The Eye of the Storm - Sequel to The Oncoming Storm

Chapter 14

Prince's mind was racing. Never before had he felt so unsure of everything going on around him. "What does Apollonia want from me? She's famous and making it on her own now, she doesn't need me. But what could be so important that she can only discuss it with me in person? Is there really something she needs to talk about with me, or is this just another one of her schemes?"

But when the taxi pulled up to the airport, Prince was broken from his jumbled thoughts. The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in as he found himself lugging his suitcase through the airport in search of the gate his flight would depart from. His suitcase was small and he hadn't packed much, he doesn't plan on staying. He really couldn't believe he was actually doing this. How easy it would've been for him to just rip up the letter and the plane ticket and forget about the whole thing. But something deep inside him was nagging him to go to Los Angeles. And when the light lit up at the gate signaling for everyone to board the plane, he knew there was no turning back now.

...

The plane ride was long and boring. Maybe Prince would've been able to relax more if it weren't for his running thoughts. He just kept wondering what in the world all this could be about. And, though he'd never admit this, he was actually really nervous about seeing Apollonia again. He didn't know what she wanted from him or how she was gonna react when she saw him. Something told him that she wasn't about to completely let the bad blood between them dry.

The plane landed at the L.A. airport and Prince grabbed his suitcase and curiously walked around. This airport was ginormous, much larger than the one back in Minneapolis. There were so many people bustling about... tourists, people in business suits, people from different countries who spoke different languages... all so foreign from the slow city life back in Minnesota. Prince really felt out of his comfort zone, almost as if he was lost in a foreign country.

After aimlessly walking around for a while, he came across what appeared to be a group of chauffeurs holding up sights with people's names on them. One tall, broad man in an expensive-looking suit was holding up a sign that said 'The Kid.' Prince realized he's probably the only one that goes by that name, and that this must be one of Apollonia's bodyguards like she said in her letter. Prince cautiously approached the tall bodyguard, who had to be over 6 feet tall. He towered over Prince, and looked down at him when he asked, "Are you the Kid from Minnesota?"

Prince looked up at the intimidating man and replied softly, "Yes."

"Then come with me. Miss Apollonia has been expecting you."

"Miss Apollonia," Prince repeated silently in his head as he followed the bodyguard out to a black limousine.

The drive to where Apollonia is staying was a long one. Prince quickly decided he did not like Los Angeles. First off, it was way too hot for him. He's so use to the cooler Minnesota weather. And as he gazed out the limousine window at the city, he couldn't get over how different this city was from Minneapolis. Here, there are so many skyscrapers. Traffic was bad and there's too many people all over the place. The city looked crowded and busy and way too energetic. He wasn't accustomed to this type of crowd.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of driving slowly through traffic, the limousine pulled up to the front of a very fancy skyscraper. "We're here," announced the bodyguard as he opened the limousine door to let Prince out. Prince's heart began beating faster and his nerves escalated. This is it. This is really happening.