Chapter Eight
"Oh my God," Fi murmured as she took a closer look at his face.
"They have the exact same features," Annie said slowly. "Exactly. Same eyes, same mouth, same nose... the only difference is the hair color."
"What does this mean?" Fi asked softly, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"I don't know," Annie said, "but I know someone who does." She stood up, found her cell phone, and punched in some numbers.
"Who are you calling?" Fi inquired.
Annie held the phone to her ear. "My mom." There was a pause, and then Annie said, "Hi, Mom? It's me."
"Hi, sweetie!" Lisa answered cheerfully. "Do you realize that it is three in the morning here? What's going on?"
"You lied to me," Annie snapped. "You lied about my brother."
"Andrew?" Lisa asked, confused. "Why would I lie about Andrew? Honey, you know I don't like to talk about this. I've explained his death to you so many times."
"You never told me the truth," Annie accused her. "Mom, what really happened?"
"What are you talking about?"
Annie sighed, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Why was her mother lying to her about this? What was she hiding? "He never did die, did he, Mom?" Annie choked between sobs.
There was a long pause, and then, "No, he didn't," Lisa said softly.
"Why did you lie to me?" Annie said in a voice just above a whisper.
"I didn't want you to know the truth. Annie, it was for your own protection! I swear it was."
"My whole life, I thought my older brother was dead. Why didn't you just tell me?"
Lisa heaved a shaky sigh. "If I had told you, you'd know what a bad mother I am."
"What do you mean?"
"He was kidnapped, Annie. And it was all my fault, because I just wanted to leave the house for a little while. It was for just twenty minutes, and I thought, 'If I lock the doors, everything will be okay.' But it wasn't..." her voice trailed off.
"He was kidnapped?" Annie repeated.
"We looked for him! You're father and I did everything we could, but we never heard anything. And I was pregnant with you at the time, making matters worse."
"How could you have been pregnant with me?" Annie asked. "You told me you waited three years before you had me."
Again, there was silence on the other end of the line. "I lied about everything. His age, his name... anything that would lead to you finding out the truth," Lisa confessed.
"If his name isn't Andrew, what is it?" Annie demanded. But she already knew the answer.
"Jason. We named him Jason." Annie didn't say anything, so Lisa added, "I just didn't want you to be ashamed of me, Annie."
"It's too late," Annie replied. "I am." She hung up the phone and ran from the room.
"Annie, where are you going?" Fi asked.
Annie stopped and turned around. "To talk to Jason."
Chapter Nine
"Jason!" Annie called, running over to the side of the lake.
"Hi, Annie," he greeted her, swimming over.
"I need to talk to you about something," Annie said. "Can you come out?"
"Sure," Jason agreed, wading over until he was on the grass with Annie. "What is it?"
"Dry off and get your sandals," Annie instructed him. Jason quickly obeyed.
"Where are we going?" he asked, as she took his hand in hers.
"There's something you need to see," Annie replied. She led him back to the tour bus and into her bedroom. Fi was still sitting at the computer.
"Did you tell him yet?" she asked.
"Tell me what?" Jason demanded impatiently.
"I'll take that as a no," Fi said.
"Jason, do you remember anything about your childhood? I mean, when you were really little, like two or three years old?" Annie asked.
"No, I guess not," Jason responded, wondering what was going on.
Annie took a deep breath. "What you're about to hear is going to sound very confusing, and unbelievable, but just - listen to me. Please," she added. Jason didn't say anything, and Annie took that as her cue to continue. "When you were really young, not much older than two years old, you were kidnapped. Your name is Jason Thelen. The people that you probably think are your parents are really your kidnappers."
Jason sighed. "Okay, is this the result of being out in the sun too long, or are you just doing this because you have a sick sense of humor? Because this is starting to freak me out..." He began to head towards the doorway.
"Jason, no!" Annie shouted, grabbing his arm. "I'm not going to lose you. Not this time."
"Annie, what are you talking about? Not this time? Why are you doing this?"
