The blast of music from Corbin's alarm clock signaled the end of the weekend and ushered in the beginning of a new week early Monday morning. He lazily hit the snooze button for a final dip into the sleep he was yanked from, then when those fleeting minutes passed and the clock sounded again, he crawled out of bed to start the day off right with a waking shower. 

    Waking for the grueling demands of a daily shift at a textile factory had been happily replaced by the dutiful joy of taking Lydia to the academy each morning ever since he'd moved in and eagerly volunteered for the responsibility; so once he was dressed he found his little sister in the dining hall where she was finishing up her self-prepared breakfast. He passed her by on his way to the kitchen  with his usual morning greeting, one that she gladly returned, then he rummaged through the pantry until he found a suitable treat to curb his morning hunger. Downing a glass of milk behind it, he was prepared for the day at hand.

    Lydia came in to the kitchen to place her used dishes in the sink, then the two of them were ready for their routine commute together. The trip to the academy in Gale's sedan was consumed by their normal small talk, along with a tandem sing-along to one of their shared favorite songs on the radio, then after issuing Lydia wishes for a good day Corbin left the academy once she had disappeared from his sight behind it's doors. His mornings had never been so wonderfully purposeful.

    On the way back to the manor his mind drifted to a thought that had awoken with him, one that the visitation of his parent's graves at the family mausoleum had stirred. He had not returned to the small town of Torrell since he'd left it, nor had he given the place much thought; but now there was a duty of honor and love calling out to him from that distant little town that he felt must be answered. The final resting place of his dearest friend, Kyle Summers, who was taken from him by the hand of Jarell, had not yet received his proper respects through a visitation. Corbin suffered a feeling of shame in himself for neglecting to visit the grave of his friend whom he considered a brother, who died as an unwitting pawn in a terrible plot to kidnap Corbin. Kyle's grave called out him from afar and he intended to answer as soon as the coming weekend would allow.

    Gale was standing in the kitchen of Allender Manor, still in her nightgown since she was now able to enjoy longer mornings in bed thanks to Corbin's eagerness to chip in on family duties. With him tending to Lydia, there was no need for her to rise early anymore, though after doing so ever since Lydia started the academy at the age of five, she was finding it challenging to reset her body's clock; but it was a challenge she was beginning to relish. She was putting the finishing touches on a fresh cup of coffee with the cream and sugar when she looked through the kitchen window and saw Corbin parking her car in the garage.

    Within a few minutes Corbin found her in the kitchen, sipping on the steaming coffee as she rested against a counter top. They exchanged pleasant morning greetings, then Corbin went to work on preparing his own cup of coffee. As he stirred the coffee to a creamy light brown, his thoughts were still on returning to Torrell the coming weekend, and he wanted to discuss the matter with Gale. She had been very insistent when informed about Kyle's death on covering the cost of his burial, regarding him as family on Corbin's behalf. Her sentiments had not been wasted on Corbin, who was still deeply moved even at the remembrance of her generosity.

    "Gale?"

    "Yes?"

    "I've been thinking this morning about returning to Torrell at the end of the week, to pay my respects to Kyle," he stated, stealing a quick sip of coffee while he waited for her response.

    "Oh?" she remarked, lowering her cup to the counter.

    "Yeah, the visit to the mausoleum yesterday kinda reminded me that I owe him at least that much," he explained.

    "I think that's a fine idea," she encouraged. "Will you be going alone?"

    The very thought of leaving his recently discovered family, even for a weekend, was a disheartening one for Corbin; the reason for his trip was already somber enough. "Well, I guess so, since there's not really any reason for anyone else to go. I mean, Torrell isn't exactly a tourist attraction or anything, so I figured no one would be interested in going," he said with a discouraged frown that was an open invitation for anyone willing to take the journey with him.

    Gale raised her cup for another drink as an idea snuck over her eyes. "Corbin, would you consider allowing Lydia to go with you? She hasn't seen much of the world outside of Bergstad and this would be a good opportunity for her, I think."

