Raya's Heritage Chapter Two

I edited this work. I fixed Jemma's character and added in a new one: Raya's big brother Connor.

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That night, Raya remembered the note. Jemma was going to be furious with her, she just knew it. She and Jemma had been friends since middle school. The tall, lanky, sports oriented girl from the suburbs had caught her eye. She was new in town, but she was confident and unafraid to say what she thought. Raya liked that, and figuring the girl had no friends, she decided to become one. She and Jemma traded phone numbers and called each other, staying on the phone for more than an hour just getting to know each other. They were so alike in their interests. They both liked music, they both liked talking about boys, and they both loved Italian food. Dad hadn’t been too happy with the cell phone bill that month, but he was willing to forgive her as long as the paid the extra charge. Raya ended up having to foot over a twenty from her savings, but having a new friend had been worth it all.

She went upstairs to her room, pulled out her phone and dialed in her friend’s number. Jemma answered on the second ring.

“Raya!” she cried. “Are you okay? Where have you been?”

“W-what?” Raya stammered.

“I gave you that note hours ago. I’ve been expecting a phone call all day. You have a lot of explaining to do. And Jake? He’s worried sick. I told him all about them calling you up to the office. You owe him – and me – an explanation.”

Raya groaned. “It’s been a pretty bad day. I’m sorry, I forgot.”

“You forgot?” Jemma squeaked. “How could you forget? You don’t forget to tell your best friend that you’ve been kicked out of school!”

“Wait, what? Jemma, I didn’t get kicked out of school.”

“Okay, maybe that was a stretch,” Jemma said. “But you did get in trouble for what happened last week, right?”

“No,” Raya smirked. “They don’t even know about that.”

“Oh,” Jemma said. “Then, what did happen?”

“My grandmother died,” Raya sighed, putting her head in her hand.

“What! Grandma Colt? No!” Jemma groaned.

“No, not her. Not my dad’s mom. My mom’s mom. Grandma Therisson.”

“Oh, good, I was going to miss her cookies.”

“Jemma!”

“Sorry, sorry. I know, not funny,” she paused. “Are you okay?”

“No, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Ray, you know you can tell me anything, right? I won’t spill, I promise.”

“Jem, I really am okay. We didn’t even know her that well.”

“You didn’t?”

“No,” Raya sighed.

She explained the situation between her mother and grandmother and the distance between Billings and Las Vegas.

“So, because your mom and her mom had a fight, you never knew her?”

“Well, it’s not like she could have come out here any time that she wanted,” Raya pointed out. “But, yeah, I think it has a lot to do with that. She didn’t even send letters.”

“Nothing from her at all?”

“Well,” Raya said.

“Well what?”

“A few years ago, I think she tried to. I remember this package that came from Montana for me, but Mom said they’d mixed up the names and it wasn’t actually mine. She sent it back the next day.”

“That’s more than fight. That’s a falling out.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Drama.”

“Oh.”

The two girls fell silent. Raya thought about that situation all those years back. The whole thing had frightened her a little, like her mother didn’t want to admit that she had a mother that even lived, but she’d respected her mother’s privacy. Besides, no one had spoken of her for so long that it just became normal. Any grandmother doting came from Grandma Colt on Dad’s side of the family, who lived only down the street.

“Well, I’ll make sure that people know you weren’t kicked out of school,” Jemma said. “You’re going to Montana to bury her then?”

“We all are, so thanks for doing that for me,” Raya said.

“No problem, just don’t forget to phone Jake. He’s worried, too.”

“Alright, I will. See you.”

“Later.”

She pressed end and threw her phone onto her bed. Then she grabbed it again. Jemma was right, Jake would be worried. Jake was a soccer star at their school and her steadfast boyfriend for the past two years. She met him when she was thirteen and just finishing middle school. She’d been a little afraid that they wouldn’t be able to continue their relationship after middle school because there were so many different high schools in Las Vegas to attend, but Jake had begged his parents to allow him to go to Valley High with Raya. He was a good friend and partner in a lot of things. He’d been there for her when she’d been hurt and encouraged her when she wanted to do things. Maybe he’d know what she could do for her mother.

When she called, he was like Jemma had been at the beginning, but once he found out about Raya’s grandmother he sobered a little.

“Man, I’m sorry, Ray,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Raya said after explaining the situation between Grandma Therisson and the Colt Family all over again. “I’m just worried about my mom. You know she came home, went into her room and cried for the rest of the day? My dad brought her supper, but she hadn’t touched it. I’m really lost here,” she admitted.

“You know, the best thing you could do right now is just be there for her,” Jake advised. “That’s what I do for you.”

“No, that’s not all you do. You always say the best things. The right things. How do I do that?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Jake said. “But, like I said. Just be there. The other stuff, well, you’ll figure it out. I have complete faith in you.”

Yeah, Raya thought as she said good-bye. I wish I did, too.

~*~*~*~

Like they had for Uncle Chad, Therisson Incorporated took up the tab and flew Grandma Therisson’s whole family out to Montana for the funeral, including the Colt family. When they arrived that the airport, Raya goggle at the size of the jet that had been commissioned for their use, especially when she heard that the plane was none other than their grandmother’s private jet.

“Cool,” Ryan whispered beside her.

