Italics: Finnish
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ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Midnight sky
"I was born to run, I don't belong to anyone
I don't need to be loved by you."
As the sun set over the Swiss Alps, a group of friends laughed and chattered away on a grassy hillside. The group consisted of three boys and one girl, who had all decided to take a trip together outside of their usual skiing. They had spent the day exploring the quaint, picturesque town of Interlaken, around two hours from their home. They had gone hiking up to stunning mountain vistas and indulging in Swiss chocolate.
It had been Joel who suggested going elsewhere, wanting to make the most of the sun without heading straight into the snowy mountain. He and Levi had grown up near Interlaken so they knew how nice it was.
Anneli was heading to the Red Bull Factory the next day so she didn't mind taking a moment away from any type of sport. She had to meet the team members and engineers in case she ever needed to take over, as well as try out the sim for the first time.
They were heading to the crystal clear waters nearby, happy to jump into the calm lake. The sun was shining bright, the air was fresh, and the view was breathtaking. As they sat on the dock watching the sunset for over an hours, knowing they had nothing to do but be with each other.
"I love water," Joel sighed happily, running a hand through the water.
"If you love it so much, why don't you get in!" Levi laughed as he pushed his brother into the water.
The water splashed as Joel tumbled in, the waves rippling as he did so. The group above laughed happily as Levi peered over to make sure he hadn't accidentally killed his brother.
"Hey!" Joel called as re-emerged. "Uncalled for!"
"Not really," Levi laughed. "Don't worry, I know CPR if I have to rescue you!"
"You're mean," Joel wined. "Elijah, get him!"
Elijah gave a small salute before pushing Levi over the dock...sadly Levi grabbed Elijah's arm and pulled him in with him. Anneli grinned as she rolled her eyes.
"Elsa, don't be a party kill, get in here! And you, Ann, or I swear, I'll drag you both in!" Levi called cheerfully.
Elsa signed but took off her jacket and shoes regardless. She took the safe route of heading down the rocks by the side and carefully stepping in. Anneli noticed her friends staring at her as she narrowed her eyes.
"Come on, Nel, don't tell us you're scared of water now!" Joel joked.
"Oh I'm not," Anneli replied as she threw her hair into a bobble. "Just trying to find the fun way to do this."
Elijah let out a bark of a laugh as he watched his girlfriend take off her jumper, leaving her in a sport bra and shorts. She kicked her shoes off into the grass and backed up as far as she could.
Anneli laughed as she ran down the wooden dock, feeling the planks bounce beneath her feet. She leapt into the air, flipping, and plunged into the cool water below. The sun sparkled on the surface, and Anneli swam lazily, enjoying the weightlessness of being submerged. She surfaced, shaking her hair out of her face, and grinned at her friends.
"That was so dramatic!" Elsa commented with a small smile.
"It's Anneli," Elijah grinned. "She's dramatic without trying to be half the time."
"That's because the blunt truth for you is dramatic," Anneli commented as she floated at top of the water. "I hope you know we aren't driving back until I've dried off."
"Fine with me, I'll get a tan," Elsa replied. "Considering it's going to start getting cold within the next weeks."
Switerzland got quite warm during the summer months, which people were always surprised about when Anneli told them. She imagined it was because she associated the country with snowy mountains.
"Are you sure that you don't want company tomorrow, Neli?" Elijah asked as she swam around the lake.
"No thank you," Anneli replied. "It's not a long flight and I have someone meeting me there."
"Oh, I forgot that's where you're going tomorrow!" Levi gasped. "Red Bull...that's so cool."
"How come that's cool but racing for Dams isn't?" Anneli raised an eyebrow.
"I know nothing about racing but everyone knows Red Bull," Levi shrugged. "Besides, I've been medical help for some of their skiing events."
"I see," Anneli whistled.
"What time is your flight?" Elsa questioned while she climbed back onto the docks and lay down.
"5am or 6am?" Anneli guessed. "It's early."
"It's not that early, I start my shift at 4am most days—"
"No one asked Levi," Elijash joked, splashing water at him.
As the sun began to hide behind the clouds, the group made their way back towards the place they had parked. As always, Anneli was driving. Her friends stopped offering after they realised that Anneli was a terrible passenger, either wanting to say something about their driving or just on edge with it. So they gave up the offering.
Anneli preferred it that way. Besides, her friends still paid the expenses wherever they went.
"You've never been to England before, have you Nel?" Levi realised. "You'll hate it."
"I will?" Anneli hummed.
"It's nothing like where you live," Levi nodded. "The air isn't as nice and people just barge past you—"
"Don't put bad thoughts into her head," Joel contested, hitting his shoulder.
"But I'm trying to help!"
"I know you are but that doesn't change the fact I'll be there all the time," Anneli reminded them.
Anneli allowed her friends to launch into other conversations while she focused on the road. She loved these people, as crazy and unusual as they could all be. It was a life she enjoyed very much.
She just hoped that tomorrow would go as smoothly as today did.