Page 4 of The Outcast
Sparrow laughed. “I wish, but no. I’m talking about dropping you off, not staying in Old Europe.” Pointing to the teacher’s cabin that I’d slept in these past two nights, she instructed, “Go and gather your things, quickly. Thor’s drone will be here in a few minutes and we’d better be ready to take off before anyone asks questions.”
“But then I won’t get a chance to say goodbye to everyone.”
“I’ll tell them it was an emergency and that you had to leave in a rush.Now go!”
Jogging to the cabin, I gathered my things and returned outside just a minute before Thor’s drone descended. Sparrow waved for me to hurry and thirty seconds after the drone had landed, we were in the air.
“Wow.” I let my hands glide over the interior.
“I know. Khan had it made for Thor as a special birthday present. It’s designed by Tristan.”
“Who?”
“He’s the son of Finn, and one of the most sought-after drone designers.”
I whistled low. “It’s artistry.”
Sparrow swirled her seat around. “Thor’s old drone was nice too, but this one is the model that has everyone drooling. We can convert the seats to comfortable beds and sleep if you want, but that’s more for when you travel during the night.”
It seemed to me that Sparrow and I had talked more or less non-stop since I arrived at the school three days ago. She was adapting to my sense of humor and we shared laughter with ease.
“I wish I could have said goodbye. Everyone was so kind to me these past five weeks.”
Sparrow gave me a sympathetic smile. “They will understand. Do you know where you want the drone to land?”
“Ehh… let me think. Val and I have a favorite place in a valley about two hours from home. Unfortunately, it will be late evening when we arrive. Even if I can get a hold of him, there’s no way he can take a drone and fly out to meet me. Our team was put on hold while Aubri and Indiana went back home. It would look suspicious if Val went down to the headquarters and took the drone for a spin for no apparent reason.”
“Oh, but then…” Sparrow trailed off. “We’ll need to make a stop and get some food and beverages. I mean if we’re staying all night.”
It suddenly dawned on me how much she was going against her culture. “Won’t your family be furious with you for coming with me? Will they blame you for spending a night with a man?”
Sparrow looked away. “I’ll deal with them.”
“I hope you know that I won’t hurt you.”
“Yes, I know.” Sparrow was quiet for a while and then she gave a command to the drone to find a market.
Landing Thor’s drone and walking into a market, I couldn’t decide if the envious glances I got were because of the sleek drone or the beautiful woman walking next to me. Sparrow ignored the other people and bought snacks and drinks for the journey. I followed her and took in the shelves with their products. Most of the items looked strange to me.
“Do you want one?” she asked when I stopped by the large fridge and looked at the contents.
“Is it meat?” I asked and pointed to what looked like a massive club.
“Yes, it’s a turkey leg. It’s considered a snack here.”
“A snack? But it’s colossal.”
“I know. Do you want one?”
I put it down and moved on. “What’s this?”
“Pork rinds. Those are the spicy kind.”
“Are they good?”
Sparrow grabbed a bag and moved on. “They’re crunchy.”
When we returned to the drone, it was surrounded by eight curious men admiring the design.
