Page 53 of Sanctuary

The cubs slept with their mom, their fuzzy bodies piled on top of one another. She smiled and headed to the hut for another bucket.

“Surprise.”

Misty stopped inside the hut and stared. Her friends had covered the place in birthday streamers, and Yolanda had baked a cake that rested on the prep table with a stack of paper plates and plastic forks beside it.

Misty laughed. They had done this in the time it took her to feed one hungry tiger and check on the cubs. Everyone was here including Mrs. Miller.

“You take forever,” Sarah said, smiling wide at Misty’s surprise and knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Misty looked at the brightly wrapped packages and the cake. It felt wonderful to be loved and cared for.

“I got you something too,” Simon told her, his eyes going to the door.

She followed his gaze to the open door behind her. A young woman with midnight black hair accented with pink, a nose ring, and a tattoo on her shoulder stared at her.

“Paige?” Misty whispered.

“The one and only. You didn’t think I would miss this birthday, did you? We can party together now and you never need to hide again.”

Misty ran and threw her arms around Paige.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you so much.”

Paige leaned away. “I missed you too, but I know someone else you left behind, and my birthday present is fixing it.”

Misty had no idea what Paige was talking about until her friend called out a familiar name and a young boy walked in.

“Noah?” It couldn’t be. He ran at her, and she grabbed him and lifted him into her arms, swinging him around as she tried to understand how this had happened.

“How?” she asked when he released her, and she turned toward Paige.

“I began watching him after I left here. Your parents went on a mission and put him in a school.” At the look on Misty’s face, she held up her hand. “It wasn’t as bad as the place we were at, but I managed to get him out for the day. He’ll need to go back.”

“No,” Misty said. “He can stay here.”

“We were teenagers and knew too much. The school and our parents didn’t try to find us as hard as they could have. We were tainted.”

“I want to go back,” Noah said. “I like my school and I promised Paige I would never tell anyone about the island. She said she would put spiders in my bed if I did.”

“Paige,” Misty ground out.

Her friend shrugged. “I had to think of something, and snakes seemed worse. I doubt he’ll say anything because he wants to come for visits, and I said I would help him.”

Misty turned to Simon. “They’re your presents?” she asked.

“Paige is my present, and Noah is hers. Roberto and Yolanda brought the cake. Sarah, Caitlyn, and Mrs. Miller brought presents so you have something to unwrap.”

She had a family. She would never be forced to marry some old man she didn’t know. Her brother let out a startled gasp when Indra walked through the open door and rubbed against Misty’s side.

She smiled and rested her hand on the large head. Now her family was complete.

The End