Undercover on Embassy Row

Returning to Adria

It has been 4 years since I left Adria. I look out and see a thousand feet below the small country come into view. Although I still kept in touch with Jamie and all my friends it still feels strange coming to Adria and talking to them face to face. The plane lands and I go to baggage claim to get my bags. I'll only be staying for the summer so I only carried 2 suitcases. I soon find myself walking to the arrivals section and I think of how I'm gonna talk to everyone. I stop and suddenly I all I want to do is run back into the plane and go back to America where I won't be looked at with the pity and with the realization that I shot my mother and went crazy. It suddenly dawns upon me that no matter how long it has been I'll always be the girl who went crazy. I'm about to start panicking when a warm and reassuring hand slips around my waist and pulls me into a muscular chest.

"Just breathe milady," a deep but soft voice says. "Remember why we are here. You can do it. We're gonna be right with you."

I found comfort in the warm embrace and I felt a great amount of strength build up in me when I heard that voice. And just like how he appeared he disappeared. I took a deep breath and I walked into the arrivals section to find my big brother Jamie holding a board with 'Gracie' written on it.

I smile to myself. It has been a long time since I saw him. He looks so handsome and grown-up. I watch as he looks through the crowd of people for me and I smile when he finally spots me. His face breaks into a huge smile. I walk over to him and I'm immediately pulled into a bone-crushing huge.

"Gracie I've missed you," Jamie says as he holds me tightly.

"Jamie...I...can't breathe," I struggle to let out.

"Oh sorry," he smiles sheepishly. "I'm just so excited you are here. I haven't seen you for a long time."

"It hasn't been that long I saw you last Christmas when you came to the States to spend the holidays with grandma, grandpa, and I."

"But it still has been a while," he says as he takes my bags. "Gracie, what the hell is in this bag?"

I see he is talking about my bigger suitcase. "Oh it's just some clothes and books lots of books," I say lie quickly.

"Huh, you and reading. I never thought it would be in the same sentence," Jamie says as we walk to the car.

"Yeah, I found that reading really helps me relax," I say as he puts the bags in the back of the Range Rover.

He closes the truck and looks at me a little longer than I was expecting. "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"You just look different Gracie. You've grown up...a lot."

"You grew up too Jamie"

"But you grew up more," for a moment he looked at me sadly and I braced myself for the look of pity but none came. "Come on, I haven't told the others you are coming. They are gonna be stoked!"

We got into the rover and started our journey to Embassy Row.