My Stepbrother: Secret possession

Prologue

My mum was marrying a stranger, and I was about to fly across the world to meet him.

Nervously tapping my black Adidas trainers against the floor, I blocked out the surrounding noise by blasting Bruno Mars at full volume through my white earphones, paying no attention to the pestering kids behind me. Finally, the boarding announcement came over the public address system, instructing travellers to proceed to the departure gate and board the plane. Hastily, I sent a text message to my mum, informing her I was about to board. With a surge of energy, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and stood up, making my way to the gate.

This was my first time flying alone, and it was unusual for my mum to allow me to travel across an ocean and a continent on a fourteen-hour journey. But I had never met the man she was marrying, apart from a photo she once sent me when she first arrived in America. So, I supposed her protective nature had subsided, which was a good thing. However, a tinge of sadness crept in.

She was changing, and I was afraid I would mean less to her. Soon, she would have two stepchildren, and I wouldn't be her only child anymore. I would have to share her with another man, her fiancé, who would soon be my stepdad. Jealousy lingered in the back of my throat as I settled into my first-class seat. And yes, my stepdad-to-be was wealthy, which still surprised me considering my mother's average life in London. She had somehow found someone like Mr Boyce, a successful Las Vegas resident.

The beginning of the journey was filled with joy, as I felt liberated from the life I had left behind in London, including the all-girls boarding school I would no longer attend.

Instead, I would start a new school this September with my stepsiblings, technically speaking. I did not know how old they were, what they looked like, or how they would behave. I was certain that wealthy American kids would not be kind to a girl who had attended an all-girls Catholic school, whether or not she was a stepsister. This feeling overshadowed the excitement of seeing America for the first time in my life, replacing it with a wave of nervousness. As the hours passed, I blamed my mum for making such a choice, secretly hoping that my stepsiblings would be significantly younger than me.

McCarran International Airport was just as busy as Google had promised when I landed. During my research on my new environment, I had discovered it was one of the ten busiest airports in the country. My heart raced as I grabbed my purple suitcase and made my way through the crowd, heading in the same direction as my fellow passengers.

I should have been looking for my stepdad, as my mum believed that Boyce and I needed some bonding time during the drive to his home, where we would now be living. However, I hesitated, lingering behind the woman I had been following until she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me stranded in the middle of the arrivals hall. It was then that I noticed a placard with familiar words on it:Ava Lancelot. My name was written in clear, bold letters. While relieved, I couldn't shake off the nervousness that had settled within me.

With slow steps and a pounding heart, I approached a familiar blond man in his late forties. Suppressing a smile at my mum's choice once again, I waved at the man dressed in brown trousers and a white short-sleeved polo shirt. His sharp, sky-blue eyes darted in my direction, and his lips stretched into a broad grin.

He pulled me into a hug that caught me off guard.

"Ava, you're finally here. Everyone is so excited to see you," he exclaimed as he let go and took hold of my suitcase.

Speechless at the warm and generous welcome from my soon-to-be stepdad, I followed him until we reached a grey Audi convertible. He turned to me with a neutral expression.

"Are you okay with low cars?" he asked.

"I think so," I responded slowly, my first words to him.

"Good, because Lilith isn't, and I suddenly thought you might not be," he said as he got into the car. "Put on your seat belt. Your mom reminded me to make sure you did," he added.