Chapter 11
1103 Words
Kat
The flight felt much longer than it was. With a fully booked flight, the smells and noises of so many people crammed together was too much for the heightened senses of a werewolf. It didn't help matters that there were many young children aboard also. By the time Kat exited the plane and entered the airport, her ears ached, and her nerves were frayed.
Gnashing her teeth, Kat focused on locating her luggage as quickly as possible. Thankfully, her bag was one of the first few which trudged along on the conveyor belt and within seconds, Kat snatched it up and placed it on the floor, wheels down. She didn't bother with a trolley. The queue at immigration wasn't that long yet when she arrived. With her passport stamped, Kat walked as fast as she could without drawing suspicion. She was about to turn to head towards the car rental agencies when her eye caught a sign baring her name a moment after her nose picked up the scent of a fellow shifter.
She walked towards the young man holding up the sign. He looked somewhat uncomfortable as she scrutinized him. His tailored black suit was immaculate, but the guy looked uncomfortable in it. Kat's mouth twitched as she read the sign. Ms Katina Turgenev. Seeing the "Ms" in front of her name made her feel older than she was.
"I take it I won't be renting a car then," Kat said in lieu of more traditional forms of greeting.
"Well, I suppose you could if you wanted to." Kat c****d her head as she looked at the man, considering his words. Slowly her mouth stretched into a smile.
"I don't think that will be necessary. I see you know my name. How about we even the playing field."
"I'm Otto. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Turgenev." Otto bent his head slightly in greeting.
"Well, two things, Otto. Firstly, if you want this journey to go smoothly, you will stop calling me Ms Anything. The name is Katina, but I prefer Kat. Secondly, Otto sounds much too old for you. No, I think we'll have to think of something else."
Kat snatched the sign from Otto's fingers, discarding it in the nearest bin as they made their way towards the exit. Otto tried to reach for Kat's luggage but quickly retracted his hand when he saw the scathing look on Kat's face.
"Do you have a second name, Otto?"
"Leopold. But that's my grandfather's name, not mine."
"No, you're right. Not Leopold. Which way to the car?"
Otto directed Kat to a sleek black town car. The black was polished to a high sheen and reflected its immediate surroundings. Otto stowed Kat's luggage in the trunk of the car while Kat made herself comfortable in the front passenger seat. A frown made Otto look slightly older as he got into the car.
"I'm not sitting in the back, so you can wipe that look off your face," Kat said with a raised eyebrow.
"I have no problem with you sitting in the front," Otto remarked.
"So then what is the problem?"
"No problem here."
"Hmmm. If you say so. Now let's see about that name." Kat tapped her bottom lip as she pondered. Otto shifted uncomfortably.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Of course it is. I suspect we'll see more of each other. Although... what do you do at the Council?"
"I'm a trainee at the Enforcer Academy. It's my first year."
"I take it Anton Greyson sent you on this errand?"
"Yes, why does that matter?"
"Oh, all will be revealed in due course. Where are you from?"
"South," Otto replied vaguely. Kat suspected there was much more to this story and stowed the tidbit of information to unravel at a later time.
"I see. Bastian. I always liked that name. What do you think?"
"Uhhh. No. Too close to Sebastian. And I don't like being called a crab." Kat smiled at Otto's attempt at humor. She liked the guy and knew they would become fast friends.
"Abelard? Abe for short."
"Absolutely not!"
"Picky, aren't we!"
"Hey, I was perfectly fine with the name my mother gave me. You're the one who wanted to change it."
"Gunther. Yes, that's perfect. It's a name worthy of an Enforcer." Otto thought it over. Kat studied his face. He really was quite young.
"How old are you, Gun?"
"Eighteen. Is that important?"
"Not at all. You're very serious for an eighteen-year-old, Gun."
"Is there a question in there somewhere, Kat?"
Gunther accepted the name Kat gave him without any further preamble. Kat learned that Gun had decided to join the Council so he wouldn't have to live as a rogue. He didn't go into detail about why he didn't belong to a pack and Kat respected him not to push him for information. By the time they were driving along a highway, Kat and Gun were friends. Kat couldn't explain it, but she felt completely at ease with her new friend, and knew she could trust him.
"So are you going to tell me why you are heading to the Academy?" Gunther asked, briefly looking over at Kat. She knew what he saw and what he must think.
"Don't let your eyes deceive you, Gun. I might be small, but I pack a mean punch." Gunther chuckled but Kat suspected he didn't believe her.
"I'm enrolling to train as an Enforcer." Kat added.
"And why at the Academy? Can't you train at your pack?"
"What did Anton tell you?"
"Nothing. He just told me to pick you up at the airport." Gunther looked intrigued now and scanned Kat's face.
"What do you know of the Turgenev family?" Kat knew it was dangerous to assume what knowledge others had. However, if Gunther grew up as a rogue, he wouldn't know about pack politics.
"I know nothing," Gunther said quickly.
"If you're going to lie you'll have to do it better than that, Gun." Gunther locked eyes with Kat for a moment before returning his gaze to the road.
"I overheard some of the third years talking. Something about some of them being enlisted for the operation against Ivan Turgenev." Gunther looked uncertain about how comfortable he was about telling Kat this.
"And what do you know about Ivan Turgenev?" Kat's voice was even, but on the inside she felt like her heart might explode. She hadn't considered what it would mean when it came out that she was related to Ivan or who her brother was. Somehow, that never crossed her mind. Stupid.
- Writer
