Welcome To Vegas

I dry my hair and apply a layer of makeup which sawyer taught me through the weeks we spent together. I put on jeans, shorts and a red blouse with sandals and hung my small bag across my body.

With a soft knock on the door, Lilith asks me to hurry up because Saturdays are the busiest day for the strip.

Mom was supposed to take me out on tour, but as she said earlier, I needed to bond with my new family before the wedding. I decided that Lilith and I could hang around and know each other more.

Stepping outside the house, it was almost seven in the evening. The neighbourhood is quiet and smells like flowers when my eyes dart on a primarily new white Range Rover moving out of the last garage door. Lilith rolls down the window and smiles at me.

"Get in sœur."

Narrowing my eyes, I march to the passenger seat. "sœur?"

"It means sister in French."

"You speak French?" I asked, amazed.

"I speak quite some language." She brags. "Now, put on your seatbelt, your mom..."

"Reminded you to make sure I did." I air quote Christian.

Laughing small, she nods. "Imma take care of you, trust me, little mèimei."

"Let me guess, little sister?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"In Chinese." She smirked. "I know I'm impressing." She added.

Laughing, I didn't argue. She's really impressive.

"I feel like we're taking a small roundabout on a big roundabout," I say after realising we've been driving through roundabouts.

Laughing, Lilith explain. "The first one is by the hills guard gate, and this curve path is called the village center circle. By my side is Dad favorite golf club. Leigh and his friends sometimes hang here."

"Leigh plays golf?" I ask immediately.

"Yes, he does. Most of the seniors do." She replied.

Leigh doesn't look like a golf person—he seems calm and mature, but golf? That's something else. "By your side is all Summerlin. I mean all here is Summerlin, but if we could take this straight path and continue driving through the village center circle, you'd see more of Summerlin pass the traffic lights, it's so much fun, it has Starbucks, dominos, IHOP, McDonald's and lots of takeouts and diners, we shop groceries, and some quick stuff around we don't need to drive long distance, there are supermarkets and stores. . . If you're interested in ballet, there's a right place for you." She cheerfully says, and I shake my head, letting out a light giggle. "Alright, there's a library in there, your mom mentioned—you love reading. I think you will like it. I sometimes hang with my friends there on boring weekends or at egg works instead." She continues to explain while I attentively listen to her. "Here's the N town center drive. There are bus stops provided around here. I think we've passed some behind us."

"Yes, I saw like two by the village centre circle," I respond.

Nodding, she grins. "You're picking." She gives me a fist bump which I reciprocate. "That's spring gate lane. Leigh and his friends go for fitness workshops around there, so they're easily found in IHOP or safesplash afterwards just like the cheerleaders goes for practice and hangout." My eyes study the spring gate lane and safely shelf it in my brain.

"Do you cheer?" She asks.

Laughing at her ridiculous question, I shake my head. "So it does exist. Eww." Lilith glances at me before whispering 'whatever' under their breath.

I look around the flyover as we cut to the freeway. "Oh, over there is falling water apartments, I'm sure you'll get used to here, Quinn stays there, she's my best friend we go to school together— talking of school, our school is in Summerlin also."

"Have the school resume?" I ask her.

"Yes, we did. You're joining us on Monday." She turns to me. "You will drive with me in the mornings, and since I have extra classes after school closes, my GPA dropped last semester, so you'll have to be riding with Leigh back home."

"Does Leigh skip family gatherings? Like lunch and dinner always?" I ask. Surprised by my sudden change of subject, Lilith sighed and frowned a little.

"Not really, only if important things arise, like an emergency. I mean, Leigh is really a good kid for his age. Sometimes even dad who supposed to appreciate Leigh cultivation and amenability. he pleads Leigh to at least have fun, I mean, he rather studies than attend a party, even though he's the most popular kid in our school, fuck it, around here, but he's just so I don't know." She rolls her eyes. "All I am saying is that he's a very good person and a brother too."

I bite my lip and turn to the window. Leigh doesn't seem happy having me in the house; I doubt he chooses my bedroom colour. I think Lilith says that because she knew I would figure out, he doesn't like me. He escaped the first day I arrived here and not only skipped dinner, but he also managed to disappear since our morning encounter. He didn't attend lunch either.

We keep driving while Lilith shows me more places as we pass by—Santa Barbara, a resort and spa and another golf club, which speaks how desperate people around here are with golf. She later showed me some sports complexes, cafes, churches and malls, Bank of America and some extreme places too, she explained about rock spring and people she knows around there. I grabbed some of the eateries, del taco and four kegs and lots of places she mentioned that I couldn't remember anymore as I kept nodding, appearing attentive. All I know is Las Vegas is beautiful, for the strip looks genuinely interesting. My jaw dropped as I taking in the event.

"What holiday it is?" I mutter.

"It's weekend." Lilith confusedly answered.

"So vegas looks like this every weekend?" I ask, never taking my eyes off the city.

