Darka turns around and walks off. 'Look at this idiot. How can I pick up when there's no telephone around anywhere.'
"Hey!" Vitomir yells and walks to her, grabbing her wrist. "What do you want?" he asks.
"I want a ride!" she quickly answers. 'Just choose from the alien phrases immediately.'
He shakes his head. "You're crazy," he whispers, letting go of her wrist, before walking back into the mansion. "Wait there."
'What did he mean by crazy?' she wonders, staring at her wrist. 'The alien has guts. I'm trying to keep a level head here to return to my world.'
After waiting a few minutes, Vitomar returns to her spot with the keys. "Let's go," he tells her and starts to walk.
She follows Vitomar to a sports car. The Ferrari sports car.
'It's so beautiful! It has to be! They're such big cars.'
Vitomir opens the passenger door for Darka, who gets inside and smiles brightly at him.
'Oh yeah. I love the car.'
*******
Vitomar is gloomy as he sees his sister smiling at him in the front passenger seat. 'She's acting out today.'
"Darka, shouldn't you be at the back?" he asks. It takes a few moments before she replies. "I sit wherever I want!"
"Okay," he replies, putting the key into the ignition — the engine roars. "Where do you wanna go?" he asks.
"Anywhere!" she yells.
While driving around the city in the imported sports car, Vitomar cools off his head as his sister tinkers with the sound system. He doesn't understand where she gets off making such a mess, but he guesses it's just one thing you must learn to tolerate if you want your music on.
Not that the music is terrible; it's just so loud it drives him crazy.
He watches her fiddle with a small piece of wiring, the little sparks flying out of it every time a wire pops out of place. She seems oblivious to this fact and continues working. "You should be happy," Vitomar says.
"Huh?"
She looks at him for once, her dark brown eyes meeting his gray gaze.
"What are you talking about!" she shrugs him off.
His brow furrows in confusion. That was easy.
The next thing that comes out of his mouth surprises her. "Don't worry," he starts, looking away, unable to keep eye contact any longer. "I'll buy you something to replace it."
A moment of silence passes before she speaks again.
"Replace what?"
Vitomar turns back to look at her, an eyebrow raised. How could she not have seen it yet?
"Don't you remember?" Vitomir asks.
Her words startle Vitomar into silence again; he can feel his face getting hot with embarrassment.
"Anyway, as your brother, I'm here to take care of you," Vitomar says.
Another moment of silence passes between them as Vitomar tries not to show how awkward everything feels between them. He knows she doesn't like it when they get all mushy like this; he doesn't either, and right now, it's hard to focus on anything but how annoying he feels.
At this moment, a blimp flies overhead; like a cloud, it momentarily darkens the sky around them.
The blimp disappears behind another building, and the sun reappears, blinding Vitomar briefly. He closes his eyes tightly and waits for the light to go away. He can hear laughter, too, and when he opens his eyes, he sees his sister clamoring to look at the blimp tapping the window as if wanting desperately to touch it.
He lets her have the fun of looking up at the aircraft as it floats above their heads.
After a few minutes of watching the blimp, Vitomar leans forward, resting his hands on the steering wheel.
"What? You've never seen one before?" he asks sarcastically.
"Oh my God," Vitomar breathes out. "You've got to be kidding me…."
"It flew by so quickly," she explains.
******
Darka is eating lunch in the Pizza Parlor with Vitomar. She's getting used to the flying words, but she hasn't been able to stop thinking about it since she first found out. The pizza place has many different kinds; Vitomar picked the best one for them both.
As she takes a bite of some pasta, she notices her brother staring at her intently from across the table. As soon as he sees her noticing, he smiles awkwardly and starts playing with his straw, pushing it around as if he'd rather be doing something else.
She decides to ignore the strange behavior and continue eating.
After eating in relative silence, Vitomar finally brings himself to speak up.
"You don't remember anything?" he asks.
'Remember what' She tinkers with her food, seemingly lost in thought. After choosing carefully, she says. "If I forgot about it, then it isn't important."
Vitomar sighs and nods, accepting this answer for now.
"Well, you have to go to school tomorrow."
