[Kylie]

It was a bright and warm afternoon in Chicago, Illinois. Outside of a decently large house enclosed by a big yard filled with shady oak trees. Parked on the long driveway leading up to the home was a Mercedes-made SUV with its trunk swung open. A tall man with neatly-combed brown hair wearing a blue button-down and khakis was just finishing loading the last piece of his daughter’s luggage into the vehicle. His daughter, speak of the devil, with new blonde highlights in her hair, was sitting on the front steps with phone in hand and earbuds in her ears. She was wearing a white crop-top along with denim high-waisted shorts and a pair of tan sandals.

“Kylie!” her father hollered after slamming the trunk shut. “Kylie!” he hollered again after not getting a response.

Kylie had heard him the first time, but decided to pretend not to, since she had her music on. However, since he called her a second time, she pulled her earbuds out with a sigh and looked up from her phone.

“What is it, Dad?”

“The car’s all packed and ready to go.” Mr. Reith walked up the small path toward the front steps where she was.

“Let’s go then. The sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can start doing whatever I want.”

[i]As if she doesn’t do that already,[/i] her father thought unsympathetically. “This isn’t a vacation, Kylie. Your mother and I told you already. Skyline is dangerous. Is this the kind of risk you want to take for not having to go to class?”

“Yes,” she shot back, not missing a beat. She sauntered over to the car and hopped into passenger seat. “It was your idea anyway. I’ll get a good job when I graduate.”

Mr. Reith watched her backside and frowned, wondering about what he’d do if the worst were to happen… Kylie was his only child; even though he didn’t get so see her much, and she wasn’t the most fond of him, he still loved her very much. The thought of never seeing her again was just… Well, it was just too much. He rubbed out the tears that brimmed his eyes and got into the car as well.

“Kylie…” he said in a low voice. “You know it’s not too late to decide not to go.”

“But I [i]want[/i] to go,” she insisted.

“You could die!” he suddenly burst out, but it’s not like Kylie didn’t already know that. “Your mother and I… We’d miss you terribly, honey…”

Kylie scoffed. “Where is Mom, by the way?” she asked, turning to face him with a frown.

“You know she’s been busy at the office…” Mr. Reith replied helplessly.

“Couldn’t even come see her daughter off to the school she might die at?”

Mr. Reith nearly flinched at her words. “Don’t say that!”

“Don’t act like you all care about me.”

“We do,” he choked out weakly, the tears returning to his eyes. “You’re our only daughter. How couldn’t we care about you? We love you!”

His daughter let out another, even louder sigh.

“Right… Don’t cry, Dad,” she told him. “Just start driving. Wake me up when we get there.” She put her earbuds back on and leaned her head back on the headrest while Mr. Reith sniffled and stuck the keys into the ignition.