Atlonty

Chapter 1

Jack

I'm walking down the stairs when I see Mia who has already packed her bags.
We're leaving for vacation this evening.
Cyprus. That's where we're going to. A land in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
Mia and I have been talking about moving to a warm country since we were little.
Surfing, playing music along a cozy bonfire, taking a night swim in a clear ocean.
It's all we've been talking about lately.
​"Jack, have you packed your bags already?"
I walk towards Mia, grinning at her while I hold up both of my bags. The one I'm taking with me on the plane on my back, and the quite bigger one in one of my hands as I put it down.
​"All packed."
Mia is smiling back at me. She looks kind of disturbed, grinning like that. Ah, who am I to judge. I probably look just as silly.
​"Mom and dad said they could drive us to Molly, Alex is already at Molly's house, and we could take the bus or ask Molly's mom if she could drive us to the airport." Mia pointed out, grabbing an apple from the kitchen counter and taking a bite.
​"Sounds great," I'm so, so exited.
"We should take some extra food by the way." I gesture to the apple she's eating. Mia looks down at the fruit she's holding.
"Good idea," she says as she takes another bite. "I do think Molly's mom has a whole three-course meal prepared for us already though."
​Ha, she's definitely right about that. Mrs. Eaysi always takes extremely good care of us.
Molly's parents own a restaurant. Her parents make sure all of their kids do their bit to keep the restaurant alive. Mrs. and Mr. Eaysi think if they don't help, no one will visit anymore.
But I think that's bullshit.
They have the best food in the world. Mia, Alex and I absolutely love to eat at theirs. Both of them standing in the kitchen. And making dishes as homemade Mandi or Saltah.
​I nod and grin at Mia. "True."
I feel someone is standing behind me and just as I decide to look who's listening to our conversation, I hear a high-pitched scream.
​"You guys can't just leave!"
I spin around to see Cloey standing in the doorway to the kitchen where Mia and I are standing with all of our luggage on the floor.
Cloey looks furious. Her brows are furrowed. She looks like a goblin or something. Standing with both of her arms and legs widely. Her hair is all over her head and she's wearing the worst color combination in the world. Who in heavens sake wears red shoes, neon yellow pants and a dark blue shirt... Well, she's still young so I guess it's alright. She still looks weird though.
I hear Mia giggling behind me.
​I smile at her as I bend down a bit in front of her.
Bloody hell what a creature the kid is.
"We'll just be away for some weeks." Cloey looks at me like I've gone mental.
"Some weeks?! SOME WEEKS?! Are you crazy Jack?!"
Mia is snickering now; I'm doing everything I can to not burst out in laughter with her.
"Yeah, some weeks. It's no big deal. We'll be back as soon as you thought we'd left. You won't even notice we've been away Smurf."
​
I love calling Cloey Smurf. Mia and I have been calling her that since she was born. Mum and dad used to hate it, and grandma was always confused. She'd ask mom why we where calling Cloey Smurf all the time. Mom would always respond with a shrug and a "Don't mind the twins."
​Cloey is still staring at me. I m staring back at her. Bending my back so far, our heads are on the same level. I probably look really stupid standing like this, but the staring competition my little sister and I are having is a whole lot more interesting than caring about what angle Mia is seeing my ass from right now. I feel stupid, trying to win a bloody staring test with my little sister.
I do really want to win.
Cloey is the first one to blink.
​Ha! I won.
She's laughing at the face I'm making, sticking out my tongue and looking at the bridge of my nose with both of my eyes.
"Okay, you guys are allowed to go, BUT I get to go with you guys' next time!"
​I burst out laughing. Cloey is twelve years younger than us. Does she really expect me to have my seven-year-old sister along on our vacation?
​"Sure Smurf."

Mia

Cloey really is one of kind. I love her though, she's hilarious.
Jack and Cloey have a better relation than Cloey and me,
​but I'm convinced that's because they're both really weird.
Jack is still bent down facing the little kid.
​"Okay, you guys are allowed to go, BUT I get to go with you guys' next time!"
I snort. Geez, I should really stop laughing like that, I sound like a pig.
Jack is laughing as well. I just know that Jack is thinking the same thing as I am. We are not bringing our little sister on vacation.
"Sure Smurf." Jack laughs softly.
​Cloey looks at me, she's still smiling from Jack's silly faces from before. Jack stands up with a groan, bending his back.
"I know Jack won't let me go with you guys," Cloey points out, "but you will let me go with you, right Mia?"
​Oh god, she's using the puppy eyes. I hate those, they make her look adorable and sad. Adorably sad. Damn kid.
"You can go with us if you're a little bit older Clo."
We have too many nicknames for her.
I walk past Cloey while rubbing the top of her head, making her exploded hair even messier. When I arrive at the bottom of the stairs, I try to look whether mum is standing at the top of it. All three of us do so. Dad says it's no use, because you can't see the top of the stairs, but we keep trying anyway.
When I can't see mom (damnit maybe dad is right) I decide to be the loud teenager (I'm not Jack but oh well) and yell for her.
​"Mom! Are you ready?! Jack and I want to go!"
I squint my eyes trying to listen to any response. There's a moment of silence for a second or five before I hear some noise.
​"I told you, be patient!" Mom is walking down the stairs with a smile on her face. I grin at her.
"Have you both packed?" She's walking past me back to the living room where Jack is standing in the middle with Cloey clinging to his leg. I'm following her excitedly.
​"Packed and ready to go!" I say, snorting as I see Cloey desperately trying to kill off Jack's leg by squeezing herself on to it while Jack does not even flinch.
Mom smiles at Jack while turning back to where I'm leaning against the desk standing next to our large fishbowl.
​Mom sighs, she's still smiling.
Both mom and dad think it's rather scary. Their two eldest kids leaving for vacation so far away from Basildon. Jack and I had to do a lot to convince them. They thought it was fine we where going on vacation. And definitely because Molly and Alex were going too. But when we said we were planning a trip to Cyprus, they weren't too exited...
It was fine in the end though. We made a compromise, Jack and I would text everyday and call twice a week. We don't mind.
​"Well," mom sighs again. Boy she's having trouble letting us go. "Go say goodbye to your dad and sister than."
She's smiling at us. I know she's happy for us. I smile back, a comforting smile. I'm trying to show her that I know we'll be fine. We will be fine. Molly looks like her mom, always taking care of everyone. I think it has something to do with her youth... Alex is fierce and not afraid easily. Jack is, well Jack. And I love having fun and making sure everyone is alright. We'll have the best summer ever!
​"Alright!" Jack is almost screaming. "Let's go Mia!"
I laugh at him. Hitting the hand he was holding for me to high-five. He's trying to shake off Cloey at the same time. This is golden.

