Part 4

She heard footsteps and quickly closed the vault, stuffing the piece of paper in her shirt.

“Liz honey,” Mrs. Parker called, stepping into the room, “dinner’s almost ready. Go wash up.”

“Yes mom,” Liz said, her voice shaking a little bit.

Mrs. Parker walked back out, but stuck her head back in. “Something wrong?”

“Oh no,” Liz shakes her head, “just excited for tomorrow.”

“What’s happening tomorrow?”

“Did I forget to tell you?” Liz lied, “Maria, Isabel and I are going to have a Girl’s Night Out.”

“Oh, have fun then dear.”

Watching her mother’s retreating back, Liz exhaled in relief. She took out the piece of paper and gave it another glance.

“Liz!” Mr. Parker yelled.

She jumped and dashed downstairs, making sure to tuck away the paper in her room where they wouldn’t find it.

“Liz darling, pass me the mashed potatoes,” Mr. Parker addressed his daughter.

“Yes sir,” she mumbled and handed him the dish.

*Well, it’s now or never.*

“Mom, am I adopted?” Liz blurted out.

It was dinnertime; everyone was at the table eating. Liz figured that it was a good place to bring up the question that plagued her mind the whole evening.

Mrs. Parker’s mouth dropped open and her folk clattered when it fell onto the plate.

Mr. Parker was the first to recover from the shock.

“What are you talking about honey? You know that you’ve always been our little girl.”

“Dad,” sighed Liz, thinking to her that two can play this sort of game, “don’t tell me bullshit. I know everything so just tell me the truth.”

She held up her adoption certificate.

“Where did you get that?” Mrs. Parker exclaimed.

The last time she had seen it was when she locked it in the hidden safe. Liz couldn’t possibly of known about it unless her husband told her. And by the looks of it, he was equally as surprised at this new revelation.

Liz got ready to drop the bombshell.

“I’ve decided to go look for my biological parents,” she said, “in Washington, D.C.”

“WHAT!”

Liz winced. “Well, that’s where you adopted me from right?” she began. “Then it’s the best place to search at.”

“But honey, you have everything here. Why go?” Mrs. Parker tried her hardest not to burst into tears, she needed to be strong, strong enough to persuade her daughter not to leave her home.

“Mom,” Liz said, “wouldn’t you want to find your real parents after all these years?”

Mrs. Parker sat back as if she had just been slapped. Real parents? Weren’t they real enough? They, she and her husband, had been the ones that adopted and raised her when she was young. Tears stung her eyes.

“Don’t you think you’re rushing it all a bit? Sleep on it,” Mr. Parker advised. He was just as nervous as his wife. Their baby girl leaving them to find another set of parents? No, that must be another family, not theirs.

“Dad.”

With that one word, Liz won them over. She always had a way with words, and her big sweet, brown, doe eyes helped too.

As Liz crawled under her covers, she found her world once again turned upside down. She not only learned that she was adopted, but that she was abandoned on the footstep of a stranger’s house on the shore end of a lake when she was about 4 years old. The adoption agency told the Parkers that she had suffered a major concussion that disabled her to remember anything before she was taken in. The only identification was a silver nameplate attached to her tattered and ragged clothes that said Elizabeth.

Night and day came and went fast. Before she knew it, she was getting comfortable in her seat, waiting for the plane to launch.

As soon as she had saw the words “State of Washington, D.C.” in bold, she felt an invisible pull that drew her in. She knew that she had to be there; whatever “there” was. Also, the words from the mysterious woman in her dream, or wherever she went when she was knocked out, came haunting back to her.

She almost regretted not telling the others about her little “trip.” Almost. She spent the past week getting ready, packing her suitcase, making registrations in Washington, and fending off the alien’s newest attacks on her life.

Kyle was the only one she talked to. They finally had something in common, something that Alex would’ve had too if he was still alive. What it was, was the fact that aliens ruined their life to the point of no return.

Maria was spending most of free time with the aliens, more importantly Michael. It seemed like overnight, both of them had become attached at the hip!

*Maybe it was the sex…* Liz found herself thinking one night when she was crying herself to sleep.

Max had been relentless in his attempts to win back Liz’s heart. But, the only trouble was, she didn’t know if she had one anymore. It probably died the moment Tess and baby Max left Earth’s atmosphere. She didn’t know and didn’t want to think about it.

Isabel was pinning over Alex, nothing new. Sobbing with guilt was all her life was currently consumed with. Liz would be too, if she didn’t have the nagging feeling that he was out there waiting for her.

The pilot’s voice broke through her thoughts called memory lane. They were landing and the seatbelt lights were flashing on. Liz sighed and buckled her seatbelt as told.

*Washington, get ready to be blown away be I, Liz Parker, alien hater.*

<<   Home   >>