BLUEBIRDS FLY

Short Story

“I am so, so sorry.” Audrina tugged at the sleeve of her dress and tried to look at her date with some sort of compassion, even though she didn’t feel much but anger at the moment.

“It’s okay, really. I just… I have to go check on them.” Cameron scampered off to where his friends were being questioned and Audrina let out a deep sigh, reaching up to take her brown hair out of the up-do she had done for her date.

She looked around at the mess they had made in the middle of town. In addition to the black cars stationed around the restaurant where Cameron and Audrina had had their date, several police cars had turned up, their flashing light bars acting like a giant sign that screamed, “Audrina’s date went terribly!” to all of Washington.

To her right and across the street, a small crowd had formed. Most of them were eating at the restaurant and waiting to be let in, but some were tourists who saw the commotion and gathered out of curiosity. There would be press arriving soon, no doubt. To Audrina’s left, Agent Morgan was soft-interrogating three of Cameron’s friends. They had come in to the restaurant to take a picture of Cameron and Audrina together, but due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, the Secret Service had thought that one of them was pulling a weapon and, well, all this had happened.

“Sorry about the mess, kid.” Agent Stone stood by Audrey’s side, leaning against the hood of the black car parked on the curb.

“Take me home, Brianna.”

Brianna furrowed her brow and placed a hand on Audrina’s shoulder. “Are you sure, Audri? What about the boy?”

Audrina shook her head slowly, turning slightly away from Brianna so she wouldn’t give away the tears that were forming in her eyes. “It doesn’t even matter. We’re going to separate colleges anyway. I just… have to start over next month, I guess.”

Brianna opened the car door for Audrina in silence, giving her some space to recover from another date gone awry. She looked back to Agent Morgan, who seemed to be wrapping up his traditional speech about “acting on merit” and “serving the country” and “if you hurt the President’s daughter, I will break your neck.”

After animatedly shooing the boys away, Morgan jogged back over to the black car. “Back to the nest?” He asked Brianna.

“Back to the nest.”

Morgan hopped over to the driver’s side of the car while Brianna called in their position, and as she looked at Audrina through the tinted glass, she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her �" of course, she would never tell the President that. Not while her job was on the line.

Audrina marched down the halls of the West Wing, proving that saying “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” to be quite the reality.

Astrid, timidly sitting at her desk in front of the Oval Office, saw her coming from a mile away, but was not enough of an unmovable object to stop her. “Audrina, you can’t go in there �" The President is very busy and-”

Audrina ignored Astrid’s protests, bursting into the Oval Office and cornering her mother by her desk. “I cannot believe the amount of detail you had covering a barbecue restaurant!”

Vianne, still dressed in her formal job attire, her graying hair making her look more distinguished than ever, backed up into her desk and watched in silent horror. She was unable to get a word in edgewise as Audrina continued her tirade.

“It was supposed to be a few agents, but no! You just had to send in the whole freaking team. You made me look like a total idiot! I am a legal adult, mother!” Audrina rubbed her face with her hands. “Gosh, I am never going to live to get to third base.”

President Wentworth’s eyes opened in terror.

“Second base, I mean second base.” Audrina put her hands on her hip, a gesture she had picked up in her teenage years thanks to her father, and waited for her mother’s response. “What? Are you not going to say something?”

Vianne looked just over Audrey’s shoulder. “I am so incredibly sorry.”

Audrina’s eyes opened wide, realizing that they were most definitely not alone. She turned around slowly to find herself face-to-face with several foreign diplomats and translators, all stunned and unsure of what to say next. “Oh my gosh. Um.” She looked to her mother for help, but Vianne was quiet, a sly smile making its way onto her face as she watched her daughter struggle for words. “I’ll just wait outside.” The young girl walked out of the office as quickly as possible, hiding her blushed cheeks in shame.

A short while later, Vianne emerged from her office to find Audrey sitting on the couch near Astrid’s desk.

Audrina stood as soon as she saw her. “Mom, I just want you to know that…”

“Audri, stop.” Vianne smoothed down her skirt, and Audrina watched as her mother’s posture shifted from caring mom to dutiful President. “Before you apologize for that outrageous display of teenage rebellion you showed in there, which, mind you, I had to clean up, I just wanted to say… I’m sorry.”

Audrina’s jaw practically dropped to the floor. “What?”

“The scene with your date tonight. None of it would have happened if I had only assigned Agent Morgan and Agent Stone to be your detail. However, I’ve been….well, I’ve been feeling over-protective of you in your last few months before you head off to college, and I asked that a few more agents accompany you to dinner. It shouldn’t have happened, and I’m sorry.”

