The Host

E I N S

Aimee's POV:

I've never been on a train before today. I'm not used to it at all. I met this other exchange student at the station, a Cuban boy named Alejandro with a charming smile and mischievous, dark eyes. I was relieved to learn he was nice. We'll be jumping into this together, after all.

It's nighttime so, I can't really see much of the famous countryside. I know that, if I could, I'd be ogling in amazement. I love scenery, it's one of the many things I adore about travelling to foreign places. Germany has always been one of those places I've wanted to go. It looked stunning on google images. I'm excited to see it for real, in full light. I hope the host parents will be willing to take us sightseeing often.

The train eventually arrives at Berlin, where we load a car that will take us to our host parents' residence. Where that is, I have no idea.

When we get in the car, the driver says something to me in German.

"Wie lautet die Adresse?" the moustached man asks.

I catch 'what' and 'address'. I hand him a thin slip of paper.

"Das ist es," I return, trying my best to sound like a native-speaker. I know I don't. I can never get the 'r' right. Even so, I think I'm pretty good at the language, overall. This shouldn't be much of a problem for me. I do have a hard time remembering that their 'w's sound like 'v's, though. Improving my German language skills was a big reason why I wanted to go on this exchange trip.

"I don't s'pose you'd wanna do all the talking for me," Alejandro jokes, smiling a smile I don't mind looking at at all.

"I guess I could...but do you really want another thing for the German students to notice about us besides our foreignness?" I ask.

He laughs breathily and lowers his gaze before returning it to mine.

"Good point...I guess I should try to practice as much as I can."

I look out the window and smile.

"Thrown into this...we don't really have much of a choice."

We watch the road for a while, the driver taking many winding twists and turns before eventually arriving at our destination. I check my phone and notice that the residence is about half an hour from Berlin. It's 11:37pm now.

The driver helps us unload our suitcases from the trunk of the car and Alejandro and I claim our luggage. I smile at him and offer a quick 'danke', with which he seems most pleased. Alejandro quickly joins me in thanking the man, looking as if he's kicking himself for not remembering it. I smile but don't say anything.

I notice the size of the country house before we've entered it. It has two floors and it's wide as it is long. Alejandro and I drag our suitcases up the front porch as gracefully as we can when the door swings open and an excited-looking woman, who is perhaps 30-something, stands at the other side of the entryway.

I return the dark-haired woman's thrilled smile.

"Hier sind Sie ja! I am so glad you're here!" she greets in a heavy accent, opening her arms and immediately embracing each of us. I return her affectionate address, not withholding my own excitement.

"Frau Heitmann, es ist gut, dich kennenzulernen!" - "Mrs. Heitmann, it's good to meet you!" - I say confidently.

"Nein, nein! Englisch, wenn Sie möchten!" - "No, no! English if you want!" - she assures.

My shoulders sag with relief.

"Thank you, Frau Heitmann."

"You may call me Ilse. And it's late! I would never make you poor kinder speak Deutsche when your brains are so tired!" she turns to Alejandro. "Hallo, Alejandro," she says the 'j' in his name like it's a 'y' but, he doesn't comment. "How are you?"