Word From A World | Commence - Book 1

✧ One | The Girl Who Almost Flew ✧

My Aunt Mare warmly greeted me with a slight nod. "Hi, Rinyu."

I gave a small wave and a cheery "hello". My Aunt Mare was always so inviting whenever I crashed at their place. The Peindre's were like my second family and I appreciated their company.

"Lona not joining you today?" Aunt Mare wondered as she opened the cabinet above the stove to grab some seasoning.

I leaned on the kitchen counter and held my head up with my hands. "Nah, I figured she needed alone time."

Lona was my long-time friend since freshman year of high school. We bought a small apartment near the university we were attending and it just so happened to be located near the Peindre's home. It was the luckiest occurrence because it meant I could have free home-cooked meals whenever I wanted.

"Is she okay?" Aunt Mare poured the seasoning into the pan then returned it to the cabinet.

I gave a quick nod and answered, "Just boy stuff," but nothing more.

Our small conversation came to a close, but another voice behind me warned, "Heads up!" My slow functioning mind did not take the sudden advice and I was instantly whacked in the head with something.

I bent down to pick up whatever was launched at me which was a pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I hugged them to my chest and turned to Maggie. "Awww thank you!"

"Ye, no problem." Maggie stepped into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "I know those are your favorite so I got them as a congrats-on-your-acceptance gift."

"You didn't have to do that," I stated. "Being accepted into the university is the only gift I need."

"Oh shut up and just accept the freakin' gift." Maggie blew a loose strand of hair out of her face and crossed her arms as she watched me cuddle the gift like it was a once in a lifetime present.

"Alright, killjoy," I said with a shrug of defeat while placing the chocolate on the counter.

I felt the need to assist  Aunt Mare in setting the table for dinner, in hopes of getting to eat sooner before my own empty stomach killed me.

The simpler act overwhelmed me with nostalgia from my elementary days when getting ready for dinner was a chore. Even if I wasn't setting the table for my immediate family, doing something like this still warmly reminded me of those times.

The past few years I was constantly out hanging out with friends and savoring my teenage years that I never got to spend quality time with my family. Now that I was about to start my first semester in college in three months, I was beginning to regret not making time for them.

After I set down the last of the silverware, the garage door bursted open to dramatically reveal a boy wearing a black cape and a bat mask with both his hands on his hips. "I am Batman," he said in an attempt to impersonate the hero - even though his own high pitched voice struggled to achieve the raspiness of the original.

"Hi, Griffin," Maggie and I greeted at the same time with two different tones. Hers was with nuisance and mine was with conviviality.

Griffin was nine-years-old and one of the most D.C.- and Marvel-obsessed little kids I knew. Every day he would be dressed as a new superhero from a different series. The amount of knowledge of heroes he had was astounding. Even the amount of costumes he owned; the majority of his closet consisted entirely of superhero costumes.

While he stood proudly at the door, a hand came behind his back and gently pushed him inside. Maggie's dad, with a smile on his face, gave a little wave as he closed the door behind them.