Late evening on the same day...Harry looked at his house blankly. How did he arrive here? Even though he was the one driving the car but he had no collection of driving through the usual roads to go home. He was so deep in his thought even though his hands and feet were busy handling the steering wheel, gear, accelerator and brake. It was almost like he was driving in autopilot.
He could not even remember anything about the journey!
Even the butler who was hurrying toward him was puzzled seeing his face. What was wrong with his young master today? Why did he look so weird now? Had something happened at the campus?
Despite that, he controlled his emotion and out on the poker face as he greeted Harry, "Welcome back, young master."
Harry handed his car key quietly to the butler who promptly handed the same key to the family"s driver. Then, the older man followed behind his young master.
The driver, on the other hand, started the engine and checked the gas level. When he realized it was left with half the tank, he quickly changed the gear and drove the car to the nearest petrol station to fill the gas. So tomorrow, if young master chose this car for his vehicle of the day, young master would not be worried if there would not be enough gas if the tank went empty along the way. All the cars belonged to each member of the Si family was always full tank, the family driver made sure of it. He even checked the cars" condition so it would be on the optimum state the whole time.
Harry put down his bag once he walked through the main door and let out a heavy sigh. His mind was still full of Ryn"s cold treatment and his bad game just now. What was wrong with his day today?
"Harry, you"ve come back? Go wash first then have dinner together," his mother called.
"Okay," he replied halfheartedly. He took back his bag and walked slowly to the stairs. He ignored the weird look from his mother and little sister, too deep in his own emotion to care.
"What"s wrong with your brother today?" Mrs Si asked her daughter in puzzle. She was taken back when she saw how low her son"s spirit was just now.
"I don"t know. Maybe... he lost in the game?" Mia shrugged. She did not know much about Harry even though they were siblings and quite close to each other. Harry too did not tell or discuss anything with her, especially when he now was a university student. Sometimes she felt like he treated her like a young little girl in a primary school.
Oh well, it was not her problem. Why should she spend time and energy on his problem when he did not even ask for her help? Such a waste of time and she, Mia Si, hated wasting time. She would only spend her time and energy on something that benefits her.
She took a magazine and flipped it open to show to her mother, "Mother, do you think if I were to wear this, I"d look better?"
Mrs Si looked at the page her daughter showed and frowned. It was an advertis.e.m.e.nt about anti ageing cream that claimed it could reverse the ageing of its use for up to five years in a week time.
"I don"t think it will work," she said.
"But mother, don"t you think I should start early to prevent wrinkle?" Mia cried, touching her cheeks worriedly.
"You"re still young. Your skin is too young to wear those kind of cream. Wait until you"re older," Mrs Si said firmly.
"But..."
"No. And if I see you bought this, I"ll send you straight to the temple to become a nun," Mrs Si warned.
Mia pursed her lips sulkily. Why did her mother react so dramatically just for a cream? She would not lose anything if she tried it. Well, other than money but what"s with two hundred bucks in comparison to a smooth wrinkle-free youthful face?
Harry, unaware of what was happening between his mother and little sister, just sat on the edge of the bed and covered his face. He had no idea why he was treated like this. He was honest with her but he felt like she kept running away.
Running from what? He had no idea but by running, she also put a distance between them. It was so frustrating when each time he tried to make a move, she would find excuses to avoid it.
It took him about fifteen minutes to gather his thought and changed his clothes into a set of fresh one. Then, he went downstairs for dinner with his family.
*~*~*~*
Ryn folded two sets of clothes and underwear. And stockings. She needed stockings. Then, she pushed them into her backpack. She did not wear any soap, only her set of toothbrush and toothpaste. She could always use his soap and shampoo. Oh yes, she needed her hairbrush, face wash, deodorant and sunblock. Now she was ready.
She tied her hair into a huge messy bun and put on her favourite cap. Then, she put on her jacket. She looked around and nodded twice.
"It"s time to move, " she told herself. Then, she sighed.
She knew she was running from everything... But she needed some time to think without anyone trying to influence or force her.
"Stop thinking about this again, " she scolded herself when she seemed hesitant to grab her bag and house key.
She went to the kitchen to drink a gla.s.s of water to calm herself down. Once she put the washed gla.s.s back to its place, she grabbed her bag and housekey, then put on the sneakers. She now was ready to run away from the real world.
She took a cab to go to the airport. She paid the fare and went into the building. She needed to take a flight to go to the mainland before a boat to reach the island.
She was lucky when the next flight was an hour away and there were still seats available. She quickly bought one and went to the departure gate. She did not have luggage to check-in. It was a smooth journey for her.
She spent two hours journey on the flight sleeping. No one recognized her with her deliberately using the cap and her long hair to cover her face. The jacket was quite big and a bit boyish, covering her curves perfectly. Even though she was taller than average women, with she put on the student mask and masking her model aura. No one would believe a supermodel even sitting on the economy cla.s.s in the aeroplane.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes when the captain announced they were going to land. She pulled the safety belt and used the cap to cover her huge yawn. She looked around and saw each one of the pa.s.sengers was excited to finally arrive.
She joined the other pa.s.sengers to the arrival gate. As it was a domestic flight, she did not have to get through the immigration. It saved more time for her.
"Still have time, " she murmured when she looked at her watch. There was still time to get into the boat to go there... If she managed to get a ticket.
Luck was still on her side. She managed to get a ticket for the last trip. She smiled when she received the ticket. When the girl at the counter asked her if she wanted to buy a return ticket, she said no with a shake of her head.
With the ticket safe in her pocket, she went to the small stall to buy herself a bottle of water. With the bottle of water in her hand, she walked toward the chairs to find a set to sit while waiting for the boat to arrive.
She gulped her drink slowly, watching some kids running around with their parents chatting while keeping an eye on them. She smiled wryly. Had she ever done that when she was young? Running around happily while crying and shouting happily?
She finished the whole bottle and stood up. Using her stretch, she made the bottle into a smaller size before threw it into the recycle bin for plastic.
Then, she took out her phone and sent a message to Andy, detailing the boat"s estimation arrival. She also took the time to read and reply to all the messages.
When she reading listen to Mika"s messages, she could not help from sighing heavily. She felt sorry for her inability to join Mika with her plan but she needed some s.p.a.ce away from the Long siblings.
She joined the other pa.s.sengers into the boat and put on the safety jacket. Her backpack was clutched tightly against her chest. Her cap was now safe in her bag, leaving her messy bun getting messier.
She quickly redid her bun and stood up once the boat reached the small jetty. She was careful when walking from the boat to the wooden stairs of the jetty. It wobbled quite a lot, following the waves of the sea. She murmured her thanks to the man helping her and walked with the rest of the pa.s.senger toward the gate. Her eyes looked around until it fell on a young man wearing a white singlet and worn jeans.
Once he noticed her, he dropped the cigarette he was puffing and smiled.
"I"m back." Her smile wobbled as she let him pull her into his arms.
"Welcome back."