Mar-Vell College (Valkarol)

Home

Just like Valkyrie had said, her home was in the middle of nowhere. As they drove down the country road Carol stared out of the window in awe of the scenery. They were surrounded by fields of lush grass that had been freshly cut. Some of them had bright displays of flowers whilst others grew food.

Carol couldn't believe how peaceful it was in the countryside. They hadn't seen any other cars in a long time but eventually houses came into view. It was only the occasional one every minute or so.

Although they all had similar designs, every house was unique in some way. They all had character. Some stood proudly infront of the fields and others looked as though they grew with them. They were all old looking buildings that had a homefull appearance.

Valkyrie smiled fondly as they neared her own home. Turning into the driveway, Carol's eyes darted across their surroundings. The large driveway had all sorts of flowers carefully planted along the border. Although there was no grand gate welcoming them the flowers certainly did the job.

The house itself was beautiful. Vines with white flowers crawled up the side of the building. A pair of dark double doors were freshly painted and had a silver door knocker centred in the middle. It wasn't a mansion but the ancient house was incredible. It seemed like an amazing home and Carol only hoped she could live somewhere similar one day.

She looked up at one of the polished windows and saw a young face appear only to vanish quickly after.

"Who's that?" Carol asked as the pair got out the car.

"My brother, Aiden." Valkyrie said simply as she strolled towards the bold doors. She was about to knock when the door was thrown open and a young boy ran at Valkyrie. She seemed to expect it because she hauled him off the ground into her arms. He laughed hysterically as he squirmed in her grasp.

"Hey lil' guy." Valkyrie said warmly as she put him down. "How are you?"

"Good." He smiled a toothy smile.

A golden Labrador came running out of the house at the sound of all the commotion and jumped up at Valkyrie when it saw her.

"Hey Caesar." She said as she stroked the dogs fur.

"I made a spaceship with my lego. Wanna see?" He asked eagerly.

"Maybe later buddy. Where's mum?"

"I'll get her." He said, running off. "Mummy!" He yelled as he ran. Carol walked over to Valkyrie's side and Caesar followed at her heal.

He sniffed Carol cautiously before deciding she wasn't a threat. He jumped up at her too and Carol laughed as the dog tried to lick her face. Carol leaned back in time to escape it.

"Like it?" Valkyrie asked, motioning to the house.

"It's beautiful." She replied as she gazed at the house. Valkyrie smiled to herself.

"Yeah." She said, watching Carol. "It is."

"Valkyrie, love!" A joyful voice called from the door. A middle aged woman made her way onto the driveway. She was well dressed and had dark brown hair that was identical to Valkyrie's. She held her arms out to her daughter warmly. Valkyrie hugged the older woman who caught Carol's eye. Valkyrie definetly had her mother's eyes. They were the same swirl of brown and were full of life.

"You must be Carol." She said in a friendly tone.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you. You have a lovely home." Carol said politely.

"Thank you, dear." She turned to Valkyrie and whispered not so subtly. " You picked a good one." She winked.

"Mum!" Valkyrie protested, slightly embarrassed knowing Carol heard her clearly. "It's OK if she stays this weekend, right?" Valkyrie asked nervously.

"Of course! You're welcome any time." Carol smiled at her hospitality. It was nice to know there were people who welcomed her into their home without judgement.

As they entered the house Carol saw it was just as grand on the inside as it was on the outside. There were paintings and family photos decorated across the walls where ever she looked.

Proudly displayed opposite the entrance was a cabinet filled with trophies. Carol walked over to take a closer look and saw most of them were Valkyrie's, all sports which didn't surprise Carol. They were protected by a glass wall and there was a light on the top of the cabinet to emphasise detail and good maintainence of each individual trophy.

The room to their left was the living room that had a lot of expensive looking furniture. The material was smooth and was the kind of thing you would dread spilling wine on.

Aiden was sat on the white carpet playing with his lego in contentment. Valkyrie offered to help her mum make drinks whilst Carol continued marvelling at the trophies.

"Are you Valkyrie's girlfriend." A happy voice called. Carol looked around and saw Aiden looking at her with curiosity. She smiled as she walked over to him at a leisurely pace.

"No." Unfortunately. "We're just friends." She crouched down to examine his creation.

"It's a spaceship." He said triumphantly.

"I can tell, it's really good." She picked up a small figure and examined it closely. "Who's this?"

"That's daddy." Aiden said as he continues to fix additional pieces onto the ship.

"He's very brave to go into space."

"Mummy said that's where he is now." Carol frowned slightly.

"When did he go?" She asked.

"After the accident with the car." He said simply. " Mummy says we won't see him again but I hear her talk to him sometimes." Carol put the figure down and sat on the floor cross legged. She hadn't expected this.

"And the spaceship will help him travel?" Aiden nodded his head excitedly.

"He can go anywhere!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. Carol smiled. "I could help him come home." Carol's face dropped a bit and his words, knowing his dad wouldn't be able to come home. But that wasn't a convasastion she had any right to start.

"You know, I used to want to be a pilot." Carol said.

"You did?" Aiden said, wide eyed.

"Yep, not for normal planes though. I wanted to fly amazing spaceships just like this." She tapped the toy. "Then I decided I wanted to be in the air force."

"Like the army?"

"Exactly like the army." She laughed.

"Why not anymore?" He asked.

"I don't really know. I guess went off track." She said finding a sudden interest in the floor. She hadn't thought about it in a while. Art could always be a hobby. She thought.

"I think you'd make a great pilot." Valkyrie said from behind. Carol spun around to see her leaning against the door frame. How long has she been there?

"Thanks." Carol smiled.

"Wanna go upstairs?" She asked.

"Sure." Carol said as she got up.

"Hey." Aiden called. Carol turned around and he beckoned her closer. As Carol crouched down again he cupped his mouth and whispered in Carol's ear. "I think you should ask Valkyrie to be your girlfriend." He grinned. Damm, this kid's good.

"I'll bear that in mind." Carol said as she backed out of the room. She followed Valkyrie up the stairs two steps at a time. "I like your brother."