Will stood by the side of the road, a duffel bag slung across his right shoulder as he waited for the hovercar that was to take him back to Helios Grove. He looked down at the bag to his right, wondering if he had brought enough of his personal belongings.
After the conversation he had with his parents the previous night, Will had contacted Varek to inform the elite of his decision. The older man was more than a little excited at the news, his enthusiasm conveyed through the BIC.
"And what about your accommodations? Staying with us, or your parents'?" Varek asked.
"I think it will be a good opportunity to stay in the city centre. I really hope I'm not imposing Varek, because if I am I can always find another place." Will said. He liked the idea of living in Helios Grove but couldn't help but feel that he was imposing, even if Varek was the one who invited him.
"Nonsense. We have the room and it's no bother at all."
"Thanks Varek. Is there anything I need to bring besides a change of clothes?"
"You don't even need those actually. If you're going to be an elite, you're going to dress like one. You can still bring some clothes if you prefer to slip into something more comfortable now and then, but other than that you'll have a brand new wardrobe."
Following Varek's advice, Will packed a few sets of his clothes, leaving the rest in his old room. That morning his mom had bid him a teary goodbye and Will had to remind her that he would be visiting often. She smiled but still continued to shed her tears. Will just laughed and shook his head, thinking that maybe this was just what mothers did.
So here he was, waiting by the side of the road. As he waited, he observed the street that he lived on for the past twenty-one years. Mostly a residential area, the place featured row after row of houses. The roads that ran along the streets were mostly empty of vehicles, unlike the city centre where you saw a hovercar every few feet. So when a shiny black hovercar came floating down the street towards Will, he knew immediately that it was his ride.
As the vehicle coasted to a smooth stop in front of Will, the door opened. Expecting everything to be the same as the previous day, Will didn't have a second thought before stepping into the car. This time however, the vehicle wasn't as empty as he had expected.
"What are you doing here?" Will asked, pausing halfway into the vehicle.
"Just get in. I'll explain later." Thane replied, not giving any further information. Will raised an eyebrow at him, trying to figure out the guy's motives. Still, confused as he might have been, Will stepped in, taking a seat beside Thane. The door closed behind him and the vehicle was off. "Nice to see you." Thane smiled.
"That makes one of us. I think I'm more confused than anything else." Thane simply laughed, taking a tablet out from the door compartment. He turned it on and tapped away onto the screen.
"We're just gonna have a slight detour before we head back to Helios." Thane mumbled, more to himself than anyone, as he tapped the screen. With a final keystroke, the driver bot spoke up.
"Route updated." It droned before quickly taking a left turn. Even though he had only traveled to Helios Grove once before, Will knew that the route they were supposed to take carried on straight ahead instead of taking a left turn.
"You hacked the robot?" Will asked.
"Hack is such a strong word. I like to think of it as re-programming." Thane's mischievous tone did nothing to ease Will's confusion.
"Something tells me that this isn't something your father would approve of."
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Will rolled his eyes, knowing that he had no choice but to just go with it. Wherever or whatever Thane had in mind, Will had no way to change it even if he wanted to.
"Where are we going anyway? I hope you're not bringing me somewhere so you can kill me." Will said, raising an eyebrow at the man next to him.
"Now why would I kill you? Look at that cute face." Thane cooed like he was speaking to a little kid.
"Wow you can be infuriating sometimes. You know you're kinda childish?"
"So I've heard."
"Really?" Will asked. From what Will could tell, Thane's interactions with everyone else he had seen was very professional, so different from the Thane that spoke to him. Hearing that someone else had said he was childish seemed unlikely what with the way he carried himself around others.
"Nope. Just you." Thane smirked making Will roll his eyes once again.
"I rest my case. So, are you going to tell me where we're going?" Will asked, turning to face Thane.
"You'll know when we get there. I'm certain you'll like it too so don't worry." At those words, Will knew exactly where they were headed.
"The forest? Why are we going there?" Will asked, making Thane whip his head to Will in surprise. "Don't look so surprised. Could you have been any more obvious?"
"You're one of those 'nothing gets by you' kind of person aren't you. Damn, takes the joy out of any kind of surprise."
"I have more than enough surprises in my life right now. Besides, you are in no obligation to surprise me with anything, or need I remind you that we aren't exactly friends yet? I've known you for three days, and I'm not exaggerating." Will stated. Seriously though, he could count the number of times he had met Thane on one hand.
