The Student

Chapter 18 - A Visitor

"Boarding for flight 434 to Auckland at gate G56 will now begin."

I glared at the flight attendant behind the desk. Fate, it seemed, was against me for now. Orlando's arm tightened around my waist and someone clapped a hand on my shoulder. Turning, I glanced at the group that had come to see me off. There were 5 or 6 from the cast, and a couple of the crew there. They had become like a family to me in the last five days, and now I had to leave them.

Ian M squeezed my shoulder gently, and smiled down on me. "We're all going to miss you so much Laura. Thank you for coming and visiting." I smiled back and nodded. The Hobbits, which it had become almost natural to call them, each gave me a hug and a promise that the next time I visited we'd surf a tube or two and sleep out under the stars. They had become like brothers to me, and I didn't want to leave.

Other various farewells were observed from my place at Orlando's side, and I tightened my hold on his hand when the flight attendant announced final boarding call. I growled and turned to hug Orli. He kissed my hair gently, bringing both hands around me.

"I'm going to miss you, again." My voice was muffled against his chest as I spoke. I could feel the tears coming.

Leaning back, he kissed my forehead softly and brought a hand to my face to smooth my hair from my eyes. "Yeah. I know. I'll miss you too, more than life itself." I smiled as he echoed my words from all those days ago. Dropping his hand to my neck, he fingered the small pendant that hung there.

He had presented me with the necklace that morning, and I had sworn that I wouldn't take it off. It was a shell necklace with a small stone pendant shaped like a teardrop with no center hanging from it. Made of white and light brown stone, both the necklace and the pendant were beautiful. I had thanked him, but there was a hidden meaning to the gift. On the inside of the stone, there was an inscription in Maori. It read `Forever Yours'. I had decided to string the ring that he had given me in the necklace as well.

I smiled up at him and was heartbroken to leave him. But, I had to. School was starting again the next day, and he was taking just a short two-hour break from filming. In fact, all of them were with the small exception of Ian, who had the day off. They were all also in make-up and street clothes. The costumed actors had made quite an uproar walking around in wigs, covered carefully by stocking caps and baseball hatnd pnd pointed ears.

Lowering his lips to mine, Orli kissed me gently and then hugged me tight before turning me around and giving me a gentle shove towards the airplane. "Remember what I said," he called after me. "I'll call you and I'll be up to visit in a week. We won't be apart for long, I promise." I smiled over my shoulder, and, waving one last time, boarded the airplane.

"Home is where the heart is, and my heart is out traveling. Up, over the wild blue yonder and I'm suspended, Like a high schooler on a wire." The words recited over and over through my head. Now, what had made me think of that particular poem? I don't think I'll ever know, but the words were battling with the BNL playing through the speakers as I drove the truck that Vigg had left for me home.

The city of sails was alive in the afternoon, and I was glad it was so beautiful, or else I might have been tempted to turn around the vehicle and drive to Wellington. It was only a couple hundred miles. Pulling onto my street and into the driveway, I was surprised to find a small silver VW Bug sitting in the two-car driveway. I didn't know of anyone who drove a bug, and the gardener most certainly wouldn't be there on a Wednesday.

I forgot about the bags momentarily as I climbed the few steps up to the door, and turned the knob. The door was open.

I entered quietly, not sure of what I'd find. Sounds of a movie drifted in from the living room, and I traveled lightly through the dining room and kitchen.

There was someone sitting on the couch. It was a woman with long blond hair and a Pepsi in her right hand. I made the connections quickly. "Kat?" My voice shattered the silence that had fallen over the room during a quiet scene in the movie and the woman jumped as she turned.

"Laura!" Kat squealed and jumped off the couch and into my arms.

I got off a choked hello before she squealed again and I was almost suffocated by her height. You see, at 5'5", I'm the short one. Kat rose a towering four inches over my head and that was enough to make me cringe. She was a happy soul though, most of the time, and our differences in height were never an issue.

"You're early Kat!" I deadpanned, turning to make my way back into the kitchen, and back to my stash of Pepsi. "Kat!" I shrieked myself as I saw that she had consumed at least six 12-oz cans of the drink of the gods. I growled and she smiled sheepishly before shrugging and hopping up onto the island.