    Corbin was caught in the middle of a careful gulp of the hot coffee when he swallowed fast to answer,"Of course, I mean...if she wants to go, I'd love to have her along."

    "Oh, I think she'll definitely want to," Gale implied with the corners of her mouth turning up into a small, knowing smile that matched the surety in her eyes. She had the advantage of being privy at times to Lydia's past grumblings about never getting to go anywhere.

    Corbin's face brightened at the idea, being hopeful at the thought of not having to be completely separated from his family, as well as having someone along who would be a welcome reprieve from the long hours imposed by the journey. The dark clouds hovering in his mind that covered the way to Torrell with a sense of dull dread began to part at the thought of traveling with Lydia. Inwardly invigorated, he lowered his cup of hot coffee to the counter;  but did so a little too fast, causing it to slosh over onto his hand.

    "Oww!" he yelped, quickly snatching his seared hand away and rubbing it with his other one.

    Gale placed her cup on the counter, then went over to Corbin. "Let me have it," she instructed in a gentle tone, reaching for his hand.

    He extended his reddened hand out to her, then she smothered it in between her hands. Closing her eyes, she began her healing song with a tender hum that mesmerized Corbin's hearing. In a matter of seconds the stinging burn on his hand faded away completely, as did Gale's melody. She released his hand with a humble look of service, then smiled faintly at him as he examined it, clearly astonished by her gift despite already knowing  what she was capable of.

    "Thanks," he offered graciously.

    Gale accepted his gratitude with a nod, then another idea crossed her eyes, a surprise for Corbin. "Corbin, would you mind running an errand with me?"

    "Sure thing," he affirmed instantly, taking his eyes from his fully healed hand to answer her.

    A little while later that morning the two were on there way into Ridgeville for Gale's errand, which she gave no details about, only directions to their destination. She let Corbin drive so that his mind would be more occupied with matters of the road than with what their objective was. She kept him oblivious with genuine questions about the trip to Torrell also, but he wasn't particularly concerned with whatever the errand was anyway, he was just glad to accompany his sister at her request.

    A rather large car dealership came into view and Gale instructed Corbin to turn in, so he drove her sedan up near the dealership's office building where shiny new models were on display inside, behind the very tall and broad glass windows of the building. As he parked the car he glanced the seemingly endless rows of candy-colored vehicles that covered the vast lot of the dealership.

    "So, does your car need servicing?" he asked.

    With a subtle smirk Gale answered,"No, we're not here for my car."

    Corbin watched her get out of the car with a somewhat puzzled look on his face, then he got out and took a better look around. A row of cars identical to Shade's muscular coupe caught his eye with their assorted glossy paint colors defining their aggressive lines. Gleaming reds, screaming yellows, dazzling blues, midnight blacks, and other attractive hues set the row of performance machines apart from the comparatively bland passenger cars and pick-up trucks that waited with them on the lot for potential buyers. He looked back across the top of the sedan at Gale, who was waiting for him on the other side of the car with a slightly raised brow under her blond locks which fluttered a bit during a passing breeze.

    "Well, what are you waiting for? Go pick one out," she happily ordered.

    "What..."

    "Anything you want. I'll go inside and get the paperwork started."

    "But..."

     "No buts, just find something you like. You're going to need your own car sooner or later anyway," she argued, to nullify Corbin's hesitancy to accept her offer.

    Gale walked away before Corbin could resist further, leaving him surprised and overcome again by the selfless generosity that defined her, and also the family he was so  grateful to be a part of. He knew her well enough from the short time of being around her that though she was a very polite and gentle individual, she possessed a determined strength within her graceful exterior, one driven by the deep care she had for those she loved, one he dared not argue with. He looked again across the many rows of freshly built vehicles waiting to be selected, but only one row really held his interest.

    A short time later Gale and a salesman returned to the lot where she found Corbin admiring a sparkling red, identical version of Shade's coupe. She approached him with an amused grin and playfully folded her arms to site Shade's influence on his decision.