Raya agreed. The long, sleek white jet had two blue lines that ran parallel down both sides of the plane until they reached the end where they intersected in a flower like design with five teardrop petals and a star shaped center. As they loitered uncomfortably on the tarmac with their carry-on bags, the door to the jet dropped down and a man dressed in a black suit with a red tir stepped down.

“Hello!” he said cheerfully, walking over to greet them.

“Hi,” Dad said, dropping his bag and taking up the man’s proffered hand.

“You must be Oliver Colt,” the man said with an English accent. “My name is Harold White. I’m your mother’s COO. I’m so sorry about your mother’s death,” he added the last part as he turned to Mom, who stood a little behind her husband next to Connor.

“Thank you,” Mom said quietly.

She still hadn’t quite got over the news. Raya wondered if she ever really would. She couldn’t imagine ever losing a parent, even one she was mad at.

“Your bags have already been put on the plane. If you’ll accompany me, we’ll get off the ground and be in Montana before you know it,” White said. He turned around and walked back to the jet.

Dad turned to Mom, shrugged, and put his arm around her shoulders before leading her up the plane steps and disappearing into the jet. Ryan and Bruce raced for the steps, but before either of them got on, they began to argue who was going first, pushing at each other.

“Guys, come on,” Connor said. “Just get on the plane.”

Julia solved the problem and kicked them both in the shin. They yelped and jumped back. Connor chuckled.

“Quick, before they get me back,” she said, grabbing Raya’s hand.

The girls raced onto the jet, giggling at the protests of the boys. They collapsed into a booth with tan leather seats. When the boys got onto the plane, they sat across from Julia and Raya. Ryan kicked Julia.

“Ow!” she said, kicking him back.

That started a kicking war that only stopped when Dad said, “Kids! Knock it off.”

Raya bit her lip to keep from laughing and nudged Julia.

“What?” Julia asked.

Raya nodded at Mr. White, who was staring somewhat scandalously at them and trying to be discreet about it.

“I think he’s afraid we might ruin the leather,” Raya whispered.

Julia just grinned.

The flight was supposed to take them to Billings. From there, they would take a car and drive up into the mountains where they would find a small town and the Therisson estate. In all, Raya had assumed that it would take about 3 and a half hours, two for the flight, another half an hour to get through the airport, and another hour for the drive. She’d checked it all online before they left in the morning. Now she wasn’t so sure. With the private jet, which went faster than normal planes probably because of the lack of weight, it would only take them a little over an hour. The drive would be the same, but Mr. White had told them that a limousine would be picking them up at the airport and driving them to the estate, so they would bypass airport checks. Their bags were on their plane, so they wouldn’t have to wait there either.

“I know that mom said grams owned a company and was rich and all, but I never thought she meant this rich,” Raya confided in her sister.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Julia sighed happily and stuck her spoon into her ice-cream sundae. “Why do you think the company is going through so much trouble to do this for us?”

“Well, she was their boss,” Raya said.

“Maybe it was in the will,” Ryan said, plopping down beside Raya. He swung his arm up and settled it across Raya’s shoulders. Raya’s nose crinkled.

“Eww,” she said, ducking out from the embrace. “You ever heard of deodorant?”

He sniffed the air and then recoiled.

“You may have a point there,” he said with a grin.

“Think they’ll take us back in this?” Raya asked.

“The jet? I sure hope so,” Julia said, taking a bite of her ice-cream. “I kind of wish it wasn’t so fast to begin with. I would have liked to spend another hour on this thing.”

Ryan and Raya nodded in agreement. Who wouldn’t want to spend more time on this jet? It had everything from three TVs to a mini bar in the hall that connected the body of the plane to the cockpit stocked up with snacks. Plus, the interior was really nice. There was a bedroom in the back with a queen sized bed. Bruce informed them that it was as soft as a cloud as soon as he tried it out. He was in there now, watching the TV from the comfort of what he called his new home. The top half of the walls in what could only be called the living room part of the plane was rich redwood with tan leather that matched the coloring of the seats on the bottom. The tables were also redwood and the floor was carpet a few shades darker than the seats.

“Hey, if Grandma Therisson had all this, then why did she never come to visit us?” Ryan asked suddenly. “I mean, she obviously could afford it, if she could swing this baby.”

“Idiot. Shut up!” Julia hissed, glancing back at where Mom and Dad were curled up on the couch in the opposite corner.

When she was sure that they hadn’t heard anything she turned back to her brother.

“What are you thinking? No,” she held up her hand. “Don’t answer. I know you weren’t thinking anything.”

“I’m sorry, gosh Jules,” Ryan said. “Look, I forgot, okay?”

“You can’t afford to forget about this, not around mom,” Julia growled.

“Okay, okay,” Ryan threw up his hands in surrender. “I got it.”

He pushed up off the chair and marched down the plane towards the back room. Raya frowned at her sister.

“You know, none of us is really used to this yet,” she pointed out. “You didn’t have to be so harsh with him.”

“I know none of us is used to it, but we better get used to it,” Julia said. “For Mom.”

Raya nodded. She knew that her sister was right, but she didn’t think that Julia ought to have been so harsh with Ryan. She knew that if he hadn’t said anything that she would have. Why did Grandma Therisson never come and visit them, if she could afford to fly anytime she wanted? Las Vegas wasn’t that far away. What happened that made it so wrong for the Colt children to ever know their grandmother?