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Sorting through Natalie’s old storage unit yielded far more questions than it did answers. As Misty sifted through the assortment of objects, she couldn’t help but be baffled by what she found. Sure, there were plenty of things that screamed ‘Natalie’ piled in the old unit. But there was also a rather striking, prominent thing out of place. There was a box filled with pictures in the back of the unit, almost seeming to be half-hidden behind some other junk. As if Natalie feared someone finding it, even locked safely within her own storage unit. And all the pictures seemed to be of the same subject, an unknown girl.
The pictures ranged from her as a baby to ones that looked to be more recent of her as a teenager. There was no name given, despite the fact Misty looked over every picture back and front for some kind of writing that might label the girl’s identity in some way.
Nothing. There was even, what appeared to be, some old school projects at the bottom of the box that Misty could only assume belonged to this unknown girl. Her name had been scratched out on each of them meticulously though.
Natalie must not have wanted anyone to be able to identify her. But that just made Misty more curious about this girl’s identity. And Misty never backed down from a challenge. Though she suspected that this wouldn’t be much of a difficult one to crack to begin with. She had more than enough pictures of the girl to go off of, with modern technology, finding her name should be easy with a little digging.
And dig she did. And, as suspected, she didn’t have to look for long. All it took was a couple attempts at reverse image searching some of the more recent pictures of the girl before she came up with a hit. A news article from only a few weeks prior was displayed on her screen. Titled, ‘Private school from Englewood dominates girls basketball regional championships’ it was accompanied by a picture of the same girl that Misty had been searching for. In the image she was at the center of a smiling crowd of girls basketball players, holding onto a trophy that the team had just won. Under the image, a small description was written, and Misty felt her heart skip a few beats as she scanned those sentences over and over again to make sure she had read it right.
“Pictured above, the Saint Joseph’s Academy girls basketball team after their victory. Team captain Mia Martinez holds the team’s trophy.”
Martinez. The last name of the girl that seemed to have left her mark on every aspect of Natalie’s life, if her storage unit was anything to go on. There was no way that could just be a coincidence. Misty frantically scanned the rest of the article, until she reached a section that talked about the girl in more detail.
“Mia Martinez, the team captain, who recently accepted a full-ride basketball scholarship to Penn State University tells us how the key to the team's success this season was their close friendship and bond. ‘I lost a family member recently, and the team has really been there for me. If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d have the energy to leave the house, much less play on the court’. She then continued to say ‘we work so well together because we’re not just teammates, we’re all friends. I don’t know what I’d do without them’.”
She shut her phone off with a sudden click after reading the last line, feeling an uncomfortable feeling in her gut about the whole situation. She didn’t know what to think, but she knew she needed more answers than that. A cursory search told her the girl’s address and legal guardian. She figured it was time to pay a visit to Mrs. Martinez.
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Misty had never actually met Travis’s mother before, so she didn’t know what to expect when an older woman with grey hair appeared when she knocked on the door to a small suburban residence in Englewood, New Jersey.
“Hi, Mrs. Martinez, right?” Misty said with a charming smile.
The woman nodded, a deep frown on her face, but Misty didn’t let the lackluster greeting get her down, “Well,” she said in her best chippy voice, “I’m sorry to intrude, but my name is--”
“Misty Quigley,” the woman sighed in a deeply tired voice. Misty was taken aback at being recognized, though she wouldn’t lie, it was certainly a positive change to how things usually went. At least someone took the effort to properly remember her for once.
“Well, yes,” she grinned, “It’s nice to know you remember me. But I was actually here because I had a few questions I was hoping to ask you. Can I come in?”
Mrs. Martinez did not look pleased at the prospect, and her frown somehow managed to dip impossibly deeper on her face, “Now isn’t really a good time.”
She could see the woman was trying to make excuses more than anything. She didn’t want to talk to Misty, and that just made this whole situation more suspicious, “I’ll be quick,” she promised with a tight smile, before taking another step forward.
Mrs. Martinez was reluctantly forced to match her step backwards, leaving the door open for her to step inside. The woman didn’t say anything as Misty walked into her house, she merely shut the door behind her with a bone-weary look on her face and followed Misty into the living room.
Misty took note of the cozy looking living space as she walked. The walls and cabinets were filled with pictures of Travis and Javi-- a shrine built by a grieving mother. Even after twenty-five years it seemed she had never quite gotten over her youngest child’s death with how he was plastered in pictures all over the house. The pictures with Travis spanned over the years, unlike Javi’s which were permanently stuck in the era before the plane crash. Though even those ones began to taper off as Travis got older, there were very few that Misty would consider recent.
