Tempest [ON HOLD]

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When I woke up the next morning, six inches of snow had fallen on New York City. The world outside my window was blanketed with white, fluffy goodness. Growing up in Detroit, there was never a lack of good, snow-related fun, so I was ready to go outside and have a great day.

Rolling off my bed, I'd forgotten that I was still wearing the clothes from the day before. And then I realized that they were the only clothes I owned. Instantly forgetting about the fun I had planned for the day, I decided to take myself shopping. After washing up, I walked out into the rest of Tom and Maya's apartment. Tom was staring intently at the television screen.

"...London's Prime Minister has discussed his intentions on dealing with the New York government. He has stated that he will extend one last peace offering to New York City and return all touring citizens if the New York government will cease all affiliations with the city of Tokyo. The Prime Minister has also stated that if the city of New York does not cooperate with said conditions, drastic measures must be taken. This statement was released earlier this morning from downtown Manhattan. The President has not been reached for further commentary..."

Click.

Tom stood and turned, as if seeing me for the first time. He cleared his throat. 

"Good morning, Lily." 

"Morning." I replied. 

"How did you sleep?" he asked in his clipped, British voice. 

"Very well, thank you." 

He was being so formal. Too formal. Granted that we had only met yesterday, I felt surprisingly close to him. And the way he stood up for me to Maya was really sweet, too. I opened my mouth to ask if he was alright when he beat me to it.

"Lily, this is bad. London is threatening 'drastic measures' if New York City doesn't cooperate. They're holding citizens as hostages, doing who-knows-what with them, and this isn't going to change unless London stops being so demanding. We are on the brink of war, Lily! I can't take this! I'm worried about family I have back in London, and I'm sure they're scared for me as well." Tom began to pace around the apartment.

"Tom," I began calmly, "Tom, calm down. I'm sure your family is fine, and if you want, you can call them just to be sure."

Tom looked at me like I was dense. "Lily, don't you see? I'm a London immigrant! If word gets out that Maya and I aren't native-born, we might be deported! Or worse, they might lock me and my sister up in internment camps like the American government did with Japanese Americans during World War II! I love New York City, and I don't want to leave."

I was shocked. 

Not only was I shocked that Tom was confiding in me already, but I was also shocked that he cared so much about his new home. A part of me wanted to believe that he was still somewhat loyal to London.

I sighed. "Tom, unless you're secretly a spy for the government of London, I doubt you have anything to worry about." 

Tom looked uneasy. 

"Don't worry." I repeated. He relaxed a little, but his shoulders sagged visibly. Given that he saved my life yesterday, I decided to cheer him up.

"Heyyyyyy. Hey, let's go out today. It's perfect sledding weather and the weather report on my iPod says it's only going to keep snowing. Come on, let's get you some fresh air." I grabbed my coat out of my room as Tom went to get his out of his room. When we were set, I pulled him out of the apartment, and together we trekked to Central Park.

Surprisingly, the walk to Central Park was surprisingly not a long one, albeit cold. The streets were crowded with people, all bustling about in warm winter coats. Young children clutched their parent's hands with small, woolen mittens, excited over the falling snow and winter festivities. Street vendors sold steaming mugs of hot chocolate to shivering pedestrians as taxis slowed and stopped in traffic. It was my first official day in New York City, and I was loving every minute of it.