Destination: Unknown

Chapter 1

There are those moments when you realize enough is enough, when you simply don't want to go on anymore, your life is not the one you wanted and most of the people around you are total morons so you don't even want to look at them. Those were the exact thoughts young Winter Morrano was having one afternoon, laying on her bed, staring at the baby blue painted ceiling of her room. School was out, graduation over, she threw her pointy hat high up in the air and disappeared before the thing could even return to the ground. College was happening in a few months and it was definitely not on her mind right now. Hell, she didn't even want to go there but you know...'while you live under this roof' bullshit.

Summer was here, warm rays of the June sun were piercing through the curtain hung on windows in Winter's room, touching Win's bare toes as she was just trying to vanish from her room. Maybe if she really wished for it, maybe if she really believed in magic, then maybe she could find Narnia in her closet and get lost there. Not even the White Witch had to be so wicked as Winter's parents and their requirements.

Curious thing was that those two didn't care. They didn't care where Winter was, what she was doing, who she was with, they didn't spend one day with her ever since she was a child. But now, when she was supposed to finally choose what she wanted to do about her future, they started to command her. Yet again, it was only about them because as their daughter, she was supposed to go to a school which would represent the Morrano family. Nothing short of the Ivy League would do. Yeah, perfect. Come September, Winter would be a model Harvard gal. Yeah, ew, gross. Basically, this was her last summer she could enjoy, she could be who she really was, be crazy and irresponsible, be her very own person. Her last hurrah.

And the last hurrah it was going to be. A playful smirk sitting on Winter's face was an indication that she already had a plan. The reason she was spread on her bed, almost motionless, no music playing in her room as it usually did, was that she was listening. Listening to the sounds of the house and outside of it. The magical moment came when the car door was slammed, the engine roared and the parents' Mercedes pulled away from the curb, driving in the distance. It was the moment when Winter jumped up, opened her closet and...what? No, she was not looking for stupid Narnia! There was a dig duffel bag prepared, ready to be taken out. Win grabbed it and put it across her body. The weight almost floored her and she huffed, wondering what she had put inside. But she still hopped out of the room, extra pep in her step as she walked, or rather ran down the stairs.

That smile turned into a wicked grin as she headed straight for her father's study. "Until I live under your roof you say?" she mumbled under her breath right after approaching the ugly, incredibly tacky family painting hung right behind his black leather office chair. There was more to it than just a family painting. As every mainstream businessman, her father stored a safe behind it, packed with the stacks of greens. Winter felt absolutely no remorse when she stuffed her small bag full of those stacks, a money worth...well, a lot. She took several thousands and maybe more, added a few family credit cards and closed the small metal door, returned the painting to its place and was on her way out when something else occurred to her.

The first drawer of her father's desk stored yet another treasure. Winter was almost giggling when she fished out a set of car keys. The jolly jingle of the key chain was a soundtrack to Winter's stunt as she hurried towards the garage. She had her own car, sure. A small Volkswagen Beetle, very cute, baby blue as most of her possessions. But this was going to be a legendary road trip with her best friend, it deserved all the luxury they could get. And so Winter found herself walking to a family Range Rover Convertible. After one beep, the garage door was coming up. Another beep-beep, the Rover unlocked. The purr of the engine, holler of a female voice and a sound of Cobra Starship's Good Girls Go Bad, that was the perfect mixture for the beginning of the summer.

Winter brought the car out of the garage, led it to the main road and once there, she floored the gas pedal. The Rover darted forward, letting everyone know that somebody was torn off the chain and was heading towards the adventure of her life. The whole ride towards Leah's house, which was not exactly far away, Win was rocking her songs, singing along, dancing in the driver's seat, until she parked in front of Leah's house. A loud honk torn through the quiet summer afternoon and Winter let it sound a few more times. "Leah! Come one!" Winter yelled from her seat. "Florida is calling your name. Move your ass, girl!"

From inside the home, a crash could be heard, followed by silence for a moment until the front door flew open. A flush colored Aleigha Beck's face as she stood there, eyes wide and slightly panicked. "I'll be right out!" She called to Winter before disappearing from the doorway, leaving the other girl wondering. A few minutes went by before a bag landed in front of the door, followed by another, and then another. Only then did Leah appear again, sporting a panda bear backpack slung over one shoulder. Her chest heaved as she kicked open the screen door, grabbing the straps of the three bags and starting to drag them down the pathway to the Rover.

"Oh, nice ride." Leah's eyes lit up as she reached the car, pausing a moment in her struggles to admire the beauty. Though she knew nothing about cars, she knew this was a nice one, and she was thoroughly impressed with Winter for taking it. Leah knew this was definitely not her friend's car, which meant it belonged to daddy dearest. Well, like he'd notice. Just like her own parents wouldn't notice the lamp she'd broken inside after tripping over her bags, because it would be cleaned up before they even made it home. They wouldn't even notice the empty space where it once sat, and if by some miracle they did, they'd just replace it.

Remembering that she had bags to throw in the back, she motioned for Winter to open the trunk as she started to drag the bags in that direction. Somehow she managed to get them in the back without breaking herself in the process, and two seconds later she slid into the passenger seat, grinning at the darker haired girl. "Okay. I'm rea--oh, fuck, I didn't lock the door." Turning her head towards the front door, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hold on." Pushing the door open again, she ran up the walk and slammed the door shut. Patting down her pockets, she pulled her small keyring from one of them and made quick work of locking the door before fleeing back to the Rover.

"Go, go, go!" Leah burst into a fit of giggles as she pulled the door shut behind her, pointing ahead of them as though Florida were right there. Winter echoed her laughter as she shifted into drive, slamming her foot on the accelerator per Leah's request. Letting out a squeal as they left her house behind, Leah automatically turned her head to look out of the window, a huge grin plastered to her face.

When Winter had come up with this plan, she knew right away she had to include her best friend. Some might call their friendship odd, considering their different personalities, but they say opposites attract, right? Or something like that. While Winter was outgoing, impulsive, and not afraid to speak her mind, Leah was just the opposite. Shy, reserved, and quite the klutz. Going on this trip with Winter was the most impulsive thing she'd ever done, but neither girl could deny their excitement. Florida was a long ways away from their little California town, but this place hadn't been a home to either of them for quite some time now.

For Leah, it started when she lost her mother when she was just a child. The pair had truly been best friends, but an accident caused the woman to lose her life while Leah survived. Ever since then, her father had become a stranger, and he'd remarried a few years back to a witch of a woman. Winter still had both of her parents, but similarly to Leah's father, they were strangers to her. Neither of them wanted anything to do with her, hadn't since she was born. They were more concerned with their jobs and their money than the beautiful girl they'd given birth to.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get to Florida?" Leah leaned back in her seat, turning her attention to Winter.

"Who knows? But more importantly, who cares?" Winter scoffed as she glanced Leah's way, a smirk tugging at her fully glossed lips. "We have money, the Rover, and the open road ahead of us. Let's just enjoy it, hm?"

For an overthinker like Leah, letting go and just 'enjoying the ride' was a difficult concept to grasp. But she trusted Winter, and the girl had a point. "Aye, aye, captain." Leah smirked as she reached for the radio, scanning through the stations until she found some station they'd both enjoy. As the familiar notes of one of their favorite songs filled the Rover, Leah leaned the seat back and got comfortable. She planned on enjoying the ride and their trip, just like Winter advised.