Some Kind of Wonderful- Part Six by: Enemyoffun Charlie Sandsmark and his mother, Helena, travel around the world from one archaeological dig to another, looking for evidence of the ancient Amazonian culture. So far they have found nothing, until Charlie discovers something wonderful about himself on a small island in the Aegean Sea.

-----

Author's Note: I assure you I am not a machine, I just have a lot of free time. Here's Ch. 6, prepare for some action. I'd like to thank DC Comics for the use of their wonderful characters and djkauf for the awesome editing.

-----

Chapter Six:

It took about an hour and a half to get from the island back to mainland Greece. The boat we were on put into port in a small fishing village. It was this very same village where we’d been getting on Costas’ boat for the last two days. There was a small crowd gathered when we docked. I think anytime more than one boat like ours left, people usually gathered to see what they brought back. Costas and his goons were the first ones off. There was a van waiting for the conscious ones---two of the ones I beat the crap out of must have awakened on the ride back. The last beaten one was still on the stretcher; they carried him to a waiting ambulance.

We didn’t leave our boat until the others were off. There was a van waiting for us, too. Andreas and his men made a spectacle out of things, too. My mother was kinda a local celebrity around here. Last year the two of us came through here but we never found anything. My mother had been really discouraged but she didn’t let it get her down. She might have been cold to me but to everyone else---locals mainly---she was the greatest. To help her get over her frustration, she actually donated some of her grant money to help rebuild a church that had fallen on hard times. So when the three of us arrived here this year, the villages came in force to greet us.

Now however there was a lot of hissing and booing. Thankfully, not directed at us. I don’t think Andreas was well liked by the people around here. There was an old woman with a vegetable cart who actually threw a head of lettuce at him and a group of kids started throwing pebbles at his men. Me, I did everything I could to hold back the laughter. I suppose someone should have warned him about how much Mom was well loved around here. Suffice to say as soon as they started throwing things; the three of us were rushed into the van. We were shoved into the back with a pair of Andreas’ men while the Captain himself got into the front. The van was a little smaller on the inside than I would have liked. The cramped quarters might have been ideal for the old me but the new me was just too tall for it. My long legs were practically in my throat and I had to slouch forward to sit properly. It was not a very comfortable ride. Not only that, the five of us were crammed in there like sardines, stuffed on two small rows of seats. Mom and one of the soldiers were behind us while another sat in between Donna and I. We weren’t allowed to talk which made the ride all that more uncomfortable. I tried to bide my time by looking out the window but after leaving the little village, heading up hill, there was nothing but tall grass and rocks.

The worst part: we ended up on the road for almost three hours.

By the time we got to our destination it was late afternoon. When the van stopped and we were ushered outside, I debated what I needed to do more, stretch my legs or pee. While the latter was more urgent, I didn’t really want to think about it yet. So I stretched and got a look at our surroundings now. We were in another city, much bigger than the village we came from. The buildings around us were older---probably a couple hundred years or so---made of limestone. We were in a narrow street, the buildings so close that the lane was only big enough for one car to go through at a time. Out of the three of us, I was the only one not handcuffed.

“We go this way, Miss Sandsmark,” said Andreas as he got out of the van.

He pointed ahead. I followed his arm and saw a more modern looking building. It was painted gray, made of cement. It looked out of place with its satellite dish on top and tall radio antenna. There was a sign on the building that said Bureau of Antiquities. I sighed, finally realizing why these guys were so mad before. I knew they said the island was some kind of nature preserve but clearly, that was a lie. They just wanted us off island for some reason. I don’t think it had anything to do with local superstition either. Clearly, these guys knew there was something there and they didn’t want us poking our noses in it.
Andreas made sure that I led the way, keeping a close eye on me as he did so. I think he thought I’d make a run for it. As we walked, his hand was on the butt of his pistol the whole time. Not that it would do him much good if I decided to fight back. I’m not sure how I knew but I was pretty confident that I could snap his neck faster than he could draw that thing. Not that I would but the thought had crossed my mind. There were fewer soldiers now, which meant less resistance. I could take them all out easily now but I didn’t see any reason to. Partially because of what my mother told Donna and me on the ride over from the island. Apparently, she forged the permits to get on the island in the first place. She actually went to the Antiquities Bureau beforehand to ask for permission but they refused. So she got a local who owed her a favor and he forged some documents for her.

