"Are you sure you still want to go?" Tristelianna Haliwell, one of my and Elena's best friends, asked. I look towards her, playing with the ear bud I'd pulled out when she had managed to get my attention. Not that it had taken a whole lot to do so, as she'd followed Logan, mine and Elena's pseudo-guardian, into the room.
"I'm sure," I said, exasperated, my eyes returning to my I-Pod, watching the name of the song I'd just been playing – Black Velvet by Alana Myles – as I waited for...something to happen. Having packed all of my things into my truck earlier – the very truck that Logan was going to drive for me, as I'd agreed to fly out to my father when he suggested that I do so – I was left with nothing to really do, at least, until tonight. My friends and I were going out, a last soiree in a way.
"Besides, I'm not the only one leaving. Almost everyone else is as well," I added.
"I know that. I'm only asking you because you've been...not yourself since you agreed to go there," Tristelianna said. "I mean, I don't blame you. This will be the first time you and Elena have been separated from each other for longer than one day since you've met. And that's not to mention the fact that this will also be the first time your separated from the rest of us as well."
"Well, people are bound to drift apart," I said, though I didn't believe it. The ties between us, all of us, were stronger than most ties between friends. They were my family, had been since I first came here. Elena was, without a doubt, my sister, even with the lack of blood, and the others were those fun-loving cousins that you didn't want to see leave.
"You and I both know that you don't believe that," Tristelianna said, pushing her hair – a brilliant bluish-purple color – behind her ear. Her clear silver-blue eyes surveyed me, seemingly trying to pick me apart. Not that it would be hard for her, but I could tell she was giving me my privacy, something I was thankful for. Of course, I had the feeling that she was only doing this because the last time she hadn't, I'd been rather mad at her.
"I don't want to go," I finally said. "Or, rather, I'd rather go with Elena. However, I owe it to both myself and my father to get to know him." Tristelianna nodded her head, understanding what I was saying. Unlike with my mother, my father, from what I could tell from the few times I'd talked to him on the phone, was different from her. He also, rather desperately, wanted to see me, having not done so since I was a child.
"Besides, just like I need to do this, Elena needs to do what she's going to do," I said. "And, while I would love to be there for her, I think this is something that she needs to do without me, just like I need to visit my father without her."
"Are you bothering her again?" came another voice. Tristelianna and I looked to the doorway of Elena's and my room, discovering that the person who'd just spoken was none of than Elena.
"I'm not bugging her," Tristelianna said. "I'm just talking."
Elena's eyebrow rose. "Is that what you want to call it," she said, walking over to us. I moved over on the window seat, making room for her to sit. "So, what is it that you've been bothering Bella about?" Elena asked, looking over my shoulder to see what I'd been listening too.
"I'm just making sure she still wants to go," Tristelianna said. "Is that a crime?"
"No," Elena said. "However, asking the question repeatedly is rather annoying."
Tristelianna rolled her eyes.
"If she didn't look so miserable, I wouldn't be asking the question repeatedly," she said.
"I'm not miserable, just...apprehensive," I said. "The only time I've met my father, I was too young to remember. Also, I've told you what my mother said about him."
"The fact that it was your mother that said it should tell you not to listen, and that he's most likely the opposite of what she said," Elena said. I looked over to her. My sister in all but blood, we weren't that different. In fact, for not being blood siblings, we looked more alike than one would think, particularly at first glance. We were both dark haired and dark eyed, about the same height and weight, and with the same white streak in our hair. However, that was were our similarities ended, and changed the longer you looked. While dark haired, my hair was slightly lighter and had a more reddish tint to it, while hers was just a shade under black. She was also olive toned, her skin a light tan color, while I was a pale peach color that showed almost no color to it at all.
I shrugged at her, and, wanting to change the subject, said, "What about you? Are you apprehensive about visiting your family?"
"No, not really," she said. "While I haven't seen Jeremy in years, I have seen Aunt Jenna – remember, she came up four years ago. I get along well with her. Plus, based on what she's said, Jeremy is more than interested in getting to know me."
