The Blackout ⤖ George Russell

T W E N T Y F O U R

Healthy brownies, it would be a dream if that was true. And according to this recipe, it is 'healthy'. Nora didn't care if they were healthy or not, she wanted to bake brownies. Aubrey printed the recipe out, Nora felt like a caveman, it felt like she was new to 2019 and the technology of these days. But all for the best recovery...

Nora preheated the oven and put her blonde hair in a bun, this also reminded her she needed to go to the hairdresser soon. She got all the necessities of the recipe and let her eyes glide over the letters on the white paper.

"Preheat the oven, check. Line the base of a 20-centimetre square cake tin with baking paper," she read out loud. She first washed her hands and followed up the instructions. In the meantime, she hummed along with the radio. "Alrighty, melt the chocolate in au Bain Marie style."

She chopped the chocolate in smaller pieces and secretly put a few pieces in her mouth. It's chocolate, what else do you expect me to do? An innocent smile played on her lips. Baking, or cooking, was one of her favourite hobbies. She shoved all the chocolate from the plate into the bowl and put the bowl on a pan what was filled with water.

"Norie," the cheery voice of Aubrey shouted. She entered the kitchen. "Did I print the good recipe?" Her eyes met Nora's.

"Yeah, I mean, it says healthy brownies, and that's always good," Nora said satisfied. "Thanks."

Aubrey stood next to her behind the stove and stirred in the bowl with chocolate. "I can eat it like this, and I don't care what people will think of me."

"Yes, me too," Nora smirked.

"Anyway, we're going to Switzerland in two weeks," Aubrey started. Nora frowned. "Mum asked us to visit her, since it's been a while and it will do you good to have a week off, in the Swiss nature. No pressure from the hospital or whatever," she continued and walked away from the stove. "But only if the doctors let you fly, otherwise we have to go another time or go on the train or car."

Nora whisked the eggs and added the rest of the ingredients to it. She winked it together. "Yeah, that should be fun," she mumbled.

"That sounded not too excited."

"Yeah, you know... Let's wait on the doctor's advice and see what happens next," Nora replied.

Aubrey nodded and got something to drink. "Let's do that. When's your next appointment?"

"Next week, the fifteenth," she replied.

"Isn's that George his birthday?"

"Yup." Nora stirred in the chocolate and continued whisking the other part of the recipe. "How was school?"

Aubrey got distracted by a text on her phone, she ignored the question. Nora looked up at Aubrey and shook her head; addicted. "Hmm, what?" Aubrey put her phone away and looked at her sister. "Oh, it was fine, nothing special. Ditched the last hour," she casually answered.

"Mate, don't skip school," Nora snorted.

"It was history, come on, that is boring. If I can sleep in class, I can go home and do something else because in both ways it won't enter my head," Aubrey defended herself.

"Bad argument."

Aubrey took a sip from her drink. "Like you never skipped."

"I never did, I never missed a lesson. Besides, history can be pretty interesting, but your generation doesn't get it..." Nora amusedly smiled and winked.

"For your information: we are born in the same generation," Aubrey burned her sister.

"I'm from '99, you're from '01. Both Gen-Z, indeed. Am I saying we are from different generations? No."

"And what is the point you're trying to make?" It was silence, what was the point again? "Exactly, Nora. Don't act like you're better than me because you are basically a grandma. You turned into a nerd; books, books and books. No phone, newspapers everywhere, boardgames..."

"I do have a phone, a Nokia," Nora reminded her and kept her face straight. She bursted into laughter with Aubrey a few seconds after that. "I do have a phone, people can call or text me when they have to. God, I can't wait until Kline or Damien says I can live my normal life again. But I quite like the silence on my phone, don't miss it." She read the recipe. "Can you sift the cocoa, flour and baking powder?"

Aubrey nodded and did what her sister asked her to. "How did you get a Nokia?"

"Old phone from dad."

"Brilliant," Aubrey chuckled. "What's next?" She grabbed the papers and read the text. "'Pour over the melted chocolate and gently fold in until well combined.' Mate, pour over what? I'm not stupid, but we have to fold the chocolate with your mixture and the flour?"

Nora grabbed the papers from Aubrey's hands and read the recipe. "I think we have to add the flour with the mixture? Mix it and then fold the chocolate into it?" She looked questionably at Aubrey.

"I don't know, let's just mix it," Aubrey said and shrugged. "And if it fails, it fails."

Nora agreed on it, and they mixed everything together. It needed to be mixed anyway, so why do it on a particular order? Nora knew it could change the game between fluffiness or stickiness, but she didn't care now.

"Do you have memories? Like from Abu Dhabi? I haven't heard you talking about it for a while," Aubrey quietly asked and poured the mixture in the cake tin, since the bowl was still too heavy for Nora.

"I remember some things," Nora admitted. Aubrey looked hopeful at her. "Track walk, some snips from an interview with Kimi, I sometimes see you and our family but with no context, a moment with George," she said. "And the crash."

Air got sucked out of Aubrey's longs. She accidentally dropped the spoon on the counter. "Oh, yeah, the crash," she muttered absent and squeezed her eyebrows together.

"So I was right all along: an accident," Nora emotionlessly said, but her eyes wetted. "But seeing George and Lando... They keep saying it is their fault, and I can see how much anxiety they have or had." Her voice cracked. "It is breaking my heart to see them like that."

Aubrey swallowed. "So you know who did it?"

"Nobody did it," Nora sneered, causing a shock through Aubrey's body. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm not blaming anyone, but me. I was arrogant enough to think I could drive through that corner while I was blocking everyone."

"This isn't your fault." Aubrey shook her head.

"Neither it is George's or Lando's fault. And they both think it is their fault." Nora deeply inhaled. "And I can see they're both blaming themselves for it. No matter how much I tell them this isn't their fault, I can see they don't believe it. They both should be focussing on F1, not on me or what happened in Abu Dhabi. I'm fine, I will get there."

"They care. They both have been crying while sitting next to your bed."

"I know."

Aubrey looked at the cake tin. The silence fell between them. Aubrey put the tin in the oven and looked at Nora, who was staring outside. Aubrey was surprised Nora was still emotionally okay. She expected Nora to have a massive breakdown after finding out what happened to her. Perhaps she was hiding it, or maybe it still had to come.

"25 minutes, right?"

Nora zoned out her own mind and looked confused at Aubrey.

"Baking time..."

"Ow," she mumbled and looked at the recipe again. "Yes, 25."

Aubrey nodded and put in the right time. She sighed and scooped some leftovers from the mix with her finger. She tasted the mix. "If it didn't contain any raw ingredients, I would eat this with a spoon in front of the tv with a bad movie."

"You what?" Nora smirked and did the same. "Yup, this is good. We did it well, this isn't a failure," she nodded and pressed a fake smile on her lips, while her mind was still with the crash.