Melinda looked at the lawyer “ can you leave us please?” She asked and the smartly dressed lawyer nodded and left the room. Melinda was dressed in a black skirt suit and Chris, Marie’s farther, was dressed in a black suit and tie. Melinda walked over to Marie and stared into her hazel eyes. “Sweetie you have to know that this changes nothing,” she told her warmly.
“And whatever happens we will always love you.” Chris said as he walked across the room and joined his wife and daughter.
Marie took a slow step back and took a deep breath “ can you please just tell me?” A tear rolled down her face “please.”
Melinda took a deep breath in and slowly let it out “okay, honey I will tell you”
There were a few seconds of silence.
“ Sweet heart your, we’re not your, err I don’t know how to tell you this, you’re adopted.” The tension in the room rose higher and higher until Marie broke.
Marie ran out of the room and rushed through the church “Marie!!” She heard her best friend, Cathy, shout after her. All she remembered after that was running barefoot through her town. She had thrown her black healed sandals in a bush at some point. It had all happened so fast. She ran down the gloomy, quiet road that ran through her quiet town. She had reached her abandoned house and scurried up the stone steps leading to the front door. She opened the door and pushed it behind her as she ran up the soft-carpeted stairs. She ran into her room, slammed the door and turned on the light. The glare of the light hurt her eyes for a few seconds but she was used to the brightness. Marie walked over to her full-length mirror and stared at herself.
She didn’t know who she was looking at, she no longer knew who she was. Marie looked at her refection. Her hazel eyes where filled with tears and around the skein was red and puffy. Two black streaks ran down either side of her face. She leant over and took a tissue off her desk and whipped it across her face, it felt so soft on her skin. Marie then saw that her long brown hair was all knotted like a rag doll. The frown on her face showed the pain she felt and the ordeal she went through. She rubbed her arms and felt the goose bumps. She had decided to change into her warm, soft nightclothes. Then she noticed her feet were red raw and covered in cuts. Her hands were sore and it was then she noticed her nails. What once were long strong nails like claws were now short and weak and the skin around then was now soft and wrinkled. Marie slowly turned her hands and looked at her palms. They were dirty and grazed from when she fell on the road earlier that night.
The alarm clock sounded. Marie had kept drifting in and out of slumber but never got more than two hours sleep all night. She turned over, picked up the alarm clock and flung it violently across the room. It hit the wall and smashed into pieces. Marie climbed slowly off her bed and went into her bathroom. She walked up to the glossy white sink and turned on the cold water. She splashed her face with the refreshing water. She then looked at herself in the mirror and asked herself “ what am I going to do?” She took a deep breath. There was someone knocking on her door. She raced across her room and locked it to prevent whoever it was from entering without her permission. “Who is it?” She asked impatiently.
“Marie its us,” her best friend Cathy replied.
Marie slowly unlocked her door. On the other side stood Cathy, in her brownie yellow waitress uniform, her long blond hair was tied back in a perfect French plat. Jason was dressed in his dark blue jeans, a plain black top and black and white converse his short brown hair was spiked up. And there was Ann, in her rainbow spotted dress, multicoloured converse and her longish mousy brown hair was tied back in a ponytail held in place with a dark brown hair glove with silver studs. Marie nodded slowly allowing her three friends into her room. Once they were all inside she gently closed the door and locked it behind them. “Where’s Mat?” Marie asked, her voice was croaky like that of a person suffering from a cold, Mat was Jason’s half brother, the fifth member of their group and Cathy’s boyfriend.
“He had to go to his dad’s for the weekend,” Jason explained, his voice was soft and showed concern, “how are you?” He asked. Marie joined her friends on the carpeted floor, they sat crossed legged in a small circle.
Tears ran down her face, as she replied “Not good.” Cathy and Anne looked at each other and then looked at Marie.
“What happened last night Marie? Why did you run off like that?”
Marie stood up and slowly replied, “They told me I was adopted, it was grandma’s last wish,” her friends arose from the floor, “and I need your help to find my real family.” She wiped away the tears from face, her voice was strong and sure.
“Well only if you are sure. I mean it’s a big decision to make.” Jason replied, there was some hesitation in his voice, the last thing any of them wanted was for Marie to get hurt.
Marie took a deep breath “I’m sure, I need to know my real family, I cant go on with my like not knowing who they are, I mean the people I have been calling my family for the past sixteen years are not my real family and I need to know why they are and who I really am. I need your help guys. Please. “She looked at her friends and awaited an answer.
“Okay we will help.” Anne said.
Jason, Marie and Ann were in the basement searching through old boxes. Cathy had to leave early to go to her shift at the town’s café. Jason was at one end of the basement and Marie and Ann were at the other end. “I found it!” Jason shouted across the dimly lit basement. He took the pieces of paper and walked over to Marie and Ann.
“Are you sure? I mean are you sure its not Jane’s?” Marie asked, her voice was no longer strong and sure it was hesitation and weakness. Jason handed the papers to Ann.
“Yea it’s definitely your birth certificated and adoption records. Should we fax this to mat?” Ann asked. They had finally found what they were looking for. Mat’s dad could get hold of all the state records for births and deaths in all the states, so he could find her place of birth and the address for her real mum, dad or closest living relatives. He had one condition that she promised to keep in touch with Melinda and Chris to let them know she was okay.
“No it will take too long. I will call him.” Marie picked up the phone and dialled Mat’s number. She told Mat the name of her birth parents. She could hear Mat tell his dad. It took ten long minutes before Marie heard Mats voice tell her the state, street and house number of Marie’s real mother. She scribbled the address down. “ Thanks Mat,” she said as she hung up the phone. “Thank you so much you two, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Jason, Ann its time to go home now it’s getting late!” Melinda shouted down the basement stairs.
“Okay Mrs. Halliwell.” Ann shouted back. She prepared for the emotional goodbye. Tears rolled down her face as she hugged Marie. “Promise you will keep in touch.”
“I promise.” Marie replied sobbing. She hugged Jason and watched as they climbed up the creaky basement stairs. “Bye.” She said softly for the last time to her beloved friends.
Marie silently went down the hall stairs, she had called a cab and had taken all her money out of her bank account and put it in her black silk purse. She had placed the note she had written to her family on the dining room table. “Why are you up?” A soft voice asked. Marie turned around and saw her sleepy little sister on the stairs behind her. Jane looked at the bulky suitcases. “Where are you going?” She questioned.
“I’m going away for a while. Please Jane go to bed it’s getting late and you have school tomorrow.” Marie gave her sister a hug and Jane went up the stairs but stopped half way.
“Will you be back soon?” Jane asked. Marie looked at her sister.
“I don’t know sweetie,” Marie watched as her sister went up the stairs and into her room. She then unlatched the front door and opened it slowly so that it didn’t creak. She stepped outside and the dark night welcomed her. As she closed the door a yellow cab pulled up next to her house.
“Taxi for Marie Halliwell.” The cab driver said.
Marie turned around to face the cab. “Yea just a second.” Marie replied. She locked the door and put the key in the letterbox at the end of the garden. She opened the door of the cab and climbed in. “Prescott street, Arizona please.” She told the driver. Tears ran down her face as she looked out of the window and saw her hometown for the last time. As she drove off she remembered all the good time she had whilst growing up there. She thought about the first time she met her wonderful friends, the first day in high school and all those memories seemed like nothing when she remembered what her so called mother told her on her Grandmothers funeral. She considered telling the driver to turn round, that she had made a mistake but she knew what she had to do, it wasn’t like she would never go back.