Jack

Cloey is not letting go of my leg.

Alexandra

Molly and I have been waiting for Mia and Jack for over three hours now.
It's ten past ten.
Jack has been texting me every fifteen minutes, telling me he was close to convincing his mom to leave.
He hasn't been texting since half an hour ago, so I suppose he's either packing or saying goodbye to the rest of the Brown cult.
​I've been sleeping over at Molly's for over two nights. I got in a row with my parents, they allowed me to leave and told me I couldn't come back until after my vacation.
​Of course. Dear old dad and mum.
They're alright, well, they're alright sometimes.
I have a sister, she's the perfect child. Sweet, young, calm, honest and genuine. Beautiful straight red hair, a cute amount of freckles and bright blue eyes. She's absolutely perfect.
​And in the eyes of my parents, I'm not.
Which makes sense cause I'm the absolute opposite of Beau.
I love to have a good laugh and I'm pretty rebellious. I love the fact my friends call me Alex instead of Alexandra because Alex just suits me so much better. My red curls are all over the place. Too many freckles and boring brown eyes. I took a septum piercing when I was thirteen with the permission of my aunt. Dad and mum were furious.
They always comment on the way I look.
​I like the way I look. I love my curls and my freckles and I love brown eyes. I adore my thirteen-year-old self and after all those years I still love my septum. I like my own personality.
Sounds egoistic I know.
But it's true. I'm confident. I'm aware of the fact that I'm one of the stronger people I know and I'm not scared easily.
I can keep secrets and I'm loyal to my friends. And then still, my parents disapprove of everything I do and don't care about me at all.
I'm strong yeah sure, but I'm not emotionless...
Okay I'm wandering off, so Beau. I like her, ehh I love her she's my sister of course I love her.
She was mad at me because I told her I didn't care that I wasn't going to see her for the next couple weeks, and when she started screaming at me, I might have screamed back.
I might even have blurted out that she's a chicken and shouldn't scream like that because she looked pathetic.
And I might have called her a hoe but ah y'know...
Okay so maybe I deserve the way dad and mom like Beau better. I didn't mean what I said to Beau, I tried to convince the three of them, but they took no care in listening and dad locked me up outside, throwing my already packed bag out of my room window, and yelled that I couldn't come back until after Cyprus.
​Typical evening at the house of Genovra, I tell you.
Anyway, Molly's house. I love it here. I'm at the Eaysi's a lot.
Mrs. Eaysi cooks like the best. Mr. Eaysi is the sweetest and all of Molly's sibling think I'm cool.
Molly is amazing too. Always taking care of everyone. We need her honestly. Before Molly moved to Basildon, Jack, Mia and I were always in trouble. After Molly moved, we where, still always in trouble but with a plan.
I'm convinced the trouble is Jack his fault. He attracts trouble.
Jack and I have been best friends since forever and we've been chaos since forever.
No worries, it's not too bad.
​Things such as being too late for school, or burning the food we had to make for dinner. Destroying the chair of the teacher, or breaking my bedroom window.
It's not too bad we're just a little bit clumsy together. Sometimes I wonder how Jack is still alive. And he's really weird, but like, really weird. As in, cutting his pants in the middle of a school trip because he had a hole in his jeans weird. Or putting an apple pie in the microwave instead of the oven and expecting it to come out perfect anyways weird.
Jack is amazing though he's the most important person in my life.
My brother from another mother.
And then Mia of course. Last but not least.
She's the mood maker of the group. Doesn't matter what is going on or how bad someone is feeling, Mia always makes you smile.
Honestly, just her presence is calming.
Our friend group is the best.
​Anyways, I would have taken the bus after being send out of my own fucking house, but it was late already and the last bus had left half an hour ago.
Typically.
When I arrived at Molly's her parents already knew what time it was and they made the bed in the guest room for me as I ate dessert with Molly and her siblings.
​
"Alex, have you heard from Jack?"
I look up to Molly who is standing at the head of the table, about six feet from where I'm sitting at the table. "Mia hasn't been responding, which is a Mia thing to do. But you and Jack are practically dating, always chatting." I snort.
​Yeah right, Jack and I dating. Can you imagine...
That'd be the most hilariously awful thing.
"Nope, he hasn't been responding since like, half an hour ago." Molly and I smirk at each other.
​Ha!
We both know what that means. They'll be here soon.
I stand up from the chair I was sitting on. Feeling light in my head. Whoa, I have this way too often. Should really stand up slower.
I walk over to where Molly is standing. All of our bags on one end of the table. She's packing all of the food her mom made for us in a special bag.
​Bloody shit this food looks delicious.