SANSA
Sansa stared down at her phone that was still powered off, wondering if she should take it with her. "No point in bringing it if it will remain shut off the whole time," she finally decided. She placed her phone on the bed stand table before brushing her hair.
The sun was beaming brightly, reflecting off the glass panels of the skyscrapers that soared beyond the glass-walls of her room, and Sansa picked up her visor, fitting it snugly over her head. She hooked her sunglasses into the top of her shirt before shooting one more guilty glance at her silent phone. I will call Petyr, she promised silently, and left the room.
The doorman and the front desk attendant greeted them with cheerful politeness, but curiosity was alight in their eyes as their gaze fell upon Sansa.
She offered them a polite smile before heading out to the waiting cab. "Will we go to Times Square?" Sansa inquired once they were all inside the vehicle.
"Times Square?" Jon looked affronted. "Real New Yorkers avoid Times Square. Too many tourists."
Sansa rolled her eyes at his statement. "Fine. Where do real New Yorkers go?" she humored.
Jon leaned close as if to pass on an important secret. "Pizza. Pizza. Pizza," he informed her seriously, but his grey eyes were dancing suspiciously.
Sansa felt the edge of her lips tremble in response. She turned away before a smile could betray her and asked her uncle.
"We're going to take you through the The High Line trail. You will love it," Uncle Benjen promised.
"I'm not much of a hiker," Sansa warned, doubt written across her face.
The High Line trail was elevated above the city, allowing them some reprieve from the noisy vehicles below as they traveled the paved trail with greenery blooming along the side. The trail snaked between the condos and glass towers, sometimes offering unobstructed views of the brilliant blue of the sky as the highrises occasionally gave way to smaller buildings.
They spotted the Empire State Building towering over its neighbors at one point, and then after further walking, the statue of liberty stood proud beyond the sparkling waters that the elevated trail passed at another point. The trail felt like a map, leading them over the city and allowing them to gaze down upon it, taking in many sights at once, while also being among the city as they explored it from a unique distance and walked alongside the tall scrapers.
Sansa's face flamed as they came upon an ominous sign that read, 'Beyond This Point You May Encounter Nude Sunbathers.' Unsure of whether to believe the sign or not, she quickly decided that it would be beyond embarrassing to be walking with her family if the sign proved to be true. "Meet you guys on the other end," she told them, before taking off running. She could hear their startled laughter trailing behind her.
She continued running until she had traveled a safe distance from the sunbathing area, before finally stopping to catch her breath. There were benches and stone steps here and there, and Sansa settled into one as she waited for her uncle and brother to catch up.
"No worries of you getting lost," Uncle Benjen acknowledged cheerfully when they finally did. "Your hair is a flaming signpost. It leads everyone right to you."
Sansa huffed as she stood up. Even when she was little, playing in the sun with her siblings and friends, her hair ruined hide and seek for her. Everyone always spotted it shinning vividly as the sunlight brought it to life. Her brothers had auburn hair too, but theirs were darker and could easily be covered with minimum effort. Mother didn't play hide and seek, so her hair wasn't a bother…
They reached the end of the trail soon and Sansa realized how hungry that she was as they walked to a nearby pizza shop. With a great appetite, she ordered two slices with different toppings. Extra cheese with spinach and chicken chunks for one, and pepperoni for the other. The pizza was heavenly and as she bit into it, sauce oozed out, staining her mouth and dripping onto her chin. She chewed slowly, savoring the mixture of cheese, tomato, blended spices, and pepperoni.
"Can we do something that doesn't require hours of walking next?" Sansa questioned between bites.
"Okay, sauce face," Uncle Benjen agreed.
Sansa stuck out her tongue at him before wiping the sauce from the edge of her mouth and chin.