AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The assorted mumbles from all of the passengers in the helicopter could not hope to reach Sylvester’s own level of excitement. But ready we were. The blades started to spin, followed by an ungodly noise that we thankfully had ear protection from, and then... we were off.
It was a long journey, but it was kind of beautiful watching the twinkling lights of the cities below as we passed overhead. And then, when the light came up, we all got to watch the sunset from the best possible view.
We stopped twice on the way to refuel, once at Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C. and once at Charlotte Douglas International Airport before heading into the mountains. At each place, we got out to stretch our legs, nothing more, before traveling onwards.
It was nice to leave civilization behind, as the ground beneath us became less and less buildings and more and more forests.
In the distance, the Blue Ridge Mountains rose. They held a real magic – whether it was the mystical blue color of the peaks, or the vibrancy and diversity of the forests surrounding them. The sky above was a beautiful ombre, the blues and grays meeting the yellows and oranges of the still-rising sun.
I don’t think there was one person on board who didn’t stop and stare, awestruck, at the sight of the mountains.
We flew closer and closer, and then we could see the warehouse where my dad worked. As promised, there was a helicopter landing pad on the roof. I couldn’t remember for what purpose the warehouse had been built, only that it had been dormant for years and now required constant security to ensure it didn’t get taken over – by humans or by wildlife. Wildlife here could easily reclaim and overpower a human-built structure.
Then, as we were about to land, I spied my dad – just a small speck, dressed in head-to-toe blue like the color of the mountains, waiting for our arrival.
When we landed, I lunged out of the exit and ran into my dad’s arms. It had been way too long since I’d seen him. I’d visited here before, but it had been a very long journey that involved too many different modes of transport.
He held me tightly and stroked my hair. “Luna.”
“Dad.” I mirrored his greeting. “Thanks so much for letting us stay.”
His head perked up over my shoulder, and we parted ways. He waved a hand and spoke up a little: “Sylvester!”
Wow. Was that a more excited greeting than his for me? I’d try not to be offended.
Sylvester came forward and embraced my dad too, both of them clapping each other on the back. I’d kind of forgotten how weirdly well they’d gotten along. Sylvester, who couldn’t shut up, and my dad, who barely spoke a word. It was funny watching them hug – Sylvester looked a foot taller than my dad. We weren’t a tall family.
Then everyone was off the helicopter, and our luggage was being brought out, and the helicopters were taking off again.
I reached out for Sylvester, feeling a sudden pang of... something like emotions. Goddamn hormones. “Share a room with me, will you?”
Sylvester’s face melted from his charismatic charm to a softer, more private glow, just for me. “Of course. Do you want to go and claim one of the rooms together?”
I nodded and let him take my hand and pull me away towards my dad’s house, away from the small crowd of people. I’d been here before, so I verbally directed Sylvester to the choice of rooms, even as he led the way. We deliberated for a minute before selecting the biggest, since we’d be sharing.
In the room, I closed the door behind me and then, to the surprise of both of us, melted into his arms. I didn’t cry, but my shoulders shook a little. Exhaustion, possibly. Hormones, probably.
His voice hummed into the top of my head, where it was buried underneath his chin. “Hey, what’s up?”
I shook my head and mumbled into his chest. “Everything.” It was muffled by his shirt.
The thing was, Sylvester made me feel safe. His arms around me were a protective barrier to everything uncomfortable that we had yet to deal with. With his sunny optimism, I did feel like I could face things, rather than burying my head in the sand.
“I’m here for you, Luna. Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you want... if you want to talk about it, if you want to... I don’t know. Whatever you want, whatever you need, just let me know. I will try my best to fulfil it.”
What did I want? What did I need? I was mixed up, so far from knowing what it was I was lacking. Perhaps I was just overwhelmed. And honestly, who wouldn’t be? Pregnant, hiding in the mountains with a rock band and a couple billionaires from another billionaire who wanted to destroy all of us. This wasn’t exactly a normal life.
I felt a yearning. There was something I did want from Sylvester. I didn’t dare put it into words, not in my own head. It remained, then, something abstract: a longing for solidness, for safety.
I relaxed further into him. “I love you.” My words were muffled into him even more than before.
But he squeezed me just a little tighter, so I knew he had heard. “I love you, too.”
To know that, whenever I wanted, I could have his arms wrapped around me like this, at least for now... that would have to do.
Sylvester
As ever, understanding exactly what was going on in Luna’s head was a mystery to me. She was a complex woman, and if I ever tried to guess what was going on in there, I’d always get it wrong. I just hoped she’d keep opening up, a little bit at a time.
