Hello Angel

"You have got to be kidding me!"

She was standing alone in the middle of the street, staring up at the sky as the cloud above her started to leak. Immediately soaked by the downpour, she pulled her sweater from her canvas bag and wrapped it around herself carelessly as she began to run down the streets of Brooklyn, fishing in her pocket for her keys. The vibration in her pocket was endless - probably her parents calling to find out when she would be home from Boston. They hadn't really spoken since she had gone to college and moved in with her childhood friend, and she regretted it, honest. I'll answer as soon as I get home, shut up already! she thought as the vibration started to make her upper thigh feel raw. Williamsburg was nowhere near equipped with enough awnings to protect anybody from the rain, so she kept running up Bedford avenue, weaving her way to her stoop on Diamond Street.

She jammed the key in the lock and opened the door, only to be nearly bowled over by the fat pug circling around her legs. "Hi Dinah, yes, I missed you."

"Dinah missed you too, Madeleine."

Madeleine looked up to see her roommate in the hallway. She smirked and threw herself at him, enveloping the much larger man in a hug.

"Mad. MAD. You're SOAKING." He peeled her off and pushed her in the direction of the bathroom. Madeleine laughed and threw her bag down outside the bathroom door, locking herself inside and taking a long shower. Meanwhile, her phone kept vibrating. She shut off the water after what felt like hours and stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a big fluffy towel. "So are you going to tell me about Boston or not? Also, your parents called asking why you're not answering."

"Patience, Alex. Parents first."

Madeleine picked up the battered Palm Treo from her pants pocket and sat down on the leather couch to check her missed calls. Just as I thought. All from my parents. She dialed her mother's number and waited.

"Finally. Harold, she's answered the phone." Madeleine waited until she heard her father in the background.

"Hi ma, how's it going?"

"Sweetie, can you come over when you get a moment? We have to tell you something important."

"You can't tell me over the phone? I just got home!"

"It would be better if we told you in person. Please?"

"Fine."

Madeleine hung up and sighed loudly. Alex looked over at her, raising an eyebrow. "They wanna talk, but are being super cryptic for no reason." She got up and went into her bedroom, getting dressed in a white cotton tee shirt and black denim shorts. Pulling on her Adidas Sambas, Madeleine grabbed her keys from the kitchen counter and left once again. The hell do they want from me? she thought as she headed towards the subway. Her parents lived in an inconvenient part of Queens which took her almost four subways to get to.

When she finally reached their house, her parents welcomed her with open arms.

"Hi Maddie, how was your trip?"

"Fine mom. Now what's so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone?"

"Well, we have someone here who wanted to see you."

"Mom, can you just..."

She led Madeleine into the living room where an older woman with bright blonde hair sat sipping coffee.

"Maddie, this is Donna."

Madeleine's eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint where she saw this woman's face.

"You don't know how wonderful it is to see you again, Maddie."

She spoke with a sense of familiarity that Madeleine couldn't place. She stayed a few feet away, staring at Donna intently. Madeleine's mother stood by her, nudging her forward.

"Honey, Donna is your biological mother. Donna Way."

And Madeleine's jaw dropped.

Notes