~Chapter 7: the big question ~

The night was very dark. A moonless sky was covered with a thick blanket of clouds. There was a storm coming, he could feel it. A movement across the road made Stephen pull deeper into the shadows of the doorway in which he was waiting. Only someone who knew he was there would see his outline as he stared intently at the house where he had seen the silhouette. It had appeared at the window and Stephen couldn't shake the feeling it had retreated when he looked in its direction. His hand itched to close around the gun that was tucked in his belt behind his back, but he resisted. It was easy to become paranoid when you spent your days hunting creatures beyond anyone's imagination. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly eleven, she would be here soon. He didn't want to think about how relieved he felt when Abby's name had appeared on his phone. He knew it was absurd, she wasn't the same person, she wasn't his Abby. The two weeks in which he had heard nothing from her had almost felt longer than the entire year he had spent looking for her. He thought it would have been enough to know that she existed, to know that she was happy. He had given her the time she had asked for, accepting that she might never call. But she did. And she sounded worried.

He could see her small form walk hurriedly down the street. Her shoulders were pulled up as she huddled in her jacket against the upcoming wind. The hospital was only a few streets away, but he suddenly didn't like the thought of her walking alone so late at night. He stepped out of the shadows when she was nearly at her door and Abby gave a little squeal, dropping her keys.

'Steve! Do you have to do that?' she demanded, bending to pick up her keys.

'Sorry,' Stephen grinned, not looking apologetic in the least.

'Have you been waiting long?' she asked, while trying to find the right key.

'No, not at all. Abby,' he said after a glance at the house across the street. 'Who lives across from you?'

'What?' Abby looked at the house he indicated. 'Oh, no one. It's been empty since before I bought this place years ago. Come in, it's cold out.'

They stepped over the threshold and into the hallway.

'Go on the kitchen, I'm just going to get changed.'

Stephen took a seat at the large wooden kitchen table as Abby disappeared into her room.

'This house has a strange layout,' he told her.

'Yeah, I know.' Abby replied from behind the door. 'It used to be two small apartments, I turned it into one house years ago when I bought it. The bathroom upstairs was much bigger than the one down here while this kitchen was nicer so I kind of had to work around it.' Abby reappeared, pulling a hoodie over her head.

'You did all the work yourself?' Stephen asked, a little impressed.

'Yeah, most of it. I needed some help to tear down walls and stuff but I did the rest.'

'Very nice.'

'Thanks, can I get you anything?'

'What are you having?'

'I am going to heat up some soup, I am always hungry after work. Want some?'

'Sure.'

Abby busied herself in the kitchen for a while, Stephen watching her every move. So many questions burned on his lips but he kept silent, waiting for Abby to tell him why he was there.

'Here,' she said eventually, placing two bowls and bread on the table.

'Smells delicious.'

Abby sat down, dipped her spoon in the soup and stirred it. The silence was becoming heavy and she felt Stephen's eyes on her.

'I couldn't give it a rest,' she said after a while. 'It was something Jenny said.'

Stephen frowned, this wasn't what he had expected. He leaned forward, trying to catch her gaze.

'What was?' he asked when she didn't continue.

'Jenny said she wondered why I had been taken out of the equation so to speak. Something must have happened, obviously. But I started asking myself all these questions. What on earth could be important enough about me to be worth changing? Why would ehm... your Abby, have a brother while I don't, for instance.' Abby looked up, her blue eyes suddenly boring into Stephen's. 'I need you tell me everything about her,' she said. 'About her family. You see, I spent so long trying to figure out what happened to mine... this might actually explain something. Anything, I need to...'

'Know what happened.' Stephen finished her sentence. 'I can understand that.' He sighed and closed his eyes. 'Abby never talked about her family much, I didn't know about Jack until he just showed up one day. She never mentioned her parents but she never gave any reason to make us think they weren't around.'

'So you don't know who raised her?'

'No.'

'But she never mentioned her parents vanishing.'

'No. No she didn't.' His eyes narrowed. 'What do you know about your parents disappearing?'

'Not much. The police never came up with any clues. I was found in an empty car not far outside the city. The lights were still on, the engine was running but no sign of my parents. They never solved it and they never could come up with a good explanation. My aunt and uncle raised me. My aunt was a nurse, who was allergic and afraid of anything with more than two legs, that is why I was never allowed to have any pets.' Abby grinned. 'That is the reason I got this when I was sixteen.' She pointed at the small lizard on her wrist.

'I'm sorry Abby, I'm so sorry.' Stephen said.

Abby smiled weakly. 'Its okay. It is a long time ago. I never stopped thinking about them though...'

'No, of course not.'

'I suppose I'll never know, but I just wondered why your Abby lived such a different life while everything else is the same.'

'I know, I've asked myself that question a million times. So your parents basically vanished into thin air?' he asked her.

'Yes.'

Stephen stared out of the window into the darkness where the wind picked up speed.

'I only know of one other person who did that...' he said thoughtfully and Abby frowned.

'Who?

'Helen Cutter. Professor Cutter's wife.

'What...' Abby went white. 'You mean ... you think my parents went through an anomaly? But that doesn't make any sense! No one in their right mind would leave a baby in a car by the side of the road with the engine running!' she said angrily.

'Unless they had no choice.'

'What?'

Stephen put his hand on her wrist, his mind briefly on the figure he had seen outside.

'Abby, what if someone made your parents disappear to ensure you would never join us? To make sure you never have anything to do with the ARC because you will influence it in a way that will mess up whatever they have planned?'

'What? But who would benefit from that?'

'Someone who has seen a future where you prevent them from succeeding.'

'That sounds really farfetched Steve, why not just take me as a baby and not my parents?'

'I have no idea...' he said. He was about to say something else when his phone rang.

'Yes? ... I'm on my way.' He looked at Abby. 'We have another one.'