~ Chapter Two ~
Avery climbed into the back of her mom’s blue car and closed the door.
“How was school?” her mom asked as she always did. It didn’t annoy Avery the way a repeated question like that may annoy other teenagers. She liked that her mom cared, and it didn’t feel like she was just saying it because it was routine. Her mom began to drive.
“Actually, it was kinda weird,” Avery confessed.
“How so?” Mrs. Clay asked, looking at Avery in the rearview mirror.
“I think I’ll wait until the whole family is together to explain it all. That way I’ll only have to tell the story once,” she said.
“Ok,” her mom replied after a moment. Then she asked, “Today was Finals for this first semester, right?”
“It was!” Avery said. She told her mom about how everything went fairly smoothly, besides students not staying calm while the teacher reviewed their grades. After she was finished she asked, “Ryan home from Wings Academy, right? For winter break?”
“Mhm, he is. We’re going to make his favorite for dinner, too. Tuna and mac,” Mrs. Clay said.
Avery smiled. Tuna mixed with Kraft mac’n’cheese was definitely her older brother’s favorite. Avery remembered this one time when Ryan was probably about seven and he ate three bowls of mac’n’cheese. He would’ve eaten a fourth if there had been more, but there wasn’t and six-year-old Avery didn’t want to give her’s up. Apparently he had skipped snack between lunch and dinner on purpose so he could be extra hungry.
Avery also loved mac’n’cheese, though she couldn’t understand why Ryan liked mixing tuna into it. It ruined the texture! On its own, mac’n’cheese was creamy and warm. But when you added room-temperature tuna, it just was not right.
“I feel like I haven’t seen Ryan in forever,” Avery remarked. “When was the last time he came home? Thanksgiving?”
“Yep,” Avery’s mom said. “Which, if I recall correctly, was only three weeks ago.”
“Mom,” Avery said.
“What?” Mrs. Clay said.
“Did you hear yourself?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” her mom asked, twisting back to look at Avery for a moment before turning back to the road.
“You said ‘only’. Like as if three weeks isn’t a long time to not see your son,” Avery said teasingly.
Her mom rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” Avery said challengingly.
Mrs. Clay laughed and shook her head. By now they had turned onto their street. After a few seconds, they came to their house.
The Clays’ house was average in size; single-story, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a small yard. The pillars on each side of the garage and by the porch were inlaid with rectangle blue stones in an irregular pattern that gave the house a sort of natural feel. The front yard was small and had a single willow set off on the left side. The beautiful tree was surrounded by tall grass that had purple and blue wildflowers scattered throughout it. The walkway was made of large, round gray stones with bright green moss filling in the gaps.
Mrs. Clay pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. They both climbed out and each grabbed their bags; Mrs. Clay her red purse, and Avery her dark green backpack. Avery watched as her mother’s purse moved to her hand without her touching it. Mrs. Clay was a Moonblazer, meaning she could manipulate energy relating to moonlight. This ability also gave her telekinesis.
As the two of them walked up towards the front door the sweet scent of the wildflowers filled their lungs. Avery took a deep breath, and as she let it out she realized that soon she wouldn’t be coming home every day after school. She would be at Wings Academy, the most prestigious high school in the land. The school that everyone wanted to get into. In the principal's office, she hadn’t thought about what it would be like to not come home every day. Of course, they had talked about packing, but now it was all starting to truly sink in.
Mrs. Clay pulled her keys out and unlocked the front door. She pushed the door open and stepped inside, Avery close behind. Avery closed the front door, and when she turned she saw Ryan standing a few feet away.
“Ryan!” she exclaimed, and embraced him. “I’ve missed you so much!”
“I’ve missed you too,” he said shyly, his hands in his pockets. Ryan was the type of boy who was reserved and didn’t talk much, so Avery wasn’t surprised by his demeanor.
“You’ve grown so much since summer!” Avery commented.
Ryan shrugged, but it was true. When Ryan had first left for Wings Academy, Avery and he had been nearly the same height. Ryan had only been half an inch taller. But now he was a clear inch taller than Avery, if not an inch and a half. Of course, Avery had seen Ryan on multiple occasions since last summer, but for some reason the change felt especially noticeable this time.
Besides his height, not much had changed about him. He still had the same wavy red hair, which was combed back neatly, and the same shy smile he had worn since he was little.
“So how’s school been?” Ryan asked.
“Fine. Today was finals for the first semester, which ended a bit differently than I’d anticipated,” she finished. When Ryan looked at her confusedly she said, “I’ll explain at dinner.”