A New Cullen Sister

Chapter 66

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent. Please turn off all electronic devices, raise the window covers and return your seats to the upright position," a pre-recorded message blared through the speakers, first in German, then again in English. Blythe snapped out of her reverie. She turned off her iPod, pulling the earbuds from her ears and wrapping the cord around it, before stowing it in her backpack. She packed away her books as well – she was midway through the fourth one already – before settling back into her seat.

The morning sunlight broke through the clouds as she glanced out the window, watching the Frankfurt skyline come closer and closer. She was eternally grateful for the hooded sweatshirt that Alice had made her carry with her. She pulled the hood up and over her head to hide the sparkling. Frankfurt am Main, Germany's fifth largest city, came into view. From her window, she could see Saint Bartholomew's Cathedral, its tall steeple piercing the dense clouds that covered the city. A host of skyscrapers, the Commerzbank Tower, Messeturm - the tallest building in all of Europe – and even the headquarters of the European Central Bank were obvious as the plane lost altitude in its uniform, controlled manor. Somewhere on the other side of the aeroplane lay the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, the central station of Frankfurt.

The aeroplane finally touched down on the expansive runway of Flughafen Frankfurt am Main. There were plans to construct a fourth runway at some point, with construction to commence either the following year or early 2010. The plane slowed and gently taxied off the runway and made its way to the arrival gate.

"Meine Damen und Herren, herzlich willkommen am Frankfurter Flughafen. Wir hoffen, Sie hatten einen angenehmen Flug. Es ist 8:45 Uhr. Wir bedanken uns, dass Sie sich für Lufthansa entschieden haben und wünschen lhnen eine angenehme und sichere Weiterreise," spoke the head stewardess. She promptly translated the message into English as well, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Frankfurt airport. We trust you enjoyed your flight. The time is 8:45am. Thank you for choosing Lufthansa and we wish you a safe and pleasant onwards journey."

The seatbelt light turned off and Blythe hastened to unbuckle herself. She stood up and hoisted her backpack onto her back before checking that she had not left anything behind. A perk of travelling first class was that they were let off the plane before all of the other passengers. Blythe heaved a massive sigh of relief as she stepped off the massive airbus that had brought her from America to Europe. Deutschland. Home. The longest part of her journey was now over.

A four and a half hour lay-over awaited. Blythe hurried inside before the sun broke through the clouds again. At least she was staying with the same airline, so her baggage would automatically be transferred to the next flight. But first, customs. Fortunately, she cleared it quite quickly, being a German citizen returning to her home country made for a quick clearance. Before long, she was heading out of the international arrivals terminal and into the domestic departures one. She passed through that security check point and made her way to a coffee shop that was not too busy.

Turning on her cellphone, she sent a quick text message to Alice, not that it was necessary. Spying the latest edition of the local newspaper, die Frankfurter Allgemeine, she picked it up and read it from cover to cover in far too short a time for her liking. She glanced at her watch – still two and a half hours to go. She sighed internally, then rifled through her backpack, pulling out her laptop and powering it up. She checked her email, before typing a quick one out and sending it to Amelia.

She finally left the coffee shop after extensively abusing the wireless internet and decided to explore the shops in the airport lounge. She purchased a postcard which she was reassured would make it to Washington, as well as a few odds and ends that could make up a parcel to send to her friend. She'd bulk it up with some things from Bremen, perhaps a hooded sweatshirt with 'Deutschland' or 'Bremen' printed on it.