A prodigy

The time they got to spend at the vacation home was a lot shorter during this trip as they were in the middle of a term and they all still had classes to attend. The friends happened to be able to switch their classes around to have a midweek free, which passed by in a flash. After four nights of blowing off steam, they were all refreshed and ready to return to their busy lives.

Jason was showing off his skills at his classes and at the office. Being on the top of his game at both places. At the University he was excelling in his classes with seemingly no effort at all, making a double degree seem like child's play. Surprising even himself how well he was handling it. And at the office he had managed to make his Healer TE the biggest company under Westwood International's wing. Lifting the empire's profits as a whole with his large share of the electronics and software market. With his ability to correct even the professors that were teaching him and out-manoeuvring his opponents in business, his title from high school followed him to this next phase in his life. Though his title of the devil had been given to him for other reasons during his teen years, they seemed just as applicable now when he managed to instil fear in teachers, fellow students, competitors and opponents alike with his sheer skill of invincibility.

At the other side of campus his other half, Jenny, was building a reputation of her own. As one of the fastest learning students of her year, she was absorbing the practical and factual knowledge that her professors were handing out like she was a sponge. Her movements with the surgical knife were so fast and smooth flowing, that it impressed even skilled surgeons. She was a prodigy in the medical field, something which even she hadn't counted on. Though she had always been quite a good learner, it had never been at this level. She couldn't explain her talent for the field. She just knew that whatever she read, was being told or shown, would somehow click in her mind. Allowing her to recognize, replicate and repeat.

Jenny's prodigal status was causing Harry to be jealous of her and impressed by her all at the same time. He couldn't understand how Jenny had surpassed him so quickly, when he was the one with the clear advantage from being born in a family of doctors and getting to witness medical practice since he was old enough to walk and go to his father's place of work. Though he was by no means doing poorly and was at all times in the top five of his year during exams, going from the one helping Jenny to being the one left in the dust by her, was something he had needed some time to accept. Once he did, all he could do was smile as he saw her be in her element. Telling himself that with a guy as impressive as Jason, there was no way that his wife could be normal.

Meanwhile, Julia was proving to be quite a talent at her field as she had been one of the few students in the history of the school to have her clothing designs be selected to be sold at an actual high end store, while she was just in her second year. A store that was in no way affiliated with her family's company, during a show where they had to enter anonymously. Proving that it was an acknowledgement of her talent and not her family background. Elizabeth had managed to do the same with an advertisement that she had created along with her group. It was an ad for the public broadcast corporation about the dangers of texting while driving, which would start airing in the new year.

Nick had also shown his friends and his family something that Elizabeth had seen in him for some time now, which was that he was more than a player. In order to spend less time apart from Elizabeth, he had put in more effort than he knew he could put into something during his stays in the United States. He had managed to learn in a year and a half, what had taken his brother and cousin over two years to make their own.

To celebrate no longer having to go oversees, except for a yearly mandatory visit, he and Elizabeth had decided to go on an anniversary honeymoon. A concept they had brought into the world on their own and something which they had planned with much enthusiasm once they heard the news. Elizabeth only fully comprehended how lonely she had been during Nick's absence, when it was clear that he would no longer have to leave her side. All the worries, the sadness and the loneliness she had felt in the past months, had almost instantly washed off her shoulders. Allowing her to smile from ear to ear after a long period of half smiles and smiles tainted with her internal worries.

Their trip took place just four weeks after their joint trip to Jason's vacation home and had been planned for the same break as last year. The break that had started yesterday. Though this year they planned to return in time for Jenny's birthday, they wouldn't be able to attend the annual Christmas party that would this year be hosted by Elizabeth's parents. However, they would be giving everyone the biggest Christmas surprise and her parents the biggest Christmas gift. Because although Elizabeth hadn't noticed that her period was late because of her busy schedule before their awaited anniversary honeymoon, it was impossible for her not to notice the nausea she was feeling the past few days...