"What about..." I started to say. I didn't need to elaborate; she understood what I was going to mention.
"From what I can tell, Jeremy doesn't know why I never visited, and they never bothered to tell him," Elena said. "As for running into them, that's going to be impossible. Remember, they're dead, have been for a while."
Had anyone else heard the blasé way of how she spoke about her 'parents', they would have been appalled. But then, the fact was that they knew nothing about her parents, and didn't know that her dislike for them, and the fact that she wasn't sad at their deaths, was well warranted, just like my dislike for my mother was warranted. After all, it was hard to really care for someone who'd thrown you out on the streets because of something that you couldn't help, something that spoke of a huge difference between you and them. It was even harder to care for someone who tried to kill you because of that difference.
"Besides, perhaps I'll be able to find out about my biological parents," Elena said. "I mean, I might be able to find out about my mother, and I can't see my father not coming by for a visit. Of course, the fact that I know that he's my father is probably not known to him."
I stifled a laugh, while Tristelianna did no such thing. Elena smiled at Tristelianna, who shrugged and gave a look that suggested that she wasn't going to apologize.
"Well, I guess, if you two are sure of yourselves..." Tristelianna started.
"Then there's nothing to worry about," Elena said.
"Besides, if you wanted us to change our minds, it might have been better to say something earlier, not the day before we're set to leave," I added, conveniently ignoring that she had said something beforehand. She rolled her eyes at my words, but didn't say anything. Instead, she said, "So, how soon do you two think you'll be able to get ready. It's almost time to go, after all."
"We just need some time to get ready, just as you do," Elena said, motioning to the baggy sweatpants and sweater that Tristelianna was wearing.
"Perhaps we should get that done, then," I said, standing up as I turned my I-Pod off, walking towards the door. I didn't have to worry about fighting Elena for the first shower – we could both take a separate shower, thankfully. While we shared the room, the dormitory bathroom was, strangely enough, situated so that the only thing shared was the bathroom mirror and a his and her sink set.
"All right," Tristelianna said, following me to the door as well while Elena headed to take a shower. "See you when you finish." I nodded, closing the door behind her before heading to take my own shower.
It was easy to figure out what to wear. After all, I'd only left one outfit worthy of going out in that wasn't strictly for travel. Though, in truth, it was only the top that I had trouble figuring out, as I'd already decided on wearing a pair of dark wash jeans. I had, before finishing packing, eventually decided to leave out a purple velvet blouse with long, wide sleeves and a lace up front. A necklace that held one half of a pair of dog tags – one of Logan's that he'd given me – a pair of gloves that went to my elbows – though it would only be seen if I lifted my hands above my head – black suede, heeled boots, and a thick black jacket finished the look. I left my hair down after drying it, only grabbing a scrunchy should it prove to be windy outside.
"So, how do I look?" I asked Elena, turning in a circle as if to showcase my outfit. She laughed.
"Nice," she said. "What about me? How do I look?"
Like me, she wore dark wash jeans. Unlike me, she wore a white halter that had a Gothic cross design on it, the words 'True love never dies' wrapped around it. A pair of white gloves that went up to her shoulders graced her hands, a necklace like mine – with the other half of Logan's pair of dog tags – graced her neck, and white leather patent heeled books could be seen peaking out from beneath the hem of her jeans. She wore her hair up in a bun, a pair of dark blue lacquer chopsticks holding it in place.
"Nice," I said, a bit jealous, as I could never pull off the white halter like she did. My skin was too pale for it – wearing white clothes in such a large quantity made me look a bit washed out.
"Thanks," she said, giving me a smile as she slung on her leather jacket. "Shall we head down?"
"Lets," I said, grabbing my purse – in which I threw my I-Pod in – and heading out of the door. Walking down the hall and stairs to the living room, I wasn't surprised to see that Elena and I were the only ones ready. Having been among the first to get ready, it made sense that it would take the others a while to do so. I took a seat on the couch to wait for the others, my ear buds back on as I changed the song, this time to The Blackest Lily by Corinne Bailey Rae.
