I’m not stupid! I’m all too aware this could be the ultimate: the cruelest of evil traps. But, I’m being optimistically cautious.
Three things are fuelling my optimism.
One: there’s no doubting I look like both of these people. “Wow, you have the exact same mouth as your mother and your father’s eyes,” exclaimed Kade, once all the drama had died down.
Two: They brought baby Belinda with them. She’s gurgling and giggling in little Kelvin’s arms right now.
Three: They administered the blind antidote to Kade. So, this rescue mission must have been pre-meditated and planned.
……
While I’m being cautious, Kade is being careless, “Those other followers don’t know that mom’s brain is triple locked in the basement of the Cryogenic Centre, do they?” He asks, my (supposed) mother with a laid back nonchalance.
I can’t help but raise my voice, “KADE!” He jolts and turns from my (supposed) mother to me, “What?” He says. I give him my look, “You just disclosed the location of your mother’s brain,” I assert.
My (supposed) mother and father exchange glances, “I understand we have a lot of work to do to earn your trust, Tanya. But, we’ll get there, my child,” says my (supposed) mother.
And in that little exchange there was something else that increased my optimism that these two are the real deal. It was the glance the two of them exchanged, the look they shared, an innate understanding. I recognized the trust that my self and Kade share, in their knowing glance.
......
For now, I'll assume they are my real parents. But I'll remain 100% vigilant!
……
I observe as Kade, little Kelvin, Kelly, Troy and mom's hologram bond with my parents.
I remain distant, physically and emotionally.
After my initial euphoria has worn off, I become realistic. They may well be my parents, but they are still strangers to me. I was taken from them at such a young age that I have no recollection of them; nor do I feel an instinctive parent/child bond.
Kade notices my distance and comes over. He crouches in front of me and takes my hands in his, "I'm guessing this is all a total mind maze for you right now," he says, with his gentle empathy. I shrug my shoulders and smile, "It is. But I'll find a way through it. I just need the time to adjust and get used to the idea that I might have a mom and dad," I say.
He lifts my hands to his lips, kisses them and says, "I so thought we were over, gonna die in a really painful way – I have never felt fear like I did trussed up in that truck." He looks at me with his soft smile, “Tan – the only way is up for us now – it has to be!” He says, his face beaming with optimism.
......
"I'm afraid our hide-out does not have the luxuries or technical facilities that you are used to," explains my father as he shows us around the underground rooms.
"How secure are we here?" Asks Kade.
"We are secure as long as our dug-out remains a secret from the all powerful one," says my mother.
“All powerful one – is that The Surgeon, or The Twin?” Asks Kade. My father answers with confidence, “No. We believe The Surgeon is a hologram, controlled by a greater, more powerful force…”
“…person. We know all the force exerted in this place is generated by a human being,” cuts in my mother, correcting him.
And in saying that, she corroborates what we know and this fact further bolsters my optimism. Kade throws me a half smile and I know he’s thinking the same as me.
