| Wattys 2022 Shortlist | CURRENTLY UNDER THE EDITING PROCESS
Bora, the last arctic breed, was born with an ominous curse. He must sacrifice himself to the deity for the sake of his kind, but when he meets Gemma, love makes him reevaluate his self-i...
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I changed into my warm jogging clothes for mobility. I'm not sure what lies ahead, but better prepared than sorry. I tossed Ava tights and fitted long sleeves perfect for the chilling weather. It didn't take us long to get dressed to walk to the van.
Quinn passed me by and smoothly snatched the keys, startling me. "I'm driving," he said, going to the driver's seat. I glared at him, trotting behind.
"No, I'm driving," I said, reaching over to grab them, but he held his arms in the air as I jumped up, trying to yank them away.
He laughed, wrapping me in a headlock, but I still wrestled for the keys. Ava grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.
"Ow, ow, ow," Qu whines, trying to go in the direction she twisted to make it hurt less.
She snatched the keys away, dangling them. "I have the nose. I'm driving." She shoves Quinn to the side with one hand as I hear Rudy chuckle in the background.
I hunch my shoulders. "Ava has a point," I laughed, getting in the passenger seat.
Rudy strolls up to Quinn, putting his arm around his shoulders with a smirk. "Nice try," Rudy jokes, gently pushing his chin with his fist, and my brother mopes. Rudy eyed Ava while she glanced his way.
"Make sure you don't hit anyone, Okay?" Rudy smirked, and she rolled her eyes, getting in the car with a smile.
Ava leads us on the road to an area I have never seen. "Not to question you, but are you sure this is the right way?
"Positive," Ava spoke with confidence, dispelling any possibility of doubt.
I nod my head, letting her concentrate. Even though the car was silent, I could still sense the tension in the air. None of us know what or where we will end. My stomach twisted; What a terrible time to get nervous. Maybe, the worse has already happened. It took too long to get this far. I started bouncing my right leg looking out the window.
"Everything will be fine, Gemma," Ava assured me, peeking down at my leg.
I gazed at her and reverted out the window. "Yeah, you're right," I mumbled.
I heard movement in the back seat. "What do you call coffee that makes you feel sad, anybody?" Qu is starting one of dad's famous traveling rituals. The dad jokes. Especially when we used to fight on road trips, he is trying to lighten the mood.
I shake my head, smiling. "Depresso," I mumbled.
Quinn shook my shoulder. "Yeah." He said with enthusiasm.
"I got one," Ava said, and Qu and I looked at her. "Why can't cups of coffee go to Hogwarts." She tittered.
Qu starts snapping his finger. "I know this one," He scratched his eyebrow.
"What is Hogwarts?" Rudy asked, perplexed, staring at us. "Harry Potter?" Ava answered, glimpsing through the rearview mirror. "Oh, never mind." She giggled.
