Hello everyone!
This is the newly revamped version of this story! I have revised all of the content that I previously had posted and am now replacing all chapters. Every chapter that has been edited will have a quick author's note at the top showing that it has been edited.
I am always open to having critique of my writing. I would like to specify that I only write in my free time and entirely for my own enjoyment.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or any of its content. I do own the original characters that appear. I do not consider the Inquisitor to be an OC, but rather content owned by Bioware.
Also this is a story that a friend and I have been working on her account is Lady Audentium, the story title for her half of the story is "Warriors: Arryn Mauntelle". Please enjoy the story we have created together!
Please be aware that I have given this story an M rating for some content and language in this half of the story as well as content in Lady Audentium's half of the story.
Standing here the thought floats more gently than I would have imagined.
How did it all end up here?
Everything that has happened wound me up right here. This is what I wanted. I can feel it there.
Earth.
Home.
After all my searching, at last, it's close enough to touch.
Through my power I can almost hear the traffic, smell the city, and see the sky full of crisscrossing jet clouds…
I'd be able to see my family again. The hole their absence had left in my heart would finally be filled. Especially grandma Ella… I'd missed her the most.
But Lashes… She just said that she's staying… If I left without her… Wouldn't that be another hole I'd never fill? A piece of me would be missing regardless of where I am.
All this time I've told myself I'm going home. That I don't belong here… That Sophi'Gaelea doesn't belong here.
To turn back now would be a betrayal of everything I'd worked, bled, and toiled for!
…Right?
But… Why… Why does it feel like to return would be the wrong choice? That to leave everything I have gained here, would be the true betrayal?
I am not likely to have another chance. So why can't I just take that step? It's such a short distance…
Why is it that a nervous laugh echoes in my ears?
Why is it that those kind, honeyed eyes linger in my mind? The corners crinkled with mirth so foreign on his war-lined face.
Frozen here, looking at what used to be home. But not stepping forward. Not claiming that desire I would have sworn by… Sworn by only hours ago, but without realizing I was lying to myself.
Deep down, I know what I really want.
And that's changed… Hasn't it?
Yes.
This is my home now.
"Alright! I'll be sure to grab some of those today too! I'm just worried I'm going to forget one of them at this point…" I laugh to my grandmother on the other side of the phone. She's asked me to grab some select candies that she can't find on the other side of the pond in England. Mostly the sugary kinds that she's had a tough time finding since she moved back there with my parents. No chocolate though. I really miss seeing her, but I haven't seen her since the main branch of Evanuris moved from Canada back to England.
"So, your flight is the day after tomorrow in the afternoon?" Her strong and kind voice asks from the other end of the phone call.
"Yep, my first flight leaves at 1:40pm. Ethan and I are leaving Calgary together. We'll get to Toronto around 6 pm. We are meeting Elysia at the airport there and our flight to you isn't until the next morning. We leave from Toronto at seven in the morning, we're supposed to land at Heathrow around 7pm your time."
"I will be sure to soften your parents up before you land, we both know what happened last time you saw each other. When was that?"
"Three Christmases ago… And yeah… I remember. Very well."
"Yes, I supposed you would… Well, I'll let you get back to the packing I interrupted," Her laughter sings across to my ear, "I look forward to seeing you, my Light, as well as those twins, Misamel and Adhlea. Goodbye now, I love you."
"Goodbye, grandma, I love you too." I lower my cellphone from my ear and look around my room at the mess that had been created by my pitiful attempts to prepare for a whole month of travel on the other side of the world.
I love grandma Ella; I suppose that lots of people are really close with their grandparents, but I always felt that my grandma Ella and I have something special. She always calls my older brother and sister by the names she gave them.
Ethan's full name is Ethan'Misamel, so she calls him Misamel, and his twin sister's full name is Elysia'Adhlea, and Grandma Ella calls her Adhlea.
My full name is Sophi'Gaelea, the name that Grandma Ella gave to me, Gaelea, actually comes from her full name, something like Ellasin'Gaelashavuna, but she has always addressed me as "my Light." Oh, and that's Gaelea pronounced, 'guy' as in male person and 'Leia' as in the princess from Star Wars.
