A/N: Not a big fan of this chapter, it needs a bit more editing, but you guys have been waiting for waaaayyyy too long. Hope you enjoy!
.............
'Read' Was the only word that swirled in her head. She had to be honest with herself. She knew the chances of getting an answer was low. She was aiming in the dark.
The clammy air in her two-room apartment was getting harder and harder to breathe in. It had been several years since she felt this helpless feeling of guilt. Her life had moved on, even if not a single day had gone by without the thought of her daughter passing her mind.
It wasn't abnormal for Carina to sit awake way in to the early morning hours. Whenever she was awake this late it was always just one thing on her mind. Her daughter.
She would make up scenarios of how their life would've been like if she never chose to leave her. If she never chose the selfish way out of a horrible situation.
Whatever happened in between, the scenarios always ended with the two of them living together in Italy.
She imagined her daughter at a young age, her hair wild in the wind with seawater curling her already curly tresses. She was showing her how a mermaid swims at the bottom of the sea. Carina stood in lake Garda with the water up to her thighs, while the water reached to her daughter's upper chest. They were at her favorite beach, it was one of the small beaches that hadn't been infested with too many tourists yet.
Carina was punched out of her fantasy world, a reminder that this was never going to happen hit her stomach hard. A wave of nausea went through her body. She had to swallow to keep everything down.
A knew image took over. This time she was walking through her favorite park. A few meters away she saw a beautiful young woman sitting elegantly on a white painted bench. Shadows from the trees around shield her from the heating sun.
The girl seemed to carry herself with so much confident. The girl's head looked up from a book she seemed pretty invested in. But the book could wait as soon as she saw Carina walking her way.
The girl leaned towards the edge of the bench. A big smile forming on her lips as she started waving at Carina who walked towards her with fast pace. "Mama!" The girl eagerly yelled out, not caring if everybody knew who her mom was.
A blaring of an alarm clock gave signals that it was morning and time for Carina to once again escape her fantasy world. Without a wink of sleep she knew this was going to be a long and tiring day just like so many before.
With a deep sigh she sat up in the bed before turning the alarm on her phone of. The message she sent to Nova was still left on read.
Carina was comforted by her own excuses. She told herself that it was night back in Seattle. She was probably just sleeping. After a day with too much things happening she didn't have the energy to answer her messages. Lies? She hoped not.
On the other side of the world in her boyfriend's bed, she laid awake. A comforting arm belonging to her also awake boyfriend was placed comfortably around her body. Nova felt safe in the embrace of her boyfriend.
After reading the messages from her... Sister? Mother? Carina. After reading the messages from Carina her brain hadn't rested. Thoughts it's and feelings were all over the place.
Nova started to cry. Everything was a little too hard for her to handle alone. The messages that were sent to her made the tower of emotion fall over. When that happened she was happy that her better half was just around the corner.
Sheepishly Nova walked down the hallway and into her boyfriends bedroom where she tried not to wake up the sleeping form of Alex.
But she didn't succeed. Alex had woken up just as Nova lifted up the duvet. At the sight of her tears Alex asked what had happened and the dam broke loose. She told him about the massages she had received and her feelings towards them.
"Maybe you should answer?" Alex whispered in her ear. His warm breath giving Nova chills.
"I don't know what to answer. I am so confused." I sat up in bed. My head resting on the headboard. Alex did the same thing.
"Can I read them?" He slowly asked.
Nova looked at him for a while. She felt too tired to get the phone from the nightstand, but after a while she did it.
A sight left her mouth as she gave Alex the phone. She gave it to him while the screen was black. She didn't want to read all the messages she knew her family had sent.
Alex typed in her password and clicked on the messenger-app.
"Read them out loud please. I need another voice to the messages." Nova was clearly tired. She was slumped against the headboard and her eyes was red, swollen and almost closed. She tired her best to keep her eyelids open.
Alex started reading the messages she had received from Carina.
'Hey my dear Nova. I know you must be extremely mad, sad and angry about everything that had happened the past two days. You have all right to be. I was wondering if you would be able to talk to me. Either over a phone call or just text. I'd like to tell you the truth about everything. Please give me a chance to explain.
-Carina.'
'I understand if it's too soon.'
'Maybe we can arrange a meeting instead.'
"The last two must've been in panic after the first one don't you think?" Alex leaned over to give the phone back to Nova. She answered with a shrug.
"Do you think I should answer?" Nova watched as Alex thought about her question.
Alex was never the person to say the first thing that came to mind. When he knew Nova asked questions that she actually wanted a truthful answer to, he knew not to burst out with some random words.
He respected her wish for a truthful response.
