1 The bonds that matter

It was a calm and quiet night. The usually stormy weather had subsided and was for once replaced by a clear sky. The stars could be seen shining in the evening sky. Tonight's moon was full and bright, illuminating the city below. Most people were either already home or currently on their way. While it wasn't raining, it was still quite chilling. If you breathe, you could see your breath in the air. It was also unexpectedly quiet. Only the noise from car engines could be heard in the distance. Even in a city as big as this one, Monday evenings were a lonely time. The streets were empty, and it almost made the place look like a ghost town. Only one woman was still casually strolling around the roads. Skylar was also on her way home. She had left work after a long but fulfilling day and was now happily inhaling the fresh and relaxing air. The average person would consider working such long shifts an unpleasant experience. However, the brunette wasn't your average citizen.

Skylar Wayne was an extraordinary, hard-working, driven and ambitious young woman. At least, that's how almost everyone who met her would describe her. At the young age of sixteen, the girl was in her senior year of high school, ready to finish her classes with perfect grades and fully prepared to take her final exams. The brunette wasn't just smart. She was a certified genius. After many tasks without a single mistake, one of her teachers had suggested that she took an intelligence test. The results were shocking, to say the least. Her intellect rivalled those of world-renowned scientists. Quickly after that, it was decided that the azure-eyed girl would be advancing in the higher grades. After all, there was no point in holding back. One thing in particular that stood out was Skylar's interest in mathematics, programming and robotics. While it was true that she found all of her subjects easy, on more than one occasion, the young genius was bored. However, when it came to those three topics, she was unstoppable. The charismatic girl was able to complete her assignments with ease, assist some of her peers who were struggling and even correct the teachers when they made an error. The blue-eyed girl dreamed of one thing and one thing only, and that was to become an engineer. She had the desire to create all kinds of technology for people to use. The teenager was well aware of the damage machines could cause, but she also saw great potential in them. What others found dangerous, she viewed as a mystery, an unsolved puzzle that she was going to solve. The dark-haired girl wanted to help humanity. One thing in her future to-do list would be to create tools that can reduce and even eradicate issues such as famine, disease, water shortages, pollution and other environmental threats that people often ignored in favour of profit. Money wasn't Skylar's goal. She already came from a wealthy family and had more funds than she could ever spend in a lifetime. Unfortunately, a majority of people didn't have her luck. The young genius was determined to change that. With this objective in mind, the girl was ready to begin the next chapter of her life.

University wasn't what Skylar had expected. Her expectations weren't exactly met when she enrolled in her program. The pale-skinned girl was successfully accepted in her school of choice and was now a month into her classes. She had chosen to study for two degrees instead of one. Her instinct was telling her that even this level of education will not be enough to satisfy her craving for knowledge. As usually, her gut was right. While her assignments were significantly harder compared to the ones in high school, they were not nearly as challenging as she wanted them to be. The most eventful part of her schedule was the weekly lectures that took place in the engineering lab. Each time, there would be a different guest speaker who gave intriguing tasks and had a significant experience in the fields she was interested in. Even so, she was still dissatisfied. Any time she would ask a question, it was either ignored or mocked. Her professors thought that she didn't belong there. They were judging her based on her age and sometimes even because of her gender. Skylar was quite upset by this behaviour. In her opinion, no one should be judged based on their age, gender, religion or appearance. People were unique in their way, and that's one of the most wonderful things in life. However, not everyone thought as she did. Discrimination was a widely spread problem that even she couldn't solve. The brunette was motivated to prove those people wrong. One day she would accomplish her goals and show the world what she was truly capable of. She would teach them that you should not judge a book by its cover. As the months passed, the young genius made small but meaningful achievements. She was the best performing student in all of her classes, and any problem presented to her was quickly fixed. This effort eventually earned the azure-eyed student an internship for one of the best technology companies in the country. For the first time in a while, she was excited. This opportunity would allow her to work side by side with some of the best engineers and scientists in the world, and learn from their experience. Furthermore, once she officially graduated from university, the girl would be able to start working for the company full-time, if that is what she desired. Less than a week after she graduated from university, the brunette was already applying for the position. When she spoke to the interviewer, the older man seemed quite pleased that the girl had chosen to continue her career with their company. He exclaimed that the pale girl was one of the brightest minds he had ever seen and he was looking forward to seeing the projects she would make. The blue-eyed girl loved her job more than anything in the world. It gave her the chance to make her dreams a reality. Every day she was getting ready as fast as humanly possible, then the genius would often jog to her workplace and start her shift, ready to take on the world. Overall, her life was going pretty good for a girl her age.

