//------------------------------// // The Ride Home // Story: Before the Friendship Games: Sunny Flare // by CapNTilfy //------------------------------// Silence hung in the car for minutes as the family of three drove away from the cemetery. Sunny sighed deeply as she stared out the window. "Are you going to be okay?" asked Glaze. Sunny shrugged. "Hell if I know. Honestly, I'm not even sure I'm done crying over this overall. I just know that I'm crying about it today." Stellar nodded from the driver's seat. "That's understandable." "But I do feel a little better. Not much better, but better enough that I can feel a difference." said Sunny. "That's good." said Glaze. "At least the Friendship Games are tomorrow. That'll be a good outlet for me after the week I've had." said Sunny. "Indeed." said Stellar. "Just try not to go overboard." "Who? Moi?" Sunny said, innocently. Stellar smiled, then rolled his eyes as Glaze and Sunny laughed. Sunny sighed. "I needed that laugh." "We all did." said Glaze. "It's been a rough week for us all." "Yeah." said Sunny, resuming her gaze through the window as she sighed. "Maybe some dinner will cheer you up?" asked Stellar. "I'll take anything at this point. I'm starving." said Sunny. "I'm game." said Glaze. --------------------------------------------- Stellar Tycoon, Shimmering Glaze and Sunny Flare all sat down at a table in the restaurant. Sunny made a sputtering noise. "What's on your mind, hon?" asked Glaze. "Well, it's just that...sure, the Friendship Games are tomorrow. But for the first time since I don't know when, I feel like I'm facing an uncertain future. That bothers me, not knowing what to expect in the days to come. Before the accident on Friday, it felt like everything was set in stone. Rutherford and I had each other and I had-" she cut herself off to revise her statement. "I still feel like I have a bright future ahead of me, but it's been clouded by his death." Sunny sighed. "Well, you know the saying; 'Even the best laid plans fail'. If the future was so easy to predict, wouldn't that be boring?" said Stellar. "Not if it meant you could prevent an untimely death." Sunny sighed heavily. "Have you ever thought of what you want to do after Crystal Prep?" Glaze said, eagerly changing the subject. "Not really, actually." Sunny admitted. "I don't have much time left at CPA, and I have no idea where to go from there once I graduate." She put her head in her hands. "Maybe my future isn't as bright as I thought." Stellar grabbed Sunny by the wrists, surprising his daughter. "Now you listen here, Sunny Flare." he said as he looked her in the eye. "Your future is as bright as your name. In fact, that's why we gave you that name." Sunny's eyes widened. Her parents had never told her this before. Glaze gave Sunny a smile. "It's true. When you were born, we settled on the name Sunny Flare because we hoped for your life and future to be a bright, shining light. So bright that it could only be described as a Sunny Flare." Sunny had a hand to her mouth, at a loss for words. "So if you ever have any doubt about your future, just remember this: your future is, has been, and will always be bright. Don't ever doubt it." said her father. Sunny started tearing up. "Dammit." she said. "I thought I was done crying today." Glaze smiled. "This is different. You're shedding tears of joy, not sorrow." Sunny blew her nose using a napkin. "I love you both." she said, sniffling. "And we love you." said her father. "Now enough with the emotions, let's eat!" said her mother as they all laughed and ate. --------------------------------------------- Sunny, Glaze and Stellar all got back in the car after having dinner. Sunny sighed, leaning on her mother. For once, it was not a sigh of sadness, but one of contentment. "You do realize that if you fall asleep in the car, you'll have to wake up and walk up the stairs, right?" Glaze said with a smirk. "If." said Sunny, smiling. "I'm not planning on it, mother. I'm just enjoying the moment." Glaze smiled and stroked her daughter's hair, then looked to Stellar and nodded. Stellar smiled and started the engine, as eager as his wife and daughter to be home and get a decent night's rest after the emotionally tiring events of the day. Sunny closed her eyes, and basked in the sounds of cars passing by as they played whatever loud music they were listening to. It's too bad I can't hear any wildlife ambiance. That would be nice right about now. she thought. But beggars can't be choosers. She let out another contented sigh, truly at peace for the first time since she woke up at the hospital after the car accident. --------------------------------------------- Stellar pulled into the garage. "All right, people. We're home!" Sunny groaned. "Can't we just stay like this throughout the night? I'm so very comfortable." Glaze chuckled. "As much as I like the sound of that, I warned you." "Indeed you did, mother." Sunny smiled. "But there's just one problem with your warning." Glaze quirked an eyebrow. "And that would be?" Sunny looked at her mother and grinned. "I never fell asleep." Glaze snickered. "But you still have to go up the stairs to get to your room." "I know." Sunny said. "I was just saying, is all." she lifted her head off of her mother's shoulder with a little bit of effort. She walked out of the car and stretched. "Wow, I really needed that." She yawned. "Well, bedtime for me." "I think it's bedtime for all of us." said Glaze. "Today was a truly exhausting day." said Stellar. "Have a good night's sleep, honey!" he said as he hugged Sunny. "You two sleep well as well." Sunny said, returning the hug, then hugging her mother. "Goodnight!" "Goodnight!" her parents said as she went upstairs before them. Now in her room, Sunny Flare changed into her pajamas. She took the medication and crawled into bed. She stretched and yawned one last time before letting sleep overtake her. --------------------------------------------- Sunny woke up the next day, feeling refreshed.