Her expression changes from her usual indifferent demeanor to a frown. "School…"
Before Vitomar can finish explaining the schedule to her, Darka suddenly stands up from the table.
"Let's do something else tonight!"
"Like what?" Vitomar asks as he gets out of the booth.
******
They walk hand in hand in the local carnival. It was just now that she realized how big the City was. There's a Ferris Wheel and several other rides, all in perfect condition; she wonders why there weren't more people taking them.
They walk through the carnival.
There are games to play, everything from arcade games to boardwalk games. They try everything, from shooting hoops to roller coaster games to shooting hoops with balloons.
Vitomar tries everything but doesn't seem to find much enjoyment in any of them, even though he does enjoy the idea of spending time with her.
"I want to fly," she says, looking at him.
He laughs and grabs her hand.
"Do you really want to fly?" he asks.
She thinks about it for a moment. "I don't know," she shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not."
*******
Later that night, after Darka is asleep, Vitomar walks down the street.
The streets aren't very crowded; everyone is probably already sleeping.
Vitomar sneaks around the block; he's sure they're not following him. He would be long gone if they were because he knows every possible route this block could offer. The only thing left is to go inside and see if they're waiting on him there. He can do that, right?
Yeah, it'll be fine. Vitomar pulls his hand up to his neck as he enters the apartment complex. The door slides shut behind him, and the lights are dimmed, but that is all right; he has light eyes, so that will suffice for tonight.
He slowly walks down the hallway, peering into each room before moving on to the next one. This continues until he's finally at the right door, the number 4 on it. He pushes the buzzer and waits, counting the seconds until someone answers. It takes a moment or two before somebody comes to open the door.
The door opens a bit further, and Vitomar is greeted with the face of a woman in her twenties. Her hair is browned and pulled back into a bun, her eyes are tired, and she wears dark pants and a black blouse. "Yes? Can I help you?" She asks, voice quiet.
"It's me, Vitomar," he says. "I know you told me you don't allow having people over after seven, but—"
The woman sighs heavily and steps out of the doorway. "Just a moment, please." She shuts the door and locks it again.
Vitomar stands awkwardly by the door while he waits. After what feels like hours, the woman reopens the door to let him inside.
She closes the door behind him, locks it again, and then turns around. "Come with me, please. I think we need to talk," she says. Her words sound serious.
Vitomar nods in response and follows her into an empty kitchen and living room. She sits on an orange and white couch, and Vitomar sits on the arm opposite her.
"Okay, what is it that you want to tell me?" He asks.
Her eyes look pained as she stares down at her lap. She takes a few moments to compose herself before answering. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way, but I didn't realize it was hurting you that much."
Vitomar shakes his head. "No, no, no, it's fine."
The atmosphere turns awkward.
It almost seems that the woman expects him to break the silence but doesn't know how to begin. She eventually speaks again, but her words don't sound confident anymore. "Look, Vitomar, I just wanted you to know that whatever you've done, I'm here for you."
"Then stop wallowing Sumiko." Vitomar says.
"You've spent more time avoiding me than I have! You keep saying things like, 'if you knew my life. Don't make excuses for what happened. It wasn't cool!"
The woman looks angry now. "What the hell does it matter when it happened!?" she exclaims.
She kicks a beer bottle on the ground spilling its contents.
Vitomar is silent as he watches the liquid spill onto the wooden floors below.
They sit there in silence for several seconds before the silence is broken again by Vitomar speaking.
"We're not talking about any of this now, are we?" He says.
"Are you going somewhere else? Or..."
"You are not just Silver Wings to me, Sumiko. You're coming with me!" he says.
******
Taking her to an ice cream parlor, Vitomar sits her down on a chair. The Parlor is empty, save for the man working the counter. They watch as he puts a spoonful of strawberry-flavored ice cream in a cone.
Sitting across from her, Vitomar picks up a spoonful and shoves it into his mouth. "Try some."
He gestures to the dessert. "They say if you eat ice cream, you'll never go hungry."
Sumiko looks at him skeptically. "So...why am I eating ice cream?"
"You asked why I brought you here. So answer the question."