Audrina smiled. The Wentworths were a proud bunch �" who wouldn’t be when the matriarch of the family ran the United States? �" so it was always a big deal for someone to admit they were wrong. “Thanks, mom.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet.” She sighed and tucked a stray hair behind her daughter’s ear. “As you know, your father and I have some business to attend to in Prague.”

“Right. The G8 Summit.” Audrina had been looking forward to it for weeks. Although it would mean more security outside of the White House, it meant less parents inside of the White House, and perhaps she could convince her parents to let her have a friend or two over while they were traveling.

“We were hoping you would accompany us.”

Audrina’s expression sank almost completely. Her mom knew that she hated going to political galas and speaking with sons of prime ministers to keep up appearances.

“Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Vianne grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and gave them an affectionate, light squeeze. “How about this? If you do a few days of political schmoozing �" with legal, European boozing! �" I will let you go sightseeing with Morgan and Stone. Just Morgan and Stone.”

Audrina’s eyes lit up instantly. “You’d really do that?”

Her mom smiled. “Of course I would.”

“Ah, thank you!” Audrina leaned forward and kissed her mom on the cheek. “I’m going to start looking up cool things to do in Prague!” She practically skipped her way to the hallway towards the Executive Residence.

Vianne watched as her daughter skipped out of sight, a tight pain in her chest at the reminder that soon she would be leaving for college. She turned over to Astrid, who seemed to be packing up her things for the night in an effort to not eavesdrop.

“Astrid, would you mind calling Bryce Madden tomorrow morning? I need to see if he has any agents to spare in Europe �" I want extra security detail for our trip to Prague, but they have to be able to blend in. They should be about Audrina’s age and should wear civvies at all times. Audrina cannot know that I have assigned more people to look out for her. Is that to be understood?”

The petite secretary nodded. “Understood, Madam President.”

It was only the second day into the Presidential G8 vacation, and Audrina had already grown tired of her responsibilities. She had spent her entire day with Brianna and Emery going to innocuous tourist spots for photo ops, and her entire night with her parents at a ball hosted by Chancellor Schwynn. To be fair, the ball ended up being kind of fun once she ran into her old friend Julia �" a niece of Jules Beaulieu that Audrina had met on a trip to France a year ago.

Today, Team Stone, Morgan, and Wentworth had hit up the Prague National Theatre. Although Audrina is not one to take sightseeing for granted, she couldn’t help but think that this was not her original plan as she walked through the ancient halls. She could come back and be a tourist once she got older and slowed down a bit. The real game plan for this trip is to take advantage of one of the greatest hotspots in the world, where rumor has it wine is cheaper than water.

And yet, here she was, walking through an old building that she had little interest in, being escorted by the two lovebugs that were now slapping each other with brochures in effort to keep quiet.

Suddenly, a loud beep rang through the theatre. Brianna and Emery both turned sharply to stare daggers at Audrina, who quickly fished around in her purse for her phone.

Come outside! Here to rescue you!

Audrina breathed a sigh of relief as she read the text from Julia. She bit her lip and looked up at her detail, both of whom had resumed teasing each other like third grade crushes at recess. Audrina quickly ducked around a corner, took off her heels, and ran as quietly as she could towards the exit.

Doors closed safely behind her, Audrina turned to see Julia waiting for her on a scooter, her hands grasping on to two helmet straps. A smile grew on Julia’s face as she saw her friend.

“Audrina! Did you learn a lot about the Prague Theatre?” Julia stood and kissed Audrina once on each cheek as she approached the scooter.

A less-wise person would’ve thought that Julia was being sarcastic, but Audrina could see the truth and eagerness in her eyes. Julia Dubois was known throughout international news agencies for being a little bit of a partier, but they never gave her enough credit for her intelligence. She chose to exaggerate parts of herself in order to fit in with the press’s idea of her- the phrase “if you can’t beat ’em, join ‘em” comes to Audrina’s mind. It actually worked quite well for her �" she acted shallow enough in public so that people wouldn’t think of her as a way to get to her uncle, but was smart enough to avoid doing things that would tarnish her image. Of course, the act would probably be dropped whenever her uncle would leave the Presidency, but Audrina had never discussed that with her.

“Honestly? I feel like I would’ve liked it if I weren’t dying to escape the oppressive thumb of my mother.” Audrey placed the helmet on her head and began to buckle the straps. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?”

“Well first, ma chérie, we are going to get you fixed up and blending in. Then, we are going to the The Pint for drinks.”

“And after?”

Julia laughed. “Well, I guess we’ll make plans from there!” The young French woman swung her legs over the scooter, flattening down her dress to cover herself up. She patted the seat behind her and smiled at Audrina. “Come on, we have no time to lose! You have a hair appointment in a half hour.”

