Their Guardian

Chapter 18

*Noella's POV*

After an unnervingly quiet ride, we arrived at the plane. This time we would not be seeing Nico and Justin, my favorite people to fly with. This time we would be riding with some acquaintances of Andy.  

I closed my journal and slipped it into my bag. For the past two hours, I've been working on a drawing of her. I wanted one without all the blood, and I wanted to see her, not the circumstances that brought her here.

I still didn't know her name, just her last one Freeman, and that was only because of her name tag. She didn't trust us, and I couldn't blame her, we didn't exactly make a good impression.

When we got out, I stayed close to Andy, knowing that wandering off here would not be appreciated. She threw and arm over my shoulder and walked with me towards the plane, keeping a protective hold on me. Freeman trailed behind us, likely apprehensive of the company we keep.

When we approached the plane, we gestured for her to go first and she complied, followed by me, then Andy.

The girl looked around apprehensively while Andy riffled through her bag. I sat myself in the nearest chair, pushing my bag underneath it. She found what she was looking for and gave a bundle to her. "Put these on."

"Where are you taking me?"

I piped in "Paris." I got up and grabbed a bottle of water before tossing it to her. "You've got blood in your hair."

The girl looked at Andy, "Wonder why?"

Andy gave her a look before tucking a gun in her waistband. I was already armed, I had both a gun in my waistband, and three knives hidden on my body. 

"This guy's a drug runner. This the shit you into?"

Andy explained it well enough. "Well, sometimes you gotta work with people you don't wanna eat with." She grabbed a phone out of the bag. 

I nodded to Andy, and she walked out of the plane to call the others. 

"is this even safe?" Freeman said in disbelief, turning back only to find Andy gone. 

"Does it really matter?" I perched myself in a chair by the door, watching Andy walk away.

With her gone the girl turned her attention to me. "You're just a kid." She stated. I guess we haven't talked about that yet.

I drank from a water bottle. "Looks can be deceiving." 

She nodded, not entirely convinced. 

I studied her. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-six." Her next question came quickly. "How'd you end up here?"

"In a similar way that you did." I thought it over. "When we get to Paris, if you still wanna know, I'll tell you my story."

The girl nodded before starting to change. I turned my back to give her some privacy, watching Andy on the phone instead. 

I could already tell she was more comfortable with me rather than Andy, that wasn't really a surprise considering their interactions. I didn't expect it to last long. Nile and Andy were like two sides of the same coin, made with the same material, only the finer details were changed. They are so alike, and when they see that, they will be extremely close friends. 

It wasn't long before Andy was returning with the pilot. The girl watched everything closely; she was planning something, I had a feeling. 

Andy kicked a box and I heard bottles clinking. I perked up and looked at her eagerly. She pulled out a bottle of vodka before opening it. After she had taken a swig, she passed it to me. I took one as well before holding it out to the girl. She shook her head as she buckled her seat belt. I smiled before handing it back to Andy. She took a long gulp as the plane was taking off, steadying herself on the roof.