After packing a little more, I realize that I should get on the grocery trip to purchase the promised candy. Plus, it may serve as a good—and maybe more productive—break from packing than my usual laziness. And maybe it can serve as a distraction from what is sure to be a turbulent beginning to my trip.
I am going to see my parents for an extended period—more than a couple of hours— for the first time in over three years.
Why?
Well… Essentially, they disowned me for realizing that I wanted to make my own decisions. The whole thing started with my sculpture and design classes in university in the second term of my first year.
They were supposed to just be the classes to fill my art credit requirements. In those classes I found passion for art and design, and I decided to switch degrees to go forward to be an artist rather than an astrophysicist. I didn't think that it would start a war of estrangement, but I guess they were really intent on my becoming a scientist for our family's company, Evanuris.
They also cut me off from the substantial wealth that my family has, the deal was that if I wanted to go my own way, then I could pay my own way. Which, when I had only ever had savings made from my allowances from my parents that were then stripped of me, it was not easy at first. If it hadn't been for one friend in particular, I would have floundered for sure.
I also have no doubt that they will attempt to get me to go to school for science again. I just hope that they can accept that while I was doing well with the physics and astronomy courses, I felt like I couldn't commit to it for the rest of my life. And now I've just sent away my application to a prestigious art school in order to become an art historian. I hadn't even realized what it meant to be passionate about something until I felt it in those art classes… It felt to me as though colour had been brought into my life for the first time ever, that perhaps I could be someone beyond the greyscale shadow of my family. I definitely don't regret pursuing that. But I do regret what it has done to my relationship with my parents, we used to have a really good relationship so far as daughter to parents goes. Now I haven't had hardly more than a few words with them in the last three years.
Spotting a crowd around a booth I wander in that direction to see what the fuss is all about.
"Try this latest face cream from June Cosmetics." I hear the employee behind the booth say before handing samples to the crowd waiting. He offers one to me.
"No thank you…" I say before walking away from the crowd.
"Isn't June Cosmetics owned by Evanuris Corp?" One woman asks her friend as they walk away from the booth ahead of me.
"What isn't? That tent I bought last year was from Gillaihan, and the gaming system we bought for Douggie last month was Thamen Games' newest one." The other woman snidely replies.
"Not to mention their furniture side… What was it called?"
"L-a-i-s-e. Pronounced lazy… Didn't you buy a dining set from them?"
"Yeah, and honestly it's fantastic."
Evanuris Corp, is a research company that works with almost every science under the sun. Through their research they produce all sorts of products that are sold all over the world. And they sell products for almost everything. So naturally the company is remarkably successful and quite rich.
Things that very few people in my life know about? The fact that my family is not only the principal owner of the Evanuris Corp, but also descended from the founder—my great-great grandmother Briella, who passed it on to her son, who then passed it along to my grandma Ella. Currently my mother is the one running the show, with either Elysia or Ethan next in line. If I had sacrificed my newly found passions for what my parents had wanted, I would be helping in the development of some of those new products that people line up to buy.
Yup. I was born into a super rich, elite family. And I totally blew it by wanting to be—God forbid—my own person. So yes. I am, in fact, a real-life, disowned black sheep of the family.
I feel a shudder go up my back with the nerves getting to me over the whole impending situation, especially with how things ended the last time I saw them.
It had been two years after the initial disowning. Ethan had invited me up to Calgary to his place for something of a Christmas dinner. Since he had been the only one to check up on me at all, I had agreed to go. Alas, when I arrived my parents were present. I will defend that I had given it my best effort to stay and endure the dinner for Ethan's sake… But I just couldn't handle them.
"Uh… What are they doing here? I thought it was just us tonight?" I whisper up at Ethan's ear as he helps me out of my coat, placing him conveniently between me and the exit, blocking any escape.
"I thought this might be a good opportunity for you all to try repairing some of this." He encourages me as he hangs up my coat.
