I'm Still Here: Photograph

Megan sat on the edge of the hotel bed, pushing back a strand of hair from her face as she slipped on her shoes. Listening to the silence, she exhaled as a small ironic smile parted through, somehow to the fact her confidence was that of a lost princess, slipping on that glass slipper that she had always deserved to wear, but hadn't gotten the chance until now to do so.

Looking up, behind the curtain she saw the blue sky that hid behind the dark red fabric. She would need to beat traffic, no matter what the time. If at possible, she would need to reacquaint herself with the city, give her thoughts time to make their way to the surface before entering them.

She stood up, the bed creaking. Larry was fast asleep on the identical bed next to hers. Raking her hands through her hair she exhaled, watching his frame still and resting as she kissed him softly on the cheek and reached over to the desk chair and pulled her black coat from it and put it on before softly leaving the room that they had acquired a room on the second floor of the Salisbury Hotel.

Exhaling, she pushed her hand against the down button. Resting her head against her hand, she took in slow deep breathes as the elevator opened. She raised her head up giving a quick greeting from a stranger who rushed out and the steel elevator doors close. As gravity pulled her down, she placed her hand in her pocket, pulling out the key to the rental car and wrapping her mind around what she about to do.

She didn't know whether or not it was the time difference, or the lack of jetlag, but she had stayed up half the night asking question after question, finally falling asleep after hours of staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't just about her father, but how she could move on with her life. It wasn't about the little girl about the airport who at the tender age that she was had clued Megan on her life, but it was the reflection on her words that shaped the empathy that made her want to wrap her arms around that little girl and tell her that she was loved. And it certainly wasn't the fact that if this trip didn't make a difference, but instead she could put all of this behind her, use this as fuel for every case that she worked on.

The door to the elevator opened and she walked out down the hall and right past the front desk. She found the rain to be drizzling down lightly and falling down smoothly in the gray sky as she walked into the parking lot. Unlocking the door of the 2006 white Chevrolet Impala, she stepped out of the rain into the passenger's side, placing the car key into the ignition and started the engine.

As she made her way around New York it took a bit of searching, but she finally arrived at her old school. The rain had stopped long since and the sky had cleared to blue as she stepped out of the car into the school parking lot. The wind tossed her hair around lightly and she was glad for the comfort of her old school.

No, she hadn't liked it much, but now that she was older it was a surrounding that she now found herself standing in. Her shoes hit against the tile floor, as her eyes scanned each picture. Every year a picture had been taken, and here as she scanned each face, she found herself looking at her own.

"They're fascinating to look at. I can only wonder how they've moved on." A voice cut in, that of an older woman. Once she had found that she had gotten Megan's attention she inquired, "I can't help but wonder if there's something that I can help you with." Getting a better look, she found herself now staring at a familiar face.

"Actually I was looking for somebody that works here. I was hoping that you could tell me what room he teaches in." She inquired, taking one more look at the photograph. "Milo Reeves."

"Ah, Mr. Reeves. He's one of kind." The woman replied, beckoning for her to follow her. Megan raised her eyebrow, having a different reasoning for her father being one of a kind. "I'm Parker Bennett by the way." Parker introduced as they made their way down a long hall.

"Megan." She left out her last name for reasoning purposes as she introduced herself. She exhaled as she continued to follow Parker down another hall, until they stopped at another room, "Well here's where Mr. Reeves teaches." She walks in as Megan leans against the frame of the door, which revealed a younger looking teacher. "Troy, I would like you to meet Megan. She's seeking Mr. Reeves. I'm sure that you can help her with that, now can't you?"

"Of course" He smiled, extending his hand to Megan. "Troy Vandeross." Parker smirked, leaving the room. "I can only say you look familiar. But then again I could be greatly mistaken."

"I could imagine. I'm Megan Reeves. How did that football career turn out for you? The last time I heard you were the star captain of the team."

"It went well, played clear up to the end of senior year until graduation. What about you? I didn't see much of you over the years."

Megan smirked, picking up the familiar sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. "I actually didn't stick around here much.” She began to explain, noticing that as the footsteps and the person they belonged to seemed all too memorable.