My Stepbrother secret-possession

Prologue

Nervously tapping on my black Adidas trainers, I blocked out the surrounding noise by blasting Bruno Mars at full volume through my white earphones, paying no attention to the pestering kids behind me. Finally, the boarding announcement came over the public address system, instructing travellers to proceed to the departure gate and board the plane. Hastily, I sent a text message to my mum, informing her I was about to board. With a surge of energy, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and stood up, making my way to the designated area.

This was my first time flying alone, and it was quite unusual for my mum to allow me to travel across the country, let alone the continent, for a fourteen-hour journey. But she was getting married to a stranger whom I had never met, apart from a photo she once sent me when she first arrived in America. So, I suppose her protective nature had subsided, which was a good thing. However, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. I was afraid that she was changing and that I would mean less to her. Soon, she would have two stepchildren, and I wouldn't be her only child anymore. I would have to share her with another man, her fiancé, who would soon be my stepdad. Jealousy seemed to linger in the back of my throat as I settled into my first-class seat. And yes, my stepdad was wealthy, which still surprised me considering my mother's average life in London. She somehow found someone like Mr Boyce, a successful resident of Las Vegas.

The beginning of the journey was filled with joy, as I felt liberated from the life I had left behind in London, including the all-girls boarding school I would no longer attend. Instead, I will start a new school this September with my step-siblings, practical as they may be. I did not know how old they were, what they looked like, or how they would behave. I was certain that wealthy American kids would not be kind to a girl who had attended an all-girls Catholic school, whether or not she was a step-sister. This feeling overshadowed the excitement of seeing America for the first time in my life, replacing it with a wave of nervousness. As the hours passed, I blamed my mum for making such a choice, secretly hoping that my step-siblings would be significantly younger than me.

Upon landing at McCarran International Airport, it was just as busy as Google had promised. During my research on the new environment, I discovered it was the fifth busiest airport in the country. I could feel my heart racing as I grabbed my purple suitcase and made my way through the crowd, heading towards the same location as my fellow passengers.

I should have been looking for my stepdad, as my mum believed that Boyce and I needed some bonding time during the drive to his home, where we would now be living. However, I hesitated, lingering behind the woman I had been following, until she disappeared into the crowd, leaving me stranded in the middle of the arrivals section. It was then that I noticed familiar words on a placard: Ava Lancelot. My name was written in clear, bold letters. While relieved, I couldn't shake off the nervousness that had settled within me.

With slow steps and a pounding heart, I approached a familiar blond man in his late forties. Suppressing a smile at my mum's choice once again, I waved at the man dressed in brown trousers and a white short-sleeved polo shirt. His sharp, sky-blue eyes darted in my direction, and his lips stretched into a broad grin.

He pulled me into an unexpected hug, catching me off guard.

"Ava, you're finally here. Everyone is so excited to see you," he exclaimed as he let go and took hold of my suitcase.

Speechless at the warm and generous welcome from my soon-to-be stepdad, I simply smiled and quietly followed him until we reached a grey Audi convertible. He turned to me with a neutral expression.

"Are you okay with low cars?" he asked.

"I think so," I responded slowly for the first time.

"Good, because Lilith isn't, and I suddenly thought you wouldn't be," he said as he got into the car. "Put on your seatbelt. Your mom reminded me to make sure you did," he added.