Take Me Away

On the expressway of the north outer ring of M City, a bus from the D University sped towards Maple Mountain.

Inside the bus were students from the Jewelry Design Department. Some of them were resting with their eyes closed, and some were chatting. They were all in the two-hour ride together to sketch on Maple Mountain.

Fiona sat calmly beside the window. Throughout most of the ride, she just absently and quietly gazed out the window.

"Hey!" Sophia tapped her by the shoulder. "What's so beautiful that you keep staring outside the window? You haven't even blinked!"

Fiona returned to her senses. She smiled. "Why don't you see for yourself? We're still an hour away."

"Hey, you two!" Ella took off her eye masks and turned around to look at them. "Shut up! I'm trying to sleep. You're distracting me!"

"Look what time it is now! Why are you still sleeping?" Sophia snorted.

"We'll be hiking up the mountain later. Don't we all need a good rest to have enough energy later?" Ella yawned, put on her eye masks again, and sat comfortably in her seat. "Be quiet!" she warned again before trying to doze off.

"Humph!" Sophia protested in a low voice.

Fiona gripped her phone tightly. 'We'll be in the Maple Mountain for three days. I've only told Grandpa about it. Should I tell Spencer? What if he returns early and I'm not there? Should I call him?' she thought. Sophia howled, "What are you thinking about again, Fiona? Talk to me. You're too quiet! I'm bored!"

Just as Fiona was about to say something, her phone rang.

"Shit!

That scared me." Sophia clutched her chest. She glanced at Fiona's phone stealthily. "Who called you?" A sly smile formed on her face. "Is that your husband?"

"Hush!" Fiona shushed her.

Spencer's name flashed across the screen. Fiona immediately covered Sophia's mouth with her hand. "Are you trying to kill me?

Why would you say that out loud?!" Sophia shook her head and pushed Fiona's hand aside. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" she apologized earnestly.

Frowning, Fiona took a breath and answered the phone carefully. "Hello?"

"Fiona, what took you so long to pick up?" asked the man on the other end. "What do you mean?" Fiona asked. "Are you trying to ignore me?" Spencer's unpleasant voice came from the other end. Johnson, sitting in the driver's seat, peeked at Spencer through the rearview mirror. 'This man is a man of duplicity. He has been smiling since he finished his task, and now he's pretending to be angry? What for?' he thought.

"I didn't hear it right away." Fiona covered her cellphone with one hand, and tried to push Sophia away with the other.

"Humph!" Spencer grunted. He leaned against the back of his seat. There was a hint of joy and confidence in his tone. "I'll be returning to Four Seasons Scenery around noon. You better come back from school as soon as possible."

"You're coming back?" Fiona couldn't hide her surprise. "Today?!"

"Of course!" Spencer's eyebrows furrowed at the shock in Fiona's voice. "So what? Am I not welcome anymore? Even if I'm not welcome, you still have to go back and wait for me."

"Wow! How bossy!" Sophia grinned ear to ear as she eavesdropped.

"Who's beside you?" Spencer asked. He had heard another person's voice come through the phone.

Fiona hushed Sophia. Sophia immediately covered her mouth and blinked, feeling guilty.

"It's Sophia," Fiona replied honestly. "How about you go back to Cheng family residence instead of the Four Seasons Scenery? I called Grandpa yesterday. He said he misses you." "Come with me," Spencer demanded.

"I..." Fiona stuttered. At a loss for words, she sighed and decided to tell the truth instead. "I can't go. We're on the way to Maple Mountain to do some sketching. We'll be there for three days." "What? Why didn't you tell me in advance? Since when was this planned? Come back right now!"

"I'm already on the way there. How do you expect me to return?" Fiona felt her anger rise up. "Just go back on your own. Why do you have to drag me along with you?"

"Ha-ha! If you are not coming with me, how are we going to have a baby?" Spencer answered.

"What the hell?!" Hearing this, Sophia immediately covered her mouth and tried hard to hold back her laughter.

Fiona's face blushed. She wanted to get angry, but she knew that would be fruitless. Instead, she calmed herself down and, in a low voice, she said, "I don't want to talk to you anymore. My signal's dying out." Then she hung up the phone hastily.

"Hello? Hello? Hey,

Fiona!

Damn it!" The silence on the other side enraged Spencer. He tossed the phone away with a livid face.

"Wow, Mr. Cheng is so awesome!" Sophia trembled with laughter. "You want to have a baby?"

Fiona smiled awkwardly and with heaviness in her heart. She looked up and saw Leona staring at her. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Just as when Fiona was about to give her a friendly smile, Leona withdrew her gaze and sat up straight.

Feeling shocked, Fiona looked away.

"Attention!" The teacher stood up in front of the bus with a loud speaker, calling everyone's attention. "We are about to arrive at the Maple Mountain in about forty minutes. This activity was supposed to be held in the middle of December. But this year, the leaves turned red at the end of this month, so we need to do the sketch ahead of time. The scenery is breath-taking. Everyone is required to submit two sketches in two weeks."☐☐☐☐☐