American Fantasy

Reunited

https://www.polyvore.com/addie_chapter/set?id=222005355

"It's better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone – so far." – Marilyn Monroe

Napoleon sat with his head rested on the head rest of the airplane chair, he closed his eyes and waved off the flight attendant who's pointed heels stopped at his chair.

He hadn't thought of Addie in a long time, he didn't do much dwelling on the past. She was sent the article which claimed her and his mother died in the house fire. He mourned in his own way, but he loved his family. He didn't know how much his "death" would affect his mother. The article pointed out that she had been slowly deteriorating in her mental health.
During the war, Napoleon carried his sister's picture in a metal locket. One side had her school picture, the other, was taken by their mother, when they had made a campout in their backyard. He had told stories that he had learned in science class, about the stars.

Napoleon remembered putting his letter jacket over her shivering body, he wanted to go back inside and sleep in his bed, but Addie had curled up next to him and he knew that he would soon be leaving for the army. So, he leaned back, putting his arms underneath his head, and watched the stars until the dawn rose.

He had gotten intelligence with some agents back home, and his sister was a student at the new Pitzer college in Claremont. Addie was a model student, the top of her class and working almost full time at a diner right by her apartment. Napoleon would not expect anything less; Addie was always smart. Her teachers praised her test grades, she even was awarded smartest kid in her class. She got a certificate and got her picture taken for the newspaper. Napoleon had used the money he'd gotten from the garage that day to buy her a chocolate bar. Addie seemed more excited for the chocolate bar than her certificate.

Back then, their mother was a sane woman, who kept up with the latest fashions. She had the certificate laminated and it hung on the fridge until the fire.

What would he say? Napoleon hadn't seen his sister in 10+ years. She thought he was dead, then again, he thought she was dead. It was laughable if you didn't think so hard.

Napoleon thought of how to approach her. As an American spy, he was trained to be as smooth as butter 100% of the time. He was confident around women, all women. But this one woman, even if he still saw her as a little girl, would be his hardest catch. Would she be mad? He can't tell her everything, or even most of anything. He rubbed his head, then smoothed his hair down over his ears.

When the plane landed he walked purposefully to the apartment, he stood outside, looking up at the window which had been in the picture. Yellow curtains, he couldn't remember what her favorite color was. Was it yellow? Or was it purple? She certainly owned a lot of blue when she was little, but then again, their mother did all the shopping.

"No boys allowed back here, sir. If you wish to call on a lady you will do it at my front desk, not back here like a thug," Ms. Harper pointed a stern, elderly, finger at Napoleon.

"My apologizes, Ms. Harper. I am Napoleon," he held out his hand, "Addie's brother."

"No you're not. I met her brother this morning, and you look nothing like him," Napoleon dropped his hand and walked closer to the woman, making her step back.

"Was he Italian?"

"Yes, now leave before I call the police-"

"Where did he take her?" Napoleon pushed on.

"Nowhere, Addie had left for class already," Napoleon left the apartments and rushed toward the campus. He ran through his memory, he only got a few seconds to look at her file. What class did she have first? What building was it in? What room number?

Napoleon quietly entered a small building with only two floors, he went to the top floor and the last one on the left, he opened softly. He took a seat in the back, a professor stood talking loudly in front of a chalkboard painted with illegible writing.

Throughout the class, Napoleon looked at the back of each head, most were covered by hats, which did not help, but he had his eye on a black hat in the front. Black hat, yellow, stripped jacket, blue scarf. Bits of brown hair escaped outside the hat.

When the professor excused the class for the day, Napoleon held up a text book to his face and tilted his hat low. He scanned each face as they left, he did not see his sister's. Then he looked at the front of the room, the girl with the black hat and yellow jacket had gone to talk to the professor. Napoleon lowered the textbook and willed the girl to turn around.

When the professor shewed the girl away she turned around and it made Napoleons heart race faster than running away from gunfire. His palms were sweaty and he suddenly felt choked in his tie.

The girl walked up the stairs, she did not look at him, as she was concentrated on the textbook in front of her.

"Addie," Napoleon said standing up.

Addie turned around, "hmm?" She spoke bringing her eyes up slowly. When she looked at the man in front of her she dropped her textbook, it fell to the floor with a low thud. "Leon?"

Napoleon took a step forward, he was glad to find that she hadn't taken a step back from him, but did shrink away at his presence. "They said you were dead," she whispered.

"They said the same thing about you," he took another step and opened his arms, caroling her into them. He waited until he felt her arms tighten around his waist to rest his chin on the top of her hat. "Addie, I have to get you out of here. There are men here to kill you."

"Huh?" Addie said, not really hearing what he had said. All she could hear was the beating of her own heart in her ears as she pressed against her brother's suit.

"I'll explain all I can on the way, we have a plane to catch." Napoleon was the first to step back, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the class.

"I had a dream like this once," Addie admitted.

Napoleon smiled back at her, he could see the confusion in her eyes, he also saw the happiness and love. She hadn't forgotten him and that was all he had hoped for, "me too."