Sparked (COMPLETED)

Chapter Nineteen

Luke

I hurried downstairs after my shower, not wanting to miss dinner, and I practically crashed into Augi.
She looked up at me and smiled, reminding me yet again how tall I was for my age. Marcy had always told me I'd be good at basketball, but not all tall people want to play the sport.
"Miss Blue Jay wants to speak with us," She said, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the sitting room.
"Who's 'us?'" I asked.
"Me, you, Bronwyn, and Maxan," She replied.
We arrived. I sat down next to Bronwyn on the sofa while Augi threw herself onto an overstuffed armchair. Maxan was sitting on the floor sketching a picture. Miss Blue Jay was sitting in an arm chair.
She smiled at us. "Hello, everyone. I was just on the phone with my granddaughter, Lisa. They're in the Bahamas right now, so the four of you are going to fly down."
I blinked. "Lisa's your granddaughter?" I asked, shocked.
"Great granddaughter," Miss Blue Jay admitted. "As I was saying, the four of you are flying down tonight. You'll pack your things after dinner and then you'll be off."
I couldn't believe I would get to see Vienna again in a few hours. I looked calm, but in my head I was bouncing off the walls. What Miss Blue Jay said next made me freeze.
"However, five people in the group are dead. Lisa told me two of them were her parents. She's pretty shaken up."
"Who were the other three?" Augi demanded. "Is Enoch alright?"
"Enoch?" I asked. "The angry one?"
"Yeah. That's him."
Maxan frowned at the mention of the other boy.
"I don't know if he's okay," Miss Blue Jay admitted.
"What about my cousin?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, Luke. I don't know."
If Vienna was dead... no, I wouldn't even consider it. I shook the image of my cousin, bloody and broken, from my head.
"We'll pack tonight," Maxan decided. "After dinner, we can leave."
I nodded. "Good idea. I think we should bring some extra food, too. In case Vienna and the others don't have any."
"I agree," Bronwyn said. "Now, when's dinner? I'm not trying to be selfish, but I am starving." "Ditto," Augi agreed, standing up.
"Well," Miss Blue Jay said. "Let's go eat, shall we?"

. . . .

Dinner was fifteen minutes later. I sat next to Bronwyn and Maxan. Maxan couldn't even look at Augi without blushing.
"You like her?" I murmured to him. He turned redder. "A little," He squeaked. I smiled at him. "I remember my first crush. I was twelve and a horrible flirt. Her name was Esther, but before I got the chance to ask her out, she moved away. My cousin and I moved shortly after," I told him.
For dinner, we had steak, corn on the cob, and potatoes with a glass of water. Lee Ann was reading the entire time, and I was terrified she'd get food in the crevices of her book.
Samantha was glaring at me, and Elliot was poking at his food. Clarity was telling stories, and Augi threw in a comment every once in a while. Bronwyn listened politely.
After dinner, Augi and Maxan went up to pack while Bronwyn and I sat in the sitting room, alone. She was chewing the inside of her cheek, like she did when she got nervous.
I liked Bronwyn. She was kind and brave. I felt like I'd gotten to know her pretty well. Plus, I liked talking to her. So I went with my gut.
I kissed her.
I'd always been the one to turn a friendship to a relationship. None of them lasted long, but I had a good feeling about Bronwyn.
She tasted and smelt like cinnamon. Her lips were soft, and she kissed me back with a fierceness I never would've expected from her. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and I pulled her onto my lap. God, I loved her.
I wrapped my left arm around her waist and touched her with my right hand, running my fingers across her face. Her skin was soft.
Our kiss deepened. She moaned softly against my lips, and I wondered if this was her first kiss. Neither of us dared to end it.
Somebody cleared their throat.
We broke apart, breathing heavily. "So," Augi asked. "How long have you two been together?" "Since a couple minutes ago," I said. I grabbed her hand and looked at her for approval. She nodded.
Augi had a backpack over one shoulder. "Great. Maxan's already outside. Let's go."

. . . .

While we waited for boarding, I talked to Augi and Maxan. "Let's play a game," I said. "My aunt taught me it when I was getting to know my cousin. You have to ask any question and the others have to answer honestly." Augi grinned. "Can I start?" "Sure," Bronwyn said, grabbing my hand. Augi thought for a minute, then came up with a question.
"What's the latest you've ever stayed up? For me, it's 5:30 in the morning."
"The latest I've stayed up is probably 2:15," Bronwyn said. "I've stayed up until 4:00," Maxan confessed. "The latest I've ever gone is 6:30. I could not put Lady Midnight down," I admitted.
"You like to read?" Augi asked. I nodded.
"My turn," Maxan said. "What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you?"
"This entire situation," I said. "Getting kidnapped. Meeting you guys was great, though."
"The worst thing that's ever happened to me was when Miss Peregrine, our ymbryne, got captured," Bronwyn said.
"Getting separated from Claire," Maxan told us. "I don't want to talk about it," Augi said, looking away. Nobody pushed the matter.
"Okay," I said. "On that happy note, what's the hardest thing you've ever done? For me it was learning to accept my parent's death."
"It was extremely hard to leave the guy I fell in love with," Augi said, staring at her feet. "I miss him."
"The hardest thing I've ever done is come out as bisexual to all my friends and learn to accept myself for who I am," Bronwyn explained. "My entire life, I thought I was heterosexual, but then I went to Miss P's loop. I met Emma, and I had a hopeless crush on her for years. Eventually, I got over her, and came out to everyone. They were all super cool about it, and later one of them told me that he was bi, too."
"Mine is somewhat like Bronwyn's," Maxan said quietly. "I don't share this with a lot of people, but here goes nothing. I'm transgender. I grew up as a girl named Maxine. I think I figured out I wanted to be a boy when I was eight, but I didn't tell my parents until I was thirteen. They took it pretty well, and I made the transition from Maxine to Maxan."
I honestly thought it was pretty cool that Bronwyn and Maxan were part of the LGBT+ community. I was proud to have them as my friends.

. . . .

Bronwyn slept with her head on my shoulder the entire plane ride. Augi and Maxan sat behind us.
Finally we landed in the Bahamas airport.
After we got off the plane, I used some of the money Miss Blue Jay gave us to rent a car. Then, I began to drive towards Lisa's house. Everyone was pretty excited. Bronwyn couldn't stop smiling, not that I was complaining. Augi had a spring in her step. Maxan wouldn't stop talking about his little sister. I, myself, couldn't wait to see Vienna again.
Lisa lived out in the country. We pulled up to her house and the four of us scrambled out of the car.
I was instantly crushed in a hug. Vienna was crying into my shoulder. Thank God she wasn't dead. "You're alive," She cried.
"I'm back, Vee," I whispered. "Maybe everything will be alright now."
Little did I know how wrong I was.

Sorry I've been gone for so long. Did you like the chapter? Feedback is appreciated.