I knew I should have flown in later. It might be the afternoon back home, but it was early morning in the state of Israel. Now if only I could find out how to get around-
"Jacob Kirkland, right?" My head whipped around when I heard my name, looking around for the speaker. A man in an army green uniform waved to me, holding up a sign in English. I walked out of customs, mentally sighing in relief. Ben Gurion Airport was pretty packed, despite the fact that it was three in the morning. Dragging my bags after me, I grinned broadly as I walked over to him.
"You must be Israel." I said, extending a hand forward. "Nice to meet ya!" My eyebrows flew up my face when he put his hands up quickly, shaking his head.
"No no no, I'm just your military escort. You can call me Yonatan." He replied in thickly accented English, taking my hand and shaking it firmly.
"Oh, really? Do I really need an escort Yona?" I asked, watching as he took a few of my bags. I'm not a kid after all, I'm a continent.
"Until you meet Israel, yes. And why are you calling me Yona?" He started walking, leading me past the other newcomers and into the terminal.
"Yonatan, Yona." I explained shortly, transferring my attention to the terminal. Signs in multiple languages could be seen, and I could people conversing in a foreign tongue. Yonatan continued through the doors, stopping before a car. We both started packing my bags in, before climbing into the car. I climbed into the passengers side, waiting for Yonatan to start driving.
"So..." I started, looking out the window as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Am I going to be staying in Jerusalem?"
The man started laughing, shaking his head again. "Nope. You'll be staying with Israel in Haifa Hof-Carmel." He explained, looking out at the road. "Which is a surprise..."
I blinked, frowning slightly. "Why's it a surprise?"
"I've never known Israel to just let strangers stay with her." He murmured, shrugging. "The United States only came to stay at herher house recently...and he's one of her closest friends." I stared at him, before turning back to the window.
"That is weird..." I admitted quietly.
"Ah well. She probably doesn't see you as a threat." I whipped around to frown at him, seeing a small smile tug at his lips.
"I find that insulting, since I'm the biggest country around." I muttered, huffing slightly. Yonatan chuckled, looking at me.
"No one that looks like a teenager is a threat to her." He said, grinning.
"And what about the United States?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. His gaze flicked to me for a split second, before he shrugged.
"She says she isn't worried." He murmured after a moment, giving me a guarded look. "You should try and rest. You had a long flight, and we're still pretty far away." I nodded slowly, leaning back against my seat. My eyes shut a little more reluctantly, but I fell asleep as soon as they closed.
"Mr. Kirkland. Mr. Kirkland, we're here." I opened my eyes, glancing around dazedly. Yonatan leaned over me, waving a hand in front of me.
"I'm awake." I sat up, waiting for him to move before getting up. Looking around, I yawned tiredly before grabbing my bags out of the car. The man took one bag before leading me me up to a house. He rapped on it loudly, before stepping back. A loud crashing could be heard on the other side, making my escort step back again. It finally stopped, and a silence followed. To my surprise, Yonatan swallowed nervously and knocked again. Before he could pull his hand back, the door flew open and a hand grabbed his, yanking him forward slightly. A short girl who looked about my age walked out, a glare on her features. She was growling at Yonatan, unknown threats tumbling from her lips. I watched the two, keeping a safe distance from them till the man turned back to me.
"I'll be leaving you now. Boker Tov." He saluted to me, then saluted her before walking back to the car. The engine started, and I watched the car disappear, leaving me alone with this girl. She frowned after the car, before blowing out an exasperated breath.
"Australia, right?" I turned to face the girl, looking her over. Messy brown covered most of her face, and she had hastily pulled on her uniform; the wrinkled fabric stood out even in the dim morning light. Something white was on her face, but I couldn't tell what it was in the dark. I held back a chuckle when I saw that she wasn't even wearing shoes.
"-stralia? Good gracious. Jacob Kirkland!" I blinked, my gaze transferring to her face.
"Yeah. Are you Israel?" I asked, though I was pretty sure it was.
She nodded, shooing me inside. "The one and only. Come on, it's bedtime." Israel grabbed my bags, kicking the door closed behind her. I looked around the house, trying to locate the clock.
"Bedtime? It's about 1 at my place. In the PM." She grabbed my arm, dragging me.
"You just had a long flight. Bed." Tugging me along, she led me up a short flight of stairs, walking along a hallway till we stopped in front of a room. "It's going to take you a bit to get used to my time anyway."
I nodded reluctantly, walking inside. She yawned, turning to go.
"Wait. What's your name, and what's for breakfast?" I asked, grabbing her arm. She pulled away quickly, a horrified look passing over her face momentarily.
"I'll tell you both when I wake up. Boker Tov." The door closed on me, and I heard footsteps retreating.
"And what does 'Boker Tov' mean?" There was no answer. I blew out my breath, flopping down on the bed.
"Are all Israelis like this?" I asked myself, looking at the clock in my room. 4:56. "Maybe at this time of morning..." Closing my eyes, I tried to fall asleep. I think I succeeded...