"Okay."
"Scott, we are not taking no for an answer." Lindsey argued.
"Okay."
"I don't know why you have to be so stubborn! We're trying to help you and all you're doing is... wait, what?"
"I said okay. I'm still not sure about joining them, but if everyone wants me to go, then I'll go." I assured her, and Lindsey sighed and hugged me.
"Oh my gosh, finally! I thought I was gonna have to go on a huge rant to convince you." She admitted, laughing with relief.
"You know, if you're uncomfortable with the idea, then you don't have to join them right away." Lauren suggested.
"What do you mean?" I asked as Lindsey stood up and grabbed the letter again.
"You can meet up with them and do whatever, but you don't have to join right away."
"What if they tell me I have to join right away?"
"Then you tell them no. And if that doesn't work, just knock them out." Robert suggested with a smile.
"I try to not use my strength like that against people. I'm a lover, not a fighter."
"Oh don't listen to him. If they say you have to join them right away, which I highly doubt, then you could always just come back. Tell them that's not your lifestyle." Lauren explained.
"I still don't know."
"Okay, let's put it this way. Imagine you're going to buy a car from a dealership. You don't just walk in and immediately purchase a car do you?" She asked, and I shook my head. "Exactly, you gotta look around first, talk to people, figure out what you want."
"Based on this letter, and what you've told us, it seems like you've already talked to the people, and now you're figuring out what you want." Lindsey cut in.
"Yeah, so what do you do next? Do you see a random car and immediately sign the papers? No. You gotta test drive it first." Lauren continued. "See how it runs. And if anything happens while you're test driving the car that you don't like, you don't have to buy the car. You can look at something different, or even go to another place."
"So you're saying, I can go see what it's like to be in the group for a little while, and if there's anything that happens that I don't like-"
"Then you don't have to join, and can come back home." Lindsey finished for me.
"How long do you think I should give them a try?" I questioned, and everyone thought for a moment.
"A couple of months." Dad spoke up.
"What?! That's way too long!" I argued.
"Actually, I think a couple of months would be perfect." Mom agreed. "Think about it. You'd be in a new place surrounded by people you don't know. A few days is too short to get to know someone, a couple of weeks is better but still too short when you start thinking about your powers. Leaving after a month would be bad because it might be just when you're really starting to get to know these people, and maybe even get some help with controlling your strength."
"She's right you know." Dad chimed in.
"A couple months would be perfect. You'd know the people in the group pretty well, and you could see if there's any improvement on how you're controlling your strength. If not, then there's really not much you could lose by leaving."
"Also, you need to remember that this is just a suggestion. If you're really not comfortable and want to come home early, then you can. Plus, if you want to stay longer than a couple of months, you can do that too." Lindsey assured.
I looked around at the comforting faces of my family and sighed.
"You guys really want me to do this, huh?" I asked, and they all nodded.
"Fine, I'll buy a plane ticket to wherever they said and... I'll give them a try." I agreed, and everyone started cheering. "BUT! I will not be buying the first class ticket."
"Are you kidding me?!" Lindsey snapped.
"What? It just seems like I'd be wasting money. Every seat is going to the same place! Why spend an extra thousand dollars or so when I could save money and just get a regular seat?"
"Uh, Scott? Are you forgetting how tall you are? Trust me, you're gonna want the leg room."
"Yeah, like Thirsty Kirstie said, 'there's so much room and the seats are super comfy'." Robert read. "Ooh, I wonder if they have seats that massage your back. That'd be great."
"Are you indirectly saying you want a massage right now?" Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe."
"Well if anyone should get a massage, it should be the pregnant lady." She insisted, and we chuckled.
"I'm still not sure about getting first class though. I mean really, what if someone else wants the seat?" I questioned.
"Scott. If they're rich enough to buy a first class ticket, then they should be perfectly fine flying coach like the rest of the world." Lindsey announced, crossing her arms.
I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off.
"Hey, hey. Scott? Treat yourself." She said, and I laughed.
"Don't start quoting Parks and Rec. That's lame."
"You're lame you goofball." Lindsey shot back.
"Whatever. Oh, and I hope you guys know that I'm giving you the three fifty I'll have leftover."
"Scott, that money's yours." Lauren butted in.
"Yes. And since it's mine, that means I get to do whatever I want with it. So I'm giving it to you guys."
"What if you get hungry while you're traveling?" Mom asked, concerned.
"There is a thing called credit cards, Mom. You guys should take the leftover money as a final present from me." I insisted.
"Scott, we're not going to take your money." Robert said.
"Okay fine, how about this? If you guys take the leftover three fifty, then I'll buy the first class ticket and 'treat myself'. Sound like a plan?" I negotiated, and they sighed.
"Fine." Everyone mumbled, a little upset.
"Hey, this way it's a win-win! I'll be flying first class and going to give these people a try like you guys want, and you'll have the leftover money so I know that you have a bit of extra help with shopping and stuff, like I want."
"Whatever, now are you gonna start packing or what?" Lindsey asked, and I blinked.
"You want me to leave now?"
"No time like the present." Mom chirped.
"But I have work tomorrow." I complained.
"Scott, you can miss a bit of work. The building's almost completed anyway."
"Actually... one of the cranes knocked some stuff over and set us back a few weeks."
"Then this should be the perfect time for you to go. While they're fixing the mess they made, you can check out this group and see if they can help your strength."
"I can't just miss work for a couple of months, they could fire me." I pointed out.
"Not if you use all the vacation days you've been saving up. Besides, we'll tell your boss you had to leave for a family emergency."
