed to be with Lin and Vanessa and Sebastian, they probably went home.
I fell asleep on the stiff mattress, without the blanket because I couldn't grab it with my hands. It was freezing, I was freezing, and I was alone.
•••
Thanks for reading.
- Abi