Tristelianna was the first to come down. Of course, I didn't notice it at first, as I wasn't looking at the stairs, but when she came to sit down, I saw her. I felt my jaw drop when I saw what she was wearing, then I shook my head, a slight smile on my face. I should have realized that she would chose something like she did. She excelled at surprising people.
She was wearing a rather short black dress with a blue design on it. Coupled with this dress was a pair thigh high boots. What I supposed was her sweater – at least, I hoped it was her sweater – was thrown over her arm.
"Your going to freeze," I said, shaking my head. She grinned, her smile unrepenting as she took a seat.
"How long before the others are done?" Elena asked. Before Tristelianna could answer, someone else did.
"Don't know, but I'm ready," was the response. We looked over to see our only close male friend, Harry Potter, standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall as his green eyes looked at us in amusement. I took a glance over him, loving his shirt, upon which the close-up of a vampire and werewolf's faces could be seen. I knew that, on the back, it showed the two in full body, about to attack. I'd stolen the shirt to wear so much that he'd gotten me one of my own, in the largest size he could.
"So are we," someone else said. Harry stepped fully into the room, revealing the twins, Aura and Erika Greenwell. Not quite identical to each other, but more so than Elena and I were, the twins both wore the same black dressy pants and same long sleeved,open shoulder shirt. However, where Aura's shirt was light purple with some angel – or fairy, I wasn't sure – standing in front of an orb that was glowing, Erika's shirt was light blue, with two dragons, one a slightly darker blue, the other teal, situated in the shape of a heart.
"Who are we still waiting for, anyway?" Erika asked, looking around, and taking in who was already down there. None of us answered her; there was no need to. It was clear who was still missing. Sighing, she walked over to the couch across from where Elena, Tristelianna, and I were sitting, taking a seat herself. Aura followed, while Harry took one of the armchairs.
It was less than two minutes later – as the song Still Doll by Kanon Wakeshima ended and the song Crucify My Heart by Lullacry began – that those we were waiting for finally showed up. First was Alexandra Haliwell, Tristelianna's 'sister', wearing a white dress that had thin straps, and was the same length as Tristelianna's. A pare of white Mary Jane heels completed the look. She held a thin looking white sweater over her arm. The white wet well with her olive tone skin and dark hair.
Azure Monroe and Hermione Granger-Ravenblood were right behind her. Azure was wearing a long skirt, that was tie-dyed two different shades of purple with hints of blue. A tie died hoodie of blue and brown was worn on top. Hermione a red velvet corset top and dark wash jeans. A sweater with glittering roses kept her arms warm.
Kitty Pryde came down next, wearing a brown skirt with a reddish brown design along the bottom, and a dark green blouse. Less than a minute later, Clarissa Fray walked into the room. She was wearing a pale lavender blouse over a pale pink skirt, her fiery red hair pulled back into a messy updo.
"Are we ready to go yet?" she asked, looking around.
"No, we're still waiting for Morgan," Elena said. Just as she finished saying that, the final member of our group, Morgan Riordan came down the stairs. She was wearing a black halter top and red plaid mini skirt. Black tights covered her legs, and her black heeled boots had red flames on them.
"Sorry for making you wait, I couldn't find my one boot," Morgan said. Those of us who were sitting stood up.
"So, everyone ready to go?" Hermione asked. "And whose all driving, anyway?"
"I am," Harry said.
"So am I," Aura said. "I don't think we'll need more drivers, unless someone wants to take the position of driver who will leave early."
"Well, I'm planning on staying the entire time," I said. "Plus, my truck is on it's way to Washington right now anyway."
"And my truck's too packed to take that position," Elena said. "I'll barely be able to fit myself in it, much less someone else."
"Mine's the same," Morgan said.
"Do any of us actually plan on leaving early?" Kitty asked. Those of us who hadn't said anything yet thought about it.
"I would actually imagine that it would be a good idea for those of us who have an early flight to not stay for long," Harry said slowly. "Unless, of course, the plan has changed." Said plan being where our soiree was.
