Driver (Sebastian Vettel) - ON HOLD

6.0 - Natalie

MEGAN MOORE

Thursday afternoon I found myself being patted down as I entered the maximum-security prison my sister was housed in. Once the guard was satisfied that I had no concealed contraband I was allowed through to see Natalie. She was sitting at a table, her lips in a thin line, her hair pulled tightly in braids on her head and down her back. After a moment she looked up at me as I sat opposite her, "Nice to finally see you, Ace." She smirked as she watched me, her eyes looking me up and down as I pulled my leather jacket closer together. 

"We're not at home anymore," I reminded her as I put my hands on my lap under the tablet. I didn't want to touch the grubby looking counter in front of me, even if it meant looking like I didn't care as much for my sister. "How are you keeping?" I made eye contact with her, she was fidgeting, struggling to keep her attention on me. 

Natalie shrugged her shoulders, "I'm here, ain't I? I'm fine."

I sighed as I realised with every passing moment I was losing her, the longer she stayed in this hellhole, the longer I was the responsible one in this family. I needed her to snap out of whatever was going on in her life, she needed to try to be there for our family even if she couldn't be there in person. 

"Natalie," I snapped my fingers in front of her face.

She looked at me then, her dull blue eyes, the same as mine stared back at me. "Don't you dare," she hissed through her teeth as she used her hand and moved my hand down between the two of us. "I might be your sister but in here I am well respected, you can't just be coming in here snapping your fingers at me." Her voice was quiet and low as she spoke to me, she had leaned forward making sure I got the message. 

"Don't touch me," I was calm as I took my hand away and looked at her, my hand shaking slightly. "I'm going to Italy for 4 weeks," I told her, "You need to call mum, check in on her. She's all alone in that house, please, try to call her."

Natalie leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, her short-sleeved beige scrubs did nothing for her pale complexion. I hated seeing her in this place, I wished there was something I could do to help her but I knew she was in here for a good reason. "She's better off without me," she flashed her eyes as she spoke.

I wanted to reach across the table and slap her, I wanted to tell her to grow up. Our mother would always love us no matter what happened. Natalie didn't want to believe that our mother still loved her, she only believed that due to her wrongdoings she was a bad person and no one could ever love her again. 

"I am going to Italy either way," I told her bluntly. "You need to make a decision and stick with it, call her, don't call her, but don't play with her. She misses you," I told my sister as I stared at her. 

When we were little it was like looking in a mirror, we used to be carbon copies of each other. We used to dress the same, we used to eat the same and have the same friends. Somehow we always knew what the other was thinking and what we were going to do next. Our long auburn hair used to be the thing that made us who we were and the thing that everyone noticed about us first. Natalie was the one to branch out first, she dyed her hair blonde at the age of thirteen, soon she found herself getting all the wrong attention yet she loved it. It wasn't until she got sent to juvie that our mother sent me away to Italy on an exchange programme with other students, exchange there was no exchange, instead, I went to Italy for a year to learn. After I returned I followed in my sister's footsteps dying my auburn locks a bleached blonde. 

Natalie didn't move or speak as I got to my feet, "I love you." I needed her to know whether she wanted to believe it or not. I looked down at her waiting for her to respond, instead, she looked away from me. 

I walked away disappointed at her attitude and lack of compassion for our mother. The fact that she couldn't even say she loved me back was heartbreaking but I couldn't let her see that it got to me. I didn't tell her goodbye, she didn't even have the decency to bid me a farewell, hell, she couldn't even look at me. 

XOXOX

The morning came and so did the hangover, I tried to push all the negative thoughts to the back of my head as I managed to drag myself out of bed. I had showered before bed so I ended up in the bathroom peeing and brushing my teeth as I checked my phone, I had approximately one hour before I could check-in at the airport. Once I was finished in the bathroom I packed my toothbrush and hairbrush into my bag, I even managed to rake it through my hair before packing it away. 

I sent a text to Alice asking if she was still okay to take me to the airport, she responded quickly telling me she was on her way and that we'd get something to eat on the way. She was a good friend, someone I could rely on and that was what I needed right now. I didn't know how I was going to cope for 4 weeks in Italy without a single friend, if I could have taken her with me I would have in an instant. 

Before she arrived I checked the house, making sure my windows were closed, doors were locked and all electricals were off apart from the fridge and freezer. After checking everything I sat on the sofa watching the clock tick by, I wasn't being impatient, I just didn't know what else to do with myself. 

As I sat I heard her car pull into my driveway ten minutes later, I pushed myself up to my feet before walking through to unlock the door, as soon as it was open she walked through, a smile on her face and a cup of coffee in her right hand. "So, I picked this up for you," she pushed it at me before she reached for the handle of my suitcase. "We have loads of time to get to the airport, it's only fifteen minutes away."

I held the coffee close smelling the sweet aroma it gave off before I sipped it, the heat not bothering me before I grabbed my handbag from the bannister. "Thank you so much," I was grateful for the morning pick-me-up, "You always know what I need."

"Right now you need to get in the car," she called to me as I locked my front door. "There is a flight with your name on it."

She dropped me off at the airport, I hugged her and kissed her cheek thanking her for driving me here even though it was crazy o clock in the morning. After she left me I took my handbag and my suitcase and entered the airport. 

I couldn't check-in without meeting Sabastian first, he had the tickets which would get me on the flight. I didn't even have his number, meeting him was going to have to be by chance, luckily it was a Friday morning so it wasn't very busy, I hoped it would be easy to spot him in the small crowd. 

I watched for a chair as the board changed several times giving updates on flights. I had less than half an hour left to check-in and I was getting pretty worried at how much time had passed and I was still sat here waiting like a lemon. 

"Excuse me, Miss," the peace was interrupted by a young man who worked at the airport, his uniform gave him away. "Your presence is requested."

My hand gripped my handbag as I stared up at this guy, "I'm waiting for someone." I didn't want him to get the wrong idea, I wasn't doing anything illegal by waiting. Although I guess I had been waiting for a long time. 

"You don't understand," he told me as he stood up straight and put his hand on my suitcase handle, "I'm here to assist your check-in, you'll be checking in privately with your travelling company."

I raised my eyebrows before it clicked in my head what he was saying, of course, Sebastian was checking in a private place to avoid cameras and fans. I would as well if I was famous, it was well to early to be dealing with people and bright flashing lights in your face.