My last two reviews encouraged me so much I decided to write another chapter right away. In fact, I wrote two more chapters. I'm so glad I have readers who are enjoying this! :)
A NEW START
Chapter 7 / Don't You?
Wedding preparations were a breeze from then on. No one had any difficulties with anything, and so no one expected the unexpected.
Sue had tried countless times to help, but had just increased the frustration of the caterers. Finally deciding that a twelve-year-old's limited help was not needed (or wanted) she was doing her best to simply stay out of the way.
She went outside and wandered the parking lot, trying to create a way to entertain herself before the wedding. She finally leaned against a tree and slid to the grass, frustrated with the idea of the fact that three hours of boredom lay ahead of her.
"Nice day."
Sue got to her feet and turned around quicker than a rabbit. "Who…who are you?"
"I'm so disappointed. I thought Connie might have mentioned me."
Realization swept over Sue. Her mouth dropped open. "Blackgaard?!"
"Ah, thank goodness. I was beginning to think she'd simply forgotten about me."
Sue breathed in and out, waiting for him to try and kidnap her.
"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"
"I'm waiting for you to try something," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "You kidnapped Connie. Aren't you going to do anything to me?"
"Smart girl," said Blackgaard, smiling grimly. "I would never have thought it from a London street child. By the way, what do you think of America?"
Sue hesitated. What did she think of America? "I…I don't know."
"Oh, of course you do! You just haven't had the time to think about it. You've been too caught up in wedding preparations."
Sue did not answer.
"If you don't know what you think, I'll tell you," Blackgaard went on. "You think you like America because your beloved Whittakers are here. You've fallen in love with the idea of being Jason and Connie's new daughter. But you've never stopped to realize that you might have left England for the last time."
"I knew what I was giving up," Sue said, breathing heavily. "And I didn't think twice."
"That's the problem! You didn't think twice! What if, sometime down the road, the time comes when you're tired of Odyssey? You want to go back to England? But you won't be able to, because you'll be part of a family, and have a new life. You won't be able to go gallivanting the streets of London anymore. Wasn't that your life - wasn't that what you loved to do?"
"Yes," murmured Sue, thinking about his words.
"But you'll be caught in a web of routine - school, family, Whit's End - you might even get new younger siblings you'd need to look after."
Sue pursed her lips. She'd never held a baby before, much less looked after one. What if Connie did get pregnant? What if she had twins, or even triplets?
Blackgaard saw that his plan was beginning to work, so he continued talking. "If you come with me, I'll take you to see the world. We could go anywhere. You could really have a life. Isn't that what you want?" He held out his hand.
Sue stared at it, a war in her mind. Words couldn't express how much she loved Jason and Connie, but…this was a chance to have her own life back. How could she refuse?
"Don't you want your life back?"
A tear slipped from Sue's eye. This was too much to take in.
"You do want it, don't you?"
~TBC~
