The First: EVO Uprising (34 page)

Slowly she walked by Christmas, Thanksgiving, wedding, and Halloween pictures. She stayed longer looking at those that had the child upstairs within them. She stopped, standing in front of a particular one that had a retired Mark Armitage with a big smile on his face holding a five-year-old Kimberly at a baby animal ranch as she cuddled a white baby bunny rabbit. Her glassy eyes ran as she smiled while running her hand against the image of Mark making her mind wander.

A man of his word, Mark not only made good on making her daughter disappear to protect her after the events at Mount McLoughlin seven years ago. He also found a way to adopt her raising her as his own. He believed with all his heart that Sophia would somehow cheat death again and come looking for her little girl. She ended up proving him right.

Reconciling with his wife, they remarried, both taking care of Kimberly while their daughter Annie treated her like a little sister. Mark retired from the F.B.I, no longer respecting the agency and what it stood for. He also departed due to health reasons, being one of the very first people to contract the Judgment Virus.

Although Sophia returned, she realized she wanted her daughter to have a normal life, and she would never have that if she was with her. After secretly discussing it with Mark and Michelle, they reluctantly agreed it was best that she remained dead to Kimberly.

Behind the scenes Sophia made sure her daughter wanted for nothing. She quickly acquired her now vast wealth through treasure hunts, mining for precious stones and minerals such as gold and diamonds in areas of the planet that had not been touched and reached only by her. Michelle or Mark would call her, or she would visit during school hours to check up on her. Every night she hovered from afar watching her window until her bedroom light went out.

She also took care of Mark and Michelle’s finances by paying off their house and taking care of his medical bills. She appointed herself as his secondary doctor working feverishly to find a cure and to prolong his life. Her treatments along with Mark’s iron will gave him five more years. Her mind went back to his final days. She visited every day. One gray Monday, she stayed for almost the whole day talking, laughing, and holding his hand. His condition severely deteriorated. He refused her treatment a month prior telling her it was just delaying the inevitable. That he was both tired and ready. A teary-eyed Mark smiled and thanked her for giving him the best five years of his life. Four days later he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

As her mind came back to the present time, so did her hatred for a deity whose existence she constantly wrestled with. If He did exist, she hated Him for taking away her friends and people she loved. She hated Him for leaving her alone in the world with a hole in her heart she could not close.

If He did not exist, it meant the law of action and reaction dictated her sad fate.

Michelle nonchalantly walked down the steps with a sigh. Sophia quickly swatted away her tears readying herself to leave.

“
Well she’s finally calm,” she huffed, “her poor room is wrecked…”

“
I can come fix it tomorrow,” Sophia gestured.

“
It’s a wall and floor,” she waved her off, “a fun DIY project for me.”

“
Okay,” Sophia quickly nodded, “I should be…”

“
You’re not leaving here without your daughter,” Michelle sternly cut her off.

“
I… I don’t understand.” She tried to find her words.

“
The jig is up.” Michelle walked into the living room. “The rules have changed. It is time.”

“
She still has school,” Sophia stammered, “and…”

“
School ends in a month, and we both know she’s a straight A+ student on the Principle’s List.” She stopped her. “Right now, she doesn’t need school… she needs you.”

“
Right now’s not a good time.” She tried to be dismissive.

“
Sophia…” Michelle’s tone became stern.

“
I have a lot of things to do,” Sophia said with her own sternness. “I don’t have the time…”

“
Make the damn time, she needs her mother.”

“
I am her mother!” Sophia lashed out. “Every sacrifice I’ve made was for her! I’ve made sure she’s never wanted for anything since coming back! I even bought this damn…”

Sophia quickly halted, cupping her mouth. She shamefully shook her head regretting what she was about to say and who she was about to say it to. Michelle, with a calm smile, walked up to her taking her hands from her mouth with her good hand gently holding them.

“
I… I didn’t mean.” Her eyes glowed as they became glassy again.

“
Shhhh, I know the talk of fear when I hear it,” Michelle calmed her. “There’s no need to apologize.”

“
I’m not ready.” She lowered her head. “Michelle… I’m not ready…”

Michelle lifted the chin of the most powerful woman on the planet, looking her in her tear drenched eyes.

“
You’re ready,” she smiled, “you’ve always been ready. Every day when you’re about to leave here after your visits, I can see it in your eyes how badly you wanted to take her. How much it killed you every time you had to fly away without her. I love her the same as I love Annie and Penny, but if you were to ask me to give her to you on any of those days. I would have packed her up in a heartbeat and with a smile… because she belongs to you.”

Her words brought her to sobbing fits. Michelle consoled her as if she was a child wiping her eyes.

“
You have suffered enough,” Michelle affirmed. “You have sacrificed enough. Your baby needs you, and you need her.”

“
I’m scared,” she whimpered, “I’m so scared…”

“
You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t scared,” she smiled, “and you’re not alone. You are never alone.”

“
Shouldn’t we wait,” Sophia meekly asked, “like… give her tonight, and I can pick her up tomorrow?”

“
You want her to possibly run after I tell her.” Michelle gave her a dull look. “And then have to go through the pain of hunting her down?”

“
I’ll call Benji,” Sophia nodded in defeat.

“
I’ll go back upstairs and break the news,” she sighed, “get ready to chase her if she bolts.”

Michelle smiled, rubbing her arm, and then turned taking in another deep breath of air.