So before I thought Andreas was arresting her without any cause but now I knew better. I loved my mother but she did some stupid things and for what, so she could go poking around in some place she was illegally trespassing on. My mother had a way with people---she was a smooth talker---but I knew for a fact that there was no way she’d be able to talk herself out of this one. She was going to see some jail time, hell we might all see some. That’s what worried me the most. I wasn’t exactly legal anymore. Sure Charles Stephanos Sandsmark was but not whoever I was now. I had no documentation that proved my new self existed. Even if Mom found some way to talk them out of pressing charges, the authorities were still going to detain me for being in the country illegally.

When we got inside the building, the first thing I was greeted with was a blast of cold air. It had to be close to a hundred degrees outside but in here, it felt like sixty. I could hear the hum of an air conditioner. It was the greatest thing in the world. The next thing I noticed was the smell. The linoleum floors were recently washed, the walls given a fresh coat of paint. Not that it was a good one, lime green was never a color anyone should paint with. There was a small reception area right in front, a pretty Greek girl in a tight blouse manning the phones. When she saw me walk in her eyes went as big as saucers. It was pretty much the same reaction I got from the villagers in the fishing village too. It wasn’t very often that a six foot three blonde walked around places like this, at least not without a photographer following her snapping pictures.

The girl eyed me up and down. There was something in her look. I didn’t recognize it at first but slowly I realized it was jealousy. I think before I walked into the room she was the prettiest one here and my presence made her pale in comparison. There were a couple of guys in the room and as soon as their eyes fell on me it was like the whole world stopped spinning so they all could take a good look. I couldn’t help but blush, especially when I turned my head and caught my reflection in the large glass window to my left. I was surprised at what I saw. I saw myself when I first transformed---in Hera’ mirror---but now and then were two different times. The girl looking back at me now looked completely different. With her hair pulled back, she looked much more sophisticated. The tight black tank top hugged my body a little more than I would have liked and the shorts showed off curves that I didn’t know I had. If I were to guess I’d say I was at least one forty but I don’t think there was much fat on my bones. I reached up and touched my face gently. That was me. I smiled slightly. For the first time, I could look in the mirror and not see a loser.

Andreas annoyingly put his hand on my forearm. I think he realized his mistake and pulled it away quickly. “C’mon, Princess you can look at yourself in the mirror later.”

He gently led me through the lobby and over to a door that he pushed open for me. It opened to a hallway. I was led down first; Donna and my Mom were behind me. While they were led into rooms adjacent to one another, I was led to one further down the hall. So clearly, they were going to separate us and try to see if our stories were straight. The room I was led into was small, with a table and two hardback chairs. Andreas pointed to one seat while he took the other. Clearly, he was going to be doing my interrogation.

Sitting on the table was a folder and next to it was a pack that I recognized as my own. They must have gotten it from my tent. I sat down without saying a thing as Andreas sat and opened the folder. He read for a few seconds while I busied myself with trying to come up with a believable story. There was no way this guy was going to believe that I was a boy before who was given a magic girdle that changed me into a girl. I wracked my brain, trying to come up with something that sounded at least halfway sane.

Andreas cleared his throat and set a small tape recorder on the desk. “Please state your name for the record?”

I cleared my throat. “Charlie Sandsmark.”

He didn’t look surprised. “Is that your full name? “

I bit my lip. There was no use avoiding it. I shook my head. “My full name is Charles Stephanos Sandsmark.”

Andreas didn’t look shocked that I gave him a boy’s name. In fact, he nodded. “Tell me Miss Sandsmark, how long have you and your mother been coming to this country?”

So I told him. Many of his questions were about my mother and I and our adventures. He seemed particularly interested in the time we spent on Crete recently. It seemed that in his folder he had a record of Mom’s most recent exploits. Before here it was Africa and before that, it was India. Mom spent a lot of time in both places looking for evidence that eventually led the two of us to Crete. We left home at the end of December this year---a day after school got out for Winter Recess---and flew out here nonstop. Donna joined us a few days later. Andreas apparently knew all this. Before going to Crete, we spent about a week in Athens looking through the libraries there, local ones and the one at the university. Andreas knew all that too. It almost sounded like the guy had been spying on us, which was kinda crazy.

