XX

I was nearly there. I was nearly at the Whyte Wyrm. I was so close, yet so far, to seeing my siblings. Torn feelings of excitement and apprehension rose up within me and my brain fumbled to function as the effects of my raging emotions began to take their toil.

"Hey," the warm, comforting hand of my father was placed on my shoulder. "Don't look so nervous. It's gonna be okay."

I nodded and shot him a quick smile in response, unsure if I could agree with him or not. What if it didn't turn out okay? What if they didn't want to see me? I bit my lip, blinking back the tears that threatened to envelop me. I couldn't let anyone see how truly vulnerable I was at that moment.

"Alright, we're here," Dad proclaimed. He stopped in the middle of a small gravel path winding its way towards a large, two-storey building overlaid with weather-washed wooden boards.

I came to a halt right beside him and tipped my head back to glance up towards the construction that seemed to pierce the very sky. The few windows that had been sawed into the old wood-work were covered in metal bars and thick, grimy drapes. A huge sign, sporting the head of a vicious looking snake and the large, engraved words Whyte Wyrm, hung over a double set of glass doors which were painted a deep maroon colour.

I let out a deep, pent-up breath as my eyes flittered across the stack of motorcycles and Utes that littered the car-park out front.

If I went inside, it was very possible that I would see him. Whether that was something I was ready for or not, I would never know, but it was better to do this sooner rather than later.

"You ready?" Dad inquired, encircling a strong arm around my shoulders.

I licked my dry, chapped lips as I replied, "Yeah. Let's do this."

A small smirk found its way onto Dad's face as he led me towards those double glass doors. My heart was beating so fast and furiously I was certain that anyone within a hundred mile radius could hear it. My head was swarming, my palms were clammy, and my knees were practically knocking together. I felt like such a pathetic mess.

"Here we go," Dad encouraged as he leaned forward and swung open one of the big glass doors. "Just act casual and everything will be fine."

Casual? What the heck is even casual?

I ran my fingers through my thick, unruly hair before planting both hands deep into my pants pockets.

As Dad and I entered the building, a small string of bells hanging above the door jingled, signalling our arrival.

A wall plastered with posters, pictures and magazine clippings lined the side to my right. To my left was a cluster of crowded book shelves and a handful of black wheelie chairs. A large pool table was set up in the middle of the room and just opposite this was a bar covered with neon coloured lights. There were rough looking kids, each with their own Serpent jacket, spread out across the room. Some were sitting on the bar stools looking at their phones, others were playing a raucous game of pool, and still others were reclining back against the wheelie chairs carrying on loud, rowdy conversations with their mates.

As soon as the bells over the door went off, however, absolutely everyone in the room turned around and stared at us ... or rather, at me.

For a moment, I faltered, gazing at each person in turn. He wasn't here. My shoulders sagged slightly in relief as I glanced back over towards everyone. They all looked big and tough and scary, compared to me ...

"Oi, whatcha staring at?" my Dad suddenly yelled out, making a few of the onlookers jump in surprise. "This isn't a entertainment show so get back to your business ... now."

Everyone obeyed immediately. Some were completely fixated on what they were doing but others, even though they had obeyed, were still sneaking side glances towards me.

I ducked my head, refusing to meet their bold, curious looks until I felt a slight tap on my shoulder. Raising my eyebrows, I glanced up at Dad who was motioning to someone across the room.

I followed his line of sight and then froze.

A boy, a boy with a soft, grey beanie covering his thick tussle of dark hair, a boy wearing an oversized denim jacket and a long, button-up flannel, was pushing his way through a group of teens towards us. A smaller girl, her hair done up into side buns and her upper torso covered with a Serpent jacket, was right behind him.

As I gazed intently towards the two, I noticed that, while the girl was averting her eyes, the boy was staring straight back at me. A flicker of anger and suspicion passed over his face as he came to a stop right before me.

"J-Jughead?" I choked out, this time not being able to stop the tears from filling my bright hazel eyes.

For a moment, he didn't respond. Then, he sighed and spoke, "Mackenzie. Look whose finally shown up after all these years."

"Jughead!" Dad sent him a reproving frown and a shake of his head.

"What?" Jughead demanded sharply, widening his eyes and raising both hands in defence. "I'm just stating facts. I think it's very convenient that after all the hard stuff is over, you just show up, out of the blue. What did you expect? That Jelly and I would be all over you?"

"Of course not!" I snapped, a surge of anger flowing through me. "But I did, at least, expect a hello."

Jughead stared at me in disbelief as he spat out, "Wow. Just wow. Well, welcome back to the real world, sis."

I bit my lip, on the verge of tears again ... but this time, they weren't happy tears.

"Juggie!" the girl behind him complained loudly as she elbowed her way past him. She took one look at me before she leaped forward and wrapped both arms around my waist.

I was taken aback and by the looks on Dad's and Jughead's faces, I could tell that they were too.

"Jellybean?" I queried, pulling away and gazing down at her.

She nodded as she wiped at her watery eyes. "It's just Jelly now. I - I've kinda - you know - grown up. Oh geez, you - you don't know how much I've looked forward to this."

I let out a light laugh as I reached over and hugged her again. "Me too, Jelly, me too," I murmured into her hair. "And yes, you have grown up."

"We're going out to Pops for dinner," Dad spoke up, clearing his throat abruptly as he glanced towards Jughead. "You wanna come with?"

For a moment, Jughead hesitated and I almost thought he was going to say yes. Then, his brow darkened and he shook his head. "You know what? I have some stuff I need to take care of. See you around." With that, he spun around on his heel and stomped off.

Jelly and Dad exchanged a knowing look.

"Forget Jughead, he's being a jerk," Jelly tried to reassure me. "Don't worry, he'll come around."

I smiled down at her, trying not to let her sense my disappointment and embarrassment. "I hope you're right."

"We'd better leave," Dad ventured as he held out a guiding hand towards Jelly and I. "It's starting to get dark and we don't wanna keep you up too late now, Kenz, do we?"

I forced a smile onto my face as I replied, "I can't wait to eat at this 'Pops' place. Let's go."

Gif: Mackenzie as she meets Jelly.

* PLEASE REMEMBER to give this chapter a vote if you enjoyed and I'd love to hear any feedback from my readers; so pepper me with questions. If you're confused, I'll try and clarify it for you. If you want more information on a certain point, I'll do my best not to give you spoilers. If you just wanna chat 'bout random stuff, then I'm in *

Q: If you hadn't seen your sibling in ten years, would you respond to their return most similarly to Jelly or Jughead?