"Now boarding flight 2315 with service to London. All passengers please have your tickets ready."
I rub the sleep out of my eyes and get up to stand in line to board. I can't believe my dad is sending me away for a month. I didn't even do anything! Well, I didn't do anything illegal at least. I wasn't even the one who threw the first punch. It was self-defense. Okay, so I did call him a troll, but he deserved it. It really wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, who sends their kid off to a different country just for getting into a fight? Oh well, at least I won't have to deal with teenage idiots for a while.
I take my seat on the plane and prepare myself for a long ride. I must've fallen asleep, because the next thing I know, we're over the Atlantic. The intercom comes on, snapping me out of my trance. The pilot is saying something about looking out the window to see the ocean. I yawn and rub the sleep out of my eyes. Now that I'm awake, I might as well entertain myself. I take out my ipod and turn up the volume as I slip on my headphones. We land in London shortly afterward. Surprisingly, the trip doesn't seem to take as long as I thought it would. Then again, I did sleep for most of it.
After I get my luggage, I step outside to wait for a cab. The air is moist with rain. I shiver from the cold. For the first time since my dad shipped me off, I couldn't wait to arrive in Avalon.
It takes me forever to call a cab, and by the time the driver finally gets going, my clothes are basically plastered to my body. I sigh. Not exactly the welcome I was hoping to receive. I decide to shrug it off and take a look at my surroundings. I look out the window. Pretty far in the distance is what I'm assuming is Avalon. All of the sudden, the landscape flickers. I rub my eyes and look again. Nothing has changed. I pass it off as being sleep-deprived, and sit back in my seat. I wonder who these people are that I'm going to be staying with. My dad told me everything he knew about the guy whose house I'd be staying in. It wasn't much. All he knew was that the guy is some old acquaintance of my mom's and he's supposed to be pretty high class. My dad said that my mom never really talked about him when she was alive.
Yeah, I know. My mom's dead. She died a couple of years ago. But don't get all "oh no. Poor girl, growing up without a mom" and pity me or whatever. It's fine. Really. I got over it a long time ago. I mean, that's life. We're all going to die eventually, so there's no reason to get all melodramatic about it.
The cab arrives in Avalon. I get out and stretch my legs. I really hate being all cooped up like that for a long time. I take my bags and pay the driver. I give him a little extra since Avalon is kind of out of the way, and it's on a mountain.
I'm sitting on the curb when I see him. Lean, wiry frame, jet black hair, tattoos, piercings, outfitted in all black, arrogance dripping off of him…yep, a typical bad boy. He's what any normal girl would call 'tall, dark, and handsome". They'd be all over him faster than the blink of an eye. Lucky for me, I'm not a normal girl. His (admittedly) drool-worthy looks and tough guy act had no effect on me.
He looks over at me and smirks. I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Just 'cuz I don't approve of his type doesn't mean I have to be rude. Hey, I can play nice just as well as anyone. I just choose not to, for the most part. Why bother? I'd rather be true to my trouble-magnet self than act all fake-nice all the time. Besides, he's pretty hot.
He appears to be waiting for someone, and looks as bored as I feel. I figure I might as well relieve some boredom for the both of us. I stand up from the curb and walk over.
"What." Wow. He seems friendly. Not.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious?" There's a hint of annoyance to his voice. "I'm standing here. You got a problem with that?"
"Yeah, actually, I do."
He scoffs. "I'm not moving, so get over it."
"Fine." I sit down on the ground next to his feet. If he wants to play that way, I can too. Besides, it's not like I can go anywhere without a guide.
"Don't you have something better to do?" He finally asks after I've been sitting for half an hour. His tone hasn't changed.
"Don't you have an attitude besides 'piss-off'?" I retort, raising an eyebrow.
He cracks a grin. I can't tell if that's a good thing or not. Whatever. It's just until my ride shows up. Speaking of my ride, where is it? Avalon isn't that big of a place.
His cell phone rings, and he makes a move to answer it. Considering the fact that I'm sitting pretty close, I'm able to catch most of their conversation.
"Where are you?" The person on the other end asks.
"Still at the gate," Bad Boy replies.
"What are you still doing there?"
"I'm still waiting. This 'important person' of yours isn't here yet." He sounds really irritated.
"Are you sure? The plane landed on time…"
"No. I'm not sure. You didn't bother telling me anything about this kid I'm supposed to be looking for," he snarls into the phone. "Bastard," he mutters under his breath.
I figure I've heard enough. I get up. No point staying there any longer. My stomach growls. I haven't eaten since the flight this morning. I rummage through my bag. Maybe I somehow packed some food in there. I'm so wrapped up in finding something to eat that I don't realize Bad Boy is right behind me. He grabs my shoulder. I give a little yelp.
"What," I say when I see that it's him.
"Are you Katsa Sharpe?"
"That's what my passport says, last time I checked."
He swears. "Why didn't you just say so in the first place? You wasted well over half my day!"
"Well, soooorry. I didn't know I was supposed to be walking around screaming my name to anyone passing by!" This time I really do roll my eyes. This dude is exactly what I expected. An asshole with a side of jerk. I try to ignore him and go back to finding a granola bar I know I threw in my bag.
He grabs my arm and yanks me in his direction. "Move," he commands.
I stumble forward, turn, and face him. "I don't think so. You're not going to tell me what to do. I don't follow orders from bastards like you. Especially bastards I just met."
"Considering how long you were sitting around, I'd say that you don't know where you're going. Unless you plan on finding the house on your own, I suggest you do what I tell you," he says with a condescending smile. Man, I hate this guy. I swear, he keeps this up, and that face of his will meet my fist.
I reluctantly pick up my fallen bag and follow him. He has us walking all the way to the house. When I told him that my feet hurt, he just told me to deal with it. I can't believe that jerk. Besides, shouldn't he have a car or something by now? I mean, he certainly looks old enough.