    "Is this the one?" she asked.

    "Yep, this is definitely the one," Corbin replied, eyeing the knob on the manual shifter with an appetite hungry for shifting gears.

    Gale laughed briefly to herself. "Shade will be proud."

    She gestured to the salesman and he was off to get the keys for them. Corbin consumed the car with a sweeping, excited glance before he turned to Gale.

    "I...I really don't know what to say except... thanks," he said, suddenly feeling a little guilty for accepting such an extravagant gift.

    Sensing his dilemma, she sought to assure him. "You're welcome Corbin. Just remember, you're entitled to the same inheritance as the rest of us. You don't have to earn that right, it's your birthright."

    Corbin nodded with a grateful bow of his head.

    "Now, you've got a couple of hours before Lydia gets out of the academy, why don't you spend some time in your new ride before picking her up. And don't worry, I won't say a word to Shade. I'll leave that to you," she suggested, grinning at the thought of Shade's reaction. 

    The time Corbin had to cruise around in his own rumbling coupe when he left the dealership flew by as he toured the streets of Ridgeville, getting to know a car that was already familiar to him but still different. He roared off to the academy when the time came and found Lydia as he usually did, gathered around a group of friends near one of the classroom buildings as they each awaited their ride home. He crept up unnoticed this time since she nor her freinds were expecting anyone in a car like his. An attention grabbing rev of the engine made Lydia and those with her turn to look, and her eyes widened when she saw Corbin waving from inside the shiny coupe with a huge grin pasted to his face.

    She quickly grabbed her books and tossed a,"See you tomorrow...," to her friends. Running out to the car she slowed when she got close to have a good look, then she hopped in eager to get the details.

    "This isn't the same car you dropped me off in this morning," she remarked, grinning as she examined the same stylish interior that she knew from Shade's car.

    "Nope, but it's the one that will drop you off from now on," he returned.

    "Cool!" she consented, as she buckled up.

    Corbin awakened the exhaust with another rev then eased the car away.

    "Does Shade know?" she asked as she searched the radio to program in her favorite station.   

    "Not yet. It's already preset on number one," he informed as he shifted gears.

    Lydia pushed the button and sat back in her seat when the music she liked filled the car's speakers.

    "Yeah, Gale thought it would be a good idea for me to have my own car since I'm going away this weekend," he stated casually, hoping to hook Lydia's interest.

    "Going away? Where?" she questioned immediately.

    "To Torrell, so I can pay my respects to Kyle," he informed while keeping his eyes on the road. "Would uh...would you like to go with me?" he invited.

    "Sure!" Lydia chirped eagerly, making Corbin  glance over to witness the enthusiasm that she projected at him with her livened features.

    He smirked happily to himself as he put his attention back on the road and was warmed by the delighted presence of his little sister next to him.

    At the manor, Shade was enjoying a little time to herself in the entertainment room where a huge flat screen television mounted on the wall held her interest with a rerun of one of her favorite shows. The deep sound of a brief engine rev made her pause from the show and turn her head toward the manor's main entrance where the sound came from. It was the distinct exhaust note of her car, which she was sure was in the garage, or so she thought. Another rev drew her from the leisure of the room to the manor's front door so she could investigate.

    Stepping out onto the pillared stoop of the manor she found Corbin and Lydia grinning at her from inside the red twin of her car. She walked out to the car nodding with an approving smirk as she checked out the coupe with delighted eyes. Corbin lowered the window and Shade leaned in on the door, shaking her head with her smirk as Corbin waited for her to comment on his choice.

    "I always did want a little brother who wanted to be just like me," she quipped.

    "Hey, what can I say? You're a baaad influence," he joked.  

    "You better believe it," she returned, feigning a serious expression.

    Lydia laughed.

    "Well, what's a gal gotta do to get a ride in a sharp car like this?" Shade prompted.

    "Hop in," Corbin answered.