The Flyer

CHAPTER 25

Cc: Letter from Nat.

VALYRA.

Nik didn't do anything, but I could tell through his eyes that he was hurt deeply and no longer trusted me. Well, I no longer trusted him, too.

It hurt to see it that way and I wanted to cry.

I quickly went to my room and got irritated when I saw a silver envelope peeking from under my pillow. What did they want again? What did Mom want?

Oh, right, she was hoping I'd go to that home.

Is it weird that I want to go live with my mom?

With everything going on, I don't think so, but for now, I have to stay because I have the summer competition to do, and I'm not just gonna back down and leave the girls and the boys because of my personal problems. They weren't that heavy anyway, and can be taken in stride.

Now, what I was wondering was... what's Nik doing? Why does it seem like he has so much time on his hands?

I opened up the letter and it turned out to be a letter from Nat. Her handwriting is very blocky, I noted, mine was vertical but more flowy; however, mine was also less legible.

Here's what it says:

VALI

THIS IS NAT.

PLEASE COME HOME. --I MISS YOU.

UNFORTUNATELY, I CAN'T GO TO YOUR PLACE ANYMORE, SO MOTHER TOLD ME THAT THE ONLY WAY I CAN SEE YOU IS BY YOUR VISITING. I PROMISE I'LL MAKE YOU A BUNCH OF FOOD. IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, OUR FAMILY IS GOING BONKERS TRYING TO INVESTIGATE WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR LITTLE SISTER. FOR SOME REASON, SHE DISAPPEARED FROM WHATEVER TRACKER THEIR USING. REALLY INCOMPETENT, IF YOU ASK ME. I MEAN, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO KEEP TRACK OF A KID LIVING IN A SUPPOSEDLY COMPLETELY SAFE ENVIRONMENT?!

I HOPE YOU AREN'T FEELING THE SAME FRUSTRATION AS I AM.

I WANT OUR BABY SISTER SAFE, AND I THINK DEEP DOWN, YOU DO TOO.

NIKOLAS, OUR BROTHER, IS RECEIVING SUSPICION EVEN FROM THIS SIDE. I WAS HOPING YOU COULD MAYBE TELL ME OTHERWISE, SINCE THIS ISN'T HOW I REMEMBER HIM TO BE AT ALL.

THANK YOU, VALI. I HOPE MY LETTER DIDN'T RUIN YOUR DAY OR ANYTHING.

DON'T RESPOND TO ME THROUGH A LETTER. JUST RESPOND TO ME WHEN YOU COME BACK HOME, WHENEVER IT MAY BE.

LOVE, NAT

I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. Anything from Nat is a treat, even if it's about the annoying baby sister who just quite ruined my life without even knowing it.

She'll have to wait months before I visit, though.

I sigh. It's difficult enough to be almost invisible in our home here, despite being quite well-off. What more over there with all that ruckus I'm certain there would be?

Is that... the smell of fries? My brother must be eating fries downstairs for dinner.

Why do some molecules travel further and others not as far? For example, why do we smell meat better than we smell rice or vegetables?

I shake my head in dismay as I remember something even more important. How do I become a chemist if I go to our home town? My dreams would definitely be shattered.

But then an ache in my chest appeared as I remembered Nat's dream of being a soccer player or cheerleader in school. Did they even have regular schools over there, or did they only learn through tutors and studying in libraries? The latter is more likely, given that Nat hasn't mentioned classmates or any of the sort. Nat gave that dream up, to avoid causing trouble for our mother.

Given that premise though, she was still a child, and was assured that she could still practice whatever sport she wanted to. I grew up here, so there's a significant difference in our willingness to go. This place is already home to me, and I've envisioned and modified my dreams over and over that it would be a tragedy for me not to fulfill them.

Plus, I'm not as selfless as Nat was.

I'm not selfless.

I checked out our new group chat and browsed through new messages.

Kat: Meeting tomorrow.

Oliver: Hey, Katie~

Kat: Don't call me that, loser.

Oliver: Don't hurt my feelings, dude.

Kat: Shut up.

Tayrowe: Are we missing something? O.O

Kat: You, too, Tayrowe. Shut it.

Oliver: Katieeeee~

Jess: Tay, just don't.

Me: Hi.

I messaged, wondering how they'd react. Kat and Oliver are a pretty funny duo. I didn't realize it before. Although it's understandable since we haven't exactly hung out as a whole group. We've always been pretty separated because we had our respective stuff to plan and practice. 

Oliver: See you soon, Valyraaaa

Me: Excuse me?

Oliver: You're excused. Bye!

Me: Hey! Oliver!

And Oliver went offline, leaving me to wonder what he meant.

A knock came at the window, and it was a specific knock only Claire did, and I looked out to see her standing at the ladder. Claire hated passing through the front door because it gave her lonely vibes, so she goes straight to my bedroom window where she can easily let me know she was here and we'd go straight to her car from the window, since I can just get ready in my restroom while she waits and explores my room. 

It works since I always lock the front door anyway, and if I were to receive her at the front door, I'd have to travel up and down the stairs to get ready in my room, which is wasted time. Claire also loves checking out my room. She said it was interesting because there's always something different every time she visits, and she also usually ends up borrowing something from me that she returns the next time we meet. It's pretty much a cycle.

This time, though, I couldn't just let her in right away because right below by a nearby car, is Oliver.

Oliver Torres.

And he grinned shamelessly at me.

"Sorry I couldn't stop him," Claire said, while chewing on some gum. She didn't sound sorry at all, but rather than sounding insincere, she sounded tired, like she argued with someone just right before.

I rolled my eyes at Oliver. "Hey, you stay there, okay? You're driving us to wherever Claire wants."

Claire jumped into my room and quickly started eyeing my hoodie closet. I quickly fixed myself up, since I was actually about to go to sleep soon. I went to the restroom and changed out of my pajamas and threw on a pair of jean shorts and a loose nylon tank top.

"Let's go!" I told Claire after I finished up, and we kind of slid off the ladder after I locked up my window.

"Took you long enough," Oliver whined. Claire smacked him at the back of his head. "Owww!"

"That didn't hurt," Claire and I retorted in unison, and we high-fived and laughed aloud at our synchronization, earning us each a dirty look from Oliver.

This time we had Oliver turning up the music to drown our even louder laughter.