Prose

Back again (sarah but no her point of veiw)

written by: babeestars

"Katie, who was that girl?"
"What girl?"
"The one from the photo?"
"What photo?"
"Katie don't play dumb with me, the photo you carry round in your bag,"
"oh her,"
"yes her, who is she?"
"Does it matter?"
"Last time you started acting like this it was because of her, and you're doing it again, is it her?"
"It's not her fault,"
"so it is her?"
"Kind of, I guess."
"what's happened?"
"it's complicated,"
"I've got time,"
"but I don't," she grabbed her bag, that's what she always did, ran away from it. If she didn't like a situation she'd avoid it. Again and again shed left people hanging, questions unanswered. It was Katie all over, but since Sarah, things had changed, but now it was all going back. Back to the old ways. Sarah had taught her not to be so afraid of peoples trust. But with the one person she trusted with her life leaving her. That trust with everyone else was vaporising.
"Katie," but this time it wasn't going to work. No matter where she ran to, this time, gaz was going to follow her, until he found out who this girl was and what was going on. "Katie,"
"just leave me alone."
"who is she?" Katie turned back to him, tears stinging her eyes. "who is she?" he repeated.
"you want to know you she is? And why its tearing me apart? Then I'll tell you." He watched her waiting for her lips to part, to let out the sound, to form the words. She opened her mouth to speak, but the sound did not come out and the words did not form. "I can't." And just like Sarah, her legs gave way as she hit the floor, her vision smudged, her head light, "I can't." Gaz knelt down beside her.
"who is she?" he whispered.
"she's my little sister," Katie whispered back.
"what? I thought...why don't I know her, why haven't I met her?" he paused, "oh god I'm sorry," he said jumping to the wrong conclusion, Katie gathered that and decided to put it right.
"she's not dead," he sighed, relieved. "she was adopted as a baby, I was seven years old. All my life I'd wanted a younger sibling, a sister. And when I got one she was taken away. And every day I never stopped hoping she would look for her real family, her real sister. But when she found me, she didn't know. We went through so much together, and every step we took I never knew, she never knew. I mean, I wondered, whether this was what my little sister would be like, but it never clicked they were the same age. My mum knew, she knew for ages. And then Sarah found out, and when she finally asked my mum whether it really was true, my mum told her not to tell me. She was selfish; she didn't want me to know so she didn't lose me. I almost stopped speaking to her; I almost lost my sister again. I told her I never wanted to see her again, and I was going to stick to it no matter how painful, and then she told me." Katie paused, so many emotions flowing through her, everything she'd kept inside, was outside. And it was killing her.
"what happened?"
"She told me, and I didn't believe her, but my mum said it was true. I couldn't handle it, I pushed her away. A month later I got her friend to take her to town so we could meet, I knew she wouldn't go if I asked because we hadn't spoken since the night I found out. So she went, and she tried to walk away when she saw me but her friend grabbed her arm, she stayed to see me, by force."
"When was this?"
"Her birthday." That's not what Gaz had meant, but Katie said it anyway, once again skirting round the question.
"what happened,"
"she got really angry, she told her friend why we hadn't spoken, she made me feel so small, she told her that we were sisters, that I'd said goodbye, forever. And she walked away. Then I spoke, for the first time, I said her name, I could see her legs about to go, I know the feeling well." She could see every detail of that day in her mind, just as perfect, like a film playing over and over again. "And, and I said happy birthday. I wished my little sister a happy birthday." And that was when the tears started to fall. "Her best friend had forgotten, but I hadn't. I never will"
"Katie," her tear stained cheeks pale, "is there more?" she nodded taking a deep breath.
"I took her back to my house, I told her I wanted to talk to her. And we got back, and there was a surprise party, for her, with all her real family, for the first time. And it was the best time ever, she loved it, you could see in her face, and I loved being with her."
"So what's gone so wrong?"
"Everything," she said pushing herself up off the ground."
"That can't be true,"
"Well it is, I'm losing her, and its completely out of my control, I said I'd find a way, but I can't,"
"What is it maybe I can help,"
"Her parents, I mean her adoptive parents are moving, and they're taking Sarah with them, they're moving so far away I may never get to see her again,"
"Why does she have to go with them,"
"She works, but doesn't earn anywhere near enough to support herself, she's still in college."
"Who said she had to support herself, I mean, if she wasn't on her own,"
"oh my god, why the hell didn't I think of that! She can move in with me, her biological family, Gaz you're a genius! I love you." She threw her arms around him, "I love you," she leant back from him.
