The Flyer

CHAPTER 11

Cc: hopefully their last day here...

VALYRA.

We didn't really do much in our little meeting earlier at the gym, but at least the basketball team seems to be all good.

The question is if the girls were gonna cooperate with us.

I ran my fingers through my hair and squeezed the water out carefully, and I grabbed my brush to detangle my hair.

I have a strong feeling that Vanilla Baron might be my sister. I mean, even the initials and her last name give it away, but at the same time, it felt too easy. Not that the easiness makes her any less my sister. I didn't want to be too sure either when I didn't have official confirmation. She didn't look much like the girl in the pictures except the features. I mean the girl in the pictures seemed to have dark brown eyes and ivory skin. She didn't. Of course, the eyes might be because of lighting and people do get tanned over time.

If I told Natasha and Allain about her, would they pester her? And how much would our youngest sister know about her situation?

Our consolation would be that the Cordens seemed like great people and, well, rich.

I quickly changed into a shirt and shorts and ran down to eat dinner with Nat and Allain. The delivery must've arrived by now, and I was starving.

"Hey, Vali!" Nat greeted me. "Pizza's here."

"What did you guys order?"

"Uhhh.... Hawaiian and... Bacon something."

I got the box of Hawaiian. "Here you go. You guys can have this one. Just get how many bacon slices you want, I'll have the rest, but leave me at least two slices."

Nat gave me a weird look. "You don't like Hawaiian?"

"I prefer Bacon," I corrected.

Allaina and Nat exchanged looks. "You shouldn't be choosy," Allain told me matter-of-factly. He sounded more confused than reprimanding and I found it funny. Yes, I wasn't ashamed.

"I shouldn't be choosy if I have no choice," I told him. "Now tell me what happened today. How are you finding this house and if anyone came by."

So apparently they went exploring the house and proudly told me that they found the secret basement. It's not a secret basement. Apparently, they played all day and made a list of stuff they would need while they stay here. Just how long are they planning to stay? They told me that their lunch was a bunch of junk food because they didn't want to touch the other foods without permission. Yeah, right. So like, do junk foods look cheaper than fresh vegetables or something? 

They also mentioned that Claire dropped off some cake.

The cake was a blueberry cheese cake. Yummy!

"We'll have some after pizza."

They told me about Analyse, the eldest of our generation, and how she and I were similar in the way we carry ourselves.

"Oh yeah?" I asked. "How do I carry myself?"

"From what I've seen? Like a snobby princess. Ow!"

Nat gave me a bright smile. "He means you look like you own yourself." 

"No. He meant I look like a stuck-up witch." I gave a dry, yet indifferent smile. "It's okay. A fresh perspective is always welcome."

So what Allain also means is that Analyse is a disagreeable and unapproachable girl. Are they scared of her? Is she a tattle-tale or something?

Additionally, it turns out that Natasha isn't any different. She's still as diplomatic as ever, trying to smooth out any possibility of unwanted conflict. She should stop trying to cover for Allain if all he says are things that could insult people. He has to learn how to be more discreet.

Analyse, Allain shared, was an intelligent girl who barely got along with her classmates not because she was a troublemaker, but because she didn't look friendly. Whenever she was out, she would put on an icy look and would walk with this air of superiority that may make her seem like she's being snobby, when in fact, that's just really how she looks. 

So she's like Kelly? 

These two rascals said they felt like I should go with them and teach her a lesson.

I waved it off and spoke up. "Shouldn't we talk about how the both of you aren't being very submissive to the law?"

"Technically, Mom didn't say anything about it, so I'm assuming that we have indirect permission to search for her?"

"Plus, it's not like we haven't studied the law," Allain added. "Nothing in the law prohibits checking up on or monitoring the victim."

"The Sapphire," Nat corrected his word usage. The sapphire?  "It's a title, idiot."

"The Victim," he reiterated, almost mockingly, giving off the message that he said what he intended to say crystal clear.

"So from what I'm gathering here, is that you're both worried and pitiful of whoever our littlest sister mayo out be, and you go around causing trouble just to make sure she's okay?" I clarified. "Sounds to me like you're being nosy."

The two exchanged glances and watched me for a while as I took out the cake and some saucers. 

"What?"

My little sister laughed nervously. "Nothing, you just... remind us of Mom."

"Whatever. Look, I'm allowing you guys to stay here until tomorrow. I don't care if you're gonna get punished or whatever, Technically you can talk your way out since as you're saying, you're not committing any crime anyway. But please, don't stay in a place you aren't familiar with. I can't be here all the time because I have cheer going on, okay? Now eat your cakes."

That's how I settled the deal with those two.

As much as I had thought meeting the rest of my family, and especially my little sister, would be quite moving or huge, all I felt was nothing too happy and a tiny tinge of annoyance, because everything had to be about her-- the youngest of us. What did they call her? The sapphire? The Sapphire. Not only that, it turns out that they weren't as privileged as I thought they were so nothing about their stories intrigued me at all. I'd rather stay here as a normal person with all these liberties,  technologies, and familiar developments than go with them to be powerful but limited.

I was worried and thoughtful about how she had been, but all she could worry about or discuss was how the other sister might be. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a jealous sister or anything, but why is the presence of someone so young and unknown so powerful?

I couldn't sleep that night, and I wondered if she was even worthy to be called my sister-- worthy to be fussed over.

But despite all my hesitant and messy thoughts, a surprising thought came into my mind-- that if Vanilla Baron was indeed my sister, I would probably not bother with all these thoughts at all.