After about an hour of his pointless questions, he asked one that I didn’t expect. “And can you tell me please, where is the Girdle of Hippolyta?”

I felt like someone sucked me in the gut. What the hell? How did he know that? “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

He smiled. “After my men put you and your elders onto the boats, I circled back into the jungle. I went to the Temple of Hera, went right up to the statue of the Sacred Queen and what I saw shocked the hell out of me.” He sighed, running his fingers through his slick black hair. “The treasure that my people have been protecting for centuries, gone from its resting place.”

Guarding for centuries? I bit my lip. “I don’t…”

He cut me off. “We know Dr. Sandsmark doesn’t have a daughter. We also know that up until this morning, her son, Charlie, was on the island with her.” He pushed some pictures across the table, pictures of me and Mom together. They were candid, taken from a distance.

I groaned. He was spying on us. “What the hell is this?” I felt my anger rising.

“As I said my people have been protecting that island for longer than there have been stories to tell about it. Those men in the boat---the ones led by Mr. Costas---they weren’t supposed to harm you, just merely scare you off.”

I jumped to my feet, anger flooding to the forefront. “You son of a bitch. You sent them didn’t you?” He nodded. “That bastard shot at me, did you know that?”

Andreas face paled. “That was most unfortunate. Mr. Costas is the only member of our organization; the others were hired hands. As I said before, they were only meant to scare you away. Clearly Mr. Costas hired the wrong sort.”

I slammed my fists angrily on the table. It was metal so it didn’t buckle under the pressure but I left two fist imprints on it. I calmed down a little but only a little. I was still fuming mad at this bastard. He’d been spying on us then sent killers to try to stop us. Of course, he sugarcoated it, but it was pretty plan that he or whoever he represented hadn’t wanted us off the island. What he didn’t count on was me kicking the shit out of his goons. I could read it clearly on his face, now he was just trying to save his own ass.

I glared at him. “You have no idea who or what you’re messing with here.”

He smiled. “I know very well what is going on.” He grinned, “Now I’ll ask you only one more time, where is the Girdle.”

I lunged for him but before I grab him by the throat, there was a light knock on the door. Before Andreas could say come in however, the door opened. I dropped back down into my seat; I didn’t need witnesses seeing me strangle this bastard to death. I turned instead to see the man who walked into the room. As soon as I saw him, I could tell he wasn’t Greek. For starters, his hair was so blonde it looked white. He had a sharp face, cobalt colored eyes and a rough look to him. He was gray suit with a skinny tie and walked with a rigid military stride. He was definitely American and he was definitely higher up on the food chain than little Captain Andreas.

Andreas’ face paled. He knew it too.

“Captain Andreas” said the man in a cool, calm voice. “What are you doing to this young woman alone in this room?”

The Captain chewed on his lip. “I was…I was…questioning her about the men we brought in.”

The man nodded. “Looks like things were getting out of hand in here.” He looked at the table, at the place where I smashed it with my fists. “I think it might be in all our interests if I take over from here.”

“I…but…” Andreas sputtered as he got to his feet.

The man gave him a cold, hard look. Andreas nodded his head slightly and went for the door. He shot me a look that said, “This wasn’t over” then disappeared. The American walked over and gently sat in Andreas’ vacant chair, sliding it up comfortable so he was sitting right against the table. He put a folder of his own down on the desk and then looked at me, smiling slightly.

“Hello Miss Sandsmark, my name is Special Agent King Faraday” His smile got bigger. “You and I need to talk I think.”

Though he didn’t look it, Agent Faraday was smooth. When he talked, the words seemed to roll off his lips and swirl around the room. I leaned forward a bit, listening, entranced by that voice. I know I’ve heard the term “hanging on his every word” but I never thought I’d be one to do it. Listening to this man speak made my heart flutter. Not that I’m saying I’m attracted to him---I’ve only been a girl for less than twenty four hours---but there was just something about the way he spoke that made me want to believe every word he said. I believed it too, all his words.

As soon as he introduced himself, he started talking about the reason he was there.

“I work for Homeland Security,” he said, tapping the folder. “We don’t generally handle foreign situations but yours is a special circumstance. You see the world isn’t what it used to be. Well not since the Metas started cropping up all over the place.”