Readying herself for more fireworks, she marched herself out of the living room and back upstairs.

A timid Sophia slowly walked out of the living room as well, and sat down at the steps to listen. She listened as the child screamed not wanting to go, refusing to go while Michelle told her to calm down with motherly sternness. She threatened to runaway, as predicted, but Michelle warned her that her mother downstairs was stronger and faster than her with the ability to fly so there was nowhere to run. Bawling and pleas followed with incoherent words.

“
Please Michelle! Please!” she bitterly wept. “Please don’t make me go with her! I’ll be good! I promise! I’m sorry I hurt you! I didn’t mean to! It was an accident! I won’t do it again! I swear! Please don’t send me away! Please! Please!”

“
Honey, it’s not about that,” Michelle said softly. “You got to calm down and listen.”

It was the crying that got to her. She was the reason for her tears. Sophia slowly covered her ears tucking her head between her legs on the steps fighting to drown it out. She wanted to run. She wanted to run someplace deep and dark so that she could die.

CHAPTER 15

Eight hours and thirty minutes later Sophia came into view of her island. Her usual flight time was between fifteen to twenty minutes. She kept cruising speed with the private jet carrying her precious cargo.

She flew ahead touching down on the landing strip where a waiting Earl trotted onto the tarmac to greet her. His smile had a nervous twitch to it reacting to Sophia’s visage of borderline fear. An expression he had never seen on her before.

“
Welcome home… again.” He looked up the approaching plane. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing home new arrivals.”

“
One new arrival,” answered a hesitant Sophia, “my… daughter.”

Earl wore a stunned, yet calm, mask as the plane came down for its final descent making a perfect landing.

As the plane rolled to a halt parking in front of them, Earl appeared to be more anxious than Sophia, wondering if the child exiting the plane would be normal or a super powered miniature being similar to her mother.

“
How old is she?” Earl innocently asked.

“
Ten,” Sophia said bluntly.

The door to the Embraer Legacy 500 opened as Benjamin the pilot came to the entrance with his carryon luggage in one hand and a red suitcase in his other hand. He waited as a tall young woman in her teens with Sophia’s complexion wearing long curly wild black hair timidly stepped into the entranceway gripping a pink My Little Pony teddy bear. A spider monkey sat perched on her shoulder looking out at what would be his new surroundings. The gray jumpsuit she wore belonging to Annie was one size too small, while the green flip-flops belonged to Michelle.

“
That’s a very big ten year old,” Earl muttered, running his hand across his skull.

He quickly noticed that Sophia remained rooted in place. Her eyes fixated on the young woman who buried her face in her plush toy with fretting eyes.

He took the initiative trotting over to grab the rolling steps docking it with the entrance of the plane. He stepped down hard on the braking mechanism locking it into place.

“
Hello young lady,” greeted a chirpy Earl, “welcome to Sanctuary! Come on, don’t be shy.”

Benjamin gingerly gestured to Kimberly to go first. The child timorously advanced forward grabbed the railing as she slowly walked down the steps. Her eye glanced between the steps and her waiting mother, who fought to hide her trembling.

“
Hello there!” Earl beamed. “Can I ask your name?”

She did not answer as her doe eyes locked with her mother’s eyes. It was the longest two minutes as the two just stared at one another. Earl looked at Sophia giving her a subtle gesture snapping her out of her trance.

She straightened up walking bristly toward the trio, which made Kimberly look down at the tarmac as if she had done something wrong.

“
Thank you Benji.” Sophia forced a smile. “I really appreciate you doing this at short notice.”

“
Not a problem Soph,” smiled Benjamin. “This is the one place I enjoy flying to.”

The awkwardness came back again for another minute. Earl never saw Sophia this rattled and lost. He made a fake cough to break the silence again.

“
So Benji, you up for some barbeque pork chops?” Earl innocently asked.

“
As long as it comes with a couple round of checkers,” said Benjamin, taking the subtle hint.”

“
Yes… I need to…” paused a nervous Sophia, “get her home.”

Benjamin nodded, handing her daughter’s suitcase to her.

“
Well, we’ll leave you ladies to get settled in,” Earl nodded. “It’s nice to meet you…”

“
Kimberly,” Sophia tensely answered for her daughter, “her name is… Kimberly.”

“
Very nice to meet you, Kimberly.” Earl smiled waving to her.

Sir George waved goodbye for her as she continued to look down at the ground.

“
Nice flying with you, Kimberly,” waved Benjamin.

He nodded to Sophia before walking off to follow Earl for some rest and relaxation. She knew their topic of conversation once Benjamin got settled in would be about them.

Sophia huffed. The two of them were finally alone, and she could feel the eyes once again on her.

“
Uh,” Sophia motioned while stumbling with her words, “so my house… is this way.”

Butterflies abused her stomach as she slowly turned to walk. The sound of flapping flip-flops meant she did not have to turn around, but she could still feel those eyes locked on her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

A couple of minutes later, she slowly walked with a stranger who she had given birth to following behind her tightly clutching her stuffed animal. Sir George, the spider monkey, sat on her shoulders absorbing his new surroundings.

The evening moonlight shined high above as they walked through a village. Some people were outside sitting or standing on the porches of their huts, others walked by heading home. Everyone acknowledged Sophia. She could also feel them staring silently at the person following her.

Those who looked as if they wanted to start a conversation, she quickly waved to or said she would talk to them later, sometimes in their own language.