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"How you slept through that flight, I will never understand." Matthew grumbled as they waited for their luggage.
"It's my superpower - I can sleep through anything," Genevieve stuck her tongue out at Matthew, causing the older boy to roll his eyes.
"It's true. Ever since she was a baby, Genevieve sleeps like the dead," Lorelei commented as she reached forward to pull her suitcase from the conveyor belt. "She used to scare the shit out of me when she was a newborn cause I thought something was wrong when she slept through the night after coming home from the hospital. Her father always said I worried too much."
Genevieve glanced at her mother at the mention of her father. The two hadn't even spoken about him since his appearance on Genevieve's birthday. To be honest, he hadn't crossed her mind since then. With everything else going on, Genevieve's father was the last thing she ever wanted to think about. Genevieve didn't want to bring up her father either, now that Lorelei had moved on and was now with Charlie. The topic of her father never ended well.
"There's the rest!" Matthew said, quickly diffusing the awkward silence that followed. He ran forward, pulling both his and Genevieve's suitcases of the conveyor belt. Genevieve reached out when he walked back toward them, quickly taking her suitcase from him.
"The Council sent a car for us," Lorelei explained as Matthew and Genevieve followed her through the airport. "There they are."
Genevieve looked around her mother, catching the man who was holding a sign with their last name scribbled on it. She glanced at her mother, then to Matthew, frowning when he noticed the change in his demeanor. No longer was he laid back and relaxed - now he stood with his back straight, his dark brown eyes calculating as they walked toward the man.
"Ms. Lorelei," the man greeted politely, reaching forward to shake Lorelei's hand. "I hope your flight was smooth. I assume this is your lovely daughter we've heard so much about."
"Yes, this is Genevieve." Genevieve reached forward to shake the man's hand, keeping her chin raised when she noticed the judgement clear as day in his hazel eyes.
And so it begins...
"We should get going," he announced after dropping Genevieve's hand. "Allow me." He reached forward, taking both Lorelei and Genevieve's suitcases before turning on his heel. Lorelei followed behind him which Genevieve lingered back with Matthew, who she noticed went completely ignored.
"Are they all like this?" She asked quietly, fiddling with the strap of her backpack.
"Superficially judgmental?" Matthew asked bitterly, "yeah. Anything that's different gets pushed away. And I used to think that's the way things should be."
"You're better than that now," Genevieve said firmly, reaching out to grab Matthew's hand. She knew that Matthew came from a place where anything different was disregarded, that much was obvious when they first met. But he wasn't that person anymore. Being exposed to people who are different than you, learning to care for them, will do that to a person. Genevieve just wished everyone could change like Matthew did."That's not who you are anymore."
