Nicole Jane’s POV
“Where are we going?”
“Where are we going?”
I looked at Hiro, who is currently shaking his head. Beside him is Reiri, then Miley— both of whom keep on chanting. Next to her is Kira— who just keeps on smiling while looking outside the car window. I leaned forward just to see their fingers intertwined.
We are currently traveling towards the vacation house of the Clarkson family. We are all in the same van, following the van where our parents are. Behind us are several royal guards, protectors, and vampire hunters. We look like President’s family with a lot of bodyguards following us, and I totally hate the idea.
I thought this getaway would be our private moment. But Uncle Zach doesn’t want to take any risks and wants to be prepared at all times.
Suddenly, I felt a wave of sadness as I remembered Mikan. I wonder where she is now. I really wonder what happened to her after that fight.
I rested my head on Kyle’s shoulder, who is busy listening to music on his phone.
“It’s been a long time since I last went to the beach. I can finally wear my bikinis!” Althea suddenly exclaimed.
But Athena gave her a disgusted look. “How gross!”
Althea tilted her head to the side and rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. Here comes my conservative sister again.”
If you look at the two of them closely, you can really say that they are carbon copies of each other. The only thing that helps me differentiate between the two is the color of their hair.
And of course, their attitude.
Athena used to tell me that there’s a big difference between the two of them. She’s always the quiet, shy, and conservative one.
While Althea, well, we can say that she is the bitchy type of girl, the talkative, the rebel, and the liberated one.
Though they have the same set of emerald green eyes that suited them. From there, it looks like I already knew why my brother fell for someone like Athena. I’m not saying that Althea is no good. But my brother seems better with Athena.
“You do whatever you want! You won’t find any boys there anyway, so, it’s useless,” Athena said.
Althea hit her nape. But Athena just pouted.
“You just stop right there! It’s probably because you have—” Althea couldn’t finish her sentence as Athena suddenly covered her mouth.
“What’s that, Althea?” Miley asked curiously.
But she just shook her head and smiled mischievously at her sibling.
My lips pursed. It seems like I already know what she wants to say.
As much as I want to see my brother’s reaction, I just can’t because he’s the one driving right now, and we are seated in the back. Though I know he’s blushing like crazy.
Then I looked to the side and saw Steph sleeping. Her head was peacefully resting on the car window. She looked so tired. With that, I suddenly remembered that she wasn’t in our room last night before I fell asleep.
My attention shifted to the front. Next to my brother is Vince, who I caught glancing at Steph’s side through the rearview mirror.
It seems like I’ve finally figured something out. They must have been together last night and stayed up late. How long will they continue playing this game of hide and seek?
“Hey, you should sleep first, my princess. We still have a long ride ahead,” Kyle said. I felt him unplugging his earphones and putting them in his bag.
“Okay.” I smiled as soon as I felt his lips on my forehead. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me even closer to him.
Surely, there’s no safer place than being beside him.
***
“We’re here.”
I slowly opened my eyes as I felt a gentle caress on my cheek. I looked around and noticed that it’s just the two of us left here. So, we quickly got off and followed the others.
“Wow.” I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful view in front of me. In an instant, my drowsiness vanished.
The colors of the sky were blending due to the impending sunset. I opened my arms and embraced the cold wind that welcomed me.
“Like what you see?” I was almost startled when Kyle hugged me from behind.
“No. I love it. And I would love to go here again.”
“Sure. Anytime for my princess.” I felt his gentle kiss on the top of my head.
Our moment was interrupted by Hiro’s annoying shout. “Stop it for now, lovebirds! They’re now waiting for us inside.”
Kyle cussed, and I just laughed at him. The feeling is so surreal, and I couldn’t ask for more.
But why do I feel that something bad was about to happen?
Upon entering, Uncle Zach immediately toured us around their vacation house. I almost got dizzy from its size and vastness, resembling a mansion. I think it will be difficult for us to find each other due to its large area.
After the tour, he also escorted us to our respective rooms. Steph and I stayed in the same room. As soon as we entered, we quickly arranged our belongings to join the others downstairs.
But I frowned when Vince suddenly pulled her as we were descending. I haven’t had a chance to be alone with Steph and have a serious conversation because he always pulls her away.
