Gone
It was a normal day at Coates Academy, no unusual injuries being reported to the school's nurse, Connie Temple. Not to say there weren't any injuries, because there were- just nothing out of the ordinary, something that had been occurring more and more often, as Connie noted. Not a day passed when there weren't multiple students coming to her, that's what happened in a school for troubled children.
"Nurse Temple?" A small voice asked, causing Connie to break away from her thoughts and turn towards the door, dropping her pen onto the desk, smiling warmly when she saw who it was.
"Yes, Jack?"
He shifted nervously, not coming into her office. "The secretary would like you to page the main office."
Connie straightened in her chair. "Thank you, Jack. You may leave now."
Jack turned on his heel and left as silently as he had come, his eyes watching the floor religiously.
Connie frowned, Jack was such a nice boy- yet he was always targeted by the bigger bullies of the school, most days she wasn't even sure what Jack was doing there. Other kids, she knew exactly why they were there- Drake Merwin especially. He was one of the few kids that actually made Connie nervous to be around, he was a psychopath. Connie involuntarily shuddered, he sent so many kids to the nurses office each week- it's a wonder he wasn't in a straightjacket, or a mental hospital yet.
She wasn't even going to think about what Caine had been doing to the other children, much to Connie's distaste- he was always hanging around with Drake. It angered her every time she saw it, but he would just hate her if she warned him away from him. More so than he already hated her, Caine was not one to respect authority figures. He and Sam were so different, it would take a genius to figure out they were related- let alone being twins.
Connie sighed as she reached out towards the phone, dialing the familiar number pattern to reach the office. As the phone buzzed in her ear, everything seemed to slow down- the area around her turning into a shocking white.
In her shock, she dropped the black phone- watching for seconds as it twisted and twirled on its way to the ground- taking more time than it should have. It smashed upon impact, shards flying all around her and disrupting the perfect white.
As she gasped, a voice spoke up from behind her.
"Hello, Connie."
Oh, God- it couldn't be him, she thought, turning and standing at the same time. She gasped aloud again, as she looked into his dark eyes. It had been so long.
"T- Taegan." She whispered her eyes wide. He looked exactly the same, exactly like them. She saw his face every day in both Sam and Caine, but seeing him- for real, was shocking. Dimly, she noticed that something was off- his eyes looked cold, something big was off about him. Something Connie couldn't pinpoint.
"Connie." He replied, giving her a warm smile. "It's been too long."
Reaching back to brace herself on her desk, only to discover it wasn't there anymore and instead crossing her arms and lowering her eyes.
"Yes. It has." Connie said softly, rooted to the spot as she gathered herself. The air around her grew hazy. Whether or not it was because she was going to faint, Connie didn't know.
"Connie, you need to come with me." He said softly, looking at her sympathetically- but still, Connie noted with more realization, something was off in his eyes. The eyes she had loved so much, they looked wrong.
"I can't."
His eyes flashed dangerously, and Connie swore she saw a flash of something green. "Why not? Just for an hour, I've missed you. I want to know how they're doing." His voice fell softer, full of regret.
Connie knew exactly what he was talking about; he hadn't cared for fourteen years- what was different now?
"They're all grown up now, not like you care." She said softly, an underlying tone giving away her irritation.
"I do." He murmured, reaching out to her. "Just… come with me and I'll prove it to you."
"I can't." She muttered, shaking her head at him. "I have a job to do; I'm not the same free loading Connie anymore."
"You can't stay here anymore, it's not safe. You need to come with me." He said, another flash of green in his eyes. "Please."
She stared into his eyes, falling into them the same way she used to- despite the fact that his hair was hanging in front of them, the same shade as her son's."I can't, Sam needs me. Caine… needs me too, he just doesn't know it." Her voice fell to a whisper, Caine needed so much from her, Sam too-she was both parental roles to him. He would be devastated.
"It's your time, Connie, leave them behind." He replied, examining her eyes. "They'll be fine. I promise." He pleaded to her, extending an arm to her as she looked around- she could almost see her office in the white haze that surrounded her.
Connie stared at him, he sounded so sure- it couldn't hurt to leave them, if he said they would be fine, they will. They just had to be; they were all she had. Besides, she hadn't seen him for such a long time, she had missed his company, missed him being in her life.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out- Connie was at a loss for words, something that was a rarity.
"Please, just trust me." He asked softly reaching out to her; she took a small step forward- closing the gap between them further. He was an arms width away, she could almost touch him.
With one last glance back, Connie stepped forward and clasped onto Taegan's hand, stepping forward into the unknown; but as long as her boys would be fine, Connie could deal with whatever was handed to her.
A/N: Aaaannnnnd poof. That's totally how it went down. As always, review, favourite etcetera, etcetera.
Point out any errors if you happen to spot them, and feel free to flame- it's not hot enough in Canada anyways.