"We never actually decided on where we were going to begin with," Elena said. Of course, those words caused for another delay as we hashed out were to go. Not that there were a whole lot of options. Our choices were pretty much Pandemonium, a teen club about two hours away from where we lived, that guaranteed loud, pulsing music, a crowded dance floor, and a lot of interruptions from guys and girls wanted to 'be friendly', as well as the choice to stay out till one in the morning; and Transcendence, a karaoke café that was an hour and forty minutes away from where we lived, that guaranteed a bit more privacy than Pandemonium would, as well as having our ears bleed as quite a few people butchered songs and that closed at eleven thirty.
"Look, guys," I finally said after a few rounds of 'lets go here, no lets go there'. "I have an early flight, and I do not want to be tired when I get to Washington, since I know I won't be sleeping on the plane. And I really don't want to bother with the crowds at Pandemonium. Let's just go to Transcendence."
When I mentioned the crowds that were bound to be at Pandemonium, those who wanted to go there conceded not to. I knew that it was mostly because this soiree wasn't going to be like the others, otherwise, I would have suggested Pandemonium. None of us would be seeing each other for who knows how long. Tristelianna had been right when she said that I hadn't really been away from the others for a long time. In fact, if one counted, longest any of us had been out of each others' company was a week at most, and even then, we were usually in the same area.
And with most of us leaving home... Well, it made sense that we'd want the quieter place to go and have fun in each others' company.
"All right then, let's go," Tristelianna said, leading the way out of the house. We headed to cars, splitting up. Elena, Azure, Kitty, and I piled into Harry's car, me sitting up front with him as the other three sat in back. As we pulled out of the garage, Azure noticed that my I-Pod was still in my hand, though I'd paused it after Morgan came down the stairs.
"Why don't you hook that up?" she said, motioning towards the stereo. Doing as she said, I changed it from the song that it was on – Not Big by Lily Allen – to the next one, which ended up being Highway to Hell by AC/DC.
"Nice," Harry said before he began singing along with the lyrics. "At least we'll have some good music for the drive."
"We'll hopefully have some good music at the café as well," I said.
"Knowing you, you'll probably be responsible for some of said good music," Azure said.
"Like your not the same way," I quipped.
The drive seem to pass by quickly, mostly thanks to the fact that we distracted ourselves with singing the songs my I-Pod played. After Highway to Hell, two Joan Jett, one Ozzy Osbourn, and one Lita Ford were among the songs that followed before the first country song on the playlist – Austen by Black Shelton – played, which ended up starting the list for other country songs to play.
When we arrived at Transcendence, Harry parked in a spot as close to the door as he could. Luckily, there weren't that many cars there. Most people probably wanted to stay inside – it was wicked cold outside, and I was thankful that my boots and jacket were insulated. I would wonder how Morgan, Tristelianna, and Alex managed not to feel cold, but I was too used to them, and knew them well enough that being out in this weather worked for them.
Walking in, I immediately winced as someone butchered the song they were singing.
"I don't think you're going to last long before you go up there," Elena said.
"I don't think so either," I said, wincing again. In fact, I only followed them to the table to put my purse down before heading to the table where those who wished to sing signed up at. I decided to do Papa Don't Preach by Madonna first, writing it down on the sign up sheet and taking note of who was before me – there were at least three people ahead of my name, based on which song was being sung at the moment. Walking back to my seat, I passed by Tristelianna and Clarissa, who were going to sign their own names up to sing.
"What do you want to drink?" Harry asked as I rejoined the group. It was his turn to pay for the drinks tonight, though it only applied to drinks.
"Large Root Beer," I answered. It was kind of too late for coffee, and, at the very least, soda came with a free refill, so it was worth getting a soda over something that had coffee in it. He wrote it down on a piece of paper. "Oh, and I'll take one of those strawberry swirl cheese cake slices, as well six pounds of that fudge." I dug into my purse to had him some money for the food.
"That fudge does look good," Morgan said. "I'll take some of it as well, three pounds please."
