The Hidden Pocket {ruel van dijk}

chapter one

It was a nice morning. Nicer than the typical one. It was raining outside, but not too heavily. The leaves were falling from the trees, but they weren't all dead. The sky was overcast, but not completely gloomy. The pavement on the street outside of my bedroom window was slick with water and lifted oil, but not flooded. It was warm under my duvet, but not too hot.

I found myself using every ounce of my willpower to get out of bed. As soon as I threw the covers off and onto the wooden floor, I was shivering. I raced to the bathroom and turned on the shower as fast as possible, stripping then relaxing once I was standing under the hot water.

After getting dressed, doing my hair, my makeup, and finishing the last bit of packing, I dragged all of my suitcases downstairs. By time I set them down at the bottom of the staircase, my arms are aching so I shake them off, the tips of my fingers burning from the weight of the leather straps. Then I make my way through the living room and dining room to get to the lounge area.

A cello sits on the other side of the couch, leaning against a stand. It is made out of beautiful dark maple, it's full sized as well. The pegs and scroll and the bridge are all black, almost the same color as the body. The endpin is extended, so it stands proud and tall, drowning out the rest of the room. My cello.

I walk towards it, careful with the case as I bend down on the floor to open it. I shorten the end pin and gently lay the instrument in its dark velvet case, placing the bow besides it. Cases of rosin and extra strings fill up the rest of the case. I clasp it shut and swing it onto my back.

I find my mom, dad, and little sister in the kitchen a few moments later. They're seated at the small round table chatting quietly, probably about my trip. My parents hold steaming cups of coffee in their hands and my sister holds a tiny glass of apple juice; my parents hold melancholy looks as well. I smile gently at them.

"Good morning, my beautiful transfer student!" My mom says as she gets up to hug me. She squeezes me so tightly to the point where I question if she will let go before I suffocate. Then my dad gets up as well and joins the hug.

"I'm proud of you, darling." He says.

My sister then gets up and joins the family hug. She wiggles her way into the middle and hugs my leg. I can feel the warmth of her little hands through the denim of my jeans. It makes me smile wholeheartedly. I'll miss this, miss them.

"Okay, okay. I need you guys to help me get my suitcases to the car." I say and grab my largest case from the floor of the lounge room. The rest of my family follows in suit to the towncar. William, our driver, gets out of the car and rushes to help us with my luggage, piling it in the trunk of the car.

I thank him as he takes the suitcase from my hands.

I tighten my coat around my waist, suddenly feeling the cold. My mom hugs me again and holds my face in her hands.

"I know you'll only be gone for a year, but if you ever want to come back you can. If you don't like Sydney, I'll send the jet to come get you at anytime. I promise. Being away from home just isn't for some people." She says.

"We'll see." I reply as she lets go of me. I doubt I'll ever want to come home from Sydney once I'm there. I've had my eye on the city for the past few years.

My little sister, Hazel, knows she is too old to do this anymore, yet she reaches her arms upwards begging me to pick her up. So I do, and she squeezes my neck tightly. Hazel doesn't speak much, she never has. Even at five years old, she has lots of trouble communicating with others. So instead of speaking, she just grabs my face in her hands and stares at me while she smiles, just like my mother did seconds before.

"I'll miss you so much, little one." I say to her. She presses her forehead against mine before she starts to wiggle her way out of my grasp. I let her go.

William opens my door, signaling that it's time to go.

I get in the car, waving goodbye at my family.

"Good luck, darling!" My dad calls right before I shut the car door.

William pulls out of the stone driveway and turns onto the street. I watch my house disappear as it fades into the distance. The once massive house looks so small, so insignificant in the distance.

"Are you ready for the big trip Miss? We will be arriving at the airport in an hour." William says in his always reassuring voice.

I nod my head from the back seat, tucking my curly hair behind my ears.

:

About an hour later, we arrive at the airport. William escorts me out of the car and inside. We make our way through the crowds of people before we reach our own terminal. A single attendant checks my passport then steps out from behind her small desk.

"Thank you William, I'll take it from here." She says in a soft voice. Her name is Sayeh, she has worked for our terminal for as long as I can remember. She has always been our flight attendant anytime we take the jet. She reminds me of my mother, soft spoken.

"I'll see you soon, Miss Genevieve." William says. He curtsies in the the slightest before turning on his heel and walking in the other direction. I look back to Sayeh, who nods her head in the direction of the walkway.

I follow her timidly. I've never been pompous about my parents' money, in fact I find the attention hard to deal with. But I shouldn't complain, I can't complain. I'm luckier than most.

Now we're outside and I find myself running into the jet, trying to flee from the rain and the cold and the wind. I walk directly into the back cabin once I'm inside, sitting down in the familiar seat that I always take when flying. I set the bag that was slung across my back onto the floor. I see Sayeh through the doorway loading my luggage into the jet. I should help her. I quickly get up and help her drag my last case into the cabin. It's the heaviest one. She thanks me briefly then rolls the cases into the luggage storage.

A few minutes later we're off. Sayeh sits in the front cabin, buckled into a chair and sitting upright. I pull out my phone and relax on the couch I'm seated on. I might as well get comfortable if I'm going to be in this thing for 15 hours.