Chatting cheerfully, the Arkwrights had their breakfast. The spirits were high in the family right now, as they were going on a vacation starting today."Did you get that Zippo lighter for Uncle Cornell, Valek?" asked Deacon over the table. Prematurely swallowing a rather large chunk of waffle, Valek replied: "Yeah, I picked it up yesterday."
"The exact one he asked for?"
"Yes." replied Valek "I called and cross-checked with him" he added.
"Good, good" said his father, and resumed perusing the newspaper.
The Cornells and the Arkwrights were long family friends. Deacon Arkwrighthad met Martin Cornell when they were both around 20 years old. They had developed a strong friendship. Each had been best man at the other's wedding. Subsequently their wives had become firm friends too, and as such, their kids had pretty much been raised together. The Cornells and the Arkwrights were more family than friends.
However, when Deacon had shifted to Minneapolis and Martin to Denver, the two families had started an annual tradition were each family would visit the other once a year, and the next year the other family would visit the first. This time, it was the Arkwrights visiting the Cornells.
As with any family, chaos ensued when it came time to do the final packing and leave. Shouting, hurried visits to the mother's room to ask her where a certain article was, siblings getting in each other's way, childish fights and so on. However, by some miracle, they made in to the airport in time.
The flight from Minneapolis to Denver was a meager two hours, and before long, the Arkwrights were walking out of Denver International Airport where Martin was waiting to receive them. Martin Cornell was a tall man. His hair was gray around the sides, but his eyes still sparkled with good-naturedness. He made his living as a manager in a tech company.
"Ah, Deek, old boy!" he exclaimed, warmly shaking hands with Deacon. "Paris! How nice to see you again." he added to Mrs. Arkwright kissing her on the cheek.
Martin ardently shook hands with the boys, and kissed the girls on the cheeks. He then took the two bags that Liana was carrying and led them to his GMC Denali.
It was a bit of a struggle, but soon the luggage had been fit and everybody was seated. The drive back home took longer than expected due to traffic, but they finally reached in the late afternoon.
Martin swung the SUV into his driveway where he saw his youngest daughter, Zoe, playing in the lawn. She got up with a smile when she saw her father coming in and rushed to meet his guests as they were getting out of the car.
"Aw, Zoe!" said Paris, kissing her on the head "You've grown!"
"Yeah, you're a young lady now." said Deacon as he heaved a suitcase from the Denali's boot.
Zoe Cornell had red hair like her mother which she kept pushing behind her ear because she hadn't got a hairband on. Zoe Arkwright and Zoe Cornell were the best of friends. Both of them eleven years old, they got along really well and were inseparable when the two families were together. Their mothers had come up with their names separately and when they called each other to announce the decided names, they had both been pleasantly surprised. However, they had decided that since such a coincidence had occurred, they would not change the names and both the girls would grow up with the same name. And so, the running story of 'Zoe and Zoe' began.
Grace Cornell was a very good natured woman. She was very protective of her children, and loved them dearly. Red haired and almost a foot shorter than her husband, she stood in the hallway with an apron on to welcome the Arkwrights.
"Ah, Paris, how are you?" she said giving Mrs. Arkwright a one armed hug as her other arm was covered with dough. She greeted the Arkwright kids and then called her children downstairs.
Grace and Martin Cornell had 4 children; Zoe, the youngest. The seventeen year old son: Robin. Evelyn, the second oldest daughter. A beautiful girl with violet eyes and straight, bright red hair; older than Valek by four months. Lastly, the oldest twenty-two year old child: Felicia. She had dark, almost auburn, red hair and very light brown eyes.
Soon the two families were sitting down for an early dinner of delicious turkey in the evening; the Cornell's dining almost bursting with people. The three boys: Valek, Alex, and Robin were having their meal in the living room, watching a football match. It was FC Barcelona (the Arkwright boys' favorite club) vs Real Madrid (Robin's favorite club) and the the result was a lot of shouting coming from the couch. Zoe and Zoe were sitting together talking in hushed whispers, while the Cornell parents and the Arkwright parents were talking with the three girls.
It was a pleasant evening. Warm inside the house, everyone was bathed in a glowing yellow light; talking, arguing, laughing, not one of them even slightly aware of what was coming.
After the dinner everyone lazed around for a bit and then the six older children: Alex, Felicia, Liana, Evelyn, Valek, and Robin decided to go out somewhere. Taking the car keys from Martin, they debated where to go as they walked into the garage.
The six had pretty much grown up together and as such shared tight bond. They would always go out together for ice-creams, movies, late night escapades, clubs, etc. whenever the families were together.
"So, The Grill it is then?" asked Alex as he turned on the garage lights.
"Since we can't think of anything better." said Evelyn glaring at her brother.
"Hey, you'll see, it's a nice place." said Robin "It'll be jam-packed with chicks too" added Robin to Val.
"Don't worry, Eve, any place is fun if we're together." said Valek.
