Footsteps in the sand * Bondi Rescue*

Chapter 21:

AN: Hey guys, I am back with the newest chapter. I wanted to have  this up a few days ago but I have been ill and had no motivation to edit and upload it, so sorry! Anyway I hope you enjoy and a little warning, this chapter is in Jai's point of view just to get a little insight in his future actions.  As always please vote and comment to let me know what you thought :)

Jai's pov

Jai sighed as he stepped out of the airport, he was back in Sydney, back in the place that brought him so much pain and sorrow yet also so many great memories. He wasn't planning on returning until he was finished with his tour that would take another 6 months or so but Jesse had called and said Margo needed him. He would never admit it but he had neglected her for far to long, always working or surfing and letting Will or in this case Jesse deal with his little sister. It wasn't that he didn't love her because he did, he loved her more than anything on this world. The problem was that he didn't know how to deal with her problems, he got that it wasn't her fault and that it was only natural as she had suffered a great deal when she was younger, more than him and Will probably. The problem wasn't her illnesses or her accident, even though that had always been a big black cloud on his conscious as he had and always would blame himself for it. No matter how many times she told him it was just that, an accident he couldn't help but feel guilty, guilty that it was her an innocent 7 year old and not him. Although he also knew that Margo would never wish for anyone else to get hurt like that. He wasn't ashamed of his sister or the fact that she had anxiety or depression, no the biggest issue for Jai with his sister was that he was scared, scared she would fall into a big black hole and be unable to escape. He was scared that she would become so hopeless that she would take the only option she would think she had left. He was scared that she, just like their mother, would kill herself. It had been very hard to handle seeing his mothers body in their kitchen, pale as snow and with blood surrounding her but what would be unbearable for him would be to see his sister lying there, no more colour in her cheeks, no more smile on her face, and above all not her sweet voice laughing and happily greeting him as he came home.

Jai shook his head trying to clear it of the dark images that tried to take refuge there, he looked around periodically blinded by the son, looking for Jesse who would come to pick him up. He quickly located Jesse, looking a little out of place so far away from the beach. He smiled and walked forward, pulling his suitcase along behind him and getting hold of his surfboard a little better. They greeted each other civilly and briefly made some small talk about surfing and Jai's competitions but they soon came on to the subject that brought Jai back, Margo. "How is she really?" Jai asked looking at Jesse hesitantly "she is doing okay I think. Koby and Olya, my friends, looked after her yesterday and she seemed happy, she was asleep when I came back which is also good as I know she's bene having trouble sleeping. She is till very hurt by Harrison however but I think she should tell you exactly what happened as she didn't really tell me much. Toby, the dog Will and I got her for her birthday, helps her as well, he is always their and he gets her out of the house even if it is only to go on a 5 minute walk." Jesse explained it all a little rushed and unsure as he wasn't sure what Margo was normally like when she was sad and heartbroken. He was used to dealing with her when she was overly anxious but he hadn't really seen her when she was at her lowest, overtaken by depression. "Well that's good. When she gets really bad she won't eat or sleep at all and sometimes just sits and stares in to nothing. I think that especially having Toby is great as it forces her to look after someone else and not just think about herself." Jai answered talking softly while staring at the scenery rushing past. He wasn't a very anxious person but being back here always made him feel on edge, more so now that his little sister was in trouble.

Jai took a deep breath as they neared their house, it wasn't the house they grew up in, they had sold that shortly after their mother had died not being able to stay there any longer. This house was one they had bought about a year ago when it became clear that Margo and Jai would be moving back to Sydney. It had been Margo who had begged to buy a house in Bondi close to the beach and in the general neighborhood where they used to live when they were younger. Will and Jai had been happy to oblige as they had feared she wouldn't want to return otherwise, she had loved Hawaii and later on Michigan where they had moved to and made some very good friends. Most people there treated them like anybody else but their old neighbors would always look at them with a small look of pity, pity for the three siblings growing up without any parents. Moving back to Sydney had been like a breath of fresh air for all of them as nobody really knew them anymore and they wouldn't get any looks of pity. As they were all older it was less weird for the three, well now mostly 2, siblings to live together. The rest of the short drive was silent as Jai took it all in, it had been almost 6 months since he had last been here and if he was honest he really missed Bondi. It had always bene his home and however far away he went he would always find his way back, especially because his little sister still lived here. Margo, Jesse had explained, had no idea he was coming as she would probably have tried and talked him out of it. Jai got slightly excited at the prospect of surprising his sister and just hoped that he was able to paint a smile, however small it was, on her face. Jesse parked the car and before he knew it, Jai was stood in the hallway of their house looking at all the pictures that Margo had hung up, she had continued to decorate the house in his absence and it now truly looked like a family home, not the cold big house they had initially moved in to. Margo was sat in the living room watching some Netflix while stroking Toby's fur, who was sat next to her on the sofa, she looked up as she heard the door close but immediately looked back at the tv only to look up again and stare at Jai in shock. "Wh...What are you doing here?" She stammered "well someone called me and said my sister was sad and well I thought I needed to cheer her up." Jai explained a smug look on his face. Margo's smile grew wider as she rushed towards him and engulfed him in a massive bear hug, Jai laughed and tightened his grip on his sister afraid she would slip through his fingers if he let her go. Jesse seeing their intimate situation decided to give them some space quietly leaving the living room and making his way upstair in to the guest room he had inhabited for the past months.

