Fearless

The Watched Pot

Chapter 1
Are we Ready?

Andrew

"Could you squeeze in some of my stuff in your bag?" I asked. In reply, she just scoffed at me.

Our mothers were doing their best not to cry. Our dads were trying to console our moms. Meanwhile Uncle Alex was helping us pack and lecturing us about the do's and don'ts. And by that I mean  mostly the don't s. And by us I mean mostly Red.

"I get it." She looked up from her bags at something Uncle Alex had said.

"You would if you were listening." He sighed in exasperation.

She smiled slightly. "Oh, you know me so well."

Things had moved so fast in the past couple of days that I barely had the time to comprehend them. Red seemed to be dealing with it just fine though. Red....ugh. I was glad she'd bloomed. I didn't mind that I didn't yet. At least we were finally going thanks to that. But she didn't have to be so obnoxious about it. I even spent my birthday watching her flex her gifts 'subtly'.

When I think back to five days ago, things had started out as usual but....

"It's amazing how we're still alive." I had said.

"Hmm?" Came her amazingly eloquent response, as she eased the car into the parking space.

"Oh come on." I looked up in exasperation.

She turned off the ignition, and looked at me. "What?" Her tone suggested confusion instead of the usual boredom or annoyance.

"Red, I asked you something thrice. And each time, you just nodded at me. Just. Freaking. Nodded.  It wasn't even a 'yes or no' question. I'm amazed at how you managed to get us to school in one piece, given your mental absence."

"What did you want to ask?" She inquired rather half-heartedly.

"Never mind that. You've got to stop getting worked up about this. It'll happen when it happens." I said.

"I'm not getting worked UP." She said, getting worked up whilst speaking.

"Red...." I shook my head. If she spoke any louder, our secret predicament would no longer be secret. She ran her hand through her chocolate brown hair and exhaled audibly, and I could practically hear the tense muscles of her body relaxing. She was so rigid all morning I was beginning to think she'd frozen over.

"I'm not getting worked up." She repeated, this time a lot calmer. "It's just what if, you know, it never happens."

"Then our mothers will celebrate for the rest of their lives." I smiled. She punched my arm.

"Andy, I'm serious." She definitely looked like she was.

"Are you even listening to yourself? You think it wouldn't happen to at least one of us?"

"I'm almost eighteen. And you will be sixteen in two days."

" So what? It happened to one of Uncle Alex's friend when he was twenty, remember?"

"I'm starting to wonder if he made that friend up, just to make us feel better." Red said.

“Yeah, I doubt it.” I said.

“Andy, the new semester starts in a month's time. If neither of us blooms by then, we'll have to wait another year. And if I have to go one year with this home-schooling and balancing Earth studies with that, I will lose my mind. I mean, I graduate in a year's time. I can't waste that here.”

“It's not so bad here.” I said
“Yeah, sure.” Red gave me a knowing smile. “I’m sure you’re not just saying that because you don’t want to bid adieu to Alaise.”