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Chapter 2 - The Flight

As I hopped out of the taxi, I told myself I needed to stay calm. I needed to get on a flight without attracting any unwanted attention. I didn't need any delays - including being interrogated by concerned members of staff as to why I was hysterical and wanting to board a flight halfway across America. I took a few deep breaths and plastered a friendly smile on my face before approaching the desk.

"Hi, what can I do for you today?" The middle aged woman behind the desk smiled warmly at me. I tried to match her tone, light and friendly. "Hey, um, when's the next flight to New York?" She tapped away on the computer in front of her.

"Why that would be at 11:20. Gate 6.'

"Great. Is there any room left of the plane, I need to get there as soon as possible." I placed my hands on the desk in front of me to stop them from trembling.

"There sure is. Just the one ticket?" she glanced up just long enough to see my feeble nodding before turning back to her screen. "Before I print of your ticket, honey, can I ask you something?" Not really pausing to hear my answer, she carried on talking. "You're not running away from home are you?" Concern filled her voice. I raised my gaze to meet hers, filled with what appeared to be genuine concern. "Whatever the problem is at home, it is not worth running all the way to New York. I'm sure all you need is a nice long talk with your Mom and Dad will sort everything out."

"No." I managed to choke out, trying to hold on to my tears. I could feel them pooling in my eyes, just the thought of my parents was enough to set me off. "I'm … I'm not running anywhere." Tears pushed their way down my cheeks, splashing onto the counter in front of me.

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that you're at that age, you know? And you're travelling all the way across the country with just that little bag, and you look like you've been crying for hours. I just don't want you to make any hasty decisions." She plucked a tissue from behind her desk and pressed it into my hand.

"No, don't worry about it. Uhm…" I scrabbled in my mind for a coherent story that would explain my circumstances. I couldn't really tell her the truth. "Mom and Dad are already out there. New York, I mean." I took a deep breath in. "They were in an accident a few hours ago and now I need to get out there to the hospital, to see them both." The desk clerk looked downright brokenhearted. She started tapping at the computer again. "I'm so sorry. I really shouldn't have said anything, it's not my place to be interfering." She mumbled, printing the ticket off.

"Honestly, it's fine. You weren't to know." I dropped my gaze and started searching through my bag for the money.

I stuck with that story all through customs. Acting like everything was fine was becoming exhausting. At least with this story, I didn't have to fake a smile and sound all cheery. Whenever anyone asked about my red eyes or me being alone, I just told them what I told them the story and carried on my way. It was only when I was sat in the departures lounge that the full extent of what had happened tonight hit me. I tried calling my parents' cells again, but they were both still disconnected. Wiping the tears away from my cheeks, I reached into my backpack for the second envelope I had found in the drawer. I glanced around, to see if anyone was paying attention to me, which of course they weren't. I smiled, seeing my Dad's handwriting on the front, before flipping it over and pulling out the folded up piece of A4 that was inside. I unfolded it carefully, desperate to read what was written inside.

Kaitlynn,

I hope that you never have to read this letter, that we can just come back Monday evening, rip this up and throw it in the trash. But I guess, if you're reading these words now that hasn't happened. I don't know exactly what has happened, but I assume that if you've found this letter you just got a rather worrying phone call. Now, I don't know how much we were able to tell you in that call, but I think you should probably know a little more about what we were asked to do this weekend.

You know your Mom and I run special missions for the Clave - kind of like secret service type stuff. Whenever there is any sensitive information that needs gathering, or any particular discretions that the Council would rather keep quiet, we get sent away to handle it. This weekend, we had a meeting with some of the senior Council members about some rather disturbing rumours that have been floating around. I can't tell you in great detail, but people are saying that Valentine is alive, and is looking for the Mortal Cup. The Clave are worried of what it would mean if this is true, so they want us to find out as much as can.

Long story short, the fact that you are reading this means that something has happened. I suspected Valentine might try something, but I don't want you to worry about us Katie, we'll be fine. Sending you to New York is probably just a precautionary measure. We don't want to risk him sending someone to our house and finding you. He's ruthless, and won't believe that you know nothing about our missions.

The address we've given you is for the Institute in New York. Your Mom and I used to be good friends with Hodge, the man in charge there. We trust him completely Katie, you can trust him too. He's a good man who will keep you safe. We'll send news to him as soon as we are can - so hurry over there! This will all blow over and we'll be there to pick you up and take you home in no time, but for now, try and stay calm. I know it's a tall request, but I don't want you to worry about us. We'll be fine - we always are right?

See you soon Sweetheart,

We LOVE you!

Mom and Dad xxx

I tried to read the letter again, but tears clouded my vision, making it impossible to see anything. I managed to shove the paper back into my bag to avoid my tears from smudging the ink. I just kept thinking about those last three words. 'We LOVE you!' I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out my surroundings. I could feel peoples eyes turning to me, and why shouldn't they? I was hunched over, bawling my eyes out and about to get on a plane. Heck, they all probably thought I was running away too. However, instead of blocking everything out, all I could see was my Dad's handwriting, swimming around behind my lids. 'That may be the last time you ever hear from them again' that horrible voice kept murmuring from the back of my mind. I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. 'No!' I told myself firmly, 'I need to hold it together for a little longer. Everything's going to be fine.' Who knows? Maybe this whole thing was a big mistake, and they'll be waiting at the airport in Manhattan for me. We'll laugh about this whole thing and then we'll go home. It'll be one of those stories we tell on long car journeys to pass the time. 'Remember that time when you flew all the way to New York because you thought we were in serious danger?' 'Oh my God, I was so scared!' 'You should have seen your face when you saw us waiting for you, priceless' 'Yeah, very funny Dad!' And then we'd all laugh about how stupid I looked.

I replayed this scenario in my head over and over again, throughout the entire journey - as if, if I said it enough, it was bound to come true. I practically ran through customs in Manhattan, desperate to see my parents smiling faces on the other side. I scanned the crowd desperately, examining every face carefully. I waited until the last of the crowd dispersed, confirming what deep down I already knew, but it didn't stop the sinking feeling in my chest. They weren't here. It was then that a sudden wave of desperation overtook me. I needed to get to the institute as fast as I could. Hodge might have already heard from my parents. They could even be waiting there for me. I hauled my bag onto my back and pushed my way out into the cool morning air. Checking my phone, it read 4:12. Hastily shoving it back into my pocket, I flagged down the first taxi I saw and hopped in the back. I rustled around in my bag and thrust the piece of paper with the address on in the driver's direction. "Please hurry." I said, my voice cracking as I spoke. The radio was playing quietly in the background, but all I could hear was that nasty voice in the back of my mind. 'You're not going to find them there you know. Something terrible has obviously happened to them. You'll never see them again' I clamped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, desperately wanting to shut it out. "There's no point in rushing, you'll only be met with disappointment - again!'

It was the voice of the taxi driver that brought me back to reality. "You all right back there miss? You look a little…" He trailed off, not knowing how to finish his sentence.

"Migraine" I spoke trough gritted teeth, hands still clutching my head. I heard the radio click off, and the rest of the journey was spent in silence - which just left me alone with my thoughts.