Under Ontario Skies

14. Luke's back!

Presley

"Luke?!"

I gape at my cousin who's standing at my front door. "Wait! Are you a ghost?" I touch his face and pinch his cheeks. He winces and groans.

"Oh, Presley, stop it. It's me, alright?" Luke says, feigning annoyance.

"Oh my god!" I pounce on him, almost putting him off balance. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He chuckles, returning my hug. "It's great to see you too, kiddo."

"Oh, I'm not a kid anymore. I'll be turning eighteen in December. Also, you're just a few years older than me, Luke."

"Oh, I know." He grins.

"I thought you guys weren't coming until Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, well, I wanted to pay my cousin an early visit."

"Aw! But, you're coming back for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas, right?"

"Yup." Luke's grin widens.

"Where's Emily, Alex, Caleb and the baby? OMG!" I squeak. "Where's the baby? I wanna see the baby!"

"I need to help Em and the baby out of the car, and I've no idea where the two bastards are. Could you do me a huge favor and look for them while I go check on Em?"

"Sure."

A few years back Emily enrolled as a student at Eastern Michigan University in Leigh Falls. Luke just so happened to be her English literature teacher there. They fell in love, and the rest is history. Emily had lost both her parents and had been raising her little brother, Alex, on her own, while also going to uni. Coincidentally, it had been the same with Luke and his brother, Caleb. Luke and Em got married last year and they had a baby whom I can't wait to see.

I twist my room's door knob only to find it locked. Holding my ear against the door, I listen to any movement inside my room.

"Prepare to attack," someone whispers close to the door.

I knock before the little rascals swing the door open and pounce on me. There's shuffling inside before someone speaks."What's the password?"

I wrack my brain for a password and come up with the only Star Wars referral I know. The two of them are obsessed with it. "Darth Vader?"

"Password complete!" The door opens slowly, revealing the culprits, Caleb and Alex. "Oh. Hey, Presley," Alex says.

"We— um, we were just looking for you in here," Cale continues after the other boy.

"Oh, really?" I say.

"Yeah," Alex says, scratching the back of his head while Cale stares at his feet. "Oh, great. You found me. Now come on, let's go help Luke with the bags." "But, we have a mission to complete," Cale whines.

"Okay, fine. I'll go help him, but please don't mess up my room, guys."

"It was already a mess before we even started our mission," he says. "Thanks anyway, Presley." They both hug me around the waist before going back inside my room. They've grown a lot taller since the last time I saw them. Both of them are almost up to my shoulder now.

When I go back downstairs, Luke has already got the bags out and everyone's in the living room, circling the baby. Gramma's holding her.

"Hey, Presley." Emily gets up from the sofa to hug me. "It's so good to see you again."