Well, he’ll be leaving after this anyway. So, I’ll just let them be for now.
I decided to go out, and there I found Mom, Dad, Uncle Zach, and Auntie Cass chatting on the front porch. They all turned their heads towards me, and I just waved at them. They nodded and smiled back at me.
However, my stomach suddenly growled when I smelled something coming from the kitchen. We had been traveling for hours, so I was really hungry.
“Hungry already, babe?”
I tilted my head and nodded at Kyle, who suddenly appeared beside me.
He laughed and pinched both of my cheeks. “You’re so cute. Don’t worry. The royal chefs’ cooking is almost done, and you can eat soon.”
I just shook my head. I didn’t realize they also brought the royal chefs here.
I was taken aback when I noticed the bag of charcoal he was holding.
“Where are you going to use that?” I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
I followed his gaze to the direction he pointed. “I’ll help my future brother-in-law.” He winked.
Not far away, I saw Gino grilling. Next to him was Athena, happily helping and chatting with him. Meanwhile, Althea was sitting on the side, with earphones on, lost in her own world.
“Okay then. I’ll go there later.”
He nodded and walked ahead. If I knew him any better, he was just trying to support Gino.
I decided to join Miley and Kira, who were currently playing and building a sandcastle on the beach. But Miley suddenly frowned when it collapsed before they could finish it.
“Why does it always crumble?” She groaned in frustration.
Kira patted her head. “It’s because you’re doing it wrong.”
As I approached them, Miley quickly noticed me.
“Nics! Let’s play!”
I just sat down and waited while the food was being cooked, and in the meantime, I joked around with the two of them. Miley had a serious look on her face as she reconstructed the sandcastle she was building. Meanwhile, Kira kept teasing her. What a lovely couple.
After a few minutes, we suddenly heard a shout.
“It’s time to eat!”
We all turned to the prepared table outside, and I saw Hiro quickly diving into the food that had been laid out.
“Hey! You’re always so hungry! You’re acting very un-vampire-like.” Reiri glared at him while swatting his hand away. “Let’s wait for the others!”
Hiro pouted. “My tummy is complaining. What should I do? Besides, we haven’t gone hunting yet. You’ll see, if I lose weight, my abs will disappear. You won’t have anything to admire—”
Before he could finish what he was saying, Vince suddenly smacked him.
“Ouch! You’ve always been hitting me, bro. You’re starting to hurt my feelings.” He rubbed his head like a child.
“Stop calling me bro, will you? Because that will never happen. Not in your wildest dreams.” Vince pushed him away.
Rei just slapped her forehead. But I could see her slowly smiling. However, it seemed like she was about to experience a massive headache because of these two.
They’re best friends. But because Vince knows Hiro’s reputation with girls, it looks like he’s going to have a hard time gaining Rei’s brother’s approval and support. I felt bad for him. He found his match.
“Let’s eat already, Nics.” Miley beamed at me.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll just visit Gino and Kyle.”
Kira and Miley nodded at me.
“To be honest, I really don’t know how those two became such close friends,” I heard Kyle say to Gino as I approached them while still busy with grilling.
“How’s our baby?”
I paused and turned around when someone suddenly spoke. I saw Mom smiling as she approached me.
I rolled my eyes. “Mom! Stop calling me baby because I’m not anymore.” I crossed my arms while she tucked some strands of my hair behind my ear.
She snorted. “Even if you’ve graduated, or have your own business and family, you’re still our baby.”
“It seems like we’re having a serious conversation,” Dad said as he approached us. He immediately wrapped his arm around Mom.
“It’s Mom’s fault. She still treats me like a child,” I complained, but they both just laughed at me.
My stomach grumbled once again. I was really hungry, especially with the aroma of all the dishes around me.
I looked over at Gino’s spot. But I furrowed my brow when I couldn’t see him anymore. It seems that they were done already.
I looked around, and there I saw him on one of the nearby coconut trees, talking to Athena.
“It looks like our eldest son inherits some trait from me. He’s quite a charmer with the ladies,” Dad humorously remarked, but Mom just nudged him.
“It’s all done. Let’s go and eat,” Kyle announced. We didn’t bother calling my brother anymore because it seemed like they were having a serious conversation, and we joined the rest of the group at the long table.