I nodded. Even though I had no idea what he was talking about. I forgot to ask Donna. But he talked on anyway, giving me a rundown on some of the incidents that had caught the governments’ attention. I continued to nod, getting caught up in that velvety voice of his. If angels could speak, I wonder if they’d all sound like King Faraday.

“We call her American Dream,” he was saying, unfortunately I missed most of what came before, because I’d been busy daydreaming.

I smiled and nodded, trying to pretend I was paying attention. “What does this have to do with me?”

“Like I was saying, things have changed” He tapped the folder again. “I’m the guy assigned to make sure some things don’t interfere with the way things have been done in the past.”

“Is that why you’re here?”

He nodded. “You’re definitely not very low key, that’s for sure,” He said, finally opening the folder.

I looked at what was inside. It was photos, pictures of the goons that I mangled on the island. More importantly, it was pictures of their bruises. Some of them looked pretty bad. The color drained from my face. Where in the hell did he get these? That was only a few hours ago.

He smiled and spoke as if reading my mind. “Since Day One we’ve been monitoring world communication. Our outpost nearby picked up the chatter from the boats bringing you in. Luckily for you I was in the area investigating an incident in Africa. I figured the fools here didn’t know what they had and I was right. They weren’t planning to let you go you know. They were going to detain you a few days under some visa fiasco and then when that was over with they were going to try to put you in lock=down somewhere.”

Lock down? I scoffed. “Like that would have held me.”

He nodded. “You’re something special Miss Sandsmark, something different than the others. American Dream has the talent and the skill but you’ve got raw power. I haven’t even seen you in action but just by looking at the aftermath, I can tell that the others don’t even compare. At this very moment you might be the most powerful Metahuman in the whole world.”

He went on to tell me exactly how much he thought of me. His words were very flattering, but I was finally starting to see through his charming act. He might have had an angel voice but it was silver-tongued too. As much as he was here to help me, he was hoping I’d help him, too. He was a Patriot; probably ex-military by the way, he walked into the room. He clearly had some pull too because he got Andreas out of the room really quickly. But he wasn’t here for my well being, he was here as a Recruiter. He wanted me; the government wanted me, no doubt. I hadn’t even been a super girl for twenty-four hours and the vultures were already starting to descend.

Fortunately for me, I wasn’t buying any of it.

“So what you’re saying is that I don’t want anything from you except a way out of here.” I smiled. Maybe I could use this to my advantage., I finally said, smiling sweetly. “Is it that my country needs me?”

He didn’t deny it. He didn’t confirm it either. “We can get to the details later.” He closed his folder and looked at his watch. “Right now I need to get you and your mother and Miss Troy out of this country immediately.”

“Is something bad going to happen?”

As soon as the words left my mouth, all the lights went off. Agent Faraday cursed. There was a flash of light as a beam cut through the room. This guy brought a flashlight, was he expecting trouble? Instead of saying anything, he rushed over to the door and tried the lock. He cursed. Apparently Andreas locked the door on the way out.

“They’ve made their move already,” he said, reaching into the inside of his coat, pulling something out.

“Who” I asked, watching as he tried to pick the lock I think.

“Andreas’ people, whoever he works for.”

I nodded, only understanding about half of what was going on. I watched him fiddle with the lock trying to get it open but he was having trouble. I groaned and decided to assist. I walked over, grabbed the knob and tore the whole door off its hinges. The look on Faraday’s face was priceless. But it didn’t last long. He put away his lock pick and took out a gun. He stepped into the corridor, shining the light in both directions. I stepped around him. There was a time to be stealthy and a time to be direct; this was the direct time. He didn’t argue as I took charge, walking briskly down the hall to where I saw them put my mother and Donna.

Some place else in the building I heard a woman scream and then a burst of automatic fire. I cursed and moved faster. Faraday was right behind me, moving faster to keep up. I reached the first door and stopped. There was a commotion in the hall behind me. I spun around just in time to see a gunman run into the hallway. He raised his gun to fire but Faraday dropped him with a clean shot to the head. I think I was in good hands as long as he was at my back. So I turned back to the door and tore it off its hinges too.

The room was similar to the one I was in. Faraday shined his light into the room and I saw Donna sitting at the table there, looking scared. Relief washed over her face when she saw me.

Then she looked worriedly over at Faraday. “Who’s he? What’s going on here?”

“Later, we have to get Mom and get the hell out of here.”