"When is she supposed to leave?" Katie looked at her watch,
"shit! An hour!"
"Where does she live?"
"it'll take me an hour to walk there from here, there's no way I can catch her. Gaz I'll lose her forever!" he grinned from ear to ear and grabbed her hand.
"not if you run," so that's exactly what they did, well until Gaz thought he was going to die, but Katie ran, the whole way.
She sped round the corner, their eyes met, and I would like to say it was like a scene from a film, where their eyes meet, and they run to each other and spin for what seems like forever in an endless hug. But it wasn't, their eyes met, but it was too late. Sarah was in the van, she was leaving. Katie broke down, right there in the middle of the street, and cried. She felt Gaz's hand on her shoulder. "I was too late, Gaz she's gone"
"not yet she's not." It wasn't Gaz's voice, it wasn't Gaz's hand. Katie spun round standing up, she pulled her in close, their arms round each other.
"I thought I lost you,"
"I thought you weren't going to say goodbye,"
"I don't need to, that's if you agree, you don't have to go. Wait a sec, how did you get here, you where driving away?"
"yer, I made them stop, they weren't going to and I just said well I'm getting out to say goodbye whether your stopping or not so they drove round the bloke so I came back." She laughed, "but I don't have long, there waiting."
"Sarah, you don't have to go though,"
"Katie, please, I stopped to say goodbye, not for you to cling on to the last hope, Katie we both have to let go."
"No, no we don't, we don't." Sarah sighed,
"we do."
"This is the point in which you tell Sarah you plan." Interrupted Gaz's voice from behind, Sarah didn't need to turn round to find out who.
What plan?" Sarah queried
"move in with me."
"What!"
"I mean, I just don't want you to go, oh its stupid isn't it, I just thought, I just thought maybe..."
"I... I don't know," the van beeped from behind her, telling her to hurry up. In that instant she decided, she decided she didn't want her goodbye to be rushed, and if it meant not saying goodbye then that's what it meant. "Ok."
"What? Really? I thought..."
"Did, mum want me to then, or was it you?"
"Ah, erm, I haven't quite got round to asking yet, I ran straight here," Sarah grinned,
"yer sounds like you."
"But she won't mind, honest, there's plenty of room."
"well, you phone her while I argue with parents for a bit, you let me know if it's ok, then we take a small detour and drop me and you back at your house, ok?"
"Right," it was funny how Katie's plan turned into Sarah's plan, it wasn't the first time, and it would defiantly not be the last. And there were plenty more of Sarah's plans to become Katie's.
"Mum, can we leave in like an hour, please, I just want to say goodbye properly, to like my family."
"Sarah, we really have to go, now, we're already running late, if we don't hurry we'll get stuck in the traffic," Karen said impatiently.
"Please, what about just half an hour?"
"Sarah, we can't"
"dad?"
"You heard your mum,"
"Urgh, you just don't understand! You're asking me to just forget that I ever had sisters or brothers, you're making me forget them all, and I just can't, the least you can let me do is say goodbye." Katie ran up behind her, Sarah turned round. Katie nodded. "Really? She meant it right? Not just saying it because she feels she has to?"
"No, she had already thought of it, but hadn't said anything because she knew I would eventually, she knows how stubborn I am."
"Does that mean we can leave?" Karen interrupted,
"you can, but can you drop me of at Katie's?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"I'm moving in with Katie, I need my stuff."
"No you're not, don't be stupid Sarah,"
"but I am, I'm old enough to move out, and I am moving in with my best friend, who just happens to be my sister." Katie squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Sarah, think about this properly, you can't just move somewhere else,"
"you where about to make me move somewhere else, you were going to make me move colleges as well, at least if I stay here I won't have to do that, or make new friends, or try and fit in."
"You can't, surly there are laws against it,"
"laws against moving in with my mum and dad? Not sure how that works."
"But you're adopted..."
"You don't have to remind me," Sarah interrupted. "look I thought you wanted to leave so you could avoid the traffic, the longer you stand here arguing the worse the traffic will be, now are you giving me a lift or not."
"No," Karen said.
"Yes, we will sweetie,"
"thank you dad,"
"what are you on! You're just going to let her move out? Just like that,"
"remember when we first got Sarah? The way she smiled, and I said I never wanted that smile to disappear. Remember that Karen? I said I would do anything to make my little girl happy. I'm not about to take that grin away from her. I promised her the happiest life she could get, and if that means moving in with her sister, then I'll let her. Because if it makes her happy, then I'm happy." A silver tear shimmered in his eye, identical to the one rolling down Sarah's face.
"I love you dad."