"Vegas looks like this every day." She laughs.

Laughing a little, I turn to her. "It's so beautiful, just like it should be," I say. "We have Paris in Las Vegas?" I smile when the mini Eiffel Tower appears ahead of us.

"Oh yes, and New York." Lilith giggle.

We spent the time driving around as it got darker while the city glittered with lights. I saw the beautiful park and watched the water fountain in awe as it splashed. Lilith told me it is called Bellagio fountains; it's a water show by Bellagio hotel and casino.

"We should go into those casinos," I recommend.

"You're not old enough." She says.

"So you're old enough?" I shoot back. What does she think she is just because she's eight months older? She's also fifteen since my birthday was two months ago.

She glanced sideways at me and shook her head. "I have a fake ID you don't. You have to wait until I get Leigh to ask Brandon to forge it for you."

"Oh," I murmur.

We parked at a free spot and followed the pedestrians and some possible tourists around Fremont street. As Lilith calls it, it looks insanely beautiful as I look up at the lights and canopies. Lilith snaps us some selfies and shares them with me, including our phone numbers. She told me about their first time at the four queens with her three best friends Suri, Quinn and Embry, and how the adult cafes are blissful, which we can't go for now because I have to provide a sixteen-year identification card.

"Leigh is old enough for the casinos?" I ask Lilith after making it to a stake house near a subway diner since the classy cafes are out of reach.

"He's seventeen by December. You have to be at least twenty-one to be in those places."

Biting on my Seared Scallops with Creamy Garlic Sauce which I learned was almost a hundred dollars. "So he's the obedient child?" I snort.

"Kinda, but I'm not his alibi because Tyron Bertram isn't that good friend to hang out with. He's friends with Brandon, the dropout student who does illegal stuff. He's account for anything illegal." She state.

"The guy who will make my ID card?" I ask.

"Yes, Brandon." She says as she chews on her lobster.

"I thought you said Leigh is responsible. Why would he hang with bad people?"

"He doesn't hang with Brandon. Tyron does. But Tyron isn't that bad; he's just an asshole." She explains.

"Oh," I mumble.

"Tell me about London. I adore Britain," Lilith said when she leaned towards me.

Blushing, I told her about the weather, our food and fun places, about my old friends and my cousin, Sawyer. We spend two hours chatting until Christian calls Lilith and orders us to come home because it's almost eleven.

***

"Good morning, mom," I say when I enter the aromatic kitchen in my cartoonish pyjamas.

Mom is standing by the stove, making breakfast, when I sit by the counter and watch her in silence. "How was your day yesterday with Lilith?" She smiles and pauses, stirring the pan.

Both hands on the counter, I cup my cheeks. "It was delightful. We had fun," I answered.

"So America is doing you good?" She asks, staring at me.

"I like to think yes," I mutter.

She smiles and covers her mouth with her palm, a little sentimental. "I love him." She whispered.

"I know." I smile back at her.

"I love you more." She laughs slowly.

Shaking my head, I laugh with her. Mom served me my breakfast, an actual breakfast by mom. It's been a while since she cooked for me. The last time I had her homemade food was during winter break last year before she met Christian.

Friday night and yesterday, it was mostly Christian recipes which were also delicious. But right now, it was all mom. It tastes like home. It feels like London.

While she and I sip our tea together, Lilith joins us in her pyjamas and messy hair. Behind her was Christian whose mocking her.

Mom serves everyone, though not everyone, because Leigh isn't here.

"I'd suggest we go out today, but it's Sunday. I need rest," Lilith says to me.

"Honey let's get ready for TPC," Christian says to mom while he helps her clean the kitchen. I watch how mom smiles at him and nod, she does really loves him, and I'm sure he does her. "You can come with us to the golf club, Ava. if you want." He suggests.

"Maybe I will also say indoor too," I announce politely.

  Mom smiled and leaned back on Christian shoulder the same time Leigh decided to show himself. "Good morning." He says in a husky tone.

"Leigh, you should have breakfast," Mom suggests, concerned.

"Thank you, but the boys are waiting for me. We have some errand to catch." He softly smiles at my mom.

  With a glance towards me, he stalks away. "Don't stay late," Christian yells as the front door closes. "He's staying out late these days. I don't understand." He complains before he and Mom leave Lilith and me in the kitchen.

***

"What will we watch?" I ask Lilith as we sit in the living still in our morning pyjamas at four in the day.

Sliding through channels, Lilith suggested Harry Potter, and I recommend Mulan. We both disagreed with each other choices, so we played—flip the coin, and I was damned to rewatch Harry Potter for the hundredth time or over.

It was eight forty when Christian and mom came back, they finished the movie with us, and we all decided to call it a night.

Before I go upstairs, I weigh my option whether to ask them if Leigh is coming home because he always seems to appear in the morning but never comes home at night—like some magician. But I mind my business and march to my room. I stayed on the phone with Sawyer for half an hour before I drifted off.