Part 7 (1/2)
”Yep, like one of your senators. He's got more money than G.o.d, and almost as much power. But I have to say he's not quite as handsome as his younger brother. Isn't that right?” The pilot winked at me, and all the red I had been willing from my face came screaming back with a vengeance.
”Back to work, Louis. Get those checks done, and I don't mean checking out the pa.s.sengers.” A middle-aged woman climbed into the plane behind me, a pilot's cap in her hand. She had evidently caught the tail end of our conversation.
”Don't mind him,” she said, clucking at me as she walked by and placed the cap squarely on her head. ”More beans than brains in this one's head. Did he even offer you a drink?”
”I was just going to,” Louis said, his face tucked in embarra.s.sment. I thought the woman was going to scold him for a second, but she just shook her head and peered around the plane.
”Well finish final check and radio up to the tower,” she said. ”Let's see if there's any openings to takeoff sooner rather than later.” She picked up a checklist from the back of the c.o.c.kpit door and ran one finger down the list, then threw it back down onto the counter.
”Now, dearie,” she said. ”I'm Lori, and this is my plane to fly today. Let me know if there's anything I can do to make you comfortable.”
No other pa.s.sengers came walking down the jetway, and it dawned on me as Louis finished the check that I would be the only pa.s.senger there. Lori started the plane, the jet engines coming to life with a loud roar, and we took off quickly if with a few b.u.mps. Flying in a small plane might have been scary, but sitting in a cushy oversized seat I felt like a kid on a roller coaster. When the ground below turned into tiny dots and patches, Louis came back and made sure I was okay. Both pilots made a fuss over serving me alternately over the course of the short flight, Louis out of shame that he hadn't been a better host earlier. They plied me with cakes, nuts, and a spicy goulash topped with cream that warmed my stomach.
”Mr. Herceg insisted that you taste some Hungarian food before you arrive,” Louis called back from the c.o.c.kpit.
”It's for the best,” Lori said. ”If you tried the wrong stew first you might never eat Hungarian food again!” She laughed.
”Is it very different?” I asked.
Lori shook her head sagely.
”It's not that different, really. But if you find yourself longing for a McDonalds, don't worry, they're all over the place.”
”I hope it doesn't come to that,” I said, laughing.
”You're different than our normal pa.s.sengers,” Lori said, looking at me curiously.
”Oh yeah?” I asked, licking the glaze off of my fingers. ”How's that?”
”One bag for a suitcase. And you're young. And...” She trailed off, looking at me up and down. I realized that she thought I was a mistress!
”I'm just a student,” I said, blus.h.i.+ng again. ”I'm here for the math interns.h.i.+p.”
”Never flown a student around in this jet before,” Lori said. ”And I've been working for the Hercegs for nearly a decade.”
”First time for everything,” I said helplessly.
She eyed me with a degree of caution, as though I might not be telling her something.
”You're a special one, aren't you?” she said. ”To him.”
”Who?” I asked, my wide eyes all innocence even as I hid the truth.
”You know who,” Lori said, her mouth curving into a knowing smile. ”The young one. The math genius.”
I looked out of the window, not wanting to say a word.
”How long until we get there?” I asked. The best way I knew to change the subject.
Lori stood up. ”Not soon enough for you, girl. I know the look of a woman in love.”
I flushed even harder and set my mouth in a line. I wasn't going to reply to any allegations that might lead to rumors. Eliot probably had enough on his plate to deal with without that. Lori simply smiled.
”Good for him,” she said, and disappeared back into the c.o.c.kpit, closing the door behind her.
The plane landed in Budapest with the sun s.h.i.+ning brightly outside. The ground stretched on below for miles, covered with a thick blanket of snow, and the horizon's mountains glittered with icy peaks. The buildings were sugared with icicles and snow, gridded by darker gray streets. As we glided to a landing, I felt a thrill of fear of the unknown pa.s.s through me. A new world, a new place to begin in. I thought it looked like paradise.
When I stepped out of the plane, I nearly froze to death.
”It's so cold!” I yelped. I jumped back into the c.o.c.kpit, nearly knocking Louis down on the stairs of the plane. I dug through my bag and found two more long sleeved s.h.i.+rts that I pulled on over me before zipping up my hoodie. Still, compared to the delicious warmth of the luxury jet, the outside air stung all the way through the layers. My nose ran and I wiped it on my sleeve. Ugh.