“C’mon Miss Troy” said Faraday, beckoning Donna out of the room.

He introduced himself as we moved down the hall, handing her the flashlight. He gave her a short rundown of things. Me, I only half listened again. I got to the room where they were keeping Mom and like with Donna’s room, I tore the door free. Donna shined the light into the room, Mom was sitting at the table too but she wasn’t alone. There was a soldier there with her, one of Andreas' men. He reached for his gun when he saw me but I was on him a lot faster than he could react. I grabbed him and pushed at the same time, sending him flying across the room into the far wall. He slumped to the floor and didn’t get back up. Mom looked from him to me and back to him. She didn’t say much as she ran over to the corner and grabbed her bag. Most of its contents were scattered about and she was furiously stuffing them inside.

“Just don’t stand there, help me,” she said, annoyed.

Donna rushed into the room and helped. I groaned.

“We don’t have time for this. There’s people with guns trying to kill us.”

“I’m not leaving my work behind,” said my mother as she and Donna put the rest of it into her pack.

“Are we done now?”

The two of them left the room. My mother looked at Faraday suspiciously. He was a man after all but more than that, it was clear that he was government too.

“Who’s he?”

“Faraday” I said, looking around.

Two more men burst into the hallway but they weren’t taking any chances. Faraday snapped around to fire but I got there first. I pushed all three of them into Mom’s room and spun on the gunmen. The bullets flew through the air at rapid speed, whole bursts of them. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to deflect them. But no matter how fast I was there were a few slips. One of them got past and burned past my cheek. It stung like a bitch. Not only that but my arms were killing me after moving that fast. Luckily, for me, the two guys emptied their magazines. I took that opportunity to charge them. Neither of them stood a chance. One of them tried to pull a pistol but I grabbed his arm and broke his wrist. He screamed out in pain and I threw him down the hall, his scream echoed into the darkness. The other tried to run back out of the hall, back the way he came where the light still was on. But I caught him by his shoulder. I pulled him back, slamming him into the far wall. He dropped to the ground. I grabbed their guns and smashed them over a knee.

“It’s clear” I said loudly enough for the others to hear.

Faraday came out of the room first, rubbing his shoulder. Mom and Donna followed. The three of them walked slowly down the hall, Donna was shining the light at my handiwork.

“I was right,” said Faraday when they got to me. “You really are the most powerful.”

I ignored him. Instead, I stuck my head out into the main room. It was the reception area that Andreas led me through only a few hours before. Now it was a bloody massacre. Everyone there was dead, the pretty girl from earlier was on the floor in a pool of her own blood. I felt a pang of sadness for her. I tried not to think too much about it though. We still weren’t out of the woods yet. I checked to make sure we were alone. The area was clear for now but who knew how many more there were. After all, Andreas was nowhere in sight.

Faraday came behind me. “My car should be out front. With any luck we won’t run into any resistance on the way to the airport.”

“Airport?” said my mother from behind us. “We can’t go to the airport. I need to head back to the island; I need to secure the site.”

I snapped around to face her. “You’re kidding, right. People are trying to kill us and all you’re worried about is the stupid island.”

“It’s important to me.”

I’d had enough. “MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME? MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR OWN LIFE?”

She didn’t say anything. For a moment, the place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. My mother was at a loss as to what to say. Me I was furious. I’m not sure if it was just that I was angry at her stupidity or at the men who were trying to kill us. Hell, I think I was angry at the whole day in general. I’m not sure if she noticed or not but I was having a really bad one. She finally opened her mouth to say something but I held up my hand to cut her off. I didn’t want to hear anymore of her crap, I was sick and tired of it. As soon as we got out of this damn country, I was done with her and all her crap.

“Charlie…I…” she started to say but the sound of screeching tires cut her off.

Son of a bitch, there were more of them.

“Where did you say your car was?” I asked as headlights shone through the windows.

“Out front” said Faraday, groaning.

I looked around, hoping there was another way out. If there was, I couldn’t see any. But that wasn’t going to stop me. I stalked through the room, throwing aside desks and chairs, trying to avoid bodies. I walked to the far wall and took a deep breath. Hera give me strength, that seemed to work the last time, right? I slammed both my fists into the wall. The first time the concrete cracked and caved a bit. But when I did it again, I smashed right through. Night had fallen and the stars were out. It was a bit nippy out there but I had achieved my goal, now we had an alternative escape route.