"It is so easy for you to be mad at your family for all of this, and you have the right to be. But in this situation, Carina is the only one who can tell you what really happened. Don't you want to know?" Alex looked Nova in the eyes while talking. His hand cupped her cheek while drying a way a line tear.
Nova nodded. She wanted to know the truth.
"Maybe we should fly to Italy to meet her." Alex muttered, more like a joke as Nova started to type on her phone.
The girl perked at her boyfriend's suggestion.
"Could we do that?" She asked, completely serious.
Alex looked at her in shock. He knew she was spontaneous, but not that spontaneous.
"Nova, I was kidding." He told her slowly.
"I wasn't." She said. Alex studied her for a few minutes. He needed some time to think over the suggestion before he said anything.
"Well, I guess... if you want to. Maybe a vacation is exactly what you need."
Only ten minutes later two plane tickets for the next day was bought and one fateful message sent.
'Hi, Carina. I really want to meet up. I will be on a plane that will land in Italy in two days.
- Nova'
Carina had just sat down in her office when she saw the screen on her phone turn on signaling that she had received a message. A deep frown formed between her eyes when she saw who the notification was from.
She put down her to-go coffee after taking a sip. She let the hot liquid cooldown in her mouth to spear her throat. Then she picked up her phone
With out missing a beat she clicked on it, eager to read the first message from her daughter. A smile was etched on her face, but it was soon replaced with a grimace.
Carina choked on her coffee. Was she reading this right? That wasn't what she meant when she said she wanted to meet up. She was supposed to come home to her, not the other way around.
Carina continued her coughing fit while trying to sort out her thoughts about all this. She took a sip of water in between ever cough.
Did her parents know?
If they did, why hadn't they told her?
......
"Are you crazy?" Leana looked at her daughter in disbelief.
Alex and Nova was on their way to the airport. Nova had to pack a little more clothes than what she had brought to Alex the previous day.
She had marched right into the house without acknowledging anyone else. Her family was sat in the living room. The room had a great view to the front door, which made them all see the young girl walking through the door.
Everyone was quick up on their feet to follow her upstairs. Apologies and pleads were sent her way. She ignored them flatly. Everyone except Leana had followed Nova to her room.
Just as Nova walked in the front door her mother had gotten a phone call from her other daughter. Carina had, been trying to reach her all morning, wanting an explanation to the message she had received yesterday.
Nova looked up at her mother who had just entered her bedroom. The rest of the boys just looked at Leana confused.
"We're you planing to leave without telling us?" Hurt was clear in Leanas voice. A few tears made their way down her face while she watched her daughter pack a suitcase.
Nova picked up her suitcase and walked away, she had to push past Caelum and Phoenix to get through. Almost dropping her suitcase in the process.
"Yes." She answered nonchalant, she kept walking. A herd that was her family following.
"You're not going." Leana was firm when she said that.
"Where are you going?" Hunter asked. Confused out of his mind.
"Italy." Nova opened the front door and closed it so hard she might have broken it.
A millisecond was all Orion needed to react. She was not going to Italy alone.
"Keep her occupied for five minutes. Don't let her leave." He ordered her family.
Caelum was quick to walk out after Nova.
"Nova!" He yelled after her. She saw Alex in his car at the end of the driveway. He scowled a little at him. Caelum didn't like that he was in on it.
Frustrated she turned around to face her brother.
"What?" She sassed.
"Let's go inside again to talk. Please" He pleaded with her. A hand outstretched for her to take.
Nova let out a scoff. "I have a plane to catch." She told her brother. A cold tone in her voice
It stung. Caelum felt it in his entire body. All he wanted was for the little girl he adored to adore him back just like she used to.
He knew there was no way to change her mind. He just hoped Orion had a better plan then him.
A hand was placed on Caelum's shoulder. He turned his head and came eye to eye with Orion. A backpack was thrown over his shoulders.
"I'll take it form here." He said as he moved his attention to a confused Nova.
"You ready to go?" Orion asked, and Nova got even more confused.
"You're not coming." A whine escaped her. Orion just raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"You're sixteen. I'm not letting you travel to another country by yourself." He finalized.
He started to walk towards the car. Nova stood looking at him. When he noticed that she wasn't following he turned around. He saw a pouting Nova standing with her arms over her chest, huffing.
"Changed your mind?" He asked. "You can stand there and show me how right I am about you being to young to travel alone, or you can stop your tantrum and get in this car. Your choice." Orion had reached the car when he finished talking. He opened the backdoor and sat down behind Alex.
"I hate all of you." Nova realized that the battle was lost. Orion was coming with them.
"And we love you." Was the last thing Cealum told Nova before she walked over to the car, sat down and the car drove towards the airport.