Evangeline (Unedited)

02

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

The airport was bustling with travellers and tourists alike. Raymond was unable to accompany me to New York, so we had a quick--yet surprisingly emotional--goodbye. I had fallen asleep fairly quickly on the plane, only awake for drinks and a snack, take off, and the landing. I was seated in the middle row so I didn't even get to look out the window, which I remembered loving from my brief trip to France when I was 10.

Anyway, it was quite a shock to wake up to a very beautiful flight attendant shaking me awake. I accidentally let out a loud yell, which made the people around me laugh. I apologized and clipped my seatbelt. I think landing was much scarier than taking off. When we were landing, I felt like I was going to slide right out of the plane or like it was going to crash. I held onto my seat as tight as I could and kept my eyes closed the entire time. The lady next to me offered me some gummies to chew on so my ears didn't pop too much. I appreciated that.

One of the employees greeted me when I stepped off the plane, and they escorted me to where my brothers were supposed to be picking me up. The brothers that, may I add, are 30 minutes late.

"Sweetheart, is there any way for you to reach them and make sure there is no confusion regarding your pick-up?" The lady says to me, leaning down to meet my height--which she already was.

"I, uh, have never met them," I admit, clicking my heel to my ankle as I fidget with my hands. She opens her mouth to say something else but is interrupted by a loud voice.

"Evangeline?" I turn my head to see a tall man speedily walking towards me. I clasp my hands behind my back and the woman greets him, before bidding me goodbye and retreating to where we came from. "My deepest apologies." His seemingly confident voice falters, and he says nothing else.

We stare at each other for a moment, unsure. I look into his eyes as he examines me. He blinks at me slowly, before cracking a small smile.

"You have grown up so much, souer." His thick French accent is very audible when he says the last word. I take a subconscious step back. He chuckles and holds his hand out for me to shake. "My name is Tommy. I am your fourth eldest brother."

"I thought Alessandro or something was supposed to be picking me up?" I say, questioning why he was here.

He chuckles and nods. "He was, but one of the twins got into some trouble and he had to deal with it. So, you've got me, the better option anyways."

I listen and nod to show I am. I thought it was a little distasteful that he wouldn't pick me up, considering he's my guardian. I take the silence as an opportunity to examine him.

He had on a black turtleneck, a jacket, and jeans. He had a seemingly expensive watch on, and I found myself admiring it before switching my attention to his head. His eyes were identical to Elio's, and mine, in turn. He had nicely slicked-back hair and glasses, too. He looked like he just walked out of a detective movie. I also made note of his biceps—huge. I shudder at the fact that he could overpower me easily, and I wonder if his other brothers also will tower over me, and be buff as heck.

"Well, let's get going then, yeah?" He offers his hand to me and I shoot my eyes downward towards it. I smile awkwardly. "Right, sorry."

He leads me to a very sleek, black Lincoln Navigator, and I have to take a big step back when a man gets out of the car. I feel a hand cover the small of my back and shoot my head to Tommy, who doesn't even seem like he noticed. He has a blank expression, and suddenly looks a lot less welcoming than he did a minute ago.

"Sir." The man greets us, lowering his head and walking around the car to open the door for us. I thank him as I climb in, and watch nervously as Tommy walks around to the other side of the car, the man follows momentarily, leaving space between them.