Fate, however, seemed to have different plans. One evening, when the young engineer entered her cosy, modern apartment, there was a strange letter in her mailbox. It was odd because she didn't usually receive any correspondences on paper. Most of her bills and various other proposals came by email. As she inspected the envelope, she noticed a symbol she hadn't seen in years. The front of the paper was stamped with an elaborately decorated, black raven. This meant one thing. Her family had sent this mysterious message. Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine and goosebumps appeared on her skin. Surely this had to be a mistake. Why would they contact her after what occurred the last time they were together. Several years ago, when Skylar was still living with her parents, they got into a huge argument about who would run their family's company. Her mother insisted that the blue-eye girl should be in charge and continue their legacy as tradition dictates. This meant that the engineer would have to give up on her dreams and go to business school instead. Obviously, Skylar refused, saying that she was her own person and would not be defined by the household she was born in. Suffice to say her parents didn't take the news very well. They began shouting at her, calling her ungrateful and a disappointment. This had been the straw that helped the young girl make her decision. She decided to move out and finally be free from her family's manipulative tricks. The blue-eyed girl prefered to be alone, rather than live with toxic people who didn't care about her. To be specific, the genius wasn't exactly alone. When she was still in high school, Skylar met a cheerful redhead with vibrant emerald eyes who she instantly befriended. The green-eyed girl introduced herself as Elena Carson, and from the moment they met, the two girls were inseparable. Elena was the only person in the entire world who the engineer would consider family. They may not be related by blood, but the unconditional love she received from the other girl more than made up for it. Blinking a few times, the azure-eyed girl was brought back to the present. Now was not the time to relive moments from the past. After considering what the envelope that was currently in her hands could mean, she decided to get this over with. As she tore it open and started reading the note inside of it, her blood ran cold. Drops of icy sweat began to appear on her skin, and her usually pale complexion became ever lighter. The text written on the paper demanded that she immediately return to her hometown. Furthermore, it said that if she refused to run the family's business, she would be cut off from the inheritance. Truth be told, Skyler didn't even care about her parent's money. At this point in her life, she was living by herself perfectly fine without having to worry about bills or debts. She had worked hard enough to ensure that she would never have to depend on anyone. Even if the blue-eyed engineer knew this letter didn't matter to her, that it wouldn't affect her life in the slightest, it still ignited a spark in her. Skylar was outraged by this turn of events. She couldn't believe the audacity that some people could have. How dare they demand that she just dropped everything and come running to their aid, when all they have done is manipulate her?! The girl felt her blood boil. For a second, she had the urge to hit something, to punch something until it broke. Lost in her inner fury, she hadn't noticed someone unlocking her front door. It didn't bother her as she knew who it was. The only other person, capable of entering her residence was her best friend. Sensing her distress, Elena asked what had happened. Staring at her friend's eyes, filled with nothing but concern for her well-being, warmed the brunette's heart. Then the engineer proceeded to tell the redhead the events that unfolded in the time since she got home. By the end of her explanation, Skylar had tears streaming down her face. Her friend was instantly by her side, trying to comfort her. Later, the two girls put on a movie and enjoyed some take-out while retelling each other's day, the menacing letter long forgotten.

That night, as Skylar laid in bed, snuggled in her best friend's arms, a soft blanket draped over them, the brunette smiled to herself. She may never have the support of her blood relatives, but she found someone who will always be there for her, who believes in her and will always be by her side. During this eventful evening, the blue-eyed girl realised that family isn't defined by the blood connections a person has, but by the people who choose to stand by you even in your darkest moments.