Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Forty-Eight: Strangers In A Strange Land
Wendy Pines stirred a spoon in her ceramic coffee mug as she pretended to listen to Tambry talk about something she had lost interest in almost from the first sentence. She knew it was rude, but her mind was far removed from the conversation. "And that's when I told them... Wendy? A... Are you alright?" her violet haired friend said as she snapped back to reality. "Huh?" was all she could muster in response as she looked back across the booth. "Dude, what's the deal? You're so checked out right now. Is everything okay? Do you wanna talk about it?" Tambry asked with genuine concern. "I... It's nothing. I... I just really miss the girls... I just have this feeling that this is when we're gonna start growing apart, ya know? They're not my little girls anymore. They have their own lives and soon they'll be leaving to go to college... getting married... having kids of their own an-" she explained while becoming more frantic with every single word. "WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Calm down, Wen! I know it seems like Mabes and Paz are growing up in the blink of an eye, but you still have a lot of time between all of that and now. Just breathe, girl. Breathe..." Tambry said as she tried to ease the worries of her best friend. The violet haired woman knew that if she got wound up like this, it could cause her to spiral out of control. "I... I guess you're right..." Wendy replied with a sigh as she looked the reporter in her hazel eyes. "Of course, I am. I'm always right" the purple haired woman said with a smirk as she tried to bring some much-needed levity to the situation. The sound of laughter from the other side of the booth confirmed that she had been successful in her efforts to do so.
The rest of the flight had been uneventful for Mabel and Pacifica, as they passed the time by looking out the windows at the landscape below. After an announcement by Gunther, the girls fastened their seatbelts and began their final approach to North Carolina. The landing went smoothly and as the plane taxied, the girls gathered their belongings. "What do you think the next few days are gonna be like?" Mabel excitedly asked her sister. "Well, by the looks of the forecast, it's gonna be hot. Really hot. I read that there's a giant lake nearby. Maybe we can spend a day there..." Pacifica replied. "Paz, this isn't a vacation. We're here to learn from one of the best drivers in the world. I mean, yeah, we're in a different country, thousands of miles from home, but we're here for a reason" Mabel reminded her. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can squeeze a little bit of fun into it" the brunette retorted. "I want to thank you for flying with us today and sincerely hope that your flight met all of your expectations. I look forward to seeing you in a few days!" Julianne said before opening the door. "It was absolutely wonderful, Julianne. I'm sure that our return flight will be the same" Mabel said as the bright light of the outside met her eyes and they departed the aircraft.
Stepping onto the plush carpet in front of the staircase once more, Mabel and Pacifica saw their host family at the other end. "Welcome to North Carolina! How was your flight?" Lyle Karson greeted his guests. "Thanks! It was great!" Mabel shouted as the jet engines shut down. "Yeah, first class all the way Mr. Karson!" Pacifica added. "Glad to hear that! We're happy to have you for the next few days!" the racing superstar replied. He stood about five and a half feet tall, was fairly slender in build and had short black hair. "This is my wife, Caitlynn" he added while motioning to the statuesque woman beside him. She appeared to be in her early forties and had long blonde hair. Her blue eyes stood out even more than the brilliant early morning light. "My daughter Aubrey is fourteen" he continued as the young woman stepped forward and gave a friendly wave. She appeared to take after her mother with the exception of her hair color, which was a light brown. "And this is Logan, who just turned sixteen a couple of weeks ago" he concluded as the teenage boy waved a friendly hello. Mabel was almost instantly taken by the handsome racing prodigy. He was a little taller than his father, had messy dirty blonde hair and a perfect smile.
"Hi! I'm Mabel!" the young woman introduced herself. "And you're not seeing double, I'm her twin sister, Pacifica. It's nice to meet y'all... Y'all? I said that right, didn't I?" she added. "Hahaha... You did. Good job! I remember the last time somebody named Pacifica introduced herself to me. Gosh, that was such a long, long time ago..." Lyle said as they made their way into the white sport utility vehicle the Karson family had arrived in. "What do you remember about her? We always want to learn more..." the late woman's namesake replied as she closed her door. "Well, like I said, it was almost twenty years ago. She was a nice girl. Nothing like her parents. They only cared about how much money they could make off me. One thing that jumps straight to the front of my mind was how she smelled. I know that's a weird thing to say, but whenever she walked into the room, the scent of sunflowers and champagne soon followed..." he answered. "Oh, really? And just what do I smell like when I walk into a room?" Caitlynn inquired. "You... You don't have just one scent, my dear. For instance, some days you smell like racing fuel, brake cleaner and dirt when you help me work on the racecar. Other times, you smell like the Schrub Light brewery. That's usually after shotgunning a few beers in victory lane after I win. When we go to the beach, you smell like cocoa butter and sea salt. So, you see, that's a very complex question to answer" the driver said as he hoped his explanation met his wife's expectations. "Aw... Thanks honey. That was sweet..." the blonde woman in the passenger seat replied as a smile formed on her face.