"Yeah, I know I'm early, but there is a very good reason."

I turned. "Really? And what would that be?"

She smiled at me. "I have a job! Here! In New Zealand!'

I laughed in semi-confusion as she clapped her hands happily and did a little happy dance on the counter. "What do you mean you have a job?"

"I've been hired as a horse trainer on some rich dude's ranch for about three months. It pays well, I can live here in Auckland with you, and the ranch is only an hour drive, which means you can come and ride too!"

I smiled at that idea. I loved to ride, even though Kat was the trained horse person. "That's great. How much are they giving you?"

"Well, just for coming to see the horses that they want me to train, they're giving me about $1,000, but that's pretty usual in this business." I nodded and took a sip from my pop. "If I decide to train the horses, there's three of them by the way, they'll give me $500 a day for each horse I train, and then at the end, if the work is satisfactory, I'll be getting a $7,000 bonus!"

She clapped happily and I did the mental math in my head. She would make almost as much as a movie star. The thought of a movie star brought the image of Orlando that morning when I had waken up. He was just watching me with a smile in his eyes and on his lips. I frowned. I missed him already.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I'm just . . . tired. The plane ride sucked and I didn't get much sleep last night. I didn't want to leave Wellington."

"Really. Was there a particular reason? Or, did you just enjoy Vigg's company so much that you wanted to stay?"

I smiled secretively. I hadn't told her about Orlando yet. "Maybe . . . or maybe not. You'll just have to hold your breath and hope I tell you." She stuck her tongue out me and I blew a raspberry right back at her. We both disolved into a mad bout of giggles until a deep voice stopped us from the entry hall.

"Laura? Are you in here?" I smiled and squealed, practiacally running from the room. I heard Kat call my name uncertainly as I dashed through the dining room. English Sean was at the bottom of the steps, calling for me upstairs. He smiled when he saw me. "Hi Laura."

"Hi Sean!" I gave him a warm hug. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged non chalantly. "Well, I had some stuff that I needed to clear out from my Wellington apartment and I figured that since I was up here, I might as well come and say good-bye to my favorite little Goo-goo elf." I made a funny face at him for using the name that the crew had stuck on me. Wasn't I ever going to live down the scene? It's not my fault I was making star eyes at Legolas. The elf is hot dammit! He patted the top of my head. "I'm sorry. Couldn't resist." He chuckled and we both turned as we heard Kat make her way to us.

"Laura, why the hell did yu-" she stopped when she saw the man in my foyer. Her eye grew wide on her face and her lips formed a perfect 'O'. "Mmmmnnnn-" she was whimpering now as she recognized him. I had forgotten that Kat was obsessed with Trevelyn from GoldenEye. "Ummm, Hii. I'm Kat." She inched her way forward, not taking her eyes away from his for a second.

I turned to Sean to make the introduction, and his expression was similar to Kat's. They both seemed star-struck almost. "Kat Thomas . . . right?" Kat smiled slightly, encouragingly, at Sean. He sucked in a breath. "You're the horse trainer, who did Braveheart, aren't you?" Kat nodded again surprised that he recognized her name. Taking her hand between two of his own, Sean shook the appendage with a careful grace that I had observed about him the last days. "My name is-"

"Sean Bean. I know." Kat interrupted him. Both were flushed. "I'm in love with Trevelyn." Kat's eyes went wide as she realized what she had just said. I snorted as Sean blushed too. "I-I mean that you did a good-no great-job. He's my favorite movie character of all time."

They both stood in silence, neither wanting to break the gaze that still held them fast to each other. I sighed, defeated. I hadn't gotten much sleep, I had to ride a plane, I went bungee jumping the day before, my hair was a frizzy mess, and I HAD TO GO TO SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY! I practically tore out my hair as I edged my way around the still embraced pair and out to my truck to retrieve my luggage.

They were gone when I got back inside, but I wasn't in the mood. Shouting something about making themselves at home, I went up to my bedroom, and collapsed on my bed, falling to sleep instantly. It was good to be home.