My eyes hover over the figures sitting in my brother's living room. They don't look much different but somehow… They seem smaller. The last time I had seen them was when they were slamming the door in my face with what little they were letting me take with me… I guess then they had been so intimidating to me that they seemed huge… But now they just look like two people.
"Mom, dad! Sophi's here! Isn't that great!" He shouts as though he hadn't planned for me to arrive.
"Yes… I see that. I thought you said that Brock would be joining us." My mom's voice states coolly. I remember when her voice was always warm for me…
"Sorry, Brock ended up having to cancel since his mom got into the city tonight." Ethan shrugs as he lies about his boyfriend not being here. When he told me, it was going to be just us.
"Hmmm, by happenstance, I'm sure… Right, Ethan?" Dad looks at his son who glances away as he trots over to his kitchen.
"Anything to drink Sophi?"
"No, thank you, Ethan. I'll be driving later."
"Well, at least you can make some good decisions." My mom whispers harshly, as though she didn't want me to hear.
Things had moved along at about that pace, but shit hit the fan in the middle of supper. The topic had moved along to how well Ethan has been doing with the research and development team at the Thamen group of Evanuris. Where they handle basically all of the computer and electronics development.
"Things have been great! We've come into some good content for some storytelling that we were able to pass along to a game creator who has promised to use our tech for development of the game…" I half listen as Ethan talks about how well his proposed changes have been going for the section of Evanuris that he will be running mostly solo in a couple of years. "I'm hoping we could even bring them in down the road instead of outsourcing to them."
"That's lovely to hear dear." My mother concludes the topic, or so I thought, "Elysia has been fairing well with the geosciences as well. They make breakthroughs every day. And I believe she is even seeing the young gentleman who is vying for the top of the space sciences division. You know… The one who took the lead on the Cannon telescope launch last year. They have made unbelievable progress since he came on as the team lead."
I continue to eat, without commenting, even though I could see her point a sharp look in my direction as she said it.
It had always been their intentions for me to go into the space science division of Evanuris since physics and astronomy had always come easily to me.
"It will be nice to finish with that telescope soon." My father adds, "He is an intelligent young man…" He stops slowly as he realizes what his wife is trying.
"How has Arryn been lately, Sophi? Is she still going for nursing?" Ethan interjects abruptly to deviate the subject.
"Oh, she's been good. She's with her boyfriend right now, they're celebrating Christmas tonight too. And no, she actually transferred so that she could go into veterinary practice. She seems to be getting close to done with the first part… I believe she has two years left before she has to take some kind of specific test… But I don't remember the details well." I stumble through a quick answer, thankful for Ethan's rescue line.
"And what is this girl studying to become then?" My mother asks quickly. Evidence that she only half listened to what I was saying at all.
"She's a woman. She did nursing for a little bit but now she's studying to become a veterinarian."
"Well, that's nice. She must really love animals." My dad comments, an attempt at diffusing this, as my mother takes a breath.
"Yes. And at least that is more productive than wasting time by creating abstract nonsense." While she didn't say it, I know that was a jab at me aiming to become an artist.
I won't take the bait…
I won't let her rile me up into an argument.
I won't let her win.
For Ethan's sake.
"Well, even we have been using artists to help with our advertisement campaigns. Video gaming is becoming bigger, and we wanted to stick out, so the media people hired a bunch of artists to create a whole new campaign aimed at the gaming industry. Not to mention all the people who are making—"
"No."
The word cut through Ethan's words like a knife.
"Those people probably had their best chance with art. And that is fine. Your best chance is Astrophysics." My mother states plainly, the reply had started at Ethan and made its way over to me. "I don't want people to see you and think that art must have been your only option. You had—have—so much potential!"
"If it's going to happen anyway just say it. Get it over with. I know you aren't that worried over how I view myself or how others view only me. You're worried that people will see me and associate me to you." I gently lay my utensils on the table.
"Okay. Since you seem to know so much. Yes. I don't want this family to be associated with the type of person who is too lazy to do the work to realize their fullest potential." She crassly states while crossing her arms.
