too young for this

chapter 10 | wildest dreams

I've sat here observing my surroundings for one hour now.
Valentina's Volkswagen must be a temporary home. The bag of not quite healthy snacks in the corner, the few belongings, the rushed placement of objects. All of those signs point to the fact.

I've also seen that Alexi looks to be a few years younger than us.
Though maybe it's the fact that he's sleeping. Everyone looks youthful when they sleep.

He has a sort of honey-blond hair and an angelic face. He's moved around in his sleep a few times already, mumbling slurred words.

Mari has fallen back to sleep, resting her head in her palms. I heard Jamie and Valentina exchange a few words here and there. Where we'll go, what happened in detail. I halfheartedly listen.

"So we'll head to the beach?" Jamie asks.

"Yes. It's close to where Alexi and I used to live. I know the area well."

Jamie doesn't say anything, likely puzzling.

The beach? I've never actually been to the beach. The thought exhilarates me, making me giddy. Me, at the beach.

Valentina continues, "It'll be a pretty long ride until we reach it, though."

I look away from them to Alexi who shifts around as though he's about to wake.

My eyes widen as he drags his hands over his face with a groan. He blinks slowly at the ceiling, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He props himself up onto his elbows, his eyes growing bigger at seeing me.

His lips part and a panicked breath slip out. He flickers his gaze between Mari and me.

"Who?" His voice comes out croaky. He shakes his head. He has the slightest accent, although it's fainter than his sisters. 

I can't say much when he keeps looking at me like that. My eyes switch between his right and left pupil, nervously.

I say, "I'm..."

To my greatest relief, his sister interrupts me, though in a different language. It sounds Slavic. A small part of me has the memory of a great aunt who came from Macedonia.

I can remember her croaky words, slipping out in a language unknown to me. What Valentina is saying sounds extremely similar.

She speaks quickly, but almost lazily. He nods, still eyeing me with suspicion.

I continue, "I'm Camilla."

"And I'm Jamie."

Alexi averts his gaze from me to Jamie, hardening his gaze. Then he points to Mari.

"And her?" He asks.

"Marianne."

"My sister already told you I'm Alexi?" He raises one large hand in greeting. He is definitely older than I thought but still doesn't look our age exactly.

"Yeah." I nod. "So, um, how old are you?"

"I'm sixteen. But I'm turning seventeen in two months."

"We're all eighteen, I think."

He purses his lips, saying, "My sister told me what you guys did."

"No, it was just me who did those things," I state.

Jamie breaks into the conversation, "Not really, Camilla."

"It was. Don't lie." I snap, shooting him a warning look.

Alexi looks back at him, tilting his head. He studies the two of us before turning fully to me.

"Do you have any food?" I ask. "I'm starving."

"Yeah, in the bag over there." Alexi yawns as he says this, leaning back down to rest his head.

I shuffle over, taking the paper grocery bag, full of snacks and I rummage through it. I pull out a package of dunkaroos, excitedly. It's been so long since I've tasted these.

I open the pack, feeling my stomach rumble. As I dip one of the cookies in the frosting, Alexi stretches his hand towards me. "Can I have one?"

I smile, "Of course."

I bring the pack closer to him and he takes one, dragging it through. Biting on mine, I see Jamie watches us blankly.

"Want some?" I ask him. He nods, a small smile on his lips. 

I hand him the pack, and he offers to share some with Valentina.

She opens her mouth, expectantly. He furrows his brows placing his cookie in her mouth.

Still chewing, she says, "Fank you."

He laughs, and Mari startles, raising her head. We pass them to her, which she gladly accepts. She mumbles contently, "I dreamt I was back at school."

"Really? Was Kyle there?" I ask.

"Oh my god, Cami!" She laughs. "You know what? He wasn't."

Jamie sounds as though he's choked on the crumbs of his cookie.

Valentina looks at us in the rear-view mirror, confused. "He's the boy you killed?"

"Sure is." I say with a loud swallow. Alexi laughs outright.

He sits up. I can finally tell his nicely tanned body, clothed by a white t-shirt, and grey sweatpants that look as though they'd been cut to be shorts. His disarranged hair tumbles over his head in straight strands.

"Tell me more about yourselves." He insists.

"I, um, want to be a writer one day." I say.

He nods, but something crosses his features, though I can't tell if it's interest or bitterness.

Mari adds, "My favourite food is olives. If anyone was planning to gift me with some."

I turn to Jamie, nodding at him. He presses his lips together. When he doesn't say anything, I furrow my brows, teasing, "Oh come on Jamie, tell them about your pretty scar. The one on your hip."

Valentina raises an eyebrow, "How do you know about that?"

He sets his jaw, eyeing me, "I told her about it. How else would she know?" He says flatly.

Alexi stretches, his eyes on mine, "We thought you showed her."

Jamie sighs, "I would never show her."

I bring a hand to my chest, dramatically. "But you said maybe you would. My bet is that you'll come around soon enough." I smirk at him.

"Not even in your wildest dreams."

"But the wildest are my favourite." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I bet that's true." He narrows his eyes, a light smile playing at his lips.

Mari breaks in, "Woah! The tension between these two is unbearable."

Alexi laughs, "It's entertaining."

"Oh yeah, sure." Jamie says, rolling his eyes before turning away.

Valentina lets out a snort, saying, "You know what would make this car ride so much better?"

Alexi sighs, "You better not say—"

"Singing." Valentina says, looked coyly at us in the mirror.

"Oh! I'll start first." Mari says, bringing a hand to her chest. She begins, "You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your liiife!" Her voice is horrible to the extent that I can't listen to it without laughing.

Alexi groans, bringing his palm to his face as Valentina joins into the chorus, "Oh oh oh, see that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queeeen!"

Jamie grins, looking down as he shakes his head.

I join in and soon the car is filled with our silly voices, and Alexi's complaints.

We switch from ABBA to Micheal Jackson and Queen, singing on and on, till the sun went down.