Page 54 of The Explorer
As we walked out, Indiana stopped and took down a red vehicle from the shelf. “Can you ask him how much he wants for this one?” he muttered to Banni, probably hoping that Banni was getting some kind of discount.
“What is it?” I asked and moved closer to see the weird ladder on top of a large old-fashioned car.
“It’s a fire truck. They had them before drones took over. I once saw an old movie with a boy who played with one of these. The ladder extended and the truck had a siren.”
“But what would you do with it? You’re not a kid.”
“I would give it to Sparrow as good luck on her journey to become a fire fighter. I think she’d appreciate it.”
Something was seriously wrong with me. We’d been having a great time in the repair shop and I should praise Indiana for his thoughtfulness toward Sparrow. But I couldn’t.
Feeling like all the air had been forced from my lungs, I muttered, “Great. I’ll wait outside.”
“Are you okay?”
“Mm-hmm, the air is just stale and dusty in here.”
Walking outside, I felt ashamed of my reaction. Sparrow was my dearest friend, and I should be happy for her that Banni thought her beautiful and Indiana wanted to buy her presents. Why did I have to be this petty, jealous person?
Feeling a knot in my chest, I leaned against the wall and pressed a hand to my stomach. I was becoming my father and although I loved him, I had sworn that I’d never be as possessive and controlling as Magni.
The small bell above the door made a sound when Banni and Indiana exited. From the bag in Indiana’s hand I guessed that he’d bought the fire truck for Sparrow.
The two men exchanged small talk as we walked back to the Exploration Headquarters while I was brooding over the emotional turmoil inside me.
CHAPTER 14
Visit
Indiana
Three weeks after we arrived in Old Europe, things were slowly falling into a new routine. We worked as a team with Banni, Alex, and Val and traveled with them to do the rounds in the areas that our team was responsible for.
Aubri and I had both fought and won fights at the underground fight club making prize money for both us and our friends. But despite all the new and exciting things, Aubri didn’t seem happy.
She and Victor kept snapping at each other the three times we’d seen him since we arrived. That’s why, I sighed when he called us up early on Tuesday morning.
“What the hell, Victor? Why are you calling us this early?” I asked with my eyes still closed and my voice rusty from sleep.
“Good morning to you too,” he responded in his typical grumpy Victor way. “You have visitors.”
“What visitors?” I yawned and turned on my side.
“It seems a drone arrived twenty minutes ago with three women who insist on seeing you.”
“Who?”
“I’m on my way to sort it out, but if I were to guess, I’d say it’s Freya sticking her nose in other people’s business again.”
I was sitting up by now and pushing at Aubri to wake her up. “Where should we meet you?”
“It’s easier if I bring them to you. Just be sure that you’re up.”
“What is it?” Aubri sat up with her hair in a mess and her arms stretched out. Her face scrunched up as she gave a loud yawn.
“Someone is here to see us.”
That woke her up fast and with a small squeal, she got out of bed and ran to the bathroom.
