How She Came Home

Chapter Twenty

Becca's driver pulled up outside Mind's apartment at nine o'clock, idling as the CEO made her way upstairs to the apartment, taking the stairs with the elevator in the lobby out of commission, audible voices drifting through paper thin walls before she'd even made it to the front door. 

She knocked twice, listening to Freen's voice grow steadily louder as she approached, and raised a questioning eyebrow as the door was yanked open.

"Morning," Freen said with a rough sigh as she rolled her eyes and dropped a kiss on Becca's lips. "You're so lucky you don't have a sister."

"Mm, so much worse than a mass-murdering brother," Becca agreed as she eased the door shut. "Is everyone ready?"

"No. Leave it up to her to oversleep and pack before we leave."

Wrinkling her nose faintly, she sank down onto the sofa and picked up the autobiography splayed open on the coffee table to pass the time as Freen and Mind shouted back and forth. 

It was a comfortable banter that she imagined was normal for the sisters, and Becca looked up to nod at Nam as she gave her a commiserating look and joined her with her morning coffee.

"All packed?"

"Ex-military," Nam said, pointing at herself. "Of course I am."

Nodding, Becca delved back into the book of essays, wondering whose book it was as she flicked through the pages, picking up snippets as she let the din wash over her.

Eventually, Mind emerged with a bulging duffle bag and snapped her fingers as she looked around.

"Sunglasses, sunglasses."

"They're on your head," Nam called out without looking.

"Ah," Mind muttered, patting the frames resting on her hair. "Keys."

"Coffee table. Now can we go? We're going to be late."

Clicking her tongue with annoyance, Mind snatched up her keys and spread her hands helplessly as she raised her eyebrows at Freen, who had her backpack on and the front door open. 

"Your girlfriend owns the plane - you did catch that right?"

"We still have to be on time ."

"Then next time don't steal my phone charger and maybe my alarm will go off."

"You said I could have it."

"Alright, let's go," Nam interrupted, pushing herself to her feet and ushering Mind out the door as she snatched up her own bag.

Becca followed them out and let Freen lock up before she shadowed Nam to the stairs. "Do you have any sisters?"

"Oh, God no, thankfully," Nam snorted. "But my brother and I used to argue like crazy when we were younger. We eventually grew out of it - unlike these two."

A small smile pulled at the corners of Becca's mouth as Freen and Mind's bickering and questions and comments filled the stairwell as they made their way down to the lobby. 

Filing out into the warm day, the driver climbed out of the car to help stow their bags in the trunk, and Becca found herself in the front seat of the town car as they pulled out into traffic and made out of the city.

The plane was at a private airstrip that her family owned, forty minutes north of National City, already brought out of the hangar and waiting on the sun baked tarmac. 

It was a small thing, sleek and a glossy obsidian colour with the A-Corp logo on the side of it, solely used for Becca's business trips - she didn't go anywhere else to make use of it, and it was a tax write-off in the company's name.