Page 15 of Teach Me How To Fly

“Do you care about me?”

And she froze.

I instinctively touched her bare arm with the tips of my fingers, and as soon as I felt her softness, I remembered how I used to caress her hands whenever she couldn’t sleep. She loved that when we were children.

“Is that even a question?”

I offered her a sincere smile, then I gave her a peck on the forehead. I knew she cared about me.

But the way I cared for her terrified me because I would’ve done anything for her.

Anything.

7

ANNALISE

Iwas buried in all of those pages of the enormous books I had to learn for the admission exam. I didn’t initially think it would be that hard to understand and memorize all of the information, but God I was wrong.

I sighed and scratched my forehead as I took the pink neon marker to underline what I thought was important. But to my surprise,everythingwas.

I threw the marker back on the desk and brought the book closer to my face. It has been five hours since I was hiding in the library, studying and trying to motivate myself that everything I did was for my dream to come true.

When I felt like I’d lost the motivation, I thought about Maksen and how much he believed in me. He knew I wanted to attend a normal university some day, but he also knew that my father wouldn’t ever let me do it. I didn’t even know why I continued to study because I wasn’t going to be a student. I guessed I just liked to know things.

But then, I thought that one of the reasons why I kept studying was that Maksen put his trust in me. He always looked at me admiringly whenever I told him what new things I hadlearned and I wanted to make him proud because he did so many beautiful things for me.

He always listened and always heard exactly what I wanted to say. He always took good care of me and oh, how much I loved every time he smiled at me. It felt like he was offering me a gift every time.

The wooden door of the library opened and pulled me out of my mind immediately. I raised my glance up and I almost rolled my eyes at the sight of Katya. She moved closer to the desk, and the smirk she had on her face made me want to go to the bathroom and throw up everything I had eaten that day.

“You’re studying. I don’t know why you’re wasting your time, dear,” she hissed and put her fingers on the desk surface.

She took a book in her hands and I saw how her brows got closer into a confused furrow. I knew she didn’t understand a word of it.

Hadn’t she already gotten tired of telling me that I’m wasting my time? Because I had enough of her remarks. She always kept saying the same things and I knew she wanted to mess with me, but at least she could’ve tried to find new ways to do it.

“Learning new things about what you’re passionate about isn’t a waste of time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really have to study here,” I replied and pinned her with my gaze.

Her long red hair was perfectly put into a high ponytail, and even though she was wearing liner, a bright lipstick on her lips that matched her hair and mascara, she managed to make it look like a second skin. Flawless from head to toe. I wished I had her beauty, but I had to admire mine as it was too.

“You know I’m right because dad wouldn’t ever let you apply to a university. I don’t know why you’re still trying.”

“I don’t need your opinion, Katya. You can leave now. Thank you.”

She smirked again and glanced at me. Katya was my sister, but she was being an ass all the time with me. Yet I still loved her in a way because she was a part of my family.

You don’t choose your family, you just accept it and live with it.

“I just came to announce to you that I’ll be gone with my friends tonight. Also, auntie Lydia is coming to our house, so you might consider taking your head out of those boring books and come upstairs,” she explained and turned on her feet without giving me the chance to give her an answer.

I wasn’t happy that she came here, but as soon as she told me that Lydia was coming, I felt happier. She was the woman I’ve always thought of as being my second mother — her and Olivia. I didn’t know what I would’ve done without them.

I chose to close the book and stand up. My lower back was hurting after all the hours I’d spent on the wooden seat, so I stretched my body with a slow movement. My spine cracked and it felt so good that I let a few subtle sounds come out of my mouth.

I grabbed my phone and put it in my pocket, then I organized everything on the desk and made my way to the living room.

When I got to the hallway, I heard Katya laughing at her phone and saw her walking out of the house, accompanied by two of our bodyguards. At least that was a good choice for her. Not walking alone in the city. I guessed she wasn’t as dumb as she liked to seem.

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