The others gave him their orders, and those who were getting something to eat as well gave him some money for what they were asking for. Once that was done, he headed to the counter, placing said orders, and nodding to something the cashier said. It looked like she was flirting with him. I didn't really blame her if she was – while not overly handsome, Harry was still quite good looking, and his eyes, an intense emerald green, just drew a person in, the wire rimmed glasses he wore doing nothing to hide them.
Too bad for her that she really didn't have a chance with him. He was way to devoted to his two girlfriends.
"So, Harry, did you get her number?" Aura asked when he got back, the trays in his hands loaded down with our drinks and food. Apparently I wasn't the only one who figured that she was flirting.
"No," Harry said, shaking his head at her. "And I wouldn't want it if she had offered anyway. I'm happy with Katie and Luna."
"And I'm sure that both are really happy with you," Erika said, giving her sister a look that stopped anything that she might have said. Aura rolled her eyes.
"Besides, there didn't seem to be anything about me she was interested in," Harry added, giving Aura a look of his own.
"Oh. Do tell," Aura said, leaning into him. I tuned them out then, not really interested in where they were most likely going. I usually did this when it came to things like this. I was most likely going to be alone – I wasn't really planning on ever dating, much less doing anything else – so listening to people hook up or talk about their relationships tended to bore me.
"So, tell me," Erika said to me. "What are you going to do first when you get to Washington?"
"Not sure," I said. "I looked up the area where my father lives at, and, from what I can tell, there really isn't anything to do, at least, fun-wise. The town rather small, and, other than hiking and camping, doesn't hold anything of entertainment. If you want that, or to do any type of real shopping, outside of food shopping, that is, then you have to go to Port Angeles or Seattle. However, one small point towards it is that there is a beach nearby, First Beach. It's apparently on an Indian reservation, the Quileutes, I think."
"But you don't like the beach," Erika said.
"No, I don't care for being sun burnt, there's a difference," I said. Forks and most of the places around it, including First Beach, is usually underneath a cover of heavy clouds. In fact, it's usually raining there."
"Thus meaning that you're less likely to get sun burnt," Erika said. I could tell that she wanted to laugh. I didn't blame her. After all, how many other people had the unique talent of being able to get a sun burn when at the beach, no matter how much sun block you put on?
"It also means that people won't expect you to wear a bikini or a bathing suit," Morgan said.
"Exactly," I said. As I heard the music for the next song start, I turned towards the stage. "Oh, I love this song," I said, before wincing. "Don't like the person singing it though."
"I think you're next," Tristelianna said, also wincing as the singer butchered the song. I thought about what the list had said, and nodded my head, realizing that she was right.
"So what song did you chose to do?" I asked.
"You'll find out when I get up on the stage," she said. I turned to look at Clarissa.
"Won't be finding out what I'm singing until I get up there as well," Clarissa said. I pouted.
"So mean," I said, wincing once again.
"You know, I didn't think it would be possible to butcher this song," Tristelianna said.
"I think any song can be butchered," Clarissa said.
"That's true," I said. I took a bite out of my cheesecake as Clarissa and Tristelianna continued their talk, tuning them out after a while. As the song ended and my name was called, I stood up to applause. While usually in the summer time, my friends and I frequented this place enough that we were well known to everyone else who came here even more than we did.
I had to hold back my snort when I heard someone mention that whatever song about to be sung wouldn't be butchered as the last one was. I also heard a small complaint that the person who had been on the stage before me was signing up for another song as well. As the song played, I sang it without having to look at the screen for the lyrics all that much, knowing the words to it pretty well. Once it was done, I went to put myself down for another song, this time Never Let Me Go by Florence and the Machine. As I wrote down the song I was going to sing next – there four others ahead of me, not counting Tristelianna and Clarissa – I saw what songs that they were going to sing.
I should have realized what song was a good possibility for Tristelianna to sing. As a big fan of Miranda Lambert, it made sense that she would chose her second favorite song, Mama's Broken Heart, to sing. I was surprised when I saw what Clarissa had put down, though. In Your Room by the Bangles would have been the last song I would have suspected her to sing. She was more of the type to go for slow songs, after all.
"Cheater," Clarissa said as I sat back down in my seat.
