A Getaway To Love

[ARIEL]

The flight from Seattle to Colorado was set to leave at half past nine. I adjusted the small bag on my shoulder before grudgingly moving towards the woman standing before me. The blonde woman pulled me into a tight hug almost breaking my bones. My father watched from behind, a worried look on his face. I instantly knew what the old man was pondering about-- he was having second thoughts about sending me to my aunt’s place in Paonia, a small town in Colorado. It was no news that he despised his sister but I didn’t know why. My ’beloved' stepmother finally let go of me and wiped imaginary tears from her eyes. The wicked gleam in her eyes was proof that it was only an act. I knew she was delighted by her departure, she’d the one to suggest it and I wasn’t surprised that my father agreed with it. He’d do whatever the witch asked without her batting an eye.

Being seventeen, an only child and having rich parents--well, counting out the witch, was a blessing but mostly a curse to me and although I acted like a spoilt brat ninety-nine per cent of the time, I was going through things that I didn’t dare let out.

“Don’t cause any trouble, Ariel, this is a warning.“, my stepmother, Kiera said, staring down at me. It was a look I’d grown used to because it was a look she’d been giving me ever since I was eight when she married my father. I nodded, not bothering to reply and quickly moved to my father, wrapping my hands around his neck and placing my chin on his shoulder. I felt calm just from the contact and wished I could stay that way forever.

“I don’t want you to go”, my father whispered into my eyes and I lost all control over the tears I was so desperately trying to hold back. They flowed down her face, staining my father’s white shirt. He pulled back, wiped the tears from my eyes and softly patted her head. The action reminded me of my childhood when it was only the two of us. When I had all his attention and his love. But it seized the moment the witch entered our lives. He barely had time for me. it was like I ceased to exist. I loved my dad, truly did but he didn’t understand me, had never tried to and he believed that I was going through a faze that could be corrected if I spent some time away.

This brought us to why I was in an airport, crying my eyes and praying that my dad would change his mind so I wouldn’t have to live with my aunt who would ‘straighten me up since they weren’t good at it’.

The speakers in the airport came to life, announcing that it was time to leave. I sighed, moved to my suitcase, grabbed the handle and proceeded to the central terminal without sparing another glance. I sudden wave of anger overtook me as I entered the plane and made my way to the first class assigned to me.

Throughout the flight, I couldn’t help but curse my dad in any way I could. I suddenly wished I’d been brave enough to give him a piece of my mind about how unfair he’d been to me. He didn’t even listen to my side of the story. Fuming with rage, I pulled my headphones from the small bag beside me, connected it to my phone’s Bluetooth and blasted my ears with one of my sad songs playlists.

Sometime later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Grudgingly opening my eyes, I noticed that the other seats which had been filled with people were now empty.

“We’ve arrived, Miss,“, the beautiful flight attendant smiled at me and ushered me out of the plane. I must have fallen asleep while listening to the songs. I went through the necessary security checks and soon I was standing outside the checkpoint, scanning the few people there for anyone who looked like my dad and had a card with my name, written on it. I didn’t find any.

I checked the first time, the second time and the third time but still no one. Frustrated, I resorted to asking each individual the name of the person they were waiting for. Many glared at me while a few pitied me.

But still, the answer remained the same, No one was there to pick me up. Did she even know I was coming? I’d never spoken to the woman before. Now I realized I should have done that before coming.

I sat in one of the waiting seats for maybe an hour, hungry after taking a six-hour and thirty-nine minutes flight.

The sun was setting and I’d lost all hope when a blonde man--I wasn’t sure if he was a man or boy, considering he looked my age, rushed towards the waiting area, all sweaty and wearing faded clothes that looked like rags. His eyes scanned the place before landing on me and noticing that I was staring at him. He took long strides towards me and I frowned at him. I prayed it wasn’t what I thought it was.

There was no way he was...

“Are you Ariel Campbell?“, he said breathlessly and I felt my heart drop. Eww, not him, no way!

“Are you?“, he asked again, since I didn’t reply the first time. I nodded at him and he sighed before grabbing my suitcase, which was beside me, turning around and walking towards the exit. I looked at his retreating figure, confused and stayed routed to my seat. He noticed I wasn’t following him upon reaching the main doors, so he turned around and shouted, “What are you sitting there for?″ in an annoyed voice. I hung my bag on my shoulder and took off after him.

I hadn’t noticed how late it was until I reached outside. I decided to check my phone and to my shock, it was almost eight in the evening. I gasped and stared at the boy who was busy putting my suitcase into a pickup that looked like it had been run over and would dismantle any second.