"Well. Then I guess there's only one answer." I take my napkin off my lap and place it next to my plate. My mother sighs in relief as she scoops up some stuffing to eat.
"I'm so glad you agree… We can get you right back into your program by next term… I will just have to call—"
"No." I mimic what she said only minutes ago. And she freezes with the forkful of stuffing millimeters from her mouth before she lets it sink.
"What?" I stand as she asks, her cold eyes following my motions.
"I said no. That is not the answer. I will not let you take away everything I have earned. Not again."
"'Not again?'" She repeats back to me her tone incredulous, "Before you had earned nothing on your own. NOTHING!" She shouts across the table causing dad and Ethan to jump.
"And now I have everything I need." I stalk to the entrance to the hallway to the entrance and turn back, "And I didn't get a single iota of it from you."
"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY!"
"Or what?" I ask as she tears around the corner of the dining room and down the hall as I put my coat on.
"You are WASTING your potential! You're throwing your future in the garbage!" She is seething, but now all I see is some woman who never celebrated anything that made me who I am…
"No. I'm throwing away the future you wanted. And don't worry about people associating me with you. I won't let people do that." I open the door to the raging blizzard that started while I was inside and slam the door behind me without looking back.
I sometimes look back on that night a regret how I treated my dad and Ethan. But not once have I ever felt regret over refusing to let her steal my passions away from me.
It had been in the months after that incident, and the gruelling drive home on the slick and dark highways during a blizzard, that I had accepted that I really had to put my family in my past for the time being. Ethan had been on my side… But my father had told me afterwards that I had overreacted and been an asshole.
I have spoken to my father a few times, but my mother only once since.
And now?
In just a few short days, I will be spending a few hours with them. And potentially a few days after that.
The silver lining? After I deal with the shitstorm that will be my parents, I get to travel Europe by myself. It is going to be amazing. I just have to get through the visit with my parents, luckily, Grandma Ella will be there, and hopefully her presence will keep things calm. I really don't want to have to be so firm with my mother in Grandma Ella's presence.
After I get home, I—slowly—finish most of my packing before heading into the living room to wind down a little bit.
I need to make sure my inner battery is fully charged to handle to influx of people expected for Arry's gathering. I suspect she wants me to stay in attendance for at least most of it. Especially since I got the vibe that she and her friend, Jordan, intend on another 'sneaky' set-up with me and a mutual friend of theirs.
Her full name is Arryn Mauntelle. I had met her through a class in my first year, we had only been acquaintances then, but she let me become her roommate and helped me get my feet underneath me after my falling out with my parents.
I stay on the couch until a wave of guilt washes over me and I finish taking all of my things to be packed into my room. Once I start, luckily, I manage to hold onto the wave of productivity and manage to not only finish packing my suitcase, but I also finish gathering everything that needs to go into my carry-on bag. And get that almost entirely packed up.
Then I decide to finish watching the movie I had started and walk out to the living room. As I walk through the entrance to the living room, and it feels as if I am walking through a veil of thick air that makes breathing feel nearly impossible. I feel a wave of dizziness and minor nausea roll over me. I turn around and begin to return down the hallway using the wall to steady me.
The world turns around me and I sink to my knees a couple of feet away from my bedroom door, my arm against the wall to combat the spinning. Leaning against the wall I manage to pull myself back to my feet. I make it to my bed and lay down facing the ceiling. I barely lay my head on the pillow before I fall into a deep sleep.
Roiling blackness followed by a blinding green flash, images of frightening creatures, swarms of spiders, a mass of living lava, and a being that feels like the depths of winter. I'm surrounded by an alien landscape of black stone and a sickly green and yellow sky. Another green flash brings me to a vision of a grand building that almost looks like a temple, with lines of people walking towards it before a huge green explosion destroys it all.
Everything fades to an impenetrable black and I hear a voice ring through my mind. It sounds like glittering glass shards tinkling onto the ground. I finally make out what it is trying to say but I can only make out parts of what is said at first.