"Like you wouldn't and haven't done the same," I said. She playfully stuck her tongue out at me. I just took another bite of my cheesecake.
The rest of the soiree passed like this, with Tristelianna, Clarissa, and I continuing to do karaoke while talking with the others, who sometimes joined in with the karaoke as well. We even did some duets; said duets the only time Harry willingly graced the stage. The final song that I did was with Tristelianna and Clarissa, a fun song called Takin' Pills by the Pistol Annies.
Of course, when I wasn't on the stage, I listened to all of the conversations around me, joining in when they turned to what everyone was planning when we got to our destinations – for those of us who had them. Kitty mentioned that she and Tristelianna were planning on stopping by her mother's house first before officially starting their road trip. Clarissa, who was actually coming to work here at Transcendence, mentioned that she was still trying to close the deal on getting an apartment that wasn't too far away from here. Harry, Hermione, and Azure said that, once they got to England, they planned on getting together with Sirius Black to talk about some things that were going on in the wizarding world at the moment, as well as taking a more active part in everything going on.
Alex simply said that she'd gotten a job at some sub shop in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. I was a bit interested in hearing that, as it was the first time she'd mentioned it – I assumed that she'd either stay at the school with Aura and Erika, or go with Kitty and Tristelianna on their road trip. By the looks on the others' faces, I could tell that I wasn't the only one who this wasn't a surprise for.
Morgan mentioned that she'd gotten a job at Practical Magick, a wiccan shop in Widow Vale. I had to wonder what she'd do if she ended up running into her ex-adopted parents, particularly since she'd be doing something that they hated. She'd probably ignore them that's what I plan on doing if I ever ran into my mother. Not that there was a big chance of that; last I heard, she was back in Arizona, and I had no desire to be anywhere near a desert.
Elena's answer, however, troubled me a bit when she mentioned it. I didn't say anything quite yet, though, knowing that the café wasn't the place to talk to he about it. And, by the look on her face, I could see that she knew what I'd be talking to her about once we got home.
The others didn't seem to find any worry about she'd said; that, or they decided to leave it to me to talk to her about. Or, rather, all but Tristelianna decided to leave it to me to talk to her about. After all, Tristelianna most likely knew that Elena was considering, without even having to talk to her. Being the mind reader that she was, it wasn't uncommon for her to 'eavesdrop' on our thoughts, unless I was willing to keep her from doing so, for everyone else. It wasn't like she did it consciously, after all; she kind of couldn't help but hear our thoughts. She couldn't turn off her ability, had she wished to do so. In fact, I was really the only one she had to work to read, though I really didn't hide much from her anyway.
"So, are we ready to leave?" Aura asked after a few minutes silence as we finished our drinks or whatever food we got.
"I think so," Morgan said.
"It's about closing time anyway," Clarissa added.
"Let's pick up and go then," Harry said.
"So why didn't you mention something before?" I asked Elena as we got ready for bed, my eyes meeting her in the vanity mirror as she brushed my hair, getting ready to braid it, just as I had braided hers already. She sighed, handing me the brush so that she could begin.
"Well, mostly because, up until I mentioned it, I hadn't actually thought about it," she said, shrugging. "I was fully planning on staying at the house with Aunt Jenna and Jeremy, but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I just...can't. I can't live in that house again. They may be gone, but that house will hold their essence, no matter what Aunt Jenna may have done with the place, and that's assuming she did anything to being with.
"Plus, even if the house has been rearranged, I'm sure that there are still pictures of them on the walls, and I don't really think that I can handle looking at them. They just...hurt me way too much for me to be comfortable around anything that could remind me of them in a twenty-four-seven way."
"So, what do you plan on doing, then?" I asked.
"There are a few inns around the town," she said. "I also remember there being a boarding house that I'm sure I could stay at, at least until I can somehow get an apartment."
"I take it that Aunt Jenna isn't going to be really receptive to you not living at the house," I said.
"No, more like she won't be receptive to me living alone, with no one else there," she said. "Since she's met the owner of the boarding house a few time, she knows him, and knows that he'd take watch me and make sure I didn't get into trouble. At an apartment building, that little fact wouldn't be there."
