Prologue: The Vacation

"Olivia, come on! We're going to be late for our flight," my mother said as I was stuffing my last clothes into the suitcase before I zipped it and I was closing it before I locked it.

This is it, I thought as I was looking at the calendar that I have marked on for the first time I had in my room. It was our first summer vacation together abroad and to think that it was going to be Turkey, I cannot help but shriek with delight.

"Coming!" I said as I was getting my suitcase and I was descending the stairs of our two-bedroom apartment. I was getting out of the town and into the new unknown. It was Turkey as I have been waiting for this day to come in my 23 years of existence.

"Okay, come on, girls we need to keep moving," my father said as we loading the taxi that he had rented and the driver was helping us.

"Okay, passports, money, keys, wallets, everyone got it?" He asked as I was handing my passport to him. We will be going there as a group and I loved it if someone else was taking charges, for once.

"Okay, in you girls go," he said as I went inside my two younger sisters. My mum took the front with me as my father was riding shotgun.

"Now, to the airport please," my father said as the driver hit the gas and sped off to the airport.

"Aunt Mimi, Uncle Sam!" My youngest sister called after our aunt and uncle. Our cousins were there as well as I went to greet Kaka on the way.

"Hey, cuz," I said as I was hugging her.

"Hey yourself. Finally, the trip that we have been waiting for our lives," she said in delight as I can see that she was excited as I was.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I cannot believe my parents would be agreeing to get some air from a foreign country," I said as I was looking at our passport. It was blue with the sign of the eagle and the font, stating the United States of America.

"Okay, girls come on," they said as we went to check in our bags and we were waiting for our flights in about 3 more hours.

"Hey, have you heard?" Kaka said as I was looking at Twitter. I tore my face out of my phone before I was looking at her.

"What?" I asked her as she was smiling at me.

"Well, someone doesn't read the news," she teased. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Sorry I was not a little birdie for you to gossip with," I said as I was checking my Twitter again.

"Okay, sorry but guess what? I heard that some Turkish tycoon was looking for a bride and the news stated that he already has one," she squirmed in delight. I sighed. I know that I don't share the same enthusiasm but what can I say? She's my cousin and I have to deal with her.

"Okay, girls, let's go!" My father called us as my mother was talking with Aunt Mimi and Uncle Sam was holding the smaller children, including my sister. The other was not having a care in the world.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please pay your attention to the screen as we will be reading the instruction for safety before departure," the announcer said as I was putting on my headphones.

I don't have a care in the world but I think I have heard this a few thousand times as I always flight through domestic for the holiday. It was a necessary thing before I was settling my eyes to get some sleep. That will do some good for me.

My cousin Kaka was sitting next to me and my parents were sitting across the aisle as well as my aunt and uncle. They have the little ones and we were free of noise right now.

"Hey, can you not sleep until I have everything to tell you. Come on, it has been months since we last saw each other and I have so many things to tell you," she said before I just nodded and tuned out her voice.

I was looking at the window and I was looking at the sight of SFO airport. It was not like any other and I was glad that I was living in Seattle now. Now that was a different story.

"Hey, are you even listening?" My cousin asked me as I was looking at her bored.

"Uh-huh,"

"Okay, tell me what I just told you then,"

"You were having so much fun in Uni that you cannot go to the events that were meaningless because your lecturers told it was worthless?" I replied to her as I was looking at her face. Her shock expression earned a smirk from me before she slapped my arms.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For mocking me and my stories. Now after that, we went to—" then I tuned out again as we were departed from the land and I was snoring for most of the time when we were in the air.

"Hey, Olivia, hey, Wake up!" My cousin's voice was coming into the dream that I was having.

"No, get away," I said as I was swapping my hands around me.

"Olivia, wake up. Or do you not wish for food?" When she said food, my eyes instantly opened as I saw the head of the flight attendant was giving away food. We were merely rows before they reached us.

"Why you did not tell me?" I asked Kaka but she just shrugged.

