Just Like Her
Chapter 3
Heero put his hand up against the window of the airplane, his fingers caressing the window as the coldness of the air outside cooled his fingertips. As he stared out the window, an image of his little sister formed on the glass. A picture of a golden-haired child with sapphire eyes, a child that always had a sweat smile gracing her cherubic face. That's all she was, just a child, that's how Heero will always remember her. Her soft giggling echoed in Heero's mind as he stared at her image, memories flooding back in to his mind like a damn that had just let go of its water.
// "Here Heewo, I have a present for you," she said proudly. "I drew this just for you."
"Thank you Jillie, this is the best present anyone has ever given me."
"Really, not even the puppy?!" she said happily.
"Uhuh. Now, let's go get some cake!" //
He could still remember that day, her gift. She had drew him a picture, a picture that she put her whole heart in to, even if it was just a bunch of colorful scribbles. It was the last birthday he spent with her, the ones after that were never the same. Heero blinked to try and get her face out of his mind, he just didn't want to think about it any more. This is his chance to get away and forget, to try and start over with a happier life than the one he once led. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing shortly so will you please secure all items and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you," the flight attendant announced over the intercom.
That jolted Heero back in to reality and he prepared to land. 'Please Jillian, just leave me alone,' Heero told his deceased sister as he took one last look out the window. About ten minutes later, the plane arrived at its destination point, Switzerland. Heero grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment, slung it over his shoulder, and made his way off of the plane and in to the airport terminal to collect the rest of his baggage. With remaining bags in hand, he went outside to hail a cab. Heero then paused for a moment along the curb as he was greeted by the snow-capped Alps. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. 'I'm finally free,' he thought as he opened his eyes back up just in time as the cab had just pulled up. Heero threw his bags in the trunk and took a seat in the back of the cab. "Where to young man?" the driver asked with a heavy Swiss accent.
"To Bern please," Heero replied.
The cabby nodded and the car drove off. It was about an hours drive in to the capital so as to pass the time by, the driver tried to make conversation. "So where are you from lad?" he asked as he peered through his rear-view mirror at Heero.
Heero, slumped over in the right corner of the taxi and rested his head against the window. He then answered, "America."
"Oh yeah? So you're from the 'States' eh, what are you doing way over here?"
"Going to school," was Heero's reply.
"I see, at the university in Berns I presume."
"That's the place."
"Is that where you want me to take you lad?" the driver asked.
"No, but a place near there. I'll be staying at an old apartment complex down the street from it. How long from Berns are we?" Heero asked flatly.
"About 30 minutes."
The driver took that question as his cue to cut the conversation and he focused back on his driving. Heero on the other hand, stared aimlessly out the window at the passing scenery. At that moment, Heero must have dozed off because before he knew it, he was right in the heart of the capital city of Berns. "It'll be about 5 more minutes lad," the driver said as he saw that Heero was finally awake.
"Thanks," Heero muttered as he woke himself up. 'Well this is it. It took me almost 13 years to get away from that place. Maybe now I can escape the nightmares that plagued my dreams every night since that fateful day. Maybe now, I can forget.'
"Here we are lad," the driver chimed as the taxi came to a slow and steady halt.
Heero came face to face with a small four story building that was covered in white stucco and detailed with dark wood trim. It had a antiquated feel to it, most likely dated back to the nineteenth century. At the base, a large wooden door adorned with iron detailing that led in to the building itself. Before racking up any more charges on the meter, Heero paid the cab driver and went around back to get his things. With bags in hand, Heero was about to walk to the door when the cab driver spoke up, "Hey lad, good luck."
Heero turned around and nodded in acknowledgment. With that said and done, the cab driver sped off on his way. Heero quickly settled in to his place. He had a top floor room with two windows on the two sides that faced the street. One of the windows had a tiny balcony with a cement border for a railing, an apartment style porch of sorts. The apartment was quaint and consisted of a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and a living area. Luckily for Heero, it was already furnished with the bare necessities which included a bed, couch and a fully operating kitchen. Heero threw his bags on his bed and took out his wallet. 'Better get some supplies,' he told himself as he locked the place back up to do some shopping.
Towards the end of the summer, Heero finally had everything he wanted in his apartment, all the creature comforts of home. He managed to get a job as a waiter at a restaurant a couple blocks down the street. Scholarships covered most of his school expenses, but room and board and anything else he wanted or needed, he had to take care of himself. The first day of school was drawing near and Heero had already became acquainted with his surroundings. His apartment had come to feel just like home, minus all of the emotional baggage. Heero was starting to enjoy his new life, granted he missed his parents, but to be able to get away was his wish ever since he was five years of age.