But more importantly there was another subject that frequently appeared in the pictures. Mia Martinez had just as many images as the two boys. A more recent looking one displayed her hugging another girl at, what appeared to be, a school dance based on the sparkly dress she was wearing.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Mrs. Martinez said, her strained voice not even holding the pretense of hospitality. She seemed worn and annoyed, like she was going through the motions until Misty’s visit was over. A little rude, if you asked Misty, but she wasn’t about to let the older woman’s poor attitude stop her from getting her answers.
“No need,” she replied smoothly as she took a seat in a nearby armchair and gestured for Mrs. Martinez to sit as well, “As I said, this will be quick. I just have a few questions.”
Mrs. Martinez raised an eyebrow, but sat down, “Ask then,” she said bluntly, “But I can’t promise you will get the answers that you want.”
Misty hummed, she’d see about that. She wasn’t one to step away from a mystery without solving it, “You have some lovely pictures of your family up,” she complimented, “But, if I remember correctly, Travis and Javi didn’t have a sister.”
Mrs. Martinez glanced at her from the corner of her eyes, “If you came all the way here to ask, I think you already know.”
“I’d like to hear it anyway.”
Mrs. Martinez didn’t speak for a while before replying, “She’s my daughter, I adopted her seventeen years ago, shortly after her birth.”
“Who are her birth parents?” Misty promoted further.
“Does it matter,” Mrs. Martinez sighed.
When Misty didn’t reply to that non-answer, Mrs. Martinez looked her in the eyes, “Is there any use in asking when you clearly already know?”
“I found hundreds of pictures of her in Natalie’s old storage unit,” Misty raised an eyebrow, “Why would that be the case?”
“Why were you even in Natalie’s storage unit to begin with,” Mrs. Martinez replied, “The only spare key belongs to me, and I haven’t misplaced it recently.”
Misty was thrown off guard by the revelation. Why would Natalie trust Mrs. Martinez with her only spare key?
“I didn’t know you and Natalie were so close,” Misty replied.
Mrs. Martinez didn’t look at all impressed by her lack of explanation as to how she got a key to the unit, “I think there was a lot about Natalie that you didn’t know, that none of you knew… other than Travis perhaps,” she said the last part in a small whisper. Mrs. Martinez didn’t have to explain what the larger group who she was referring to was. Clearly Natalie had been keeping secrets from the rest of the survivors, and though it wasn’t surprising, Misty couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. She had thought they had a bond that would inspire a little more trust. To think Natalie had been hiding some secret child this whole time. Because clearly there was no denying anymore who Mia Martinez’s birth parents were.
The sound of the door opening interrupted their conversation. A few moments later, the girl herself walked into the living room with her backpack and a gym bag thrown over her shoulders. Misty was briefly floored by how familiar she looked, the pictures didn’t do the familial resemblance justice. But up close, her face looked like a carbon copy of Travis’s. And her eyes… they reminded her so much of another pair of brown eyes which Misty had stared into years ago as she watched their owner slowly sink below the surface of a frozen lake.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were having company today Mama,” she said as she looked between Mrs. Martinez and Misty.
“Just an old acquaintance,” Mrs. Martinez said, and, ouch. She could have at least said an old friend. Even if they didn’t actually know each other, Misty had still shared a trauma bond with her son. She felt like ‘friend’ was at least fair.
“Oh, well, nice to meet you Ms…”
“Misty is fine,” she replied as Mia took a seat next to Mrs. Martinez on the couch.
“Nice to meet you Misty, I’m Mia,” the introduction was entirely unneeded given her existence was the reason Misty had even driven an hour out here in the first place.
“Mia, I was just talking to your mom here, about you actually,” Misty said, fishing to see if Mia knew anything about her true parentage. Mrs. Martinez’s eyes sharpened and she stared at Misty intently, as if daring her to say anything else.
“Oh, all good things I hope,” Mia smiled. And all of a sudden the resemblance to Natalie shone through. They had the same exact smile, the same damn smile. The way her lips pursed and her cheeks dimpled made Misty feel like she was staring at Natalie as a teenager again, before the crash, and before her smiles became a lot more rare as they did their best to survive the wilderness.
She wasn’t used to being thrown off her game so suddenly, and she could tell Mia was waiting for some kind of response, “of course,” Misty said, trying to keep the tightness out of her voice, “She’s very proud of you. I hear you have a full scholarship to Penn State to play basketball.”
Her face lit up, “Yes! I was so excited when I got the news in the mail. I’ve been playing basketball since I was a practically a toddler. It’s always been my dream to play at a higher level.”
“Well, congrats,” Misty muttered.
“I just wish Travis was here to celebrate with us,” Mia added with a sad shake of her head. Mrs. Martinez stroked a hand gently through her hair.
“Oh? Travis?” Misty asked, feigning cluelessness. She wanted to see what Mia knew about her biological father. And what Mrs. Martinez knew about her son’s death. From what she could tell, Travis had changed his identity and cut ties completely with anyone related to his past, but if his family was aware of his passing that might not be the full story.
