Aenoxis and the Bridge Between Worlds

Chapter 9

Sage was proud to announce that the fair had gone according to plan. Unfortunately, they were still almost a thousand pound short after having sold everything. Clearly the others had little faith in her ability, because no one else had expected the level of success they saw - in Kailani's words, her creations had sold "like prize squids at a popular squid market." Sage knew she could have phrased it better herself, but she admired the childish carelessness... to some extent.

£1098.60 was a massive amount of money that Sage was more than grateful for, but it wasn't enough. Part of her thought they could do it all over again next weekend too, to make the other half, but the rest of her figured that the town probably had all the bracelets and pipe cleaner animals it needed now. They'd need to find some other way to get the money, or her brother would never be proud of her.

Sage had gathered them all in her bedroom to discuss their next move. She didn't plan to keep them long. The room already felt too small, and they crowded it. "We're a grand short. Ideas?"

"Book the flights." Lexis said the words with reluctance, and it was anyone's guess where the money was coming from, but Sage didn't waste time thinking about it.

At least she could get rid of them now. "Thank you," Sage remembered to add, "I'll see you all in two weeks." The group was growing on her, and she'd always loved Lexis, but it felt like an invasion of privacy to have them in her room, so close to where Mateo used to be. She never should have invited them.

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Time had never run so slow. Anticipation and adrenaline had kept Sage glancing at every clock and calendar within range every hour of the day. Luckily, she'd had schoolwork to catch up on to keep her busy. Not that it was difficult or took any real effort. In fact, she'd asked her teachers to double up on homework - her PowerPoint on the benefits of doing so worked a treat. Lexis didn't care because she never did any homework anyway, and Sage didn't care what anyone else in the class thought.

Eventually, two weeks had passed and she was sat between Lexis and a stranger in the airport, waiting to be called onto their plane. "Has everyone got their tickets?" Sage checked for the hundredth time just since passing security. A collective groan with Kailani's giggle woven in came back to meet her. "That had better be a yes."

And then their flight number was called. "That's-"

"We know, don't worry," Lexis said, already standing in front of her.

When Sage had first booked the tickets, she'd assumed she would sit with Lexis, and the others could sit together in the three seats down the middle of the plane. Apparently, she'd assumed wrong.

Kailani desperately wanted to sit beside her new sister-figure, Tallie. Why, Sage didn't know, but she wasn't going to fight it. It just meant that her and Lexis would have to deal with Kallai too, and sit in the centre column. For the window seat, it was very tempting to call leader and kick Tallie into the middle, but she restrained herself. She was the reason the team was doing this, and she couldn't risk upsetting them into quitting.

"-think it'll be like?"

"Hopefully not boring," Lexis replied, leaning back in her chair as Kallai leaned forward, his head tilted towards her.

When the sunlight hit his warm brown skin, Sage found herself lost in the days of getting lost in thoughts of him. Back then, she'd had no idea who he was or what he was like, and now... Now she liked him a lot less. And still, that familiar army of butterflies was charging around inside her like a storm. Maybe this adventure could patch things up and build something more for the two of them.