The Destined

Chapter 24: Avani

    Avani    

Two Months Later

I was woken up by the birds chirping outside, followed by the bright light in my eyes, which must be the sun, all bright and cheery in the blue spring sky. Groggily, I look around our dorm. It is fairly messy, with clothes strewn on the ground, bed sheets hanging off of the bunks, and books and papers scattered all around. Meredith has taken advantage of school being nearly over and is still sleeping. My watch reads 9:30, way past the normal breakfast time. But it is the last day of school, so we have exceptions.

I look over to Anna and Melissa's beds. They are empty. The toilet in the bathroom flushes, muffled by the closed door, and then the faucet is turned on as if somebody is washing their hands. Then, the door opens and Anna emerges from the bathroom, still in her PJs.

"Hey, have you seen Melissa," I ask, wondering where she might have gone.

"Who knows. Probably on a walk or something?" Anna shrugs.

"Yeah, I guess," I say.

"Can you believe summer is already here? It seems like just yesterday we started the maze," Anna says, forming a smile that grows by the time she is finished with her sentence. She walks over to her bed.

"I know right!" I say. "Honestly, I am not that excited. Summer just means three months of staying at an orphanage somewhere up in the state with annoying kids, nasty food, and limited closet space."

Anna chuckles. "At least you don't have to spend your summer with a dad that doesn't care about you. It's like I am the adult in the house when my Aunt isn't around. I mean, she lives in the city, and our house is more towards Maine, so she never gets must chance to care for us."

"You shouldn't be complaining. At least you have a family," I mutter, finally willing myself to get up from the bed.

There's a pause, and then Anna speaks again. "I am sorry. About your parents, I mean."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I now it isn't mine either, but sometimes I blame myself so hard about it." I expect tears, but there are none. There's just a lump in my throat, one that I easily ward off by gulping.

"If it weren't for my dad, maybe you could stay with me this summer. I am sure the orphanage you go to will allow it."

"That would be –" I am interrupted by the upbeat ringtone of Anna's phone. She mouths the word sorry as she goes over to look at the screen. I don't remember the last time anybody called us at school.

"Oh look who it is," Anna says, flashing me the screen for a brief moment. "Dad."

She rolls her eyes as presses "answer," and then she presses the phone to her ear. "Hey...yeah?" A pause. "What? But why?" Another pause. "Really? That's...that's actually great. Um, I'll call her then. She knows right?" Anna looks up and smiles at me. "Okay, dad. I –" Anna stops herself before she can finish the sentence. She was going to say "I love you." She hangs up and looks at me excitedly.

"Guess what?" she asks, grinning.

"What?"

"I am staying over at my aunt's house for the summer! It's in the city!" Anna exclaims, jumping up and down. Meredith groans and pulls her blanket over her head. I laugh.

"I am so happy for you...I guess," I say.

"I have to call her. Maybe I can ask her if you can stay with me!" Anna says, dialing a number into her cell phone.