Welcome to the land of Coffee...
The airport security guard was scarier than I had imagined. Not only was he dressed in armor more appropriate to war than jet-lagged Londoners but the gun he held could have the whole room dead in seconds. I already hate this country.
The people were even worse, most having bigger things to worry about than a bag that had gone missing. This was the issue with customer service in this godforsaken country, no one was really there to help. The woman tried, I will give her that. But all the money in the world couldn't have given the airport better staff or the computers better tracking. I had to face the truth, I was going into this shitty situation without my luggage, for now anyway.
Luckily, the car did arrive and the back was full of food for my new apartment. You see, I may have been a child, but that doesn't mean I cannot have my own space. My cousin lived in a block of flats in the centre of New York City. There was one other apartment on her floor and that one was now mine. After all, there was no space for me in her tiny apartment and this one had better views.
I was greeted by my driver, who would double as my personal bodyguard in any place that wasn't mine or my cousin's apartments. This was only because of the threat my stepdad posed and not because I wanted to be noticed. He was only a year older than I was, but that made all the difference and allowed him to drive and own a gun. It would also mean that he would be able to blend in at school as my best friend.
He wasn't a bad looking guy, he was just quiet and as someone with more opinions than twitter, I needed someone with a voice to tame me. At least, that was what my mother always said.
Do you want to know what I always said? That prick David will kill you one day. I guess I can tell the future because that was the reason for my sudden relocation and my lack of any authority figure in my already messed up life. Youngest CEO of the company ever was my new title and I hated it more than the one I had been given on twitter, Tea Girl. Well, they had actually said, let's see how the girl of tea handles the land of coffee, but it was all the same. I had been branded the Tea Girl and I am sure all my classmates will have seen that comment too.
The drive was fairly quick and I was thankful for that, not wanting to sit up for longer than the next ten minutes. Mark, my driver, guided me to my cousin's house before leaving me to collect the bags of food and fill the apartment.
My cousin was a short woman. Her hair had been dyed blue, almost the exact same shade as her eyes. She wore a college sweatshirt and very short shorts. She smiled as she bound over to me, wrapping her arms around my torso.
"Zel, you made it. I am so happy. How was your flight?" The woman's smile never left her face as she walked towards her kitchen.
"Terrible. They lost my luggage so all my clothes and stuff for school is gone. I need to go shopping right now but I can barely stand from the jetlag and sending Mark seems cruel." Her face was crumpled in confusion as she poured me a glass of water, returning only momentarily before there was a knock on the door. Lara, my cousin, approached the door warily. She was definitely a threat, even with her tiny stature.
"It's just Mark. I am sure he is just telling me the apartment has been filled." Her look of confusion continued as I opened the door. I allowed him to walk in the room, which he surveyed like the pro that he was. When I turned back to Lara, she was still confused.
"Why do you look like that?" That seemed to push her out of her daze as she turned to me, beckoning me away from Mark who had found a place on the sofa to sit.
"Who is he? And what do you mean 'apartment'? I thought you were staying here, considering I am your legal guardian."
"He," I said, pointing to the man who was now lying across the sofa with his feet dangling over the edge, "is my bodyguard. His name is Mark. My apartment is the one across the hall. I figured with you and your kids, having me and Mark in the house might be a bit crowded, so I bought my own space." I had no idea if she looked relieved or disappointed. Her mouth was turned down but her eyes gave her true emotions away.
"Well, that probably is a better idea. If you want, I can take you shopping or we can go in an hour. I have to go to Walmart for the kids lunches anyway."
"It's alright. Clearly, you have things to do. Mark will take me around some shops for some clothes and hopefully, we can find a book store for my textbooks." I waved Mark over and watched as he rolled his rather large frame off the sofa. We made a quick stop in my apartment, checking all the necessary things were there before we headed down to the car.
I waited patiently at a distance while Mark made a sweep of the car, checking for bombs and other methods for bringing about my death. This might get on my nerves in the future.
I decided to sit in the front, feeling like that was a more friendly-looking situation than the back seat. I was greeted with a smile as the engine revved to life and watched as we left the rather large tower block.
"So, where to first, Princess?"
