Unraveling What We Want

2: Big News

Gracen's View

I wake up an hour earlier than Emery and I just lay in bed next to her. I have such an urge to kiss her wake, but I don't want to wake her up to early because I know she went to sleep late due to studying. I gently push a few strands of hair out of her face and caress her cheek; I can't go without thinking how in love I am with her. She shifts a little in her sleep, moving closer to me to put her face in the crook of my neck and it's so adorable. I hold her tight, rubbing my hands up and down her back slowly for a while, and then I quietly try to untangle myself from her and get up.

I eat breakfast and quickly get ready for my anthropology class and Emery wakes up as I'm about to leave.

"Have fun in class," she yawns out.

I turn and walk over to her saying, "Thank you Em. Are you going to go visit your little sister?"

"Yeah. I promised I would babysit Luna for a while," she answers back.

"That sounds fun. Have fun Emery," I tell her as I give her a kiss and add, "I love you."

"I love you too Gracen. I'll see you later," she says giving me one last hug before I leave.

In class I listen intently to my professor, Mr. Darnay, as he lectures about different cultures in Asia. It's so fascinating to me and I quickly write everything down. At the end of class, I walk over to Mr. Darnay and greet him.

"Ah, my favorite student, but don't tell anyone," he said chuckling.

"My lips are sealed. So how are things with your family? Has your son gotten interested in anthropology?" I ask.

Mr. Darnay and I are pretty close. I've taken at least four of his classes and I'm also one of his TA's. So, I see him a lot and we tell each other about what's going on in our lives.

"My son still doesn't want to listen about culture; he's so invested in video games right now. Also, my wife has a new hobby, knitting."

"Well, I understand that with your son, he's only twelve. And I bet your wife is pretty good at knitting now, right?"

"She sucks at knitting actually. She tried to fix a whole in my shirt and somehow the shirt ended up with no openings for my arms to go through because she sewed them closed," he explained hilariously which made both of us laugh so hard.

"On a serious note, I recommended you for some scholarships a few weeks ago and the results come out today."

"You did this without telling me?"

"Yes. I thought I told you, but I guess I didn't," he stated.

"You and your short term memory," I say laughing, "So I should find some mail about the results at home?"

"Yes. You will get a letter saying whether you were accepted or denied for any of the scholarships. Best of luck, Gracen."

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Emery's view

After Gracen leaves, I change and head over to a family friend's home to visit my baby sister Luna. I arrive at Michael and Sonya's house a little early and I knock and patiently wait.

Michael opens the door and gives me a big hug and incites me in saying, "Okay, so Sonya and I will be gone until 6 p.m. If you need anything call us and we will come home as soon as possible and..."

I cut Michael off and reassured him that everything was going to be okay and that he and Sonya should finfish changing to get to the party.

"You're a life saver," says Sonya walking downstairs with Luna in her arms.

"Emery!" Luna yells as I give her a tight hug when Sonya hands her over to me.

"Okay. Michael and I will finish getting ready," Sonya says handing Michael a buttoned up shirt and pulling him upstairs.

I sit down on the couch with Luna in my lap and play with her and hers stuff animals. After ten minutes, Michael and Sonya come running downstairs, they grab their keys and kiss Luna goodbye before running out the door.

I turn to Luna holding up her new cute little stuffed penguin and ask, "Who is this Luna?"

"That's Sr. Quack," she responds.

I look at her puzzled and comment, "It's a penguin though, not a duck."

"I didn't know that when I got him," she says making me chuckle.

It's surreal to think that such a precious thing could come out of a bad situation. Never did I expect to get another sibling, but my father has a way of causing drama. I'm just glad that Luna is happy and has such a loving family, instead of being stuck with my father. I've only seen him a couple of times in the last two years, but he has never come to visit Luna. I feel bad Luna will never get to know him, but it might be the best thing for her. I don't ever want Luna growing up with someone so overwhelmed with so much hatred in their heart. It's definitely going to be hard for Luna in the future, but I promise to be there every step of the way with her.

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Gracen's view

I help pack a bunch of bosses into Darnay's car and attend my next class. However, the entire time I can't stop thinking about the letter waiting for me at home. This could be such an amazing opportunity for me and I'm so excited but also nervous about it. When my last class ends, I race back to my car and hurry home.

"Hey Gracen. What's up? Why do you look like a little kid seeing their present on Christmas morning?" Emery asked as I whizzed through the apartment looking for a letter.

"I got a letter!" I yell out.

"Congratulations?" Emery teases as I find the letter.

I rip it open and read, "Dear Gracen. We are pleased to inform you that you have won one of our scholarships. Congratulations on winning the free study abroad program. You will be traveling around the world learning about different cultures for three years. Since there are limited spots, we would greatly appreciate your response by the deadline, which is in three weeks. Then you will immediately start the class a week later and fly to the first destination."