Parallax

Return to Redland

Avery stood at the terminal, backpack slung over her shoulder and ticket in hand. Her mother, Olivia, walked ahead of her quickly as she struggled to keep up. Their flight was boarding in half an hour, they were rushing towards the gate with purpose. Avery jogged to catch up to her mother and tapped her shoulder.

"Mom, I need to grab some water."

"I will not wait for you Avery. We're boarding soon. You'd better hurry," her mother didn't even take a moment to look up from her phone.

Avery ducked into one of the generic storefronts, the walls lined with newspapers, books, and other goods. Cabinets filled with assorted candies and trail mix sat next to a large refrigerator full of water and various other beverages. She grabbed a large bottle of water and approached the cashier, extending the bottle and a crumpled ten dollar bill. Absently, she picked up a keychain that had a horribly stylized illustration of the Golden Gate Bridge on it and laughed. She considered buying it for Jeremy, her twin brother, but decided against it. She didn't even know what he liked anymore. She put it back down, grabbing her water and her change and heading to her gate.

It did not take Avery a long time to find her mother. Olivia stood out, she was tall, slender, and had a sleek professional style. She was too busy on the phone to notice Avery's return.

"No, Harold. Honestly, this should have been taken care of before I got to the airport... Fine, fine. I will electronically sign the documents as soon as I can..." her brow furrowed as she droned on.

Avery put on her headphones and tuned out her mother's talking. She had overheard a number of arguments between her mother and father, she didn't need to listen in on another. She put on her favorite playlist and pulled a book out of her bag. She found it hard to concentrate on the words in front of her with the anxiety bubbling up inside her.

It had been five years since she had last seen her brother and father. When her parents decided to purchase a second private school in San Francisco, her mother jumped at the chance to drag Avery along. It should have only taken a few months to sort out the paperwork, but her mother decided they would stay for a while. Avery wasn't sure if this was the first stage of a divorce, but she could only hope.Avery was not looking forward to moving back to Redland, though she had no say in the matter. Anxiety rolled around, forming a pit in her stomach. She hated having to go and make a new life when she was supposed to be starting her senior year.

The last day of her junior year, Avery returned home to see the apartment fully packed up. She peered around and noticed her mother directing men wearing overalls.

"Oh, Avery. Hello. How was your last day at Briarstone?" Olivia glanced her way before returning her attention to the workers.

"It was fine," Avery took a moment to look around, "What is going on? Are we moving to a different apartment or something?"

"Didn't I tell you? We're going back to Redland. Now that I have the Executive Board in place at Briarstone, I need to get back to the Alexander Academy," her mother gestured around the apartment, "I've already got most everything packed. We're leaving in a few days. Your father is running the Academy into the ground."

Avery would have thought her mother was joking, though Olivia didn't have a single funny bone in her body.

"What about my life here?" Avery was having trouble processing the news.

"You are going to be going to the Academy. It will be fine, I'm sure your brother will help you adjust." Olivia was far too concerned about the man packing away her expensive vase to provide any comfort.