Even though the wind was warm and sweet in Vibecoal city, Jinja felt goose bumps spread on her skin from the tension. The sun was about to set and its beautiful orange light adorned the land around her.
Summer was there and Jinja could feel it as it was changing everything around her. The trees were offering their fruits, the animals were feeding their- now grown – babies; people were happier and calmer. She was changing as well: her hair was full of golden highlights and her cheeks were full of light brown freckles.
A year had passed by since the day Chase, Bren and her decided to go searching for mr. Suno. Before the Monster craziness began, before S.T.O.R.M and Eklipse were chasing her, before she met Dax and Beyal, before she gained a new family.
The girl clenched at the word as she felt a punch in her stomach.
Family.
Jinja had dreams. She would continue studying and with some hard work she was going to get a scholarship to Harvard. She had looked it up on their site. Who wouldn't accept her to their university? She was intelligent, quirky, talented, cultured and ambitious.
Jinja had spent nights awake, picturing her college years. She would live in a warm dorm, books all around the tables, with a nice roommate and a cute puppy to chum her.
All this seemed to be so far away from her now, like an elusive dream.
"It's just going to take a few minutes. The guys won't even realize that I left.", she ensured herself and walked in the phone booth.
She picked up the earpiece and typed her home's number.
After three seconds of beeping someone picked up the phone.
"Hello?" A sweet voice was heard from the end of the line.
"M-Mum?" Jinja muttered
"Oh my god… J-Jinja is that you?"
"Yes mum, it's me"
"Thank god you are alive! Where are you? Please don't tell me you are in danger! Do you want me to call the police to get from wherever you are?"
Jinja smiled softly at her mum's overreaction.
"No mum, you don't need to call the cops. I'm absolutely fine"
"I don't get it, you said you were only going to leave for the summer" her mother said sadly and Jinja could imagine the hurt expression on her face.
"Can I talk to dad?" she said in an attempt to change the conversation"
"He is in his work, he will feel so bad that he missed you"
"It's OK, just tell him that I said hi"
"Why are you spending so much money Jinja? We are taking calls from the bank that your credit card is emptying! Are you eating properly? You were already skinny before you left! And what if you get sick? Do you have medicine? And if you get lost?"
"Calm down. Bren has a tablet with GPS, Beyal knows how to make any medicine out of plants and Dax can cook pretty well so we are NOT starving"
"Beyal, Dax? Who are these people? Do you know them? Are they dangerous?"
"No, no, no!" Jinja rushed to explain "They are great! Just friends that we made on our way. It's just a trip, nothing to worry about!"
"Darling, don't pretend like everything is fine because it isn't. How long is this trip going to last? What about university? What about us Jinja? Your father is starting to lose it and I can't take another day in that stupid, empty house!"
Jinja flinched at her mother's burst of anger; she was always calm and peaceful: something you could see in her ice-blue eyes.
The girl felt her cheeks wet and realized that tears had escaped her eyes.
"I will explain it all to you, as soon as I go home. I love you" she rambled and closed the phone.
She went out to get some fresh air and sat down, crying.
How could I do that to them? My dad is getting crazy and my mum is depressed because of me.
I miss them and I know they miss me too, but saving the world is more important; right?
"Right" a familiar voice said and when Jinja raised her head, she saw no one else but one of her best friends, Bren.
"Was I mumbling?"
"No, but I know you really good Jinja. And I may have overheard your talk with your mom"
"Overheard?"
"Overheard, eavesdropped, the point is I heard you"
The girl sighed "It's just so frustrating."
"Come on, talk to daddy"
She chuckled, even though it hurt a little bit when she thought of the word 'dad'
"It just that it feels like every time I'm making a new start, something is happening and I'm in level zero again. I've been protesting for freedom in my whole life and now that I have it, life is pinning me down.."
"And that's exactly what I admire about you Jinja"
Jinja flinched "What?"
The geek adjusted his glassed and continued: "No matter how many struggles you have to go through, you always fight. I've never heard you say: 'I give up'. You may not have realized it, but I really look up to you"
He looked at the sun slowly disappearing.
"And even if I don't end up being a hero, even if I don't become a main stem of Apple computers, even if this mission fails; I'll still be glad that I've failed with you guys."
"Yeah, I…I feel the same way" Jinja said at a loss of words "And I know that I'm making fun at you sometimes..."
"Ahem"
"Ok, maybe once in a while"
"AHEM!"
"Ok, I'm making fun of you A LOT, but I still admire you because of one thing: No matter how many times I'll be making a joke about you, no matter how many times a bully is going to call you a dork, you always stay who you are and you are…you."
Bren smiled. The times when Jinja said something good about him was when it was his birthday, when she tried to help him with a girl he liked or when his mum was around. But this time it was just the two of them and he knew she told the truth.
"I guess we are both freaking stubborn, aren't we?"
The girl laughed and stood up. It was getting dark and the team would start getting worried.
"And if you ever tell anything to anybody about this talk, I will KILL you"
The boy agreed and he actually expected her to say something like that.
"Some things will never change" he thought and he walked into the forest.