Eve raised her eyebrows slightly.
"I meant the group." he clarified, grinning.
Eve smiled in return, but Liana saw the slight disappointment in her face when she turned away from him.
"Anyway, holy hell, you guys have filled this garage up", said Val as he watched his brother and Robin struggle to find the keys.
It was three space garage which was filled with a black GMC Denali, a white Mazda CX-9, and a silver Volvo V60.
"Yeah, poor Eve's Mini has to stay outside" said Liana.
"Don't worry." said Felicia, "Dad's been planning to sell the Mazda ever since I bought the Volvo."
"And that, was a damn good purchase" complimented Val admiring Felicia's car.
She grinned at him. "What about your new car? Aston Martin, was it? You still owe me a ride in that."
"Hahaha, Aston Martin Vantage." cleared Val. "And I'll gladly give you a ride; all you have to do is come over. Might even let Alex take it for a spin just to show you how....er...it handles." Felicia gave a slight smile and narrowed her eyes at him.
Robin finally found the keys under the tool chest, and the six piled into the CX-9. "Was the Vantage really expensive?" asked Felicia as she got in the passenger seat beside Alex, who was driving, and they pulled out of the driveway passing Eve's red Mini Cooper.
"150k after options" replied Val bracingly.
"What!?" exclaimed Robin and Felicia simultaneously.
"You could afford that?" asked Eve.
Recently, Val had taken to investing in stocks. It had turned out he had quite the knack for it, and he had started making a lot of money.
"Well, I can afford to pay off 80k" said Val, "but Dad came in for the other seventy."
"Holy shi-" smiled Felicia. "You've been doing well for yourself."
"Can we stop discussing finances and put on some damn music?" asked Robin peeking from the small third row.
"Sorry, sorry." said Felicia, and grabbed her phone.
The six of them drove through town merrily, laughing and joking. They were headed for the early suburbs, so there was quite the drive ahead of them. Eve and Val were squashed beside each other, and Eve was trying her hardest to stop brushing her hand with Val's, who didn't even seem to notice.
Felicia kept throwing glances at Alex. "We need to find a quiet place to talk when we get there." she said to him, slyly.
"I'll find somewhere." he grinned.
"No, you won't. If you two leave to find a dark corner, you won't come back until we're leaving. You two love birds can catch up later, this is our group night today." said Liana from the backseat
"I agree." chipped in Eve. "You guys can go off on an exclusive date tomorrow as compensation." She looked over at Val and gave him a look.
He rolled his eyes slightly, "Yeah, don't leave us." he said in mock enthusiasm. Robin didn't even bother looking up from his phone.
"Okay, fine." gave in Felicia exasperated. But broke into a slight smile.
The six of them finally reached 'The Grill'. It was small burger shack sitting in a well-lit parking lot owned by The Grill where people could eat their food inside their cars or just hang out. It was a bit off from the highway, so there was low music playing.
Parking up, all of them jumped out of the Mazda, Robin especially glad to stretch his legs. Val looked at his watch: quarter to eleven. "You guys getting anything?" he asked.
"Lee and I'll share a cheeseburger" said Eve.
"And I'll share whatever you're getting" said Felicia to Alex.
"I'm getting a turkey sandwich" announced Robin.
Taking in all the orders, the three boys left to go get some burgers from the shack while the girls stood around the open car, chatting.
As Liana was telling Felicia and Evelyn about this amazing trick to curling your hair, a young guy walked up to them. He had long flowing blonde hair that fell over his face with effortless elegance and he had prominent cheekbones which elevated his features. Blue eyes which seemed to entrance the three girls, he smiled at them.
"I'm very sorry for interrupting like this." he said in a French accent. "It's just that I'm new here, and I was looking for a hotel to stay. Wondered if you girls knew any nearby."
"That's a strange predicament. Don't have Google?" asked Liana raising her eyebrows.
His smile seemed to melt her heart, but she hoped she didn't show that on the outside. "You see right through me, mademoiselle" he said, "it's just that I saw you smiling, and I couldn't resist. I had to walk up to you and tell you how absolutely beautiful you are but opening with that would seem.....er.....what is word...? Weird."
"No, you could have totally opened with that" said Liana, smiling slightly shyly as she brushed her hair over her ear.
"Where are my manners, madames, I am Florian Jean-Marc." said the Frenchman with his flattering smile.
"Evelyn, Felicia, and I'm Liana" she replied extending her hand.
Before Florian Jean-Marc could take the extended hand, Liana felt like he had suddenly been hit by a bus as something pinned him against the lamppost. She realized after a second, that it was her brother Val. He had his back to the girls, his forearm across Jean-Marc's throat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" exclaimed Liana, shocked.
Val didn't reply, but kept glaring at Jean-Marc, who, to Liana's surprise, was smiling at Val. "You need to get the fuck out of here ." he said to Jean-Marc in an ice-cold tone that none of the group had ever heard Val talk in.
