Young Writers Society

Chapter Two ~ We Have Landed ~ Part 2

I finish making my bed and set my pillow down. I sit on the end of it and call Kathryn.

“What’s up?” She asks.

“Just arrived at my Aunt and Uncle’s.” I say. “You?”

“Victoria and I just ordered some breakfast.” Victoria was her younger sister. Like, way younger sister. Victoria is seven and Kathryn is seventeen.

“What kind?”

"Pancakes. I don't mind it, but she loves it." Eva finishes putting her pillow case on and climbs down the ladder. "How's London?"

"Awful, horrible, terrible. The worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"Quinn, please."

"What? I'm being serious!"

"I would kill to go to Europe! You're so lucky!"

"Maybe you would consider it lucky, but I don't."

"You're just a debbie downer, Quinn."

"Quinn!! Come down from there!!" Dad yells.

"I've got to go, I'll call you later?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Bye Kathryn!"

"I'm coming!" I shout, putting my phone on the window sill. I stand up and climb down the ladder. I turn left, go down the stairs, and into the family room.

"Hey Darling!" Dad says, sipping his beer.

"Hi." I reply.

"What are you most excited to do?" Uncle Williams asks.

"Well, Big Ben's closed, so probably Buckingham Palace." I sit in the armchair next to the couch. Soccer's on the TV.

"Yeah, you guys came at the wrong time." Uncle WIlliams gets up to make himself another martini.

"That's what I said!" I say.

"Quinn, be quiet." Dad whispers to me.

"Hm. What do you want to do for lunch?" Uncle Williams says.

"Nothing heavy." Dad sets his beer down on the counter. "Maybe fish?"

"Not fish! I hate fish!" Eva pipes up from the other room.

"Do you have any rootbeer?" I ask. I realize I haven't had anything to drink since last night.

"Rootbeer?" Uncle Williams says. "I don't think we have that here."

"No rootbeer? What about Coke?" I say, shocked. How do they not have the best drink known to man?

"In the fridge." Uncle Williams says, then turns to dad. "So, how's being a chemist treating you?"

I walk through the dining room, where Mom, Eva, and Aunt Williams are talking, to get to the kitchen. I overhear Eva talking about the medal she received for being the best player on her lacrosse team. Aunt Williams congratulates her and starts asking questions. I walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator. The fridge is filled with fruits and vegetables. I stare at it for ten minutes straight without finding any soda. I walk back to the living room and check the bar. Of course the Coke was stashed there.

"So, what are we doing this month?" I ask, sitting back in the armchair.

"Some touristy things." Dad says, "Maybe a trip out into the countryside."

"What's the point of that?" I really didn't want to go out into the country.

"You have some old relatives that are buried there." Uncle Williams explains.

"So dead people who have been dead for centuries?" I say.

"Be respectful!" Uncle William snaps.

“Quinn, shut your mouth!`” Dad yells.

I look down at my lap. I hate being yelled at by my dad. After all, he’s my favorite parent.

“I’m going outside.” I say. I stand up and walk through the dining room and kitchen to reach the patio. I sit down on the lounge chair and stare into the sky. It’s cloudy, but the clouds aren’t huge.

"Those clouds will be over the ocean soon." I think out loud. "Then to New York, where I should be."

"I doubt they'll make it as far as New York." A voice comes from over the fence.

I jump up off the couch, "Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone else was outside!"

"It's fine." A boy's head pops up behind the fence. "Hey... you're not my neighbor."

"I'm Quinn. I'm Mrs. Williams niece."

"Nice to meet you, Quinn. I'm Philip." He stretches his hand over the fence for me to shake. I have to stand on the tips of my toes to reach his hand, but I shake it. "Where are you from?"

"Brooklyn, New York. We're visiting for a month." I back away from the fence so I can see his face. His brown hair is done up like he’s from the 1950s. He has dark blue eyes that remind me of the ocean and his cheeks are tinted pink.

"A month? Isn't that a bit much?"

"That's what I think! But, apparently, my opinion doesn't matter."

"Hm. When did you get here?"

"This morning. How old are you, anyways? I'm seventeen. "

"Same! I'll finally have someone in my neighborhood to talk to."

I chuckle, "Are there no other teens here?"

"Unless you count my crazy ex-girlfriend!"

"Yeah, you probably don't want to talk to her."

“I really don’t.” Philip turns around and looks at his house. “I have to go inside. I’ll talk to you later.”“Maybe.”Philip’s head disappears from above the fence and I hear a door open on the other side. It shuts and I sit back down on the chair. I sit outside for another thirty minutes, until it starts raining, and then mom calls me in.

“Quinn! Come inside, you don’t want to catch a cold!” Mom yells at me from behind the screened door.

“I’m coming.” I stand up and stretch, then walk towards the door.

Mom opens the door for me, “Why were you outside so long?”

“Oh, no reason.”