"Ah," I murmured. "True. How sure are you that you can get a room at the boarding house?"
"Not sure at all," she said. "Though, not from every being full. From what I remember about it, the place actually never had any boarders. Which is why I'll probably lean towards an inn over it. Still, I really should try and get a room there."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Who knows? The owner may have changed and they'll be more receptive towards having a paying boarder."
"Yeah, maybe..." she trailed off.
"So, you at least have a plan on what you're going to do when you get there?" I asked.
"Yes," she said. "I should arrive there late Sunday, so long as I don't go too slowly, and don't stop too much. I'll take a room at an inn for the night, sleep, call the next morning to have Aunt Jenna meet me for dinner at the Grill, and then go and see if the boarding house is taking any boarders. If not, then I'll just continue to rent the inn for even longer while convincing Aunt Jenna to help get me an apartment."
"Well, I hope that you can convince her or the owner of the boarding house," I said, finally standing up to head to bed. She'd finished braiding my hair awhile ago, our conversation distracting me from noticing it until now.
"Good night," I said, turning off the lamp next to my bed.
"Night," she said, turning off her own lamp. The room was plunged into darkness then, and it only took me a few moments to fall asleep.
The next morning dawned way too early. Or, rather, my alarm clock was set too early, going off before seven. Had I not had to get up by then – I would have to be at the airport at a certain time, after all, and there was a bit of a drive ahead of me – I most likely would not get up in time to have food before I needed to leave. My only consolation was that those flying out as well – namely, Harry, Hermione, and Azure – had to get up this early as well.
I carefully got out of bed, seeing that Elena was still asleep and not wanting to wake her up so soon. Of course, Elena could sleep like the dead unless it was the time her internal clock was set to have her wake up, which, once she fell asleep, wouldn't be until the sun was showing, even if it was only a little bit.
Gathering my clothes for the day, and packing up my dirty clothes from yesterday into a bag that I'd take on the plane with me – in a separate pocket than the clean things, of course – I crept out of the room, my bag in hand to put into Alex's car. Alex was the one who offered to take us to the airport on her way to Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Since she was staying in New York, she planned on making a few multiple trips back and forth, instead of bringing everything in one go. Morgan was planning on doing the same thing as well, only she wasn't heading in the same direction as the airport we'd be using.
Heading back inside now that I'd done that, I went to the kitchen, not surprised to see Harry already there, cooking.
"What are you making?" I asked him.
"Just some pancakes, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs with cheese," he said.
"Sounds good," I said, taking a seat on the bar stool at the counter.
"So, did you talk to Elena?" he asked.
"Yeah. She's got a plan, though, so I'm not all that worried anymore," I told him.
"But why doesn't she actually want to live with her aunt and brother?" he asked.
"Because of the fact that they still live in the same house," I said. "She'd rather not live in the same house that her 'parents' lived in."
"Kind of like how I didn't want anything to do with number four, then," Harry said.
"Yeah, kind of like that," I said. "Only, her problem is a bit less horrifying."
"True," Harry said. "Very true."
Hermione and Azure came downstairs them, drawn by the scent of food that was in the air. Tristelianna followed them, looking like she'd been awake for at least an hour already, which, if I thought about it, was probably true. Her sleeping schedule was strange after all.
"You all ready to go?" she asked. We all nodded our heads. "Okay."
She walked out of the room for a second, coming back in with four book shaped presents. I furrowed my eyes, a bit surprised when she handed one of them to me.
"The others wanted to see you open it, but they're not going to be up in enough time to see you open it and let you leave in time for your planes, so I'm going to 'record' your reactions so that they can see them later," she said.
"Let me finish here first," Harry said.
"I'll help," I said, eager not to be in the spotlight and hoping that I'd be able to open the present somewhere else.