"It's a free country, monsieur" Florian replied, still not breaking the smile.
"Then don't talk to her again." said Val even more threateningly. His voice wasn't loud, but his tone carried meaning by being emotionlessly cold.
Jean-Marc shook his head, "Trust me, monsieur, you don't want this fight. You don't know who I am."
"No." replied Valek in almost a whisper, "You don't know who I am."
As Alex was about to step in to break potential fight, he saw Jean-Marc's eyes widen slightly. Val hadn't taken his eyes off Florian every since he pinned him, and maybe Florian had seen undying resolve in them, he thought. It lasted only for a moment though. In an instant, Val released him and Jean-Marc came away from the lamppost.
"Forgive me." he said. And without another look at anyone, he walked to his Dodge Charger, got in, and drove off.
Everyone just stared at Val, almost open mouthed. He walked over to the hood of the Mazda where he'd placed the tray of burgers before pinning Florian and ate a french fry as if nothing had happened.
"What the fuck was that?" burst out Liana
"Yeah, what was that?" chipped in Felicia
"Did you know him?" asked Eve.
"I guess you could say that." said Val as he took a bite of the burger. He looked up to see the five still staring at him. "Listen, I know his type, okay? He didn't give two shits about you, Liana. He only wanted one thing from you."
"Yes, I think I'm old enough to know what that 'one' thing was." she replied sarcastically as she too took her burger out and bit into it.
Val shook his head, "It's not about being old enough, Lee, it's-"
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Humph!"
Val gave in, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin your...'interaction'...with the Frenchy. If you really want it, I can go find him and bring him back."
Liana smiled. "It's alright, Val. But you know you don't always have to keep looking after the guys I talk to like some paranoid father, don't you?"
Val grinned. "I think I actually saved you. Don't think Jack Carlson would've been very happy if you'd banged that monkey."
Liana spluttered out her Coca Cola. "What!? How do you know about him?"
"Who's Jack Carlson?" asked Felicia, interested.
"And how come you didn't tell us." asked Eve, reproachfully.
"I was gonna as soon as we got a chance!" said Liana.
"Oh, he's just a crush that Lee has" said Val slyly. "I saw him when he came to drop you off when your car had broken down. A private investigator? Really?" he added.
"He's a private investigator?" asked Felicia in surprised.
"Oh, that's just a hobby."
Robin shook his head and sat on the CX-9's hood. "You guys...are something else" he laughed.
"No, it's just this guy." said Liana, pointing to Val, who grinned and raised his coke glass to her.
"You know, you maybe all 'player' now, changing girlfriends every other month, but I still remember how you were before that." said Liana.
"How was he?" asked Eve, innocently.
"He was a sweet boy then. His first girlfriend...? Oh, how in love he was!" laughed Liana.
"No, not this again." said Val. Liana grinned. "He got his first proper girlfriend in ninth grade. She was a beautiful, sweet blondie. But she had been born deaf, so, like most people with her condition, she didn't even talk because she thought she'd sound funny to other people. From the first moment he saw her, Val fell in love. I remember when he came home with that look of awe and wonder in his eyes. But she was an oddball. She was new in town, didn't have many friends, and had trouble making any new ones because of her condition. So you know what Val did?"
"What?"
"He spent two weeks learning sign language, just so he could talk to her. He used to stay locked up in his room for hours just perfecting a few words."
"Really? I never knew you could sign." said Eve to Val.
"He was extremely sick at the time too. Remember that time when he fell so sick that no medicine in the world was able to help him? Yeah, in that state he was learning to sign." said Liana with a laugh.
"So...what happened after you learnt sign language?" asked Felicia.
Val sighed, "Well, I did talk to her and we did start dating."
"But soon after her father died and her family moved away...and she left Val brokenhearted." said Liana
"Oh." said Felicia. "I'm...sorry."
"You knew her father, didn't you?" asked Alex.
"No." replied Val, curtly.
"Really? I could've sworn, I-"
"That's enough. Can we stop talking about it now?" asked Val, suddenly defensive. Alex had a distinct feeling that there was more to the story than Val was letting on, but he decided not to press him about it and fell silent.
"Anyway." said Liana, breaking the ice. "After that, he turned into what he his now. A smooth talker making every girl swoon over him, but not capable of keeping hold of one for longer than a single night.
Val rolled his eyes. "Firstly, that was a long time ago. Secondly, for all you know, I might already like a girl, but I'm not telling her that just yet."
"Yeah, yeah. All you-"
"Hey, give him a break" said Eve coming to Val's defense. He smiled at her gratefully.
"Yeah, he saved you from that blonde jackass" said Alex half sarcastically. Liana threw him a dirty look.
"He was up to no good, okay? You girls are better off having no contact whatsoever with him. I know...his type." said Val trailing off.
"Yeah, takes one to know one." said Robin laughing. "You're just like him."
"Yeah...yeah, you're right." said Val grinning. But Eve noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes. In his eyes, there was almost...pain?