Chapter 42
Ariel was startled. She quickly stepped aside.
Behind her, a young woman’s panicked voice rang out, “I’m so sorry, miss! My drone’s acting up. It’s not responding properly. Are you okay?”
Ariel turned around and saw a teenager in a hospital gown. She had a pretty face and looked genuinely apologetic.
Ariel nodded. “I’m fine.”
The young woman let out a breath of relief. “That’s good to hear. I don’t know what happened. It just started going wild.”
Ariel glanced at the drone hovering nearby, then held out the cookie boxes she was carrying. “Mind if I take a look at it?”
The young woman’s eyes
lit
- up. “Not at all!”
She took the boxes from Ariel and peeked inside. Her eyes practically sparkled when she saw the cookies.
Ariel grabbed the drone and gave it a quick inspection. “It’s likely a malfunction in the flight system, which is why it couldn’t follow the preset route. We’ll need to check if it’s an issue with the gyroscope or a sensor calibration error.”
The woman stared at her in awe. “You’re amazing, miss!”
Ariel adjusted a few settings, then handed it back. “Should be much better now. Try it.”
The woman gave it a quick test flight, and it flew like a dream.
“Freya!”
A man’s voice called urgently from behind. Ariel turned and saw Perry rushing over. He looked worried.
Freya Houston instinctively hid behind Ariel.
Perry came to a stop and blinked in surprise when he saw her. “Ms. Walker?”
Ariel looked at him. “You’re her…?
יול..
“Brother,” he said. He looked at Freya and sighed in relief. “She’s my sister. She’s sick but still snuck out. I’ve been looking all over for her. Thank you.”
Ariel shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
She didn’t seem interested in chatting further. Her tone was polite but distant, with just enough civility.
Perry pressed his lips together, unsure what to say.
“Ms. Walker, are you and Perry friends?” Freya asked, eyes wide with curiosity. She could tell they knew each other.
The word “friends” made Ariel frown instinctively.
That label didn’t fit at all. If anything, their relationship was more about mutual disdain.
1/2
Perry could tell what Ariel was thinking. After a pause, he said, “We’ve known each other a long time.”
Freya gave Perry a glance. For some reason, he seemed awkward around Ariel.
“Ms. Walker, can I have your number?” Freya really liked Ariel. She valued her first impressions a lot, and Ariel was impressive. She understood such a sophisticated drone so well.
Ariel hesitated.
Perry noticed and quickly said, “It’s fine. If you don’t want-”
“I don’t mind. Give me your phone.” Ariel couldn’t bring herself to turn down a genuine request from a sweet
young woman.
Freya beamed. “Thank you, Ms. Walker! And thank you for fixing my drone. Can I treat you to a meal sometime?”
Ariel gave her a small smile. “It was nothing.”
She glanced at the cookies in Freya’s arms. “I made those myself. If you like them, you can have them.”
Freya’s gaze toward Ariel grew even more fond. “Thank you, Ms. Walker!”
Ariel nodded politely at Perry and turned to leave.
Perry, for some reason even he didn’t understand, blurted out, “Do you want me to give you a ride?”
Ariel paused for a second, then looked at him oddly. “No, thank you.”
As she walked away, Perry couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He used to think Ariel was always trying to win Jayson over, so she was endlessly sweet and agreeable. No matter how cold they were to her, she never got angry.
But now, it was different. Despite her usual calm demeanor, she seemed particularly distant.
She seemed to genuinely hate him.
“Perry?” Freya nudged him with a suspicious look. “Why are you staring at her like that?”
Perry snapped out of it and said, “Give me her number.”
When Ariel got home, she received a text from an unknown number. “Hi, it’s Perry.‘
Back then, both Matt and Perry had looked down on her. They wouldn’t have bothered getting her number.
What was going on? Did Perry need something?
Ariel didn’t dwell on it. She simply replied, “Oh”, and then went to take a shower.
