"You're such a joy to be around."-
"Well, you're a pain in the arse."
Jordyn had no idea that befriending the lovely idiot who broke her locker would turn her life upside down. But here she was, amidst bionics, secrets and life-threatening dangers...
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TW: mentions of death, grief, blood, vomit, serious injury ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
The airport: a place where stress and anxiety went hand in hand with excitement and hope. Crowds of people, each with their own stories and destinations; families reunited, lovers bid farewell, and solitary souls sought their next adventure.
Amidst the bustling chaos, a father and daughter forged a path through the crowds. Their hands clasped tightly together, offered both physical as much as emotional support. Their faces were stoic masks. The shared burden weighed on their backs more than their full and overflowing backpacks. They maneuvered the sea of strangers toward the baggage claim – the eye of the storm.
Jordyn's mind raced as she rubbed her weary eyes, grappling with the surreal transition from battling a giant spider to landing in Spain after a grueling 13-hour flight. The news of her abuelo's passing still felt like a cruel joke, its reality too raw to fully comprehend.
"Sorry," a passerby muttered, roughly pushing past her and jolting her out of her thoughts. She lacked the energy to react in any sort of way, not quite registering the pain in her shoulder. Her feet carried her forward, but she was jerked back by the hold on her hand. Turning around, she saw her dad crouch down and pick up one of her books that must have fallen out due to the collision.
He directed her to stand with her back toward him and safely zipped her backpack shut. Her hand felt icy cold despite the heat radiating off the people rushing around. Only with his hand back in hers did she feel safe again. So safe that she didn't think about where they headed, blindly following him.
Craig's heart sank as he averted his gaze from his daughter's figure. The sight of her hollow eyes, encircled by dark shadows, and her stoic demeanor pierced him to the core. For the past sixteen hours, since having retrieved her from the island, he had witnessed her withdrawal into herself. She blocked any attempts at communication simply by ignoring them.
Despite his efforts to coax her out of her shell, to eliminate the silence between them, Jordyn remained closed off. Each attempt to connect, to break through the barriers she had put up, met with stone-cold rejection. It pained him to see her slipping further away, lost in the depths of her grief.
It didn't help that his daughter reminded him so much of his wife at this very moment. They were very much alike in this sense.
A jolt of pain shot through Jordyn's hand as her father squeezed it a bit too tightly in an attempt of reassurance. She winced, but remained silent, grateful that her father respected her wish for silence.
Unlike Bree. While Bree had been an immense help, assisting with packing and taking many of Jordyn's responsibilities off her shoulders, she couldn't help but feel a pang of irritation at the memory of her friend's attempts to lighten the mood.