A twenty-minute drive later, the Karson's and their guests neared their home. It was a sprawling estate situated on the end of a peninsula that jutted out into a large lake. A stone wall demarked the property line and a tall wrought iron gate opened to allow their vehicle entry. The front of the property was heavily wooded, but soon gave way to a well-manicured lawn. The multi-million-dollar mansion came into view and to say that it was massive would be an understatement. Even the impressive Northwest Manor paled in comparison to the lavishness that this structure displayed. "Whoa... This is amazing..." Mabel commented as the sport utility came to a stop and the doors opened. After unloading their luggage, the girls followed the Karson family through the front door. A pair of trophy cases flanked the walls of the foyer, which caught the attention of both Mabel and Pacifica. A short tour revealed a theater room, a virtual driving range, and a kitchen that any five-star chef would feel more than at home in. "So, I take it that this is a foldout couch?" Pacifica asked as they stood in a living room that overlooked the shores of the lake. A fit of laughter came from Caitlynn as she thought the younger woman was joking. "D... Did I say something wrong?" the brunette teen replied. "Sorry... It's just for a second that I thought you were serious about sleeping on the sofa. That... That was a good one, sweetheart..." the matriarch of the family followed up. "She's definitely got a good sense of humor, that's for sure..." Mabel jumped in as she tried to help her sister save face. "We'll go get you two settled in the guest house..." Lyle said as they began to walk towards the glass doors that lead outside.
A pathway off the rear deck led to a smaller building. The ground floor was used for entertainment purposes and featured a living room, small kitchen, a well-stocked bar and full bathroom; various pieces of Lyle's race cars adorning the tan colored walls. The upper floor contained a pair of bedrooms, an additional full bath and a gaming room that looked out onto the lake. "What do you think?" Lyle asked his teenage guests as they looked around. "This is great!" Pacifica remarked as she checked out the bedroom that resided on the left. "Thanks, I designed it myself. When we're not entertaining guests, this is where I go to unwind" the racing superstar commented. "I can see why..." Mabel said as she watched a boat cruise past the shoreline. "Well, for the next week, consider this your home away from home. If you two can think of anything else you need, we can get it for you... After you get your belongings put away, we'll go over what the next few days are going to be like" the dark-haired man replied. "That sounds good to us..." Mabel answered as their host family let them get used to their new surroundings. "I could get used to this..." Pacifica said as she opened the door to her bedroom and fell back onto the plush queen-sized bed. "I wouldn't get too attached. We'll be gone in less than a week..." Mabel reminded her sibling. "Geez... Way to spoil the moment..." her brunette-haired twin shot back. "Okay, so it's fine when you do it? Got it" Mabel replied in an annoyed tone. "Really? When do I do that? Huh?" her sister angrily asked. "I dunno... Try most of the last few years or so? Ever since... Ever since the Outdoorsman Games... You've just been this cynical asshole who just loves to shit all over everyone else's good time. You're... You're like that dark cloud that just follows me around and I'm just fucking sick of it. We get it. You're moody. Always have something smart or sarcastic to say. You don't get excited about much. Everything and everyone seem to be nothing more than an annoyance to you. Want me to keep going?" the usually peppy young woman explained. The sound of sniffles broke her from her train of thought.
"I'M TRYING! I'M FUCKING TRYING! ALRIGHT?! I get it. I do. Yeah, maybe I was that way, but I'm trying to change, damn it! Did you ever think I was acting that way because I felt outta place? That I was different and the last thing I wanted to do was pretend to be something I'm not? That everything was all sunshine, rainbows and puppies?! Put yourself in my shoes and maybe you'd see things a little differently. And now? Now that I'm working on not being that person, I see you falling into that same mindset. It sucks Mabes. It really does. For the longest time I wasn't happy and I thought that if I could make everyone else feel a little of the what I did, then maybe they'd understand me. Don't try and project your sadness onto others. It's a real shitty way to live, Mabes" Pacifica said as the tears flowed freely from her eyes and peppered her heather grey t-shirt below. "I... I'm not acting like that? Am I?" Mabel asked with shock in her voice as she came to the realization that perhaps she was. "Yeah... You are. We both know why. It's weird. Like, you're normal most of the time, but then you'll just snap. You'll get really angry and say some hurtful things. You've cursed more this summer than me, and that's saying something. Mom mentioned that if we ever needed some help that she'd get it for us, no questions asked. Maybe we should take her up on that when we get back home. I sure as hell know that I could use it..." Pacifica responded. "I... I think that's a good idea. We're both way too young to be this fucked up... I mean... messed up..." Mabel agreed. The sisters embraced one another on what had quickly become an emotional early summer morning in North Carolina.
Author's Note: I once again would like to apologize for not posting as much as you're all accustomed to, but this summer has been long, stressful and exhausting to say the least. That being said, one of the things that helps me get through it all is writing, so I won't stop. Onto the story. I had this whole arch set up as a fun end of summer adventure, as our heroes have had more than their fair share of hurt already. Turns out that just like in real life, things don't just magically go away because they've ended. It stays with you. Dipper, Wendy and the girls are still processing what has happened to them and even if things stay relatively normal, it will take a long time for them to feel that way again. What will Wendy and Dipper do with their time away from the girls? How will Mabel and Pacifica deal with being on their own for the first time in their lives? How will they fare when they get behind the wheel? What do Aubrey and Logan think about their new teenage guests? Answers to all these questions and more in the next installment of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story. Until then...
-iKLOT
My Playlist:
"Sixteen Saltines" - Jack White
"Dirty Harry" - Gorillaz
"The Ghost Of You" - My Chemical Romance
"That's Where I Am" - Maggie Rogers
"Hymn For The Weekend (Remix)" - Alan Walker vs Coldplay (The song I thought of as the girls take in the lavish lifestyle of the Karson family)
"Come Apart" - Fazerdaze
"Stranger Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots
"Giants" - Walk The Moon (Pictured this playing as the girls partied in their guest house)
"Emergency" - Paramore
"10 Things I Hate About You" - Leah Kate
"Free In The Knowledge" - The Smile (Made me think of Pacifica and Mabel's meltdown in the guest house)
"The Only Heartbreaker" - Mitski