Chapter 17 Going Home #2
Luckily, I was saved from responding when Amber appeared, her arms filled with various drinks and snacks that she deposited on the seat between Seraphina and me. She was giving Seraphina a strange look, obviously wondering what she was doing there.
Seraphina abruptly rose from her seat. Her cheeks were turning red, and she seemed so small and lost that I felt sorry for her. "Oh, I should probably... leave you to it, I guess."
I reached out and grabbed her sleeve. I could relate to what Seraphina was feeling. I had been shy and out of place myself plenty of times this year, and I didn't wish that feeling of not belonging on anyone. "You don't have to go." I gave Amber a meaningful glance.
After raising one eyebrow, she pasted a smile on her face. "Of course not. Stay. There's plenty of stuff here for all of us."
"Thanks," Seraphina said shyly and beamed when Amber handed her a juice packet.
That's how the three of us spent that first morning and afternoon on the airship, by sharing snacks and gossip, playing games, and getting to know Seraphina really for the first time.
***
My stomach gave a giant leap as I recognized the giant plaza in Hartwick Square.
The airship was dropping down. Amber, who was sitting next to me, gave my hand a squeeze.
"You mustn't take too long to visit me. I'm sure my parents will be thrilled to have one of my Academy friends over for a few days, and I can't wait to meet your family either. "
I smiled and gave her a hug. "Of course, it's going to be great knowing someone from the Academy is right here in town."
After I'd said it, I glanced over at Seraphina sitting across from us. "Knowing two someones, I mean."
Seraphina smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
Given that my father worked for her father and that we lived on her father's land, visiting each other may be awkward.
I had no idea how her parents would feel about their daughter fraternizing with lowborns, but I had an idea that Seraphina hadn't come to the conclusion that nobles were better than everyone else, just out of the blue.
That kind of mentality was something people were raised with, wasn't it?
However nice her father, the Baron, had always been to my father, however good he had treated us, I had an idea that he saw us as lesser humans.
It didn't matter. I had decided to judge Seraphina only by her own actions from now on, not by the notions she had grown up with.
These past few days had brought the three of us closer.
It had been a fun time, one that had been unexpected.
Because, as it turned out, I liked Seraphina.
Stripped of her snobbery, she was actually good at conversation.
As the airship lowered the gangplank with a shudder, we stood and went to the doorway. The same attendant checked our names off his list. Then the doors were rising, and I was impatiently rocking from one foot to the other. It felt like it was taking forever.
Finally, it opened, and we were greeted with bright sunlight and a pleasantly gentle breeze. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I remembered the fresh mountain air I had marveled at back at Lucent Academy. This was different, yet achingly familiar.
As we trudged down the gangplank, I tried to spot my family, but a crowd had gathered to meet us. News had spread that we were returning for a holiday after being whisked away so suddenly three months ago, and everyone wanted to see if we had changed and, if so, how much.
Did they expect us to have grown wings or to have sprouted horns in the time we had been gone?
I hated being the center of attention, and my ears were already starting to burn as a blush darkened my face. So many pairs of staring eyes, and all the while I was scanning the crowd, looking for the familiar faces of my family.
My heart almost leaped right out of my chest when I spotted my mother and father waiting for me.
They noticed me at the exact same moment, and I saw that my mother was crying.
My feet carried me across the cobblestones of the courtyard, closing the distance between us, and I leaped into their arms. My mother had tears streaming down her face, but this time it was tears of joy, and I couldn't blame her.
It wasn't as if my own cheeks were exactly dry.
When I looked at my father, I saw that the moment was just as big for him.
He was lost for words. We stood for a few seconds and happily beamed at each other.
Then I felt something crash into me so hard it almost knocked me over.
I looked down and saw it was actually two somethings, two boys. Simon and Samuel, the twins, were hugging me tightly. "We missed you so much!" Samuel said as he lifted his dirty face to stare at me wide-eyed.
"Is it true your mate is a dragon?" Simon asked, and I had to laugh at the wonder in his voice. Of course, they'd think it was cool.
"Yes, yes," I laughed as I affectionately ruffled their hair, "And I'll tell you all about it when we get home, I promise."
I glanced at my mother and father, who were trying their best to hide their amusement. That's when I noticed the little girl shyly peeking at me from behind our father's legs.
"My word, Lily! Is that really you? Can't be, because the girl I see is at least six inches taller than my sister."
Of course, she wasn't even an inch taller, but her face broke into a sunny smile as I bent down. She ran into my arms, and I scooped her up into an enormous hug.
"It really is me, Leah!" she said after pulling back to cup my face in her pudgy little hands.
I nodded and kissed her on her cheek. Before I could say anything else, the airship's engines picked up speed. The gangplank had been extracted back into the ship. We all watched as the giant, magnificent airship rose higher and higher. We watched it until it was merely a speck in the sky.
"Are you hungry?" my mother asked. "I made roast pork and apple pie."
As I followed my family to the carriage, my heart felt light and unburdened.
I knew I'd have lots to tell them over the feast my mother had prepared.
The holidays wouldn't last forever, and all too soon, I'd have to say goodbye to them again.
I didn't suppose leaving them a second time would be any easier.
Perhaps by the third or fourth time, I would get used to it, but until then, it would be just as hard for all of us.
I pushed these gloomy thoughts away as I didn't want them to spoil the feeling of being home. In that moment, returning for the second term seemed like a long while away, and Lucent Academy itself seemed more like a dream than a reality.
Right then, with the curious townspeople dispersing to attend to their businesses, as Hartwick returned to a more natural rhythm, the familiarity lulled me into almost thinking nothing had changed.
In that moment, I was happy because I was home.