Annie quickly opening her lifebox and retrieved the photo. "This is my brother. My entire life, I thought he was dead. But then Fi scanned the picture and sent it to her friend, who used an advanced computer program to simulate what he'd look like now. Please, just take a look at what he emailed back to us." Jason eyed the door again and Annie put her hands on his shoulders. "Please," she pleaded.
"Okay," Jason said reluctantly, realizing how important this was to her. Fi opened the email from Tad and Jason gasped as he looked at the picture. "It's me," he murmured. He looked at Annie and pointed to the picture of her brother that she still held in her hands. "That little boy - is me?" he asked.
"Yes," Annie nodded, smiling, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"You mean that you're my sister?" Jason said.
"Yes," Annie repeated, smiling more broadly. Not knowing what else to do, Jason went with his first instinct, and enveloped Annie in a hug. He held her close to him, swearing to himself that he'd never let go.
Chapter Ten
"So you're sure that this is what you want to do?" Molly asked Annie one final time.
"I'm sure," Annie confirmed, smiling at Jason.
"We'll miss you, Annie," Carey said.
"We'll miss you," Jack and Fi echoed.
"I'll take good care of her, Mrs. Phillips," Jason vowed.
"I know you will," Molly said, smiling. She embraced Annie in one final hug, as the others did the same.
Fi was the last to say goodbye. "We'll visit you every month," she told her.
"I know you will," Annie replied.
"And I'll email you every day!" Fi added.
"I'll email you too," Annie said.
"Bye, Annie," Fi said, slowly following the others to the bus. Annie watched wistfully as they climbed in. Fi waved to Annie before ascending the stairs, and Annie waved back. Although her heart ached as she saw the bus drive away, she knew she did the right thing.
"I'm not going to let myself lose you again, Annie," Jason said, squeezing her hand.
"I know you won't," Annie replied. They picked up her bags and carried them into the apartment that Jason had bought for just the two of them.
"You know you can always go back with them, when you want," Jason added.
"I think it'll be a long time before that ever happens," Annie responded, smiling at him. "After wondering about you my whole life, do you really think I'd let you go now? You're my brother, Jason. This is where I belong."
THE END
"Oh my God," Fi murmured as she took a closer look at his face.
"They have the exact same features," Annie said slowly. "Exactly. Same eyes, same mouth, same nose... the only difference is the hair color."
"What does this mean?" Fi asked softly, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"I don't know," Annie said, "but I know someone who does." She stood up, found her cell phone, and punched in some numbers.
"Who are you calling?" Fi inquired.
Annie held the phone to her ear. "My mom." There was a pause, and then Annie said, "Hi, Mom? It's me."
"Hi, sweetie!" Lisa answered cheerfully. "Do you realize that it is three in the morning here? What's going on?"
"You lied to me," Annie snapped. "You lied about my brother."
"Andrew?" Lisa asked, confused. "Why would I lie about Andrew? Honey, you know I don't like to talk about this. I've explained his death to you so many times."
"You never told me the truth," Annie accused her. "Mom, what really happened?"
"What are you talking about?"
Annie sighed, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Why was her mother lying to her about this? What was she hiding? "He never did die, did he, Mom?" Annie choked between sobs.
There was a long pause, and then, "No, he didn't," Lisa said softly.
"Why did you lie to me?" Annie said in a voice just above a whisper.
"I didn't want you to know the truth. Annie, it was for your own protection! I swear it was."
"My whole life, I thought my older brother was dead. Why didn't you just tell me?"
Lisa heaved a shaky sigh. "If I had told you, you'd know what a bad mother I am."
"What do you mean?"
"He was kidnapped, Annie. And it was all my fault, because I just wanted to leave the house for a little while. It was for just twenty minutes, and I thought, 'If I lock the doors, everything will be okay.' But it wasn't..." her voice trailed off.
"He was kidnapped?" Annie repeated.
"We looked for him! You're father and I did everything we could, but we never heard anything. And I was pregnant with you at the time, making matters worse."
"How could you have been pregnant with me?" Annie asked. "You told me you waited three years before you had me."
Again, there was silence on the other end of the line. "I lied about everything. His age, his name... anything that would lead to you finding out the truth," Lisa confessed.