You’ve got to be kidding me! As if my day couldn’t get any worse.

“It’s half past nine!“, I screamed, startling the boy who turned to look at me, confused.

“So?“, he asked incredulously and I stared at him dumbfounded before firing back, “So? So I’ve been waiting here for two fucking hours. Do you know how frustrating it was, hungry, confused and not knowing if I’d have a place to sleep? What the hell were you even doing, rag-boy?”

“Rag-boy? You know what never mind, I don’t have time for this shit. Get in the car”, he opened the door and sat in the driver's seat and waited for me to get in but I stood rooted in the spot.

A minute later, he got out, pissed, “What the hell are you doing? I said get in the car.”

“I’m not doing that until I receive an apology from you?”

He let out a laugh, “Are you serious right now? An apology when you just called me rag-boy, I don’t think so. Now get into the car.”

“Well I’m not doing that?“, to proof that I was serious, I sat at the end of a fountain situated in front of the building with the boldly written words, ‘Montrose International Airport’ on it. People passed by, some entering others exiting with most of them giving me disapproving looks which didn’t bother me at all. I was used to these kinds of looks.

I knew I was being a bitch but I could care less. I loved the attention and this boy wasn’t giving me any, hence the attitude.

The boy, whose name I didn’t know, hissed under his breath and was about to say something when his phone rang, distracting him. He pulled it out from his pocket and I let out a snort. Who even uses those things these days? His phone was the outdated kind which could only be used to receive calls. I didn’t remember the name but they were common back in the days just not now.

“Hello, Miss Harley", he paused, "Yes, we're on our way. Okay, will do that.", the line went dead and placed the old machine back into his pocket as he turned to look at me. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he marched towards me in determined strides and said, "Look, I'm sorry for coming late. Today has been a hectic day for me so if you don't mind could you come with me so I take you home and call it a day."

I wasn't pleased with his apology but decided to drop the case since he looked very tired.

"Okay.", I said and walked to the car. He let out a sigh of relief and soon we were driving rather noisily on a slightly rough road that felt so foreign to me.

The annoying noises came from the pickup, which seemed to need maintenance or a long break from life.

The air in the car was stiff and hot although the windows had been lowered for air to get in. Soon, we branched from the main road and threaded along a dusty road that had me coughing and sneezing.

"What the hell, d-do you want to kill me? Turn up the side windows!", I ordered while covering my nose.

He ignored me and soon the car came to a stop. I rushed out of the car and slammed the door so hard that it almost unhooked from its hinges.

"You! Why are you...", A voice called out my name, cutting him off. The voice came from my 'sweet' aunt, Harley, who stood on the porch of a very old wooden structure. She looked just like my father but older. Her hair was grey because of age but she still looked young and beautiful. My eyes landed on my surroundings and widened taking in the 'house' before me. It was old and covered with crawling plants that gave it a spooky vibe.

The roof looked like it wanted to fall off from where I stood. Was this even considered a house?

The woman enveloped me in a hug that I hadn't seen coming.

"Oh, you've grown up a lot, my dear. The last time I saw you was when you were still a baby.", she showered my face with kisses as she spoke and hugged me again before finally letting me go--which I was glad for.

"Come on in, you must be starving." yeah all thanks to the jerk standing behind me.

I followed her inside the 'house' and had to cover my mouth from blurting out how ugly the interior looked. She showed me to my room which was so small that I almost had a heart attack. Rag-boy left my suitcase next to an equally small bed situated in the centre of the room. I didn't have time to take everything in because She was already pulling me into another room and pushing me to seat in a chair in front of what I assumed was a dining table. It had two chairs around it but she added one making it three. And I was pretty sure that I heard the chair creak as I sat on it.

Harley and rag-boy placed three bowls and two saucepans on the table before sitting down next to me. My aunt proceeded to dish out what looked like soup and some kind of meat into our bowls. I looked at the food in disgust and my aunt noticed.

"Why, don't you like it? I remember it being your favourite when you were a child?"

I pushed the bowl from in front of me, "I don't like this and do I look like a child now.". Rag-boy glared at me but I ignored him.

Hurt, was the expression on her face but she covered it quickly with a fake smile and said, " It's not that bad and tastes good. I'm sure you'll like it." She pushed the bowl back to me but I pushed it back.

She tried again, "Just have a taste, dear. You don't want to sleep with an empty stomach."

Angered by her persistence, I grabbed the bowl, turned it over and poured the contents on the floor, "I said I don't want this!", I yelled before stomping to my room.

That night was the first time I slept on an empty stomach.