I turned to face them. “Back door, move!”

They ran forward, Faraday in the lead. Once the three of them were through, I followed. There was a Hummer parked out back. Faraday ran forward, saying it wouldn’t take him long to hotwire it. Me, I made sure my mother and Donna got inside. Then I walked to the side of the building and looked around. There were several beams bopping in the light coming toward us. I cursed; these bastards weren’t going to give up without a fight. Well neither was I. I charged them as fast as I could. I couldn’t really see where I was going but I barreled right into them. I’m not sure how many there were but I trampled at least three. Then I smashed a couple more into the side of the building. The rest scattered. There were some screams, a few curses and a lot of running in the other direction.

Behind me, Faraday achieved his goal.

“Charlie, come on” I heard Donna shout.

I turned and shouted back. “Make your way to the road, I’ll hold them off and catch up.”

I heard the vehicle roar to life and a few moments later it roared past me. As it did I saw my mother’s face in the window, there was a look of dread on her face? Was that for me? I shook it off; I’d worry about her sudden concern for my safety later. Right now, I had some bastards to slow down. I continued to follow the side of the building to the front. When I got to the corner, I looked around and saw two Hummers there. There were a few soldiers standing around it but Andreas was nowhere in sight. I wonder if the coward turned tail and ran. It made sense given the circumstance. He probably left his men behind to do all the dirty work. The guys outside didn’t seem to be a threat though, they were smoking cigarettes and laughing. I think they still thought we were inside, probably dead. I turned away from the corner and toward a little side alley. I ran over, slipping down it and away. Luckily for us, the buildings were so close together so it’d make a chase near impossible through these narrow streets. This was the way I think Faraday went. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, trying to catch up.

After several winding alleys and narrow spaces, I finally made it out into what might be considered the main street. I sighed when I saw the Hummer ahead; I recognized it because of the license plate. But I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw what was ahead. It was a roadblock, two guys with machine guns and another Hummer. Apparently, Andreas wasn’t taking any chances of us getting away. It looked like the only way in and out of the city, too, which meant it was either that way or no way. This guy was starting to get on my nerves.

I think Faraday was going to try to find another route because he backed up. I shook my head, seeing what he couldn’t. They were going to block him in; I heard another vehicle roaring toward them. I snapped around and saw a black SUV, a guy hanging out the front with a gun. They were going to ram them. I ran to intercept, throwing myself in-between. I placed my feet far enough apart and put my hands out. The SUV slammed into me. It hurt like hell. The impact was so strong that it tore the sandals from my feet. I skidded back several feet, bumping into the side of the Hummer, cracking the window my mother looked out of earlier.

Inside I heard Donna scream.

The SUV tried to back up but I grabbed the grill. There was a squeal of tires and smoke as the rubber burned. I got a good grip; I wasn’t going to let them go without a fight. I held on firm with both hands. The guy from before came back out the window, pointing the gun at me. With my hands, holding the truck there was no way I could block it. A shot rang out from behind me and the guy dropped from the truck, a bullet hole in his head. I smirked then finally found some traction. I used the Hummer as a brace and shoved the SUV with all my might. The backward momentum sent it careening into a wall, smashing right into an empty market there.

I dropped to my knees panting; I could feel the burn in my sides. So now, I knew my limits. I’d have to remember that the next time I tried to stop a car with my bare hands.

My mother’s door opened. “Charles Stephanos Sandsmark, get in this vehicle right now.”

I shook my head and got to my feet. “In a minute, I need to take care of the road block first.”

I leaned against the Hummer to catch my breath then I turned to the guys in front of us. They went pale at the sight of me. I think seeing me push the car across the street was enough to make them soil themselves. I took a step forward and they retreated into their Hummer. A few seconds later, the wheels squealed and they took off. I laughed; maybe I didn’t have to take care of them after all.

“Now get inside,” demanded my mother.

I didn’t argue. I walked over and climbed in through her door, she slid over to make room. Faraday took off, driving at well over the speed limit. He looked in the rearview mirror at me and laughed. “You truly are wonderful.”

I scoffed but didn’t have anything to say. Instead, I flopped over, laying my head in someone’s lap, I think it might have been my mother’s. I saw her briefly looking down at me before exhaustion took me and I fell asleep.