"My Light…" What… Is that Grandma Ella's voice? "My Light, Sophi… I fear that I will not see you before it happens…" What is she talking about? Before what happens? "I now give you the rest of my power, it will now become fully a part of who you are with time." Power? Grandma, what are you talking about? "You will face many hardships in the time to come. Please be strong my Light and do not give up living" I could hear her voice beginning to fade away sounding more and more like the tinkling glass again, "Goodbye my Light, I love you…"
A blinding flash of white wrenches me from my sleep and causes me to bolt straight up out of bed. Disoriented I look around, my bedroom. What on Earth was that? That had to be the most vivid dream I have ever had before. I sit up properly on my bed and put my hand on my face trying to orient myself again. I'm completely drenched in sweat… And standing up to look in the mirror I can see how disheveled I look and decide that a shower is probably a good idea.
I look at the clock and realize that Arry will be done her shift in about half an hour. A quick shower it is. Especially since I imagine she will want to shower when she gets home.
After I finish in the washroom I go and choose something to wear, which is apparently not quite easy with all my favourite clothes in a suitcase… I end up in something I haven't worn for quite a while… But had once been my favourite outfit for a while, it doesn't quite fit the same way it used to but all in all it still looks good enough on me. I have missed this shirt with the dark green and orange in the plaid, especially with how nice it looks over the orange top and the dark green camisole. The jeans are a teensy bit tight, but for the rest of the evening they should be okay.
My build is the kind that most people try to get away from, almost bordering on the beginnings of overweight but never actually being there. It doesn't help that I'm not exactly tall enough to play it off easily either. I would almost describe myself as bordering stocky. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my body. Not really… I just have never felt at home in my body, almost as if something is missing or not quite right. It's really hard to explain but it likes my body stopped growing before it was supposed to.
I lightly slap my cheeks.
"No. Stop. Thinking about yourself that way will only make it feel worse." I say to myself in the mirror.
I try to focus on the things I really like about myself, like my eyes… In a lovely shade of green with flecks of hazel and turquoise, and how on the outer rim of my iris is an icy grey. Or my hair, with its warm strawberry blonde, how soft it feels after washing, and how nice it curls all its own. Well, maybe not curls… But it's definitely a little more than wavy. I decide to bring it all into a side braid to keep it mostly under control.
The sound of the door's bolt sliding draws me into the hallway in time for me to see Arry come in and lock the door behind her.
"Hey!" I shout down the hallway, "How was your shift?" She bends down to take off her shoes and shakes out her hair that comes down to about her mid-back and happens to now be azure at her roots and fades into an emerald green at the ends. Standing up she reaches her full height of five feet and six inches. Of course, our height difference is an area of pride for Arry, she loves, loves, loves that she has a whole three inches on me. She has an average build, not skinny but certainly far from any definition of fat. Nothing on her is too big or too small. She could easily be an athlete if that's what she wanted to be. Although, honestly, it's always seemed like she could do anything she wants.
"Oh, it was alright… Same old, same old." She walks into her room to get out of her work clothes before showering to be clean and not deli-smelling for her guests. Luckily, we had cleaned yesterday so that everything was ready before she got back because she wouldn't have time after she got back between showering and her getting ready. I went back to finishing the packing while Arry accomplished everything that she would need to do in order to shamelessly attempt to seduce her crush, who is her friend and will be in attendance.
"I see you went to get your hair dyed before your shift this time. How'd it go?" I look up at her as she walks over to the bathroom door just across the hall from my bedroom door.
She flashes a huge grin that displays how pleased with the new colour to her hair. "Yep, I sure did! It obviously went fantastically!"
"That's good." I smile widely at her trying to disguise that I had a dizzy spell and almost fainted in the hallway a little while ago. She can have an eerily good sense for that kind of thing… So, I go for the obvious choice of distracting her by continuing to praise the new colours. "It looks fantastic! You made good colour choices this go."
"Thanks! I'm really thrilled with it! Anyway, I am going to go clean up a bit before the peoples begin showing up here." She heads into the bathroom and closes the door.