You know that you won't be getting away, right? I heard in my head. I turned towards Tristelianna, sticking my tongue out at her. That was something that I had to admit that I disliked about the rest of her ability. She couldn't just be left with the ability to read minds, no she had to be able to expand it to talking in others minds – among a few other things – and, of course, while my shield blocked her from reading my mind, she could still send messages through it, and talk in my mind, along with send pictures if she so wished. I can block and protect my mind for almost all forms non-physical abilities people might have, but if they wanted to talk to me, I was unable to block it.
At least it wasn't something that would be extremely bad, like being unable to stop someone from controlling my body without my permission.
Helping Harry made the task of making breakfast go much quicker than it would have been done had he just been doing it alone. All too soon, Harry and I were left with the two wrapped packages, as Hermione and Azure had already open theirs. Frowning as Tristelianna kept her eyes on us, we finally opened our present.
It was indeed a book, a photo album to be exact. Curious as to what was in it – particularly since any photos I had were already on their way to Washington, and it was too soon to have any pictures from last night developed, despite the lack of pictures taken – I opened it. And stared at what I saw for a second before looking up to Tristelianna.
"Everyone chipped in to get the gifts," she said. Understanding dawned on me as I remembered the shopping spree we'd all gone on several weeks ago. I'd forgotten about it, despite the fact that I had gotten everyone gifts myself. Since I was only looking at pictures, that were undoubtedly taken in the stores the objects came from, I had the feeling that they either had them delivered to my father's house, or Logan was driving them there right now. Considering that Tristelianna most likely dealt with that part – as she did with what I'd gotten everyone – it had most likely been sent to my father's house.
At least, that's what I suspected happened with the larger purchases. For the small ones, they were most likely packed into my truck, under Logan's care right now.
"Thanks, guys," I said, looking at Tristelianna so that she was sure to catch it. I saw her stifle a smile at how...unenthusiastic I sounded. It was well known to my friends that I didn't like to be the center of attention all that much. It's why I really loved the fact that Elena and I shared a birthday – I could hide behind her and let her have all of the attention.
"Okay," Tristelianna said. "I'll go get Alex up."
"No need," Alexandra said as she appeared behind her sister. "I'm already up and ready to go." She walked over to the counter, grabbing a plate and filling it up with some of the food on the counter. "Just let me eat, and we'll go."
"We still have to eat anyway," I said, motioning to mine and Harry's plates while taking a bite of food.
"I'll go get everyone else up as you finish eating," Tristelianna said. "They should be awake and dressed by then."
"Have fun getting Elena up," was my answer, before I took another bite of food.
"Aura's harder to wake," she said as she left the room.
"That is true," Harry said.
"Yeah, remember that time she almost punched Hermione for waking her?" Alexandra asked.
"That was nothing compared to how she was at Hogwarts," Azure said. "Believe me, I know well on how she was like."
"That's cause you had to share a room with her, isn't it?" Hermione said.
"That, and the fact that our roommates didn't seem to learn not to bug her in the mornings," Azure said.
"Wait, is that why..." I started to ask.
"Yes," Azure said.
"And she still didn't learn?" I asked.
"I know. You'd think she would've, at the very least," Azure said. I rolled my eyes. Just when you thought they couldn't get any dumber went through my mind. Harry, Alexandra, and I finished eating rather quickly, and had put the plates in the sink, heading to the hall just as everyone else came downstairs, looking sleepy and grumpy.
I looked at my friends as I gave them each a hug one by one, saying my good-byes, trying not to cry. Pulling on my coat and taking the photo album that I'd forgotten in the kitchen from Tristelianna, I gave everyone one last smile before walking out of the house and hopping into the backseat of Alex's car with Harry and Azure.
My eyes were firmly looking over my shoulder, stuck on the place that had been my home for most of my life, while I thought about the people inside, the ones that I considered to be a part of my family for the same amount of my life. I didn't turn my eyes away until I could no longer see the place.
Then, and only then, did I look forward, and let a few tears slide down my face as I wondered when I'd see them again. It was an act that I repeated at the airport, when I separated from Alex, Harry, Hermione, and Azure. Boarding my plane, I wondered what would be awaiting me once I got to Washington.
And I also wondered when I'd see my friends again.