In the meantime, Jai and Margo had sat down on the sofa and were deep in conversation. They kept it light for now just working on catching up unconsciously having decided that the heavy and dark stuff, the real reason why Jai was here could wait for later. Or at least that is was Margo wanted to, well really if it were up to her she wouldn't talk about it at all. They talked about Margo's exams, whose results still hadn't gotten back, her youtube channel and her new deal with Phaedra jewelry, Jai's surfing competitions and his new girlfriend and some small talk. After an hour or so Jai finally touched the subject of Harrison, Margo's face immediately darkened and became closed off the happy smile no longer present on her face. "I don't really know what to say about it, we went on a date I thought he liked me like I liked him and then he came up with some stupid excuse as to call it off as he was scared. He came to talk to me a couple of days ago and begged me to forgive him but I told him that he would have to try harder than that. I guess he though he was different but also deep down I think I understand where he is coming from as I would be scared to. I was just hurt by the way he called it off without even talking about it or giving me the chance to say anything." Margo stopped shrugging her shoulders "I guess I have forgiven him already I just want to see what he is prepared to do to make it up to me you know?" She asked looking up at her brother unsure of what she was saying "does that make me a bad person?" She finally concluded biting her lip unsurely. Jai shook his head amazed by the thought his sister had gotten into her head now, "no Mar, of course that doesn't make you a bad person, I think you have every right to be upset and wary about him and his future actions. This way you can see if he is really interested in a relationship or just the idea of it. I must admit I do understand him as you can be very scary sometimes." He finished with a joke trying to make her smile again and it worked when she laughed and lightly punched him in the arm "you are a jerk, you know that right?" She said smiling and shaking her head playfully. Jai laughed and shook his head secretly glad that his sister seemed to be doing better already. He laughed even more when he heard her stomach, and his, rumble almost simultaneously "how about we go out for dinner to Atalaya like we always used to do?" Jai suggested knowing that Margo had always loved the small family owned restaurant that was located on a cliff and overlooked the ocean. They had been there many times when they were younger first with their parents and later just the three of them and the food had always been amazing. "Ooh yes lets go! But we have to invite Jesse, show him the marvel that is Atalaya." Margo agreed while jumping of the couch a smile on her face, her mood seemed to have changed drastically with the arrival of her brother "yes of course, you can't live here and not go there at least once." She smiled at him once more before rushing upstairs to invite Jesse and get changed. 

Jai took his time to look around the living room to properly see how it had changed in his absence. He smiled when he saw the framed pictures of their family standing on the mantel piece and hanging on the wall, most were of him, Will and Margo but there were a few with their parents. He could also see a couple of more recent pictures from Margo and her new friends, some form her birthday and a few with Toby on the beach. He smiled to himself and frowned when his eyes fell on a folder with the name Phaedra jewelry in cursive writing on the front. He carefully picked it up and opened it gasping slightly at the professional pictures of his sister that greeted him. Some were close ups of her neck and arms highlighting some jewelry she was wearing and others were from further away showing off her body and also her prosthetic leg, nothing had been done to try and hide it but they also hadn't portrayed it as something different or weird. Jai was surprised as he had no idea when or why this happened. He knew Margo had started a youtube channel and blog and had gained a following on both and on her Instagram, but he hadn't know it was so big that companies wanted to work with her. Margo found him there 5 minutes later, still looking at the pictures with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. He was happy, happy that his sister had come so far working very hard to achieve her dreams. "Hey Jai, you ready to go?" His sister asked ignoring the tears in his eyes or the look on his face when he pulled her into a hug. "Yeah I'm ready, you two ready?" He asked looking at Jesse, who was standing behind Margo looking at the floor. "are you guys sure you want me there and don't just want a quiet family dinner?" He asked looking unsure "You are family Jess." Margo exclaimed walking towards him and nudging his shoulders "yeah, you have done so much for my sister that it would be stupid not to consider you a part of our family." Jai added "Now, let's go eat because I am hungry." He finished walking towards the car, waiting for Jesse and Margo to walk outside, close the front door and make their way to the car. Margo was almost weirded out by Jai's sudden change in behavior, as he had been close to tears a minute earlier but she decided to ignore it and enjoy the night out with two of her favourite people. 

AN: I know the ending was a bit sudden but I thought it worked best for the story and if not it would be way to long. Once again, please vote and comment to let me know what you thought about this story.