"If his name isn't Andrew, what is it?" Annie demanded. But she already knew the answer.
"Jason. We named him Jason." Annie didn't say anything, so Lisa added, "I just didn't want you to be ashamed of me, Annie."
"It's too late," Annie replied. "I am." She hung up the phone and ran from the room.
"Annie, where are you going?" Fi asked.
Annie stopped and turned around. "To talk to Jason."
Chapter Nine
"Jason!" Annie called, running over to the side of the lake.
"Hi, Annie," he greeted her, swimming over.
"I need to talk to you about something," Annie said. "Can you come out?"
"Sure," Jason agreed, wading over until he was on the grass with Annie. "What is it?"
"Dry off and get your sandals," Annie instructed him. Jason quickly obeyed.
"Where are we going?" he asked, as she took his hand in hers.
"There's something you need to see," Annie replied. She led him back to the tour bus and into her bedroom. Fi was still sitting at the computer.
"Did you tell him yet?" she asked.
"Tell me what?" Jason demanded impatiently.
"I'll take that as a no," Fi said.
"Jason, do you remember anything about your childhood? I mean, when you were really little, like two or three years old?" Annie asked.
"No, I guess not," Jason responded, wondering what was going on.
Annie took a deep breath. "What you're about to hear is going to sound very confusing, and unbelievable, but just - listen to me. Please," she added. Jason didn't say anything, and Annie took that as her cue to continue. "When you were really young, not much older than two years old, you were kidnapped. Your name is Jason Thelen. The people that you probably think are your parents are really your kidnappers."
Jason sighed. "Okay, is this the result of being out in the sun too long, or are you just doing this because you have a sick sense of humor? Because this is starting to freak me out..." He began to head towards the doorway.
"Jason, no!" Annie shouted, grabbing his arm. "I'm not going to lose you. Not this time."
"Annie, what are you talking about? Not this time? Why are you doing this?"
Annie quickly opening her lifebox and retrieved the photo. "This is my brother. My entire life, I thought he was dead. But then Fi scanned the picture and sent it to her friend, who used an advanced computer program to simulate what he'd look like now. Please, just take a look at what he emailed back to us." Jason eyed the door again and Annie put her hands on his shoulders. "Please," she pleaded.
"Okay," Jason said reluctantly, realizing how important this was to her. Fi opened the email from Tad and Jason gasped as he looked at the picture. "It's me," he murmured. He looked at Annie and pointed to the picture of her brother that she still held in her hands. "That little boy - is me?" he asked.
"Yes," Annie nodded, smiling, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"You mean that you're my sister?" Jason said.
"Yes," Annie repeated, smiling more broadly. Not knowing what else to do, Jason went with his first instinct, and enveloped Annie in a hug. He held her close to him, swearing to himself that he'd never let go.
Chapter Ten
"So you're sure that this is what you want to do?" Molly asked Annie one final time.
"I'm sure," Annie confirmed, smiling at Jason.
"We'll miss you, Annie," Carey said.
"We'll miss you," Jack and Fi echoed.
"I'll take good care of her, Mrs. Phillips," Jason vowed.
"I know you will," Molly said, smiling. She embraced Annie in one final hug, as the others did the same.
Fi was the last to say goodbye. "We'll visit you every month," she told her.
"I know you will," Annie replied.
"And I'll email you every day!" Fi added.
"I'll email you too," Annie said.
"Bye, Annie," Fi said, slowly following the others to the bus. Annie watched wistfully as they climbed in. Fi waved to Annie before ascending the stairs, and Annie waved back. Although her heart ached as she saw the bus drive away, she knew she did the right thing.
"I'm not going to let myself lose you again, Annie," Jason said, squeezing her hand.
"I know you won't," Annie replied. They picked up her bags and carried them into the apartment that Jason had bought for just the two of them.
"You know you can always go back with them, when you want," Jason added.
"I think it'll be a long time before that ever happens," Annie responded, smiling at him. "After wondering about you my whole life, do you really think I'd let you go now? You're my brother, Jason. This is where I belong."