I gasped, "What?"
Derek didn't hear me because he left me and got in a car with a cell phone in his ear.
I stood up and the wind started to blow so hard that my hair flapped against me. I started to cry for no reason. What was I going to do? I saw Mom and the rest of my family leaving the tent they were under and head towards the car. I immediately followed them feeling very depressed.
The car ride was loud. Caleb was proudly displaying what he earned to everyone who was there and the music in the stereo made it worse. As for me, I felt depressed.
I don't know why I did, I just felt depressed. I somehow knew Derek was going to do something, but I didn't know what. I got in the house and ran upstairs into my room, just in time to find my phone ringing. I wanted to ignore it, but couldn't. I was hoping it was Derek, so I answered it.
"Hello?" I called into the phone.
"Sadie?" the voice said, it sounded like Derek's.
"This is her," I breathed.
"Sadie, this is Derek."
"Hi Derek. Thanks for ditching me."
"What? I didn't ditch you," he said.
"Whatever, you did."
He sighed over the phone, "I'm at the White House."
"Ha! Whatever. I just saw you like two minutes ago."
"Kelsey can run really fast remember?"
"Eh, no. I don't. It would take Kelsey like two hours to get to the White House. It's all the way across the country for crying out loud!" I said loudly into the phone. I was hoping to ruin his eardrum.
"Ow! No need to scream."
"I didn't scream, I talked loudly," I fought back.
"Ugh. It takes Kelsey like ten minutes to get to the White House."
"Prove it," I challenged.
"Here's Kelsey," he quickly said and another voice, a sweet adult one came on the line.
"Sadie, I'm your old babysitter, Kels. How's it goin'?" she said lightly.
I was speechless I didn't believe Derek. "Ugh, well . . . um."
Derek went back on the line, "Told you."
"Okay, fine you win. Why did you call me?"
"I'm going to send a helicopter to the Westside Park. Be there," he said sternly.
"Why? You can't do that," I said.
"Yes, I can. I toke computer classes for four summers straight. I hacked the computer and had a helicopter go over there without the pilot asking questions."
"What did you do? Pay him?" I meant that not as a real answer, but it was, because Derek said, "Yes."
I sighed because I had no choice. "Fine. I'll be at Westside in ten minutes."
"Kay, bye." And then I hung up.
I wrote a note for Mom and Dad on pink and purple polka-dot paper.
Dear Mom and Dad,
By the time you notice that I'm gone, I'll be in D.C. Derek told me to go. Well, I wanted to go, too. No, I will not be marrying him, like Jaycie will think. He's going to help me.
You see Mom and Dad, before I was in the orphanage I used to have powers. (Don't laugh, it's true.) I could see the future and read people's minds. My birth parents used to have them too. Then Charlie (he used to be my best friend) and his "friends" worked for the government. The government doesn't like us. We call ourselves "The Uniquers". I don't want you, or anyone else in the family to get hurt, because I know Charlie or someone in the government will try to either kill you, or do something to get back at me, Derek, Kelsey and my parents, if they're still alive.
Don't worry, Derek is not alone with me, his older sister Kelsey, will be with us. She's in college. I've known them pretty much all my life -- they were my next-door neighbors. Love you lots.
Love,
Your adopted daughter, Sadie Grace
I then wrote letters to Carrie, Natasha, Jasmine, and Summer. I asked Mom and Dad to give them out for me in the envelope.
Warm tears went down my face like a waterfall, and they fell on the papers I was writing on. I put Mom and Dad's letter on the table hoping they would find it first, not Jane. I left taking only a backpack full of clothes, my wallet with my parents credit cards they told me not to use, hand sanitizer, and of course my own big box of tissues.
I walked slowly to Westside Park. Memories flooded back to my head: Derek, Skye, my birth parents, Mom, Dad, happy memories of everyone I had known. Tears came back again. I sat on the bench waiting for the helicopter to arrive. I didn't know how he could send a helicopter without anyone noticing. Of course, money is his answer for pretty much every thing.
My hair started flying everywhere, the leaves on the trees came off and went with the wind. I looked up and saw the helicopter fly downwards until it came to a complete stop. Derek came out and waved to me. I ran over. Derek helped me get in and buckled me up. I just sat there. His arm went around my shoulders in a kind of hug.
I looked downwards out the window as the helicopter passed by my house. I closed my eyes and let the tears roll.