The Friday before school started, Heero went to the university to buy his books and take a look around the place, the last thing he needed was to get lost on the first day of class. The university was old and dated back a few hundred years. With walls of stone covered in ivy as old as the school itself, it was as if he was stuck in a time warp. Things just didn't change over there like they did back home in the 'States'. After getting an extensive tour of the place and familiarizing himself with every nook and cranny, Heero went back to his apartment to enjoy the rest of his day off.
The plus side of working at a restaurant was the fact that Heero was able to pick up some good cooking tips and easy recipes. He needed to learn how to cook, eating can food and frozen dinners for his whole college career didn't seem too appealing to his taste buds. Heero managed to whip up some local Swiss cuisine and then settled down on the sofa in front of the tv. Since he didn't quite understand most of the dialect spoken in that area, Heero subjected himself to anything he could find that was in English. He signed up for a language class for his first quarter so he could fit in better and be able to watch more than infomercials and news.
After awhile, Heero wasn't really paying attention to the tv, he just kept flipping through the wide array of channels, all ten of them, just for the sake of amusement. Heero soon became fed up and after taking care of the dishes, went outside to sit up on the balcony, something he has done quite often since he got there. Heero sat up on the cement railing with his back against the building with one leg hanging off the side. The sun was starting to set and the sky was starting to show hints of orange with each passing moment. The cool breeze blew against Heero's face and through his hair as he heard the usual scuffling of feet below him. Most of the time he just ignored it, but this time, something familiar caught his eye.
A young girl, about his age, was standing on the curb of the street as if waiting for a taxi. Her long golden blonde hair caught his eye and bells suddenly began to go off inside Heero's head as an onslaught of emotions overcame him. Out of the blue, images of his little sister flooded his mind. 'What am I thinking? Jillian wasn't the only one with hair like that, plus she died thirteen years ago, it's impossible,' he scolded himself as he shook his head. Even after telling himself that, Heero still felt compelled to look at her, something about her was drawing him to her. Before he could get a closer look, a cab pulled up and she got in, Heero got a glimpse of her profile but that was about it.
Heero went back inside and sank back down on the couch and grabbed a pillow. 'What came over me? Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, why this girl? Her hair may be the same color as Jillian's but I've seen plenty girls with the same color as well and that didn't bother me. Why, did she of all people, do this to me? Why was it her that triggered this onset of feelings?' Heero sat there on the couch for most of the night trying to figure out what had happen to him that afternoon. He just didn't understand why a stranger could do that to him. 'Why was I so compelled to her? It doesn't make any sense!' Heero was getting frustrated but he just couldn't stop thinking about it. A sudden racket from the building next to him broke his train of thought. "Could you please keep it down," Heero said loudly through the walls.
The person obviously didn't hear him and the noise persisted. Heero already had a headache and this was the last thing he needed. Heero got up off the couch, threw the pillow back on the sofa and went over to his neighbor's place. He pounded on the door and stood there waiting for an answer. The noise stopped and he could hear muffled foot steps making there way across the room to the door. Heero had the words he wanted to say at the tip of his tongue but when the door was opened, he lost all of them.
"May I help you?" a woman asked with a soft voice.
Heero looked up and met with the owner of that voice and he suddenly froze. Her hair was long and golden and her profile seemed all too familiar. 'It's her,' he told himself. He then caught a glimpse of her eyes, something he failed to capture earlier that day. Her eyes sparkled of brilliant blue, like sapphires. 'Why does she look so familiar to me?
"Are you going to stand there and stare or can I help you with something?" the girl retorted.
"Jillian?" Heero spat out, he didn't realize what he said until it was too late.
"Excuse, me?" the girl asked with a confused look on her face.
Heero shook his head and quickly responded, "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."
"It's all right," the girl said with a smile. "You must be my neighbor, sorry for the racket. I just moved in and I was putting some stuff on the walls. Oh by the way, my name is Relena."
Heero still in a state of shock, had a slightly delayed response. "I'm Heero."
"Nice to meet you Heero. I'll keep the noise down this time around," she said politely.
Heero just nodded, he was at a complete loss for words. "Goodnight now," she said as she closed the door.
Heero stood there for a moment staring at the door in front of him and then after regaining his senses, he went back to his apartment. 'What the hell just happened to me?' he questioned as he opened the door to his apartment. He decided it had been a long night and the bed was looking rather inviting at the moment. Heero flopped down on the mattress and laid there in the dark with his hands folded behind his head. 'Damn, I can't believe I said that. Idiot, what was I thinking? I'm even more psychotic than I thought, thinking that girl could be Jillian, she's been dead for over thirteen years, why would I think that girl is her? I think I need to get some sleep,' Heero said to himself as he shut his eyes.