"Those people are not my family!" I argued. "I barely know who they are, not to mention I'm gonna have to be leaving you guys, my real family, for a couple months to spend time with them."
"They may not be your family, but that doesn't mean you guys won't get closer. Who knows, maybe one day they'll actually start to feel like part of the family." Dad suggested.
"I doubt it." I mumbled, crossing my arms.
"Scott, I know you're worried, but I need you to trust us. If you do this, it may end up being one of the greatest things that's ever happened to you. Wouldn't you rather go and say you tried, than stay and wish you did?" Mom asked, and I sighed, defeated.
"I guess..."
"So? Are we packing or what?" Lindsey questioned, on the edge of her seat.
"Yeah yeah, I'm going. Don't worry, you'll be rid of me before you know it." I joked.
"Good, you're stinking up the place!" She exclaimed, jumping up and pushing me towards the stairs.
I just laughed as everyone moved upstairs and started helping me pack. A half hour later and I was now completely packed for my trip. Everyone chatted excitedly as we moved my luggage to the cars and drove to the airport. By the time we got there, my nerves had returned. I helped everyone move my luggage as Lindsey went to a station and bought my ticket. She quickly returned to us with a smile on her face.
"This ticket cost exactly fifteen hundred. Hey, when you meet this thirsty girl again, can you tell her I'm impressed with her power?" She asked, and I nodded meekly.
We went to the gate where the plane was going to take off and sat down for a second. They tried to talk to me about different ideas they all had for my trip, but I wasn't really listening. My mind kept wandering and I was staring at the plane. I half heartedly answered their questions for a bit until Lauren snapped me back to reality.
"Hold up, what's wrong?" Lauren questioned, sensing my change in attitude.
That's one thing about my family. No matter how much you try to hide something from them, they always know when something's wrong.
"It's nothing." I lied, but of course they saw right through it.
"Scott, come on. What is it? You can tell us." Robert encouraged, and I sighed.
"I guess I'm just worried about everyone. I've never really been away from you guys for longer than a few weeks. You all are so confident about me leaving, and it's making me feel like maybe, you guys... don't really need me."
Everyone gave me sympathetic smiles and Lauren and Lindsey walked over to me.
"Scott, listen. We want you to know something." Lauren said, putting a hand on my shoulder to get my attention. "No matter how strong you are-"
"Or how tall you get." Lindsey cut in, making me chuckle.
"You'll always be our baby brother."
"And this family will always need you."
I smiled as they both came in for a hug. After a moment, everyone else joined in the group hug too.
"I love you guys." I mumbled.
"We love you too, Scooter." Dad replied, ruffling my hair.
Our group hug was interrupted by my flight being announced. I squeezed my family tighter, not wanting to leave.
"Hey, Scott? You can't use us as an excuse to miss your flight." Mom stated, and I groaned a little.
"Yeah, plus I can't breathe!" Lauren gasped, and I immediately released them.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay?!" I interrogated, looking her over carefully.
She just brushed herself off and laughed.
"I'm fine. I knew that'd make you let us go." Lauren teased, and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't do that, you scared me."
"I'm sorry, now shoo. You're gonna miss your flight!" She fussed, getting ready to grab one of my suitcases.
Robert, of course, grabbed it before she could. This time she let him, still slightly annoyed. He struggled a bit getting the suitcase in front of me.
"Geez, what did we put in here?" He asked, finally putting it on the floor again.
Lindsey inspected the luggage for a second before answering.
"We filled this one with hoodies, sweatpants, and jeans. It's bound to be a little heavy." She commented while Rob caught his breath.
I chuckled and grabbed it, lifting it with no problem.
"Show off." He mumbled, and I rolled my eyes playfully.
I paused when the last call for my flight was announced and looked at my family. They all gave me happy nods and encouraging smiles. Taking a deep breath, I went over to the man at the desk and gave him my ticket. He quickly scanned it and gave it back to me.
"Enjoy your flight, sir." He told me, and I nodded.
I looked back at my family one last time. I guess they saw how unsure I felt because next thing I know, everyone ran up to me for a final group hug.
"You got this, Scott." Lauren whispered.
"And remember, if you really can't handle it, you can come right back home." Mom reminded me.
"I really do love you guys." I told them, giving everyone one last squeeze.
"We love you too."
I smiled and pulled away from them with a newfound confidence.
'I can do this.' I thought, taking another deep breath.
Grabbing my luggage, I forced one more smile for everyone and got on the plane. After I found my seat, I relaxed as the pilot came on the intercom. A flight attendant demonstrated all the safety instructions that were said, and then we were speeding down the runway. As we lifted into the air, I glanced out the window and watched the airport getting smaller and smaller. It took a few minutes, but we finally reached the proper altitude and were allowed to move around on the plane.
I stayed in my seat and closed my eyes, feeling tired. Today was such a long day. First a machine malfunction caused us to be put behind schedule at work, I received a strange letter with a lot of cash telling me to go to a certain location, on my way home I got 'mugged', and then my family actually agreed with the letter, helped me pack for this trip, and sent me on my way. I yawned, stretching a little and decided to get comfortable for the flight. When it came down to it, I was actually glad I listened and agreed to get the first class ticket. There really was a lot of room.
I grabbed a free blanket that was provided for the passengers and tucked myself in. Another yawn slipped through me as I thought about what I should expect. After brainstorming a number of possibilities, I decided that no amount of planning would prepare me for what was to come. I would just have to man up and face it head on. Now completely exhausted, I leaned back in my seat and finally let sleep wash over me.
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A/N That's all folks!!! Let me know in the comments how you liked this chapter! Love you guys and don't forget to boop the vote button with your nose! BAI!!!!