Absentee Mother.

There is a certain stigma attached to mothers who abandon their children. Women who just get up and leave one day. My mother had done just this. Handing me over to my father when I was born and never came to see me again. Coward. That was one of the many words that came to mind when I thought of my mother. I had never known my mother and my dad never spoke if her so I didn't have anything to conflict my opinion of her. I was 19 when I found out the truth. Someone turned up at my college dorm and arrested me. They put a black bag over my head and drove for what felt like hours.

"I said that I wanted you to bring her to me. I did not say that she was to be treated like a criminal." A woman said who I couldn't see because of the bag over my head which was removed a few seconds later to reveal me being sat in a antique looking chair in a merge of vintage and modern office.

"What do you want with me?" I asked, trying to sound confident even though I was terrified.

"Release her." the woman said. She wore a fitted red dress and her dark hair was pinned up out of her face. The combination gave her an air of authority. The ties that held my wrists together were cut as were the ones that bound my ankles to the chair I was sitting in.

"Leave us." she instructed. Her bodyguards who were all dressed in black left the room in silence, not looking at me or the woman in front of me.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I demanded as I scrambled out of the chair and towards the corner of the room where nobody could grab me from behind and so that I could see everything.

"Please, Lyra. Calm down." she began before I interrupted.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"My name is Katherine an I am your mother."

It is impossible to explain how it feels when somebody tells you something like that. Your thoughts become manic with disbelief and chaos.

"Can I go now?" I asked. Not wanting to hear anymore. Finding it difficult to absorb the information that was just given to me.

"Your father didn't tell you did he?" Katherine asked. She had not earned the title of mother.

"What's to tell? You abandoned me." I spat.

"There is a great deal more to it than that. I work for the government. When I got pregnant with you I was deep undercover. When I had you it was too dangerous to keep you with me so I gave you to your father. I did it to keep you safe."

"So you're blaming my dad. How original." I added. Not impressed with her answer that was just a figment of her imagination.

"Everything I have told you is true."

"You could have come back. Rather than dragging me from my college dorm. Today of all days! I had an exam and a date and I had work!" I snapped.

"I'm sorry. I never intended to take you from your life. But you are in danger. When I was undercover, I brought down a very powerful family of terrorists. I was exposed, they found out who I was and now they're out to get even. It's too dangerous for you to live your normal life anymore."

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" I asked, not understanding her reasonings, she must have had some ulterior motive. I just didn't know what she wanted from me.

"You are my daughter Lyra. I gave birth to you. I paid for you to go to Princeton. Of course I care."

"Paying for Princeton doesn't make you a good mother. I have a life to get back to. If you care for me at all then leave me alone." I replied. I strode towards the door that Katherine was currently blocking. Brushing past her and trying to open the door.

"Lyra please." Katherine begged.

"Don't touch me. Take me home." I snapped. Katherine sighed and then looked me in the eye.

"Alright. I can't force you to stay here but I'm assigning a guard to you." Katherine tried to compromise. I wasn't impressed so I didn't reply, I just opened the door and walked through it. Not looking at the woman who had declared herself as my mother.