"I'm eating the ice cream because I read."
"Uhuh"
"And I haven't bathed."
"Uhuh"
"And I have to fix my life."
"Now you know, why don't you relax and eat with me," Vitomar says, passing a bowl of vanilla ice cream.
"Here you go."
She takes the bowl without a word and eats the ice cream. It makes her look guilty, but Vitomar decides this is the best way to get her to speak.
"There's something you should know." He starts, picking up another spoonful.
"Tell me."
"My family isn't exactly normal."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. My mom is a witch, my dad is a wizard, and my sister is a demon."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"Yeah, obviously." he chuckles, the streetlights illuminating his face.
His expression is soft and gentle, giving her comfort despite the events that have transpired.
"But your sister's still alive, right?"
"Listen, Sumiko... My sister wants to fly too..."
He hesitates for a moment, unsure whether to continue talking. He reaches out a hand and lays it atop hers. His touch sends chills throughout her body as his thumb rubs circles against her palm. "I'll fly again for her, then that's it." She replies.
******
The next day, Darka is walking around the mansion when Vitomar comes around the corner to greet her. "Hey, Darka!" He smiles.
Darka rolls her eyes and walks up to him. She tries to put all of her annoyance into one look, but it doesn't work. Her expression softens considerably when she notices the expression on his face. "What did I do now?" she jokes.
Vitomar looks away. "I have someone to introduce to you."
"Who?" Darka says suspiciously.
"It's nothing bad. Just come with me, okay?"
Darka raises a brow. "Is this related to last night?" she questions.
Vitomar nods. "Let's say that this is kind of an...unplanned trip."
"Well, okay. Lead the way." she shrugs.
*************
As they enter the large building, the sounds of laughter can be heard coming from somewhere further inside.
They walk down the hall until they reach a familiar-looking wooden double door with golden letters reading "Hippo Club" above it.
A tall girl is wearing a green jacket steps through the doors. When she sees them, she gives them both a big grin, revealing two rows of straight teeth.
"Hello, Vitomar! Who's this?"
Darka waves, "Hi. Uh, hello."
"This is my sister," Vitomar replies.
The hostess lets them in. Darka immediately begins to look around, taking everything in.
"This is incredible!" she shouts.
Vitomar gives her a quick smile.
They walk to the back past all the booths to see a lone woman sitting on one of the far sides.
She has long dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail and wears an old-fashioned dress. As soon as she sees them, she smiles and stands up.
"Hi, I'm Sumika!" she says awkwardly, extending her hand to Darka for a handshake.
"Who are you?" Darka asks.
"Oh. Um...I'm Vitomar's...girlfriend."
******
'Oh no, this woman looks so pretty!' Darka sighs. She's gotten used to the floating texts everywhere, though they don't feel particularly good to look at.
And the sight of Sumiko in person doesn't help matters, either. In addition to her beautiful face, dark brown eyes, and high cheekbones, she has a nice figure, which Darka appreciates. If she could get a taste of that…
'No.' Darka thinks. 'Focus. Focus.'
"You're stunning!" Darka blurts out suddenly. She winces. "Sorry, that was very forward of me. But you are, aren't you? And so young…."
Sumiko laughs lightly.
"Thank you. I'm twenty-three."
Darka blinks twice. "Really?! Oh my god, that's a lot of years!" She says excitedly.
Vitomar laughs awkwardly.
"Don't mind it; she's always been socially awkward. Well, except for when she was younger," he explains with a slight chuckle.
Sumiko smiles softly at him before looking back at Darka and raising an eyebrow. "Um, thank you for saying that.?"
'Looks like they're both awkward.' Vitomar sighs, gesturing for them to sit. Darka takes a seat while Sumiko places her bag at her feet, resting her hand on top of it.
They stay quiet and awkwardly stare at each other. Neither knowing what to talk about or what to do, Darka stares at Sumiko, watching her hands move slightly as she fiddles with them nervously.
Suddenly, she speaks up. "Well, your brother there asked me to help you get into flying."
'This woman is pretty. I've got to be closer to her somehow.'
"Are you coming with me?"