From Embers

S E V E N

Five and a half hours later the plane touched down in Washington without incident. The dark night sky crept through the window and the only light that could be seen were the runway markers and the control tower, which stretched high in the sky like a skyscraper. We taxied off of the runway and pulled into one of the many gates. It was a larger airport, but nothing compares to Atlanta. The plane stopped moving with a shudder and the flight attendants opened the door to the plane. The cold Washington air gave me a warm welcome as the dock enclosed the gap around the door, and the air stopped flowing. We were finally able to get off of the plane. I grabbed my duffel from the overhead compartment and my backpack from under my seat and exited through the tunnel. When I finally stepped into the terminal, it was completely empty. There wasn't a soul in sight other than the people getting off behind me. I headed directly for the outgoing pickup and looked around for the car Mrs. Largent said would be waiting for me. After stepping out into the crisp air I took my first breath. This was the farthest from home I have ever been. It all was surreal, but I needed to get to the academy before I process what happened today. I spotted a man in a dark trench coat holding a card in front of him. The card had my full name printed in italics. Fancy. I walked over to the man and spoke with him.

"I'm Maximus Carter, are you my driver?" I asked.

"Greetings Mr. Carter, My name is William Trenton. I will be escorting you to the academy. Are you hungry?" He stated with a very elegant tone. 

"I could eat, I had some snacks on the plane." I answered.

"What are you in the mood for, we can stop anywhere." He said.

"What is around here?" I asked.

"There is a very exquisite Chinese restaurant, a hamburger joint which has the utmost delicious cheddar fries, a very high class steakhouse which has only the best filets in stock, and there is many places where you may get fast food. What will it be today?" He asked.

"The steakhouse sounds amazing right now, but isn't that expensive?" I responded. 

"Money should be no concern of yours Mr. Carter. Think of this as one of the many ways the academy is giving you gratitude for your decision to attend their school." He stated.

"Alright, then the steakhouse it is." I finally answered.

"Please, allow me to take your bags and we will be on our way."

I handed him my duffel back and kept on my backpack. He opened the back of the sedan and placed my bag into it's large cargo space. I got into the front passenger seat and he finally got into the vehicle and put its idle motor into drive. We headed away from the airport and into the large town surrounding the area. It took us fifteen minutes to reach the steakhouse he was talking about, and he was under-exaggerating the high class part. This place looked like it belonged in a movie. It's front entrance had two white marble pillars stretching to the roof of the building. Spotlights shined up the walls alternating the windows, and amazing graffiti was painted in any space that didn't have a sign or a window. The colors swirled around the walls like magic. It had the perfect amount of dark and bright color. If this place were to be sold it would be in an art museum and not a new owner. I wonder how much it costed for them to have this painted this way. 

Mr. Trenton parked the sedan right at the front of the building and killed its engine. I stepped out of the car to admire the amazing sight ahead of me. There was nothing like this in Georgia. I started towards the entrance to the building and Mr. Trenton opened the door for me. When I stepped inside I felt more out of place than I ever had before. Everyone seated around me were dressed in the most expensive clothing and brands I had never even heard of. There I was in casual clothing, just some jeans and a t-shirt in a restaurant that made me look poor. A host approached us and asked Mr. Trenton what we needed. She eyed me down like I didn't belong there. He mentioned that we were on the way to the academy and I was a new student. At the mention of the academy, she perked up and apologized immediately. She guided us to a private corner of the restaurant and sat us down. Not even thirty seconds later, a waitress approached us and served us hot bread, then asked what we would like to drink.