"It's a good thing that I was waking you up. I thought of not getting you riled up for food for dozing off when I was telling my stories," she said as her blue eyes were flickering at me. I smiled sheepishly at her before I batted my eyelashes at her.

"Well, I was tired and I wanted to get some sleep before we have our layover and we will be getting the summer vacation of our lives," I said as I was trying to make up for her. She ignored me, of course, but I have my food and everything was right with me.

"Okay, but you owe me," she said as she was opening her food container as well as I did.

We have a short layover in New York because we have to change flights. It was silly really when the more layover you have, the cheaper the flights are. well, maybe they are right and I cannot argue with that logic.

"Okay, so our next flight will be in terminal B and gate 189. so, everyone, let's go there before we have some food or go to the bathroom. We don't want to miss it!" My father's voice was booming as I was reading something on my phone.

"Olivia, get off your phone, we need to move, now," my mother said as I was looking at her. She was demure but her authority voice will not make you lazy. I know because I was her daughter.

"Okay, okay. I'm moving," I said as I went to get my backpack. I bumped into someone before I stared into the clearest eyes in all time. I was amazed for a while before I can move.

"Olivia!" My father's voice came into my eardrum that made me turned away from that guy.

"Coming," I said and when I turned back, he was gone. And I don't even get to tell him my apology.

"Geez, can you move any slower cousin?" Kaka asked me as I felt in step with her.

"Haha, very funny," I said as I was putting on my backpack on my shoulder. We were walking behind my family as the children were talking animatedly and our parents were happy to talk to them.

"So, I saw that you bumped into a guy," she said as she was wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Well, I did not even apologize to him. I felt bad," I said as I was getting a seat next to Kaka. We have arrived at the gate and my father asked everyone what they wanted for dinner.

"Okay, we have Panda Express, Burger King, Starbucks, and McDonald's. So, what will it be?" He asked for the majority before I voted for Panda Express as well as my cousin.

"Okay, Panda Express it is," he said as he went with my uncle to get some of the dinners before our flight to Turkey. It was intense really but I think I can handle it.

"So, do you need to talk about that guy?" Kaka asked all of a sudden.

"It was a mistake. I bumped him, did not apologize, so I guess I was a bummer," I said as I was trying to make sure that everything will be perfect.

Dinner came and we ate in silence before the announcer said our flight. We were getting ready to board as they called by zone and we were lucky that my parents bought us Zone A tickets. It was still the economy but we were happy with that.

The flight took off and it took 9 hours to arrive in Istanbul. I did not complain as it was nice to have a rest but when you were traveling by plane, it was hard to get a decent sleep.

I was watching some movies, hearing on the radio, I even played games on the plane as I was so bored. I should have brought some books when I could fit in my backpack. My cousin was sleeping soundly as if in the altitude of 15000 ft above the ground and how the cramped space did not bother her, I cannot guess why.

"Ugh, I hate flying," I said as I was looking at the other passenger and they were all doing something that they don't mind in the bright light of their own. I was not going to put on the lights as it would disturb Kaka. So, I took a nap and hoped that I will be getting some.

The flight attendant comes and goes as she was giving some food for dinner and then for breakfast later on. I was not still sleeping but I dozed off a couple of times as I was cracking my stiff neck. It was not pleasant before I went out of the seat and walked around the aisle and sat down again. It has been quite a routine for me in the last 9 hours.

My parents and aunt Mimi and uncle Sam were dozing off. I did not know what was happening but seeing they were dozing off, I started to fall asleep before I saw that grey eyes again and again in my sleep.

"Ma'am? ma'am? Excuse me, ma'am," the voice and the shaking of my body had me startled before I looked into flight attendance's face.

"Yes?" I asked her and my voice was hoarse as I was having saliva pooling at the side of my face. I was mortified.

"Sorry, we were about to land, can you put your seat up?"

"Yes, sure," I said as I went to straight up the seat as everyone was getting ready to get down from the plane. I looked at my cousin as she was smirking at me. I rolled my eyes at her before the captain announced that we have landed. I looked outside it was perfect.

Turkey, here we come!