chapter 3
Hayden Taylor's parents fucking suck. Growing up, his only saving grace was his older sister, Jackie. She was 4 years older than him and the kindest person Hayden had ever met. Jackie had a best friend, Shauna, who also became like a second sister to him (although he was 90% sure she would eventually become his sister-in-law).
Marilyn and Richard Taylor, however, were the most horrible people ever to walk the planet. Growing up, Hayden would see the way their mother would starve Jackie and force her to weigh herself constantly under the false pretense of helping her and something about getting a good husband in the future. It made him so angry, but he was too scared to ever speak out against the monsters that birthed him.
Jackie would reassure him and tell him it was fine, and he would sneak food to her room for her on days she wasn't allowed dinner. She would help him with his homework and ruffle his hair and he would cover for he when she would sneak out to parties.
Jackie was the only good thing about his childhood. They would watch movies and play video games together, often with Shauna, too. She was his best friend, and when at 14 years old, he got the news that her plane had crashed, it was like his whole life had come crashing down with it.
The last 19 months had been torture for Hayden; his parents had become even more distant, if that was even possible. After 6 months, his parents decided to hold a funeral and bury an empty casket in a grave with his sister's name on it. No amount of begging could change their mind, no matter how much he asked them to hold out hope.
That was the last time he cried: at her funeral. Since then, he has just avoided his parents and thrown himself into sports to avoid it all, mainly soccer, where he is now captain of the school boys' team.
The world kept spinning, and just when Hayden felt like he was drowning in everything and couldn't find a way out, they got the call that Jackie had been found alive as well as 9 other people and that they were being treated in a hospital in Canada.
Hayden had never seen his parents move so fast as to get on that plane, and now here they were, sitting in a waiting room not allowed to see their loved ones. He had his parents sit to the left of him, and Deb Shipman, who had always been more of a mother to him and Jackie than their own, sat on his left.
Nobody was telling them anything and he could see that Deb (who was one of the few to not bury their child and hold out hope along with the Turners, Quigleys, and Vicky Palmer, although he was pretty sure that was just because she couldn't be bothered) was ready to start throwing punches at the hospital staff.
Finally, a stern-looking doctor walked over to the group of worried family members. On either side, he had a soldier from the US Army. He stopped in front of them and let out a loud sigh.
“As you all know, your children were rescued from the Canadian wilderness after being stranded for 19 months,” he began.
“All of them are being treated as we speak and will be kept here for a few days, so I urge you all to get hotels and stay in the area.” Many of them nodded in response, the worried looks on their faces never leaving.
“As for the girls themselves, there are a few serious injuries and scars as well as all of them being severely malnourished and traumatized. We are doing everything we can to help them, and you will be able to see them shortly. There is also the matter of the 9th survivor.” The faces of the listeners shift from worry to intense fear of what could be wrong with the 9th survivor.
“There was a male infant found with the other survivor who looks to be between 8 and 10 months old.” A series of gasps rippled across the waiting room.
“Who's the mother?” demanded Mrs. Taylor, jumping to her feet where Hayden and his dad both instinctively placed a hand on her arms to hold her back from charging over to the doctor.
“We are not 100% sure, but the baby came in being held in between Shauna Shipman and Jacquline Taylor, and they are the only ones asking after him, so it is safe to assume that the baby is one of theirs.”
Deb's hand flew up to her mouth, and a look of distraught and slight fear painted Marilyn’s face.
“When can we see our children?” asked Audrey Turner.
“Not for another few hours at least, but we will let you know when you can.” That was all he said before walking away with the soldiers in tow.
The parents sat around exasperated as Marilyn Taylor started insisting that the baby must be Shauna’s because her perfect little angel wouldn't get pregnant. Deb just scoffs and ignores her as arguments break out between the parents and mostly between everyone and the teachers.
The only family that is yet to speak are the Mathews, who just look to be sitting in quiet contemplation. A part of Hayden hopes they feel guilty as it was their private plane, but another part of him knows they never meant for this to happen.
Hayden looks over to the only other sibling in the room, Tara Turner, who looks equally as uncomfortable. They had only spoken once as she is quite a bit older than him and even Taissa, but he knows that she cares for her sister the way he cares about his.
The notable absence of the Palmers worries him as while he has never really spoken to Tara, he does speak to Jason Palmer, Van's younger brother, often as they are the same age and in the same year at school.
He wouldn't describe them as friends as Hayden was popular and king of the school (much like his sister) and Jason was seen as kind of a loser, but they were friendly.
Because of this, he knows that Vicky Palmer is also a horrible mother who measures up equally to his own. She was an alcoholic and had never really cared about Van or Jason. If the rumors were true, then Jason no longer lives with his mother, and Hayden dreads to think about where he could live instead.
The double doors to the entrance of the waiting room swung open again, and silence fell among the parents. They turned toward the door, expecting to see a doctor, but were instead greeted by a scruffy-looking redheaded boy whom he had come to know as Jason. Jason looked rough and as though he could have been living in the wilderness with them as he and his clothes were covered in dirt and he was unhealthily thin and pale.
He was also noticeably alone, as his mother was nowhere in sight. Jason calmly nodded to the group and silently took a seat in one of the empty chairs. He had a Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets gym bag (which probably once belonged to Van) that was falling apart and overfilled.
Hayden gave him a slight smile, to which Jason returned and then turned to stare at his scuffed and hole-filled Converse.
Little did Hayden know that he was right to worry about Jason as after months of grieving for his sister and hearing his mom spew bullshit and insults directed at him and Van while drinking herself into an early grave, Jason had had enough and packed a bag and left in favor of couch surfing and living on the street.
Vicky had refused to get a grave for Van, stating that it was too expensive and she could spend that money on better things, which Jason knew to mean alcohol. Since leaving his home, Jason had gotten a job and saved all his money, only rarely buying food to stop himself from starving to death to buy a grave for his sister.
When he found out his sister was alive and had been rescued, he got a total of 3 buses and made his way up to the Canadian hospital. His sister had practically raised him as his absent and neglectful mother chose her favorite child over them: alcohol, therefore, it was no shock to him when he didn't find his mother in the waiting room with all the other parents, I mean hell even Malcolm Mathews, Vera Scatorccio and Marilyn Taylor, who are notoriously bad parents, showed up but of course, his mother wouldn't even do something as little as show up.
He could only hope that Van was unharmed and safe. He stared at his feet, damning the universe for giving him this life until a loud crash and bang came from behind the doors to the ward.