Whenever-kobo by Emily Evans Read Free Book Online Page A

arrange for a call.”
    The thought of international air space freaked me out, but the thought of talking to my parents calmed me. I used the image of Mom answering her cell to fight off the shakiness that was rushing me now that the adrenalin had left my system. Mom would be so upset, she’d probably bake me and the boys cupcakes with homemade chocolate icing. Yum.
    “Got any soda?” Austin asked.
    Sean’s head swiveled. “Americans and their soda,” he said to no one in particular.
    The guard nodded. “I can put together your drinks and a meal.”
    A snack. A mid-air, after-school snack. This would be the most unusual snack I’d ever eaten.
    The guard eyed us as if just noticing our windswept hair and dirty clothes. “There are clothes in the cabins. Showers, if you’re fast. Help yourselves while I arrange for a snack.”
    I rubbed at a smear of dirt on my pants and glanced at Callum, whose dark hair had fallen into place. I smoothed my own down.
    Callum gestured to the back and then said in his Irish accent, “The first door has the ladies’ dressing room and wardrobe. Take whatever you need.”
    “You should,” Sean said. “The press may be there when we land. You’ll want to consider that.” He eyed me when he said it as if I looked particularly messy. Or maybe he just wanted to take me to task about the speech and the consequences of the speech, like I wasn’t living them.
    Lisette jumped up, and I followed her down the aisle into the small dressing room. It had cupboards, a vanity, and two doors. White fluffy robes hung on hooks. The whole situation was overwhelming. “Are you going to shower?”
    She snagged a robe and wrinkled her nose. “Sure. I hate being grimy. Okay if I go first?”
    “Sure.”
    She paused in the doorway. “I’ve never heard of a Gulfstream having two showers.” With that, she disappeared behind the door.
    I’d never heard of a plane having one shower. I sank down on the cushioned bench and stared at the back of my unpolished nails, thinking about everything that had happened, and hoping everyone had gotten out safely.
    By the time Lisette returned, with wet hair and wearing a fluffy robe, I hadn’t arrived at any great conclusions. With a weak smile, I made my way around her and into the tiny bathroom.
    The steamy miniscule space had an efficient layout. I used the jewel-toned bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. The fragrances were floral and pleasant, but it was strange not to have my familiar bath products. I thought I’d love to try out expensive brands, but I wanted my own things and my own room. I breathed in the steam and let the hot water beat into my shoulders before toweling off, putting on one of the fluffy white robes, and going back to the dressing area.
    Lisette peered into one of the tall closets. She touched the sleeve of a white dress that featured overlarge pink cabbage roses. “Who do you think these belong to?”
    I pushed the padded hanger back for a better view. Dress after dress was covered with blooming floral prints, as if a garden party threw up all over the wardrobe. My body jerked in instinctive revulsion. “His mom?”
    She laughed and lifted one down. “Ever worn a Queen’s clothes?”
    A stream of water ran from my hair down my neck, and I blotted it with the corner of the towel. “Uh, no.”
    “Me either. Today’s held a lot of firsts.”
    “Yeah.”
    The padded hangers moved to one side as she flipped through them. “His mom’s taller than us and skinnier, but several things in here will work.”
    Lisette stood about my height, or maybe an inch shorter, about 5’7”, so that put Callum’s mom close to six feet. He must have gotten his height from her. I leaned against the wardrobe door, fiddling with the tie on my robe. “I don’t have a sister, but I borrow from my mom sometimes.”
    Lisette’s hand tightened on the hanger. “My parents are gone. My older brother is at university in France, and I live with my