"Who's on the line?" Colonel Mark Augustus asked in annoyance.
"It's Dr. Michele."
Col. Mark heaved a sigh of relief as his temper calmed. He had expected the call to be from one of his superiors, complaining about the messed up mission.
"Dr. Michele, how can I help you?" He asked.
"Well, your daughter is awake and she requests for your attention immediately."
"Sylvian is awake!!" Col. Mark said in happiness and excitement. "My baby is awake." He said solemnly.
"Yes, please hurry as she's creating so much drama in here." Dr. Michele said before dropping the line.
Col. Mark stumbled over his belongings as he hurried outside, leaving his office door ajar.
"Sylvian is awake!" He said aloud as he ran towards the clinic, not minding the questioning looks he received from people around.
Who would care when his daughter has just awoken from a coma.
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The guards stopped at a door which was followed by a short passage which looked quite presidential.
The huge man dropped Henry at the door and pushed him forward.
"Go to the open door and walk inside." He said as they turned around and stood attention.
Henry stared at the guards for a short while before he turned around to face the beautiful passage and the open door ahead of him.
As he arrived at the door, he saw the back view of a lady staring at a six foot tall mirror and adjusting her ear ring which sparkled under the bright fluorescent lamps in the room.
"Come in." The lady said in a soft and meek voice, which took Henry by surprise.
Henry managed to find strength in his legs as he walked slowly towards the lady.
"Take a seat by the fireplace." She said, still staring at herself without paying much attention to Henry.
Henry looked at the finely designed fireplace and back at the lady. "I'm not cold."
A flick of smile appeared on the lady's face as she turned around to face Henry. "You must be cold. I heard you were kept in the pit for hours. You're definitely cold."
"I'm fine." Henry said.
Her smile broadened as she began to walk towards him. "I get it, Henry. I know you're confused and probably disoriented about the whole abduction thing, but i assure you that you're no prisoner here. You can leave anytime you want to."
"How about now?" Henry asked.
"Sure." She paused for a while before she resumed. "But then we'd have to do a little test on you, to find out if you're indeed what we think you are."
"And what is that?" He asked in confusion.
"You'd be told when the time is right." She replied. "Please sit." She urged as she sat down on a red cushion opposite the lit fireplace.
Henry sat down slowly, not taking his eyes off the pretty lady. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing."she replied. "All I want is for people like you to live a better life."
"People like me?"
"Yeah…. I know about your condition."
"What condition?" Henry asked.
"About you being an orphan and a homeless kid."
"Have you been stalking me? Henry asked.
"No!" She said.
"Then how do you know?" He asked.
"I can see it in these poor eyes of yours. I can see all the sorrow and pain you've felt and endured." She shifted closer to him and covered his palm with hers. "And I want to change that… That's all I want."
Henry smiled. "That's funny, ma. But please can you tell me what you really want from me?"
"Like I said earlier, I want nothing from you, all I want is to make life better for you."
"You have everything against me." Henry said. "What would it take from you to tell me the truth?"
"I'm telling you the truth. Look, I know you're not used to being assisted, but I can assure you that I'm telling you the truth." She said.
"Fine." Henry replied, rising up from the chair. "Well, I reject your kind gesture."
"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.
"I mean that I'm not interested in anyone making my life better. Although my life sucks, I'd like to change that on my own terms. I don't need any good Samaritan."
"I don't get why you don't see that I really have good intentions for you." She said in a gentle manner.
"Because no one is that good. Although you sound like an angel, I'm not falling for your tricks. For god sake, you don't even know me!"
"What if I tell you that I know you and I've always known you." She said.
"What do you mean?" Henry asked.
She raised her hand to her chest and patted her left breast. "In here."
"What?"
"You've always lived in my heart. Right from the very first day you were born… The first breath you took in as a little baby."
Henry chuckled. "It's clear that you're crazy."
"I know I sound crazy but it's the truth." She shut her eyes and was silent for a while. "You were born in the outskirts of St. Ann's Clinic, where you were adopted by an aged nurse, who died few years after your birth. Am I right?"
Henry's eyes and mouth were agape as he stared at the pretty Lady in shock and amazement. "How do you know all these?"
She opened her eyes. "Like I said earlier, you live in my heart."
"What does that even mean?"
She rose up and walked closer to Henry. "I know you're curious and you have every reason to be but I want you to believe me."
"I..." He began but paused to think.
"Give me twenty four hours and I promise to explain everything to you."
His eyes stared at her with uncertainty. Was she telling the truth or not?
"I really care about you." She said as she took his two hands in hers. "Just give me a day to prove it."
Henry nodded his head. "Fine. I give you just one day." Not like he had a choice. If her people had been able to abduct him in public through some kind of mind blowing medium, then what could he possibly do to get out of here alive?
"Thank you." She said as she quickly embraced him. "Remember that you're family to me."
"Yeah." He said. "Now, can you stop choking me?"
"Oh sorry." She said as she let go of him. "I'm really sorry."
"It's fine."
Her wrist watch beeped and she took a glance at it. "I'd be going now. I'll make sure you're properly fed until we meet again."
"Okay." Henry said.
She turned around and took a few steps, before she stopped.
She chuckled uncomfortably as she turned back to face Henry again. "Sorry for my lack of manners but... What's your name again?"
"It's Henry."
"Henry what?
"Just Henry." He replied.
She smiled. "See you soon, Henry."
He watched her go and although he was in the most comfortable place he had ever been to or dreamt of being, he felt something strange and not right about the place but he couldn't place his finger around it.
As she walked away, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Children." She thought. "No matter how rough they've lived their life or how stubborn they acted, they were still the easiest people to deceive. Just a smile, a pretty, face, and a calm and nice personality was the key to making them fall for any ridiculous story."