Going back to my packing I double check that all of my required documents of international travel were securely packed into my backpack. I pull out my passport to check that it is in fact right. I open it up to that one page where the photo that makes me look like a serial killer. Blonde hair, check. Green eyes, yup. Height in at 5' 3", good—as in right… Maybe not actually good. Sophi'Gaelea Mythalen, yup, that is still my name. Birthday putting me in at 23 also a big check mark.
My last name, for my entire childhood, had always been a sort of green card to get anywhere. Oh, you want to go learn at this super exclusive school? Sure thing! Would love to have you. Oh, you want to get into this career, let me guide you there by the hand. So, leaving behind the weight of that name hasn't been easy. At first, I had the worst time doing regular things, I had never had to go through the regular channels to get anywhere. Resume? Nope. Never did that. I had never even dealt with the bank on my own… Luckily, my trusty best friend/roommate was there to help me learn the ways of the regular people, she still helps me with a couple of things, but I have mostly got the hang of it. I am glad that I can now take care of these things on my own without much help, I have found that it makes me feel more independent from my family. Which is a huge win in my mind. And maybe this independence will finally have my parents accept that I'm perfectly fine on my own.
While I wait for Arry to be finished getting ready I chance heading out to the living room. Walking into the living room brings another bout of dizziness but the affect is lessened from before, so I just go and sit down in my recliner.
Before too long Arry comes out all ready, and yep, very nicely dressed, but not in an 'I'm going to an interview' type way but rather an 'I want to show off what I've got' type way.
"So how was your day of productive packing and accomplishing things?" She leans a pointed look my way.
"Well, I did mostly finish packing but overall, I accomplished little aside from collecting candy for my grandma." I grin sheepishly and laugh, maybe a little too much I mostly try to distract her from how face probably looks.
"Your grandma is definitely a sugar fiend. I remember that from the first time I met her." Unfortunately, kind of, when it comes to my health, or rather the health of anyone she genuinely cares for, she is unusually observant. "Hey… Are you alright? You look as white as a sheet…"
Shit. Alright time to cover up with…
"Oh yeah, just a little nervous about seeing my parents that's all. It is also a little bit from this freaky dream I had while I was napping but I don't remember it very clearly…" Usually if I slip in a good excuse and a little bit of truth it sates her curiosity, I know she's just worried about me, but it really isn't anything. I mean what exactly am I supposed to say? Oh no worries I almost fainted in the hallway before having a trippy dream where my grandma told me that I am going to have hardship in the coming time? Because that sounds totally normal and not like I am losing my mind or anything...
She narrows her eyes at me, I know she suspects that I am not telling the whole truth, but she seems to let it slide.
"Alright… If you're sure. Besides, with your parents I don't blame you for being nervous, I mean they did cut you off just for making your own choice on what you want to do with your life."
We pass the rest of our time chatting about various subjects like we usually do when we are both in the living at the same time. We did that until the first guest arrived and isn't long after that there were more people arriving.
A few hours pass of playing Cards Against Humanity and a bit of Super Smash Bros. It appears that this week most of my friends couldn't attend. However, my nagging feeling proved itself right as one of Arry's friends, Jordan, brought one of his friends with him, named Ben. I figured it was likely him and Arry working together to set me up with this guy. Arry seems to think that six and a half years of being single was a little too long, so occasionally she gets together with anyone she can think of to "secretly" set me up with someone they know. Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't like I don't want to be in a relationship with a guy, but I just haven't really met anyone that I have really liked so far. As it was, I decide to give this guy half a chance and I stick around for a few rounds of whichever game we decide to play next. Which ended up being Trivia Murder Party.
After a while I figure that this guy won't work out any better than any of Arry's other attempts to get me with someone. I decide that since I will jetting off the Europe soon, I could make use of that reason to escape the social obligation to stay around while Arry and Jordan attempt to force us closer together every other minute. I stand and dismiss myself to kitchen where I covertly sneak further, then down the hall and into my room. The lingering dizziness has been steadily becoming easier to ignore.