I waved goodbye to Lori, and Louis escorted me over to airport customs. After being ushered through a private security check, I scurried over to the curb, where a limo waited for me. The driver spoke halting English, but I understood enough to know that he was taking me to the interns.h.i.+p apartments. He had a letter for me, which I tucked next to me as I took off my outer layers. I blew on my hands, waiting for them to warm up before ripping the envelope open. Inside were two keys and a note. I held my breath as I read his handwriting.
Brynn- Right now I am attending a dinner with my brother, but will be back later this evening to check in and make sure you are comfortable in the apartments. The smaller key is for the room inside, 6b. I also have a textbook for you if you'd like to begin your studies early.
All the best, E. Herceg I ran my fingers over his signature. I'd never seen it before, and it seemed to tell me something about the kind of man he was. The elegant curls of the E, the way he underlined his name with the tail of the last letter. An easy confidence in those letters. I wished only that it had been his first name, but I no longer had the privilege of calling him that.
”Eliot,” I whispered, as though the word itself were illicit.
The ride to the apartments only took a few minutes, and although I pressed my nose to the window, I could barely see anything of the new city I had landed in. High stone walls loomed over sidewalk snowdrifts, and the few people walking down the street were bundled up so much as to be unrecognizable. We rounded a corner into a neighborhood where the buildings cast shadows down onto the street, and it immediately felt like dusk had fallen. I s.h.i.+vered, looking up at the sky.
The limo stopped in front of a drab stone building three stories tall. All of the windowsills heaped high with snow, and I wrapped myself up again as best as I could before stepping out of the limo cab. It wasn't enough. The cold pierced through to my skin, and even my best boots couldn't keep out the iciness of the snow-covered sidewalk. My toes felt instantly numb.
The driver waited patiently by my side until, blus.h.i.+ng, I scrambled in my pocket for a tip. I only had American money, not having thought to transfer any at the airport, so I gave him a dollar. He tucked it into his pocket unceremoniously, got into the limo, and drove away, leaving me standing in front of the building.
”This better be the right place,” I said, looking up at the apartments. Almost a week early, I would be staying by myself until the other students arrived. I didn't mind solitude, and actually looked forward to exploring Budapest on my own, but I couldn't help feeling a bit scared by the easy manner in which the limo driver had left me alone in an unfamiliar city. The street seemed dead, eerily quiet, and the top window of the building had been broken, the gla.s.s cracked in a hard, shattered star.
The wind whipped through my hoodie, and I slung my bag up over my shoulder, marching quickly up the outside stairs. The key turned in the lock, and I pushed it open, stepping inside. The door slammed shut behind me and I felt something scurry under my feet. I dropped my bag, the keys went scattering across the old wood floor, and I screamed.
The small furry creature darted behind the interior stairs, and I gasped as I threw myself backwards against the closed door behind me, knocking the wind out of my lungs. The light inside shone dimly, and I couldn't see enough to make out what it was. Maybe a rat? I shuddered. Sometimes rats would invade my Nagy's house to get at the pantry, and I hated the way their beady eyes looked knowingly at me as they scurried away with our food. Adrenaline made my heart pound.
Taking off one boot as a defensive weapon, I moved farther inside, trying to see underneath the rickety stairs. My breath still blew white-the heaters must not have gotten turned on yet, and it was almost as freezing inside as it had been outside, except for the chill of the wind. I could see the animal under the staircase, its ratty gray fur moving with its breaths. I stepped closer to the staircase, holding my boot above my head, ready to bring it down on the creature.
”Meow!”
I stopped with my boot still in my hand. A cat? Too small to be a cat. I squinted, and as I was debating what to do it poked its head out and meowed again at me. I got a good look at it-just a kitten, and a ragged one at that. It had a light gray coat, marred in places by burrs and scratches, and its whiskers trembled as it looked out at me.
I sat back and laughed, all of the tension running out of my system. A d.a.m.n kitten! My foot was beginning to turn numb from the cold, so I shoved my boot back on. I leaned forward, holding my hand out in goodwill.
”Here, kitty, kitty. Here, sweetheart.”
The kitten hissed, its fur standing up on its back.
”Don't be scared.” I stopped, my hand hovering in the air. My fingers got colder by the second.
The kitten's fur relaxed, but it stepped back, still wary.
”Here, kitty.”
Kitty had white mittens tipping his gray coat, and a white pointed diamond on his forehead, just between his ears. It looked like a large white snowflake had landed on the middle of his head and stuck. One ear, torn and healed over, flicked from the front to the side. Both of his ears looked too big for his head.