“My older brother,” Mia explained sadly, “he went through a lot when he was a kid, before I was even born. He used to visit a bunch, but a few years ago he just up and vanished. We got a few calls from him, usually around the holidays, but he stopped coming to see us.”
Misty nodded her head sympathetically as Mia continued, “A few months ago a family friend told us about his passing.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Misty told the girl with a gentle smile.
“Thank you,” Mia sniffled, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped all that on you.”
“No worries at all, it must be difficult for you. Losing your brother so suddenly,” Misty said with a tight smile as Mrs. Martinez stared at her with a hollowness to her eyes, “And I also want to express my condolences to you Mrs. Martinez, for the loss of your son,” she added.
Mrs. Martinez nodded listlessly, and Mia placed a comforting hand on her arm, giving the older woman a sympathetic look, “Mama didn’t just lose Travis,” Mia explained as she looked back at Misty with those hauntingly familiar brown eyes, “A family friend of ours, the one I mentioned before, Natalie, died as well. She was really close with my brother and mom, honestly she felt like a sister more than just a friend,” Mia let out a small sniffle and bit her lip to stop it from trembling as she reminisced on Natalie. She wiped some stray tears that had started to roll down her cheeks before continuing, “Losing both of them in the same year had been rough for both of us.”
Misty didn't know what to say to that. Here was Natalie’s daughter crying over the loss of her own mother and father without even realizing it. Didn’t she deserve to know the truth of the situation?
“I apologize Misty, but neither of us are up for guests at the moment. If you’ll forgive my bluntness, it may be better for you to come back later,” Mrs. Martinez suddenly said, giving Misty a wary look now that Mia had joined their conversation and the topic was straying dangerously close to a truth she clearly didn’t want to be revealed.
“Mama!” Mia said in a slightly shocked voice, “Don’t you think that’s a little rude?”
Mrs. Martinez pressed her lips together but didn’t budge, even after Mia’s protests. Misty saw her cue to leave, and stood up, “It’s fine, I had to be on my way anyway,” she said cheerfully. After all, she had only come here to confirm a suspicion. The mystery was solved. There was no reason to stay any longer.
“I’ll see you out,” Mrs. Martinez said, before turning to Mia with a gentle smile, “Can you check on the roast sweetheart, I have it in the oven right now and it’s almost ready to come out.”
“Sure Mama,” Mia agreed easily as she stood up and slung her previously abandoned backpack over her shoulder. With the teenager now out of the conversation again, Mrs. Martinez led Misty to the door quickly.
“Misty, before you go,” Mrs. Martinez sighed, “Mia is all I have left. I didn’t just lose a son this year, I lost a daughter as well. And I won’t have you tarnishing their memory by dragging Mia into whatever insanity you and your friends are involved in,” there was a sudden fierceness to the woman that had not existed before, her eyes were hardened and furious, “Her parents wanted a good, peaceful, life for her. And that is what she has, and I won’t let you take it away. I don’t want any of you associating with her, and I don’t want any of the others to even know she exists.”
“You never plan to tell her who her parents are? Don’t you think that’s a little unfair,” Misty pointed out.
Mrs. Martinez glared at her, “That’s none of your business,” she said, and Misty could see the tears forming in her eyes.
She could let it go, but something in Misty hated the idea that Mia would never know the truth. She was a piece of Natalie, and now that she was gone, surely it was only fair that Mia was aware of the truth. Or perhaps it was some kind of guilt inside her about Nat’s death. She wanted to believe there was some path to resolving herself of guilt through Natalie’s child, “Natalie was my best friend. Am I not allowed to have some interest in what happens to her daughter.”
“If you must know, her parents wrote letters to her explaining everything shortly after she was born. I’ve held onto them for almost eighteen years, and one day I will give them to her. But now is not the time,” a tear slipped down Mrs. Martinez’s face, “Now, if you will leave me and my granddaughter alone, I would very much appreciate it,” she said in a strained voice, before shutting the door on Misty and leaving her alone, standing on the front porch.
The sky was starting to darken as she walked back briskly to her car. Now that she knew the truth, nothing had really changed. Natalie was still dead, and it was still her fault. She swore under her breath and gripped the steering wheel so tightly in her palms that imprints of the patterned leather started to appear on her hands.
Whatever Mrs. Martinez seemed to think about her, she had no desire to reveal Natalie’s secret to the rest of the yellowjackets. What would she even gain from that? She drove back home in silence, bypassing her own house in order to go to the bar she had visited with Natalie after they reunited. She tried to put all thoughts of Mia Martinez from her mind as she ordered the first of many drinks of the night, knowing that was what Natalie would have wanted more than anything.