Amaranthine

Juliet

The customs officer squinted and pulled the passport closer. He glared as if the words would suddenly shift from this new perspective. He'd been holding the passport longer than usual and Juliet was afraid he was trying to find a flaw, any flaw. She tapped her foot as if it would make the seconds somehow tick by faster. The document itself was legitimate, even though not all the information technically was.

She didn't have time to stand around and wait for this. She knew he was just trying to do his job, which was completely understandable. Did he really need to inspect just her passport this much? She'd seen many people who were much more suspicious looking than what appeared to be an 18 year old girl.

She tried not to glower at him. His eyes wandered over her papers for, what she prayed, was a final inspection.

"Business or pleasure? " He barked.

Juliet could almost see his ears tuning to the sound of her voice ready to catch her in what he thought could possibly be a lie.

"Pleasure," she responded meeting his dark eyes with a impenetrable look of her own. "I'm here on holiday with my brother."

The officer let out a small grunt. "And where is he at the moment?"

"I'd like to know that myself." Her voice rose slightly, but she'd have to control herself if she didn't want to be stopped. She'd been at enough airports over the years to know that getting cheeky with the workers didn't really end well. Calm down, Juliet. It's not worth it.

"He went through about 10 minutes ago," she said.

The guard plastered on what Juliet knew to be a fake smile as he slid her passport back through the hole in the glass. "Enjoy your stay in New York, miss."

She swiped the document off the counter and hurried past the officer. She dug through her purse as she walked looking for the burner phone she'd gotten in Greece just a few days ago. Flipping the device open she dialed one of two preset numbers on the phone.

"Hello?"

"Will, it's me. Where are you? The bloody officer inspected my passport for an eternity," She complained.

"I've been browsing the shops. I didn't want to just stand by the baggage claim. It was too much of a risk. I'll meet you there in 10 minutes though. Just give me a few minutes to get there," He replied his tone even.

Juliet inhaled deeply. It made her nervous being alone for too long. She'd spend more years than she ever wanted to by herself, and the airport chaos seemed to magnify that feeling of being lost in a sea of people.

"See you soon." She hung up. Trying to orient herself to the airport, she looked for the signs pointing to her baggage claim. She was around eighty, no maybe actually closer to sixty percent sure the flight attendant said baggage claim C8. Maybe it was D8? It really didn't matter. Either way she needed to find where ever Will was. As much as she despised being alone, the longer they were apart meant less chance of being caught.

The airport bustle moved with a life of its own, swallowing anyone who dared risk the efficiency of the crowd. The chances of you being found in thousands was rare. Hiding in plain sight, blending in with the everyday crowd was the easiest way to stay safe.

She shuffled through the people, deliberately avoiding contact with anyone. She was careful to not let anyone or anything slow her down.

A light bulb flickered above indicating that it was time for a change. Juliet saw the sign briefly in a flash of light before the scene changed before her eyes.