Survivin' - [B.C.]

Chapter 6: Welcome Home

And just like that, it was over. 7 hours and 10 minutes had flown past (see what I did there) and I was still alive.

And now I was on the ground once more.

Safe. Steady. Balanced.

==========SURVIVIN'==========

Stepping out of the plane and onto the paved ground was a sort of feeling I could never express. Or maybe it was rather a whole bundle of feelings all wrapped up together. Either way, I stood in one place for quite awhile, soaking in the sun and letting go of all the tension I'd built up since we got to JFK.

It was weird seeing all the people bustling about who mostly had accents. There was a certain style about them. I gradually started feeling more and more out of place and I cowered behind Ben when he descended the plane stairs.

"What's the matter?" He asked. I shrugged bashfully.

"I don't know, i-it's just..." I looked around at everyone. "I just feel like I don't belong here, you know? Like... everyone here has conformed into what is acceptable for this region. They're a society and a community. But now here I am, and I'm just the alien, the outsider, the..."

"Maverick," Ben said. I looked up at him. I shrugged and gave a slight nod.

"Listen to me, Cal." Ben bent down to just about my height.

"You don't have to be scared, okay? I completely understand and it's okay that you are, but you must know that you are going to make this place so much better. And I will do everything I can to make this place your home."

He stood up and pat my head, then took Sophie's hand in his and put on his sunglasses. No mobs had ambushed him so far, so that's good.

We got our luggage and left the airport, standing on the curb of the street while Ben called for an Uber. It was so strange to see all the people sitting on the right hand sides of their cars to drive. It was also strange to see how people here were more or less normal, and all the stereotypical images I'd created in my head were a bit dramatic.

A black SUV pulled up - very sketchy - and Ben asked if it was the Uber, and the guy nodded and asked if he was Ben. Of course Ben said yes.

We loaded our luggage into the boot of the car and then we all clambered into the back seats. I watched in awe as the foreign scenery swept past us. It was like a dream. It was surreal. I'd almost gotten used to the fact that I was now in proper care of two celebrities, but actually being in London was so new and exciting... and intimidating. I'd never been out of the country before and I hardly ever left the states I used to live in. It was so strange.

Ben turned to smile at me.

"Welcome to Swinging London."

====================

I have never seen a house as beautiful as Ben and Sophie's.

In fact, I don't think I've even ever thought about a house being beautiful.

But now, standing in front of the large Victorian-era mansion, no other thought was available.

(A/N: I don't actually know what their house looks like but I've heard it's large and Victorian so I'm just gonna go with the flow here ok)

Sophie suddenly appeared at my side and her voice made me flinch out of my trance.

"You like it?"

"I don't even think I can begin to comprehend it," I said breathily. And it was true; it looked like something straight out of some fairytale movie where houses are made out of gold and marble and cost more than Jeff Bezos.