I get through the door, and I take one look across the unsettlingly clean bedroom, which I usually have in a healthy state of disarray, to ensure that I haven't left anything that I may need before closing up my backpack. I also do plenty of double-checking every other area of my room in order to make certain that I won't have another left such-n-such important item on the other side of the Earth.
After a few minutes of relaxing in my room I hear laughing from the living room and feel obligated to at least join for a while until this party-stuff is over expecting to be finished as per mine and Arry's agreement. I come out and take the seat of someone who just got up from the couch and everyone laughs at his loss of seating space. Just a few years ago that alone would have caused me to go completely red but after some self-training and a few years of being in classes where I don't know most, if not all, of the people there I can now handle myself in smaller social situations. However, right to the end of school I would still find myself keeping quiet even if I knew the answer because I would feel anxious and start to slightly shake just at the thought of being brought in front of a large class.
After a few minutes I find that the guy that Jordan brought, Ben, has ended up next to me. We engage in the regular type of conversion about the basic things; what are you doing right now, are you working, what about school. We got going about a video game that I am terribly in love with, and that conversation went to one that he is anticipating the release of in the next couple of years. Next thing I knew it was time for everyone to be leaving. After many laughs and lots of goodbyes everyone had left.
"You know, you could have at least tried to socialize with more of the new people... One of the guys who came with Jordan seemed like your type... I think he might even have been flirting with you a bit." She pauses and gives a decidedly judging look and continues with "And by a bit, I mean definitely without a doubt flirting with you."
Ah ha! There it is. If she said anything after it was drowned out by my internal sigh. I love Arry to bits, she is practically my sister, but I really get tired of her trying to covertly set me up with guys.
"Arry, you know how I feel about you trying to secretly get me together with guys. Plus, I stuck around for a while and just figured I wasn't catching his eye. We did have a good conversation, but I really don't think he was flirting. You're just bugging me."
"I am telling the truth! Without any doubt, he was flirting. Plus, even if you didn't 'catch his eye' right away you've got to at least try to get to know somebody Sophi..." She looks at me with the most I-am-not-sorry grin that she always puts on in these situations and I can't help but forgive her because I know she just doesn't want me to be lonely.
"Yeah, yeah... I tell you what... Next time you do this let me know and I promise to try."
"So, what you're saying is that the next time I 'secretly' set you up with somebody, you not only promise to go along but to even give them a decent shot at a relationship?"
"What?! That may be going a little far..." I look up to see Arry giving the most pleading puppy-dog eyes that I'd ever seen on her face. "Alright! Fine. I promise to not only go along with it but to give the guy a fair chance."
These words garner the reaction of an instantaneous grin and a more than suspiciously chipper "Yay!"
"Great. Now that I have sold myself to the next man of your choosing, I am going to go finish packing." Knowing her victory Arry pulls out her laptop to begin her nightly YouTube viewing.
I walk down the hall to my room to pack up the rest of everything that I'll need for the trip and to finish packing my carry-on bag from the stuff that I had organized on my bed. I slip the mesh bag for my emergency outfit, the travel size toiletries, first aid kit, snacks, and entertainment, which one needs for the seven hour hop over the Pond.
Picking up the backpack with my new snazzy travel boots on my feet I head out of my bedroom with the destination of the front door in order to have everything ready for when Ethan comes to pick me up. As I get around the corner to head down the hallway, I can hear a really unusual sound that is sort a cross between a sort of charging noise and an electric buzzing, in my head it all added up to Arry watching a video on her computer. I am about to ask her what she's watching when the dizziness struck with a whole new strength coupled with an almost resonant feeling inside me before a blinding green flash is followed by a shock wave that knocks me over. Trying to right myself with the spots flashing in my eyes but another explosion puts me back where I started on the floor. Then I feel a gust of wind that swiftly picks up as though someone turned on a huge vacuum that lifts me and begins to pull me to where the explosion came from where there is still a large green light sparking and shifting. I frantically reach around in an attempt to grab hold of something, but everything goes stunningly white causing me to sink into harsh blackness.