PROLOGUE
Athena
Everyone was asleep, it’s almost 3:00 in the morning and this is the perfect time to leave my house. Dad’s on a business trip while my mum, my brothers and sister have been staying here. They aren’t hurting my plan.
I went to my wardrobe and grabbed my backpack packed with clothes, a pair of shoes, a few hundred dollars, my debit card, airfare, and other necessary equipment. I changed into black jeans, a maroon t-shirt along with a black jacket and paired it with black sneakers.
I picked up my phone from the charger and put it in my purse. I checked my room to see if I forgot anything. Satisfied, I left the letter I had written on the chest of drawers next to my family’s picture frame.
A smile crept on my face by looking at the picture we took when we went to Tuscany. My siblings and I were throwing fruit at each other as Mum and Dad were smiling at our madness.
I opened the door of my room, and I went out calmly, closing the door behind me. I tiptoed down to the kitchen where I could escape by the rear door. My movements were quiet and when I got to the kitchen, I saw a face snooping around in the fridge. I knew who that was when I looked at the brown hair tied into a messy bun. How did I forget about her?
It was my sister Alex. She gets midnight cravings, and I’m pretty sure she’s looking for the rest of the chocolate cake I had already eaten. She slammed the door shut and grumbled, “I’m gonna kill those idiots”. By idiots, she meant my twin brothers who are younger than me, but older than her.
I tried not to laugh while watching her suspect my brothers for eating it. The poor girl still believes I’m allergic to cocoa. Oh, I made that up so I could eat all of her chocolates and the blame goes to the boys. Hehehe, it’s fun to be the eldest.
She was coming toward me. Oh no! I quickly hid beside the cupboard. Thank goodness it’s dark or else she would’ve spotted me. She walked up the stairs, going straight past me. After her silhouette disappeared in the darkness, I made my way to the kitchen door and out to the backyard.
It was a night without stars, but the full moon shone brightly to light my way. We had a large lawn, as did every other manor house on this side of town. Nobody else but my grandfather and I knew about the door hiding behind the creepers covering the walls. It takes me to the forest where I can get to the main road.
I moved the creepers out of my way and unlocked the door. I used the door to sneak out when I was in high school. Those were really good days. After walking a couple of meters across the forest, I saw the road approach. I took out my cell phone and texted Derek.
Me: I reached the clearing.
Derek: On my way. I’ll be there in 5 minutes.
Me: fine.
This boy is never early. The road was empty, only the lamps from the mansions lit the road. True to his word, I saw a black Maserati coming up the road and pulling over.
I went towards the car and climbed in before throwing my backpack into the backseat. He smirked, “In a hurry?”
“The flight’s in three hours.” I told him, rolling my eyes
“Don’t worry, I’m here to save you”. he chuckled
I scoffed “Now get driving.”
“Okay! okay!” he raised his hands in surrender before hitting the pedal
I switched on the radio and Rita Ora’s song ‘Anywhere’ started playing.
How relatable!
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” He side glanced. His voice was concerned.
“I’ve never been so sure in my life. It’s my only chance to be who I want to be” I boldly declared, although a part of me feels terrible for leaving my family.
“It’s great, but how are your parents going to react?”
“I wrote them a letter telling them what I wanted to do, but I didn’t tell them where I was going.”
“Ooohhh”
After 30 minutes we arrived at JFK airport. He parked the car and went with me to the entrance. There weren’t many passengers, but there are still some people. I turned towards Derek. His hands were stuck in his pockets, his blond hair fell on his forehead, and his blue eyes contained emotions that I couldn’t comprehend.
I reached out to him, burying my head in his chest, I wrapped my arms around him. Derek put his arms around me, kissing my forehead and nuzzling my hair.
“Thank you for supporting me”, I mumbled.
“Hmm”.
“You know that you’re my best friend and you always will be, right?” He pulled away and looked into my eyes with furrowed brows. “Still Friend zoning me?” he pouted. I pushed at his chest playfully and chuckled “Yup. Now go find someone else”. He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath “Yeah, but there’s no one like you”.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, I’m gonna miss you” he smirked, while his eyes sparkled with adoration.
“Awwww. I’m gonna miss you too” I cooed while pulling his cheeks a bit too harshly.
“Oww. what’s wrong with you?” he asked while rubbing his now reddened cheeks.
“You”, I replied, sticking my tongue out at him.
He abruptly pulled me to him and kissed my cheeks. My jaw dropped as I looked at him with wide eyes. He smirked and ruffled my hair saying, “Call me when you get there.”
I couldn’t find my voice, so I just nodded. He left, but not before pulling me into another bone-crushing hug. I waved my hands as he left.
My cheeks were becoming warm. That was the first time he kissed me. Even though it was only on the cheek, it still counts. I told him I didn’t have feelings for him, but he was persistent about making me fall for him.
I smiled, and went inside the airport.
I can’t believe I’m going to do this. I’m going to start my life, now no one’s going to stop me from achieving what I want. I am going to become a Pastry Chef.
