Hunted [HOLD!]

One

Ava was thrilled. She moved around her room in little bursts of adrenaline, grabbing items here and there and tossing them into her bag.

For the third time in the past ten minutes, she let out a little squeal of excitement- she was going to Germany!

Her younger brother passed by the door in the same moment, rolling his dark blue eyes at her girlish energy.

It's not that he wasn't excited- of course he was. He just didn't feel it necessary to bounce off of the walls because of it.

"Kids? Let's go! We're leaving in 10 minutes!" their mother shouted.

Ava did a once-over on her bags and then her room, making sure she hadn't missed any items of importance before zipping her bigger suitcase shut and doing a little hop-step out the door.

She bounded down the stairs to the main floor of her two-story suburban home, moving in one quick motion. She nearly took out her father at the bottom of the stairs in the process.

She let out a laugh, unable to contain her excitement still.

"Sorry, Dad!"

Mr. Collins' eyes twinkled as he grinned at his over-energetic daughter.

"Looks like you're about ready to fly yourself there with that energy, Bud. Where's your brother?"

"He's-" Ava began.

"Here." her brother finished for her, speaking from the top of the stairs before trotting down them, his bag in hand.

"Can we go before Ava decides to sprint there?"

"Shut up, Mikey." she protested, but was still unable to wipe the grin from her face.

As Mrs. Collins joined them, their father nodded.

"Alright then, let's go."

•••

The plane ride was painfully drawn out for Ava. With two layovers and a slight delay due to mechanical issues, the need to be in Germany soon became an actual, physical ache in her chest.

She was beginning to feel concerned for her well-being by the time the plane officially landed in Berlin.

"Michael, we're here."

Mr. Collins shook his son awake where he sat across the aisle from Ava, who was scrambling to grab her carry-on and get out of the suddenly claustrophobic space inside the plane.

"Ava honey, wait!" her mother called out to her, but she was already weaving her way up the aisle.

She moved with deft footing through the throngs of people exiting the plane, stopping in awe as she finally stepped foot into the terminal; into Flughafen Berlin-Tegel.

She was here. She had survived months and months of waiting and now here she stood, finally in the country she had dreamt of traveling to for as long as she could remember. Shaking her head, she flashed her teeth in that same grin she'd been wearing nearly all day.

The ache in her chest had begun to fade now, though it hadn't disappeared completely, but in the moment she found it easy to ignore.

As her family finally caught up to her, her mother scolding her briefly for leaving the plane without them, she came out of her starstruck daze.

"Where do we get our bags? How far is it to Aunt Myla's? I want to see the countryside in daylight!"

The words fled from her mouth in a steady rush, only stopping at the sound of her father's familiar, hearty laughter.