The S.U.N. and The Peter Pan Project

Chapter 18

Wait a minute… No, it can’t be! So Matt is actually Mattie?!

Goosebumps erupted all over me at the realization.

“Yes, Maya. You chose him.” Nick finally said softly.

I kind of had actually.

After our very grown-up greeting we’d been inseparable.

Many boys had tried to get our attention but we were adamant, they had to take us together or look for somebody else to play with.

A few boys took it on Mattie tripping him up or making fun of him.

Some little punk had thought he could impress me by beating my friend up. I’d punched him so hard that he cried for hours afterwards.

Only a tiny girl and a tall blond-haired boy had accepted to hang out with the two of us. We’d nicknamed ourselves the I4, the Inseparable Four.

But it still didn’t make any sense…

“I don’t get it…” I started, my voice hardly above a whisper.

“Let me explain it to you.” Nick said softly. “Mum’s only regret in life is to have grown up following training classes instead of shopping and talking make-up with friends… She didn’t want you to regret anything later…”

“What do you mean?!” I asked Nick.

“Well, instead of starting your training classes with Matt, as you should have, you went to our local primary school and grew up like any normal kid…” He didn’t have the time to finish his sentence.

“I, what?!” I snapped.

I couldn’t believe he’d just said that.

“So you really think growing up without your parents is part of a normal life?!”

I stood up in a blind attempt to get closer to the device we were using to communicate.

“You really think being forbidden to go on dates with boys is part of a normal life?!” I added.  

I was fuming.

“Besides, look at the amazing result of this grand master plan… You had to drug the freaking linker up to reunite her with her betrothed… Come on! It was bound to end up into some big tragedy!” I huffed angrily. “What did you think? That I’d wake up and fall deeply in love again with my long lost soul mate?!” I asked sardonically. “Yeah right! I can just picture that scene: Good morning my long love – Because of course, I was bound to recognize him more than ten flipping years later!!! – I’ve missed you oh so much! Let’s go on a romantic walk to catch up on all that time we lost while we grew up a continent away from one another…” I said in my best princess voice.

Nick sighed loudly.

“It was the deal the Cranes made with Mum and Dad. They allowed you to grow up normally as long as you stopped seeing them altogether, and stayed away from other boys…” He sighed again. “Matt did ask us to prepare you but I thought you’d refuse to go no matter what…”

“And you were most certainly right…” I admitted in a small voice.

Even if they’d mentioned the S.U.N and Matt openly, I’d have disagreed to go to the US to live – Scrap that! – to share the bed of a seventeen year old dude I’d supposedly chosen when I was six. I’d probably have run away, in fact.

No, wait, I wouldn’t have gone far, would I? With my loose wrist bone…

They’ve lied to me the entire time. My whole freaking life’s built on lies.