A/N: Here's another chapter.
Yes, I know. That was quick.
I'm just really excited that I've been getting so much positive feedback.
Enjoy!
Chapter 7
I pulled out my book from my back-pack and began reading. I had probably been reading for about thirty minutes when I heard someone speaking to me.
"Mark Of Athena? I've been wanting to read that book ever since it came out."
I looked up and found that the voice was coming from the boy sitting next to me. It was the first time I'd actually looked at him. He had short black hair and his skin was pale like mine. His eyes were a stunning shade of blue, almost green.
"Is it any good?" He asked. He had a slight British accent.
"Oh yeah. It's really good." I told him.
"I want to read it, but it's been checked out from the library since they first got it. I haven't gotten a chance yet."
"That sucks. Maybe you could reserve it for when it gets returned again." I suggested.
"Yeah I guess." He smiled. His teeth were perfectly straight.
I placed my book mark back in my book and set it down next to my feet.
"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself." He said. "I'm Phil." He held out his hand for me to shake. I took it and smiled.
"I'm Eden."
"That's a cool name."
"Thanks."
He turned and pointed at the man sleeping next to him.
"This is my father, Mike." He told me. I laughed. "So where are you from Eden? And what brings you this way?"
"Well, I'm from southern Indiana," I explained. "And I'm spending the rest of the school year in London." I didn't think it was necessary to tell him the whole reason I was coming to London.
"Oh cool. Where are you going to school?" He asked.
I scrambled for the name of the school. "I think it's London Central Secondary School."
"Oh I know where that is. I went there for my freshman year, but now I'm homeschooled. It's a great school." He assured me.
"Cool. I'm really excited to start." I replied. "So what were you doing in Indiana?"
"My dad and I were visiting some old friends of his. My mum didn't want to come so I got to go instead."
"Nice." I said. I didn't know what else to say.
After a few seconds, I felt that it was safe to put in my ear buds without looking like a jerk. I listened to my music while I pulled a pen and piece of paper out of my back-pack and began doodling. I was a pretty good artist, but I didn't draw often. My mom always tried to get me to pursue art. Her parents were both artists. I started thinking about my grandparents. They lived in Nebraska so I didn't see them very often. Did they know about John? Did Wayne's parents know that he wasn't my real father? They lived in Alaska. I only met them once when I was four so I don't really remember them. Did Abbie know? Had she known ever since I was born and always kept it a secret. I touched my hand to my cheek and realized that I had been crying. I quickly wiped my eyes before Phil or anyone else noticed. I looked over and found that he had his nose in a book and wasn't paying attention to me.
I pulled out my book once again and continued reading. I had about fifty pages left when I started to get tired. I leaned back in my seat and slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Eden, wake up." I awoke to someone shaking my arm. I opened my eyes to see that it was Phil. "The planes about to start its descent. You've gotta put your tray up."
"I leaned forward and started packing up my stuff. Then I folded up the tray in front of me. The plane slowly started its descent. I watched out the window as the city of London got closer and closer. It was dark outside and the city's lights were beautiful. My phone's clock read 2:34 am. The flight was about eight and a half hours, but there was a six hour time difference between here and Indiana. That meant it was 8:34 there. My mom should still be awake. I stared out the window for a long time.
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" said Phil. I turned around to face him.
"Yes! It's beautiful!"
The plane finally touched down and came to a stop. After a few minutes, the flight attendant instructed us to take off our seatbelts and exit the plane. The second I stood up, I realized how bad I had to pee. I tried to hold it in as I followed Phil and his father off the plane. Once we were off, Phil grabbed his father and turned him around to face me.
"Dad, this is Eden. She's going to be attending London Central Secondary School for the rest of the school year." Phil told his father.
"Oh how nice. Hello Eden. I'm Mike." He offered me his hand. I shook it with a smile. His accent was stronger than Phil's.
"Hello." I replied.
"Eden, do you need any help with anything?" asked Phil.
"Uhhh actually, where's the bathroom?" I asked.
"Oh the loo is just over there." He pointed towards a set of doors on the other side of the big waiting area. I thanked him and headed that way. Loo. It was called a loo here. I needed to keep up with the English language.
I went pee and headed towards the baggage claim. It didn't take long for me to find my green suitcase. I walked through the airport dragging it behind me. I wasn't sure what to do next so I walked around for a few minutes looking for someone who could help me. After about five minutes, I spotted Phil and his father. I ran towards them.
"Phil!" I yelled as I ran towards him. He looked around a little before he saw me running towards him.
"Hey." He laughed
"I need help." I whimpered.
"With what?"
"Well I need to find a motel and I'm not sure how to get to one. I don't know if it's safe for me to walk around London all by myself at three in the morning."
"Oh honey," said Mike. "We can help you. I know of a nice affordable motel pretty close to here and we can call a cab for you."
"Thank you!"
"No problem. Just follow me."
I guess it may not have been the smartest thing to follow this man and son who I'd just met, but I didn't know what else to do. We exited the airport and walked down the sidewalk where cabs were lining the street in front of the doors. We walked towards a random one. The cabbie rolled down the window.
"What can I do for ya?" He asked.
"This girl need to get to the Robinson Family Motel." said Mike.
"Alright. You can put her suitcase in the trunk."
Mike put my suitcase in the back for me as I climbed into the back seat of the cab. He came back around to where I was seated.
"You've got cash, right?" He asked.
"Yes. Thank you for your help."
"No problem." Then he yelled to the cabbie, "Take care of her. She's new here."
Mike stepped aside and Phil took a step towards me.
"Maybe I'll bump into you sometime." He smiled.
"Maybe." I replied. Then Phil backed away and shut the door. He waved goodbye and the cabbie began to drive. I decided to call my mom so I pulled out my phone and typed in her number.
It rang for half a ring and she answered.
"Hello!"
"Hi, Mom."
"How is everything? Where are you right now?"
"Everything's good. I'm in a cab on my way to a motel right now. It's almost three in the morning here."
"Okay. Well make sure you call me tomorrow. I just want to make sure you're doing good."
"I promise I will. But I think I'm almost to the motel and I'm super tired. I'm ready to get to bed."
"Alright honey. Love you. Goodnight."
"Love you too. Goodnight, Mom."
I put my phone in my pocket just as the cabbie stopped the car in front of a nice looking building.
"Here ya are, Darlin'." He said.
"How much do I owe you?" I asked.
"Nothing. You're new here. This ride is on the house." He gave me a toothy smile in the rear view mirror.
"Oh wow. Thank you so much!"
"No problem."
I stepped out of the cab and went around to the back and grabbed my suitcase. I pulled it through the front doors of the motel. An older woman was sitting at the front desk.
"Hello." She said. "How can I help you?"
"Yes. I'd like to rent a room."
I paid her. She wasn't too happy about me paying in the American currency but she took the money and gave me the key to my room. I made a note to myself to trade my dollars for pounds the next day. Then I headed for my room. It was nicer than I expected. I made sure to check the sheets, comforter, and mattress for bed bugs before going to sleep, but once my head hit the pillow, I was out.
Did you like it?
Please let me know.
The next chapter should be up sometime soon.
I'm really excited about it.
But I must warn you, there WILL be a TWIST.
Some of you may not like it.
However, please continue to read.
Thank you! I love you all!
-Alex :)
