Michael and Amanda unloaded the first aeroplane onto a baggage cart as Uncle Michael greeted his friends from the Infinite at the bottom of the steps.
"The Graugans! Willkommen. Ah, Alby."
European accents replied. Michael glimpsed a tall jolly boy with rosy cheeks and golden hair bound down the stairs after his parents. So tall he needed to bend down to give Uncle Michael a hug.
"Karen Swan."
A tall woman with jet-black skin kissed the air either side of Uncle Michael's head.
"And Gabriel."
Michael caught another bag, thrown by Amanda out of the plane's hold, and looked back to find Karen Swan's son watching them curiously. The handsome boy winked and trotted off.
The next family all had the same white-blonde hair.
"The Falks. Hej. Hallå." Uncle Michael delicately kissed the mother's cheek, shook hands with the father and bowed comically for the teenage girl, who giggled, shyly clutching her mother's hand. Michael thought she seemed too old to be clinging that way. The last member of their group floated down the stairs like an apparition – a slight girl about Michael's age. She tucked a curtain of hair, almost the same colour as her porcelain skin, behind an elf-like ear revealing a clear plastic tube taped to her cheek. The tube disappeared into a nostril. She looked directly at Michael – caught him staring. He quickly looked away, feeling guilty for gawking, just in time to be hit by another bag from Amanda. When he looked back a different family was descending from the plane.
"Los Estorninos!" Uncle Michael bellowed. "Ha sido un largo tiempo."
"You make me laugh. I see your Spanish is as good as it was last year." The man was short, barrel-chested. He embraced Uncle Michael so vigorously their bodies clapped together.
Michael jumped into the cart beside Amanda. She sped off, under the plane's wing and slammed on the brakes at the steps.
"Maria," she called to the last passenger, an olive-skinned girl who high-fived Uncle Michael on the way passed.
"What-up Mandy?" Maria had a thick Spanish accent. She kissed Amanda's cheek and squeezed in beside Michael. "Who's the cutie?"
Michael blushed, unsure if he should introduce himself and acknowledge himself as the cutie. Instead, he went blank. Panic.
"This is Michael," Amanda smirked.
His hand shot out automatically. Maria's long manicured nails raked across his skin as she took his hand.
"Her full name is Marianela. You should call her that, she loves it."
"Marianela?" repeated Michael.
"No don't call me that. I may kill someone. Just Maria."
"Oh. My apologies. Maria."
Amanda cackled.
"Aww. Such a gentleman. Nice eyes." Maria assessed Michael from point-blank. He pretended not to notice. She leant over Michael to grab Amanda's arm. "Where'choo find him?"
"He's a school friend, but he's staying now."
"Bueno, these Fresas were gettin borin."
For the rest of the day, much smaller aircraft, designed to carry fewer people in greater luxury, landed one after the other. Michael opened one such cargo hold to find several identical black suitcases. An Asian family descended the steps, the patriarch in a suit and tie with his wife, who wore a neat formal dress. The son and daughter also wore matching business suits.
YOU ARE READING
INFINITE: Island of the Immortals
PertualanganWhen you finish school, the rest of your life is supposed to begin, right? But Michael doesn't have a clue what he wants. All he has going for him is the fact that he sees things others can't. He's different. But so are the Infinite... At a tropical...
