a sun that never sets

CHAPTER FOURTEEN | CHILDHOOD DREAMS

ONE SUNDAY EVENING I was carousing around the school courtyard, waiting for Louisa to show up so that we could head to play badminton together. Studying had been fucking with our heads a bit too much, and we both agreed that we needed a break. But Louisa had ran down and casually forgotten her racket, so she'd ran back up to get it, and that was when Adelina showed up with her parents.

And Adelina never shows up with her parents. For starters, they live in France. Adelina always portals to Bridewater before taking the bus over, but today they drove in in a sleek black car. I paid it no attention at first until a mane of familiar blonde hair stepped out from the backseat of the car.

And then a couple stepped out from the front seats. A tall man and a shorter woman. The man had brown hair, but the woman had the same shade of blonde hair Adelina had. It didn't take a genius to figure out who they were.

Adelina glanced around, and seemed to spot me standing under one of the few lights in the courtyard. "Honoria! What are you doing here?"

I nudged my chin at Sorren House. "Waiting for Louisa, we're going to play badminton. You're back early."

"Yeah," she glanced behind me, "my parents have business in England this week, so they decided to come with me. Maman! Papa! Come here! This is my friend Honoria!" She winked at me, "I know they look terrifying, but they're actually quite nice. Trust me."

"Of course," I said with a small smile on my face, just enough to be polite and unawkward. Her parents neared, and I said hello with the slightest of a bow of respect. Both of them were absolute legends. I didn't even keep up with Duelling much and I still knew who they were. I was rather certain I'd literally seen them on sport advertisements before. They were celebrities.

'Ah, you're Honoria," her mother said, giving me a sweeping glance. "I've heard much about you."

Jokingly, I replied, "Good things, I hope."

"Of course, of course. Thank you for taking care of my daughter. It was our first time having her away from us, and we were really worried..."

"Adelina's a very smart girl," I beamed. "She's more than capable of handling herself, Mrs Roche, don't you worry."

The woman chuckled. "I hope so. But you know us parents—we always worry about our children. You're always just babies to us."

"Maman..." Adelina pouted her lips. "I'm literally sixteen now."

"And still as muhc as a child as ever," her father huffed. "I await the day you actually grow up."

Now this was just getting painfully awkward. Clearly Adelina didn't want this to continue either. And then I spotted Louisa creeping out of the door of Sorren House, looking confused. I poked my head out, and she walked over slowly and cautiously.

I nudged my chin at Mr and Mrs Roche. "Lou, these are Adelina's parents."

"Hi Louisa," Adelina greeted. "Maman, papa, let's go. They're going to play badminton. I'll show you my dorm!"

Louisa and I left soon afterwards, and Louisa creased her brows as she glanced at me. "Why were you talking to Adelina's parents? Why are they here anyways? I swear they never bring her here."

"Apparently they have business in England," I said with a shrug. "Like, I'm still friends with Adelina, you know. We're not close anymore, but we are still friends."

"Yeah, fair enough." Louisa tilted her head. "You just never hang out with her anymore. At least, like, outside of house."

"We don't hang out inside of house either. Can't remember the last time I went to her dorm."