Victoria's Voyage

By A. A. Marie

Victoria is on her own for the first time, away from her brother and sister. Her grandma is very sick and she has to travel far away from her home with her mother to help her. She is also returning to her birth city for the first time since as long as she can remember. Of course Victoria is sad that her grandmother is sick but she is happy to finally have time with her grandmother all to herself, without her brother and sister there. Also, it will be an adventure! Little does Victoria know that the vacation home her grandmother had rented is full of a mystery and adventure all its own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365489532

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Victoria's Voyage

Victoria’s Voyage

By A. A. Marie

Copyright

Copyright © 2016 by A. A. Marie

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First printing 2016 ISBN 978-1-365-48953-2

Chapter 1: Homecoming

Victoria opened the personal television in her airplane seat for the third time in the last fifteen minutes, pressing once again the button to display My Trip Information.

Four hours left, she sighed.

When last she had checked it was four hours and forty-seven minutes until landing, exactly. She looked over at her mother, who was sleeping soundly, then slid back into her seat and attempted to get some rest as well. She quickly discovered, however, that rest was impossible, for there were far too many things going through her mind.

For the first time since she was about eighteen months old, Victoria was returning to the place she was born. The place she had lived for a brief seven days before leaving with her entire family. The place she had visited many times with her entire family as a baby, but had never returned to once they had all moved across the ocean.

This time she was returning without her brother and sister, and without her father. They would follow soon; at ages fourteen and sixteen, respectively, they both refused to leave in the middle of the school year. They both claimed that they needed to stay and finish the school year or they would fall behind. Victoria, however, knew better – they didn’t want to miss out on time with their friends and especially, the end of year social activities. Victoria could not use the same excuse as she was in her last year of primary school and able to take what little schoolwork she had with her.

Victoria fidgeted in her seat. She did not know how to feel. Nervous? Excited? Depressed? She was scared for her grandmother, who was very sick. Sick enough that she and her mother left immediately, on the first flight they could get on. She glanced at her wristwatch – it had only been eight hours since that phone call, yet everything had changed. The fresh cookies her brother had baked seemed a lifetime ago, as did the braid her sister put in her bushy brown hair.  It would be at least a couple of weeks before she saw them again.

She at first felt a pang of sadness, but this quickly gave way to slight excitement since this would be the first time she would be away from her siblings since as long as she could remember. She had often wondered what it was like to be an only child, as many of her friends were. They never had to share rooms, or fight over the washroom, or race for the last cookie.

Victoria did love her brother and sister, but very frequently felt different from them. Her brother, Liam, was full of energy and athletic, with sandy hair and amber eyes that seemed to make his female classmates giggle (which of course he never noticed). Her sister was her complete opposite; while Victoria had wavy brown hair, Emma’s hair was straight and blond. Victoria’s eyes were dark; Emma’s a cool icy blue. Victoria was a quiet bookworm; Emma a total social butterfly. She often wondered if she had been adopted, although she had been reassured multiple times this was not the case.

Victoria also wondered what this place, her place of origin, would be like. She had seen photographs of herself as a baby – a particular favourite remained a picture of her walking with her father on the beach –but could not remember ever being there. In her imagination it was filled with tall trees and green mossy forests, of endless beaches, mountains, and grey skies. Victoria closed her eyes again, trying hard to remember. She imagined herself walking on the sandy beach in the photograph, the sun setting over the city skyline on the horizon.

Veevee, we’re here. Wake up.

Victoria opened her eyes. I guess I fell asleep, she thought, stretching. She unlatched her seatbelt and slowly began standing up. She reached for her violin. Her mother had told her before they left that aside from her clothes and other essential items, she could choose one item to bring with her. For Victoria, this was a no-brainer. She had played violin since she was three. Music was her passion. She also tucked a small book into her violin case, hoping her mother wouldn’t notice. Of course her mother did notice, but pretended she didn’t. Victoria had also managed to sneak a small pocket watch into her case that her father had given her. It was a replica of a watch from her favourite television show.

Victoria and her mother filed slowly off the airplane, making their way to the exit.

Did you have an okay flight, Veevee? Her mother asked.

I think so. Victoria replied. I think it was a little long.

Her mother chuckled. You know, when you were a baby—

I know, I went on long flights all the time, Victoria interrupted her mother, You and Dad have told me several times. But I don’t remember.

Victoria couldn’t help but notice that her mother looked sad as they left the plane and started walking through the airport, following the signs to the exit.  Does she miss Daddy, Liam, and Emma, too? She thought.  It was a strange feeling, walking through the large corridors without the constant bickering of the two of them. The quiet was nice, perhaps, but the lack of help was a bit terrifying for the youngest of three who had never yet travelled alone.

She kept following her mother, who had now pulled out both of their passports, holding them at the ready for the immigration patrol to check. They waited for a short time in the line before approaching the counter. Victoria heard the immigration officer ask her mother a few questions before muttering a polite welcome home, and stamped both of the passports.

They continued on their way, claimed their baggage and approached the exit. As they walked out of the tall glass doors Victoria looked outside. It was dark, and filled with streetlights. So far, it looked the same as the airport she had departed from. She took a deep breath. The air didn’t feel too different from her home. It felt to her the same as any other big city - large and busy with people rushing about. Victoria’s mother called one of the taxis waiting to pick up passengers.

524 west Malm street, please, Victoria’s mother said to the driver, "And make sure to take Broadway, sixteenth is really backed up at this time of day." She smiled politely at the taxi driver.

Victoria felt somewhat relieved. How could she have forgotten that her mother had lived here for ten years? There was no need for her to be afraid, or feel lost.  Yet, she still felt lonely. Incredibly lonely. Being in small apartments with five people for ten years going on eleven will make one feel most comfortable in the presence of many people. She looked out of the window in the taxi. It was actually quite dark outside; she would have to get a better look at the city in the daylight.

They would be staying in a large house on the beach. Victoria’s grandmother loved the beach. Victoria was worried - would it be too large and quiet and empty? What would it be like without her father? She briefly pondered counting down the days until the school year was over and she would see him again but knew her mother would scold her for it. Life was not to be wasted, or counted down. It was a precious commodity that need be relished every second. This was a lesson Victoria often forgot, including on the plane.

The driver continued on progressively curvier roads until they finally reached a narrow, inclined driveway. A large but slightly shabby-looking house sat at the top of the driveway. Victoria had been warned that the house would not be new. At such last minute notice, this was the only remaining rental available on the beach her grandmother had wished to be on. Victoria’s mother reminded her that her grandmother would love it – she relished in all things old and would find the architecture fascinating.