Chapter1

Coming Home

"Hey, Vicky! Guess what!" My little brother Rob yelled in excitement as Kile (Kilie), my best friend, and I carried our bags in from our family's 1986 station wagon.

"What Rob?" I asked as I gingerly set down my lap top computer and bags of gifts I had been collecting for my family ever since I had come home for Christmas from Oxford.

"For this summer Daddy has a job working in the clinic of Atlantis, you know the resort hotel in the Bahamas! And dad's found a job for you there as an au pair for the King and Queen of Switzcape!" Rob yelled very loudly in excitement.

"I know. Dad told me when he found out about the job offer and asked if I wanted him to get it for me," I laughed in reply.

"Oh, cool."

I laughed and went back to the car to get more things. When I had just gotten a bag out of the old faux wood station wagon someone had but their arms around my waist; I turned around, and to my shock, saw Scott, my sort of boyfriend, whom I had more or less dated the previous summer. He was the first to speak, and when he did I was surprised at what he said because he said, "Vicky, I'm going to miss you a lot while your gone over summer."

Right after he finished his sentence Kile came behind us and said, "Vick, who's the cutie?"

Without missing a beat I replied, "Kile, this is Scott Johnston. Scott this is Kilie Carter, my best friend at Oxford, she's a Brit by the way."

"Scott huh? I heard a lot about you in her e-mails last summer."

"Vick talked a lot about you too."

Just then my John, my older brother, who was currently in graduate school at Columbia University, drove up into the driveway. As he drove up, Kile got a good look at him through the windshield and said," Girl, how do you know so many hot guys?"

"Kile, that's my brother, and that comment was just so wrong! I'm not even going to start!"

John was by then getting out of his car and said, "Hey Vick, Scott," in a cheerful tone, then in an unsure voice he said, "Hi, I'm John and who are you?" he asked Kile.

"I'm Kile Carter, Vick's roommate at the old Uni, "she laughed out although she was really trying not to.

"Oh, it's nice to finally meet you, especially after hearing so much about you last summer and over Christmas."

"It's nice to finally get to meet you too."

"Sorry, but I have to get back to work I just thought I'd come see Vick during my break at work," Scott said.

"Bye, Scott! I'll e-mail you while were at Atlantis."

"K, bye, Vick."

We hugged and he left.