Sempiternal (Trilogy - Book 1)

Four - Cadivus

My neck felt stiff from the long flight and my clothes had a stale, stuffy airline smell. Dante announced that the plane had landed half an hour ago but Hiraieth or Rai, as he much prefered being called, insisted we wait. And by 'waiting' my anxiety and paranoia grew. My knees bobbed with impatience.

"Okay," Rai finally spoke, "we can leave now." "Finally." I muttered. My seat belt light went off and all I wanted to do was barrel down the aisle and right off the plane, but Rai grabbed me by my shoulder.

"Not so fast, kid. We can't risk anything," he said, his face hard and serious. "Stand close beside me and don't attract attention to yourself. You can't trust anyone."

Yet here I was in a city I've never been to with a complete stranger.

I muttered incoherent words.

***

Getting passed immigration was surprinsingly easy but something felt off. I just couldn't figure it out. Once we got passed the security check up points, I pulled Rai by the shoulder to the nearest corner.

"Can you please explain to me what the hell is going on. Why am I here? What are we running from?" I half-yelled.

"Not here," he whispered. He grabbed my hand and basically dragged me out.

I was in awe when we reached the parking lot.  The sky was a briliant bright blue, no clouds on the horizon. Everything looked new minted and clean---even the parking lot held row after row of recently washed cars. A line of mountains framed it all, tawny brown with scraggly dots of green trees, one hill rolling into the next.

I was pulled back from my silent ogling when Rai pointed at a dark, shiny blue Lexus, parked across from us with Dante on the drivers seat. I felt my jaw drop.

How rich is this guy?

Once we got settled into the car with both Rai and I in the backseat; Dante worked the gearshift as he took the ramp onto the freeway and zipped through traffic. Absently, I opened the car window, feeling the warm, summer breeze brush against my skin. I loved the feeling of the wind whipping through my hair as we sped toward the towering San Francisco skyline.

In San Francisco, the roads turned much hillier. Every time I crested one peak and started careening down another, I caught a different glimps of the city. It looked both old and new at the same time: Mirrow-windowed skyscrappers backed right up against restaurants and bars that looked a century old.

Being born and raised in a small town, everything about this experience was new to me. I had never been anywhere near a city and seeing something as big as a skyscrapper left me in complete awe.

Tiny cars lined the streets, parked at gravity-defying angles.

Dogs and strollers everywhere.

The sparkle of blue water all around the city's edge. And the first candy-apple red glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. My eyes darted to keep up with all the sights.

My gaze fell back inside the car, admiring the leather seats, before it was locked with Rai's, who since the plane ride, has been looking at me like I'm some poor, injured puppy.