Audrina could feel the blood pumping through her veins, her heart fluttering in an anxious manner. The second she sat on that scooter, she would be free from obligation for the first time in years. Free from her parents, free from the Secret Service, free from the press. And it all started now.

Audrina ran her hands through her hair for what felt like the fiftieth time, watching the blonde locks twist around her fingers. It turned out that Julia had booked her a coloring appointment as a preventative measure for keeping unwanted photographers and attention at bay. She’d been startled at first by the blonde hair, blonder than her father’s, but the longer she looked at it, the more it suit her. She never liked the deep brown hair, which looked rich on her mother but mousy on her. But the blonde hair suited Audrina.

Julia opened the door and led Audrina past the booths, down the stairs, and to the back corner of The Pint, where she had reserved a whole table.

Audrina stared at the tables, which each had a tap running through the middle. She looked at the group in the booth behind her, who had clearly gotten there a fair bit earlier than Audrina and Julia had. She turned over to her friend. “What is happening?”

Julia pointed to the tap. “It’s self-service. We pour as much as we want and we just pay for the amount we drank at the end of the night.” She pointed to the wall behind them, where a big screen was mounted. The display showed different animals, and each name had a set of tally marks next to it. “That screen shows how many pints your table has had throughout the night! Our table is Bluebird.”

Audrina laughed sharply. “My codename? Really?”

“I couldn’t resist! It was there for the taking!” Julia laughed. “Also, we’re obviously a bit behind, but… we can catch up.”

Julia went and got glasses while Audrina slowly slung her purse over her chair, taking in everything about this place that was so very not Presidential. Because the smoking section of The Pint was underground, it had a distinct smell to it �" tobacco, brick, and cologne with a bit of sweat �" a smell that wasn’t entirely pleasant but was new. The bar was loud in a way she had never experienced before. People were gleefully shouting at one another over the noise, but no one seemed to notice that they were being any louder than normal. And the people! Apparently, Prague was full of very attractive teenagers and young adults. Everyone in the bar looked like they couldn’t have been more than thirty.

A loud voice interrupted Audrina’s thoughts. “Are you gonna drink up, Bluebird? Or are you just gonna sit and stare at the walls while we smoke you?”

Audrina turned back to face the booth behind her. The voice came from the who sat in the part of the booth that was caddy-cornered with her table. He had his arm slung over the wall of the booth, and he had turned all his attention to Audrina.

Audrina sized him up. The mystery man had grown a bit of stubble, but it looked like it was new, like he had only stopped shaving a few days ago. He was wearing a black v-neck, so his fashion taste was simple enough, although it looked like he had a couple rings gleamed on the hand that was thrown over the booth and nearly threaded through Audrina’s hair. His smile was huge, toothy, and genuine, but his eyes were slightly shut as if it took all his strength just to keep them open. It appeared that he had drank most of his table’s pints. All in all, he looked like he was only a couple years older than her, and based on the way he had said “Bluebird,” he definitely didn’t seem to know who she was.

“Well,” Audrina looked around to read the screen above his table’s tap, “Tiger. Maybe you should take a break while we catch up to your level. You know, to keep the fight fair.”

Theo winked and slid out from his booth, sitting down at one of the seats at Audrina’s table. Julia had already returned with glasses and a friend from the bar, and was busy keeping him company.

“That’s good form, Bluebird.” He took an empty glass from the table, filled it up to the brim, and gingerly placed it in front of Audrina. “I know this started as a rouse to get you to call me Tiger, but my real name is Theo. Theo Jameson, I suppose, if you fancy full names.”

He stuck out a hand and Audrina shook it. “Mine’s Audrina…Bluebird?”

Theo chuckled darkly. “Ah. You don’t quite trust me, do you?” Audrina pulled her lips into a tight line. “I understand, really, I do. Why would an American give her name to a perfect stranger in Prague? Better yet, an English stranger who has absolutely no business here or elsewhere. In fact, what does this Englishman do for a living? Is he here for work or pleasure? “

Audrina drank a copious amount of wine, the liquid simultaneously cooling and warming her throat as it was absorbed into her body. “I didn’t have so many questions, but sure! Why are you here? And why should I trust you? You could be a serial killer.”

“Well. I am a financial analyst. I am here on vacation. I’m not a serial killer, though I have no way of proving that. Does anyone? How do you prove you’re not something?” Theo’s blue eyes twinkled, and although Audrina was sure it was just because of the lighting, she wouldn’t have been surprised if that was how his body physically responded to being mischievous. “As for why you should trust me… well, I guess you shouldn’t. Stranger danger and all that. However, I did give you my full name in faith, if that means anything to you.”

Audrina raised an eyebrow over her pint as she downed more of the dark wine, her whole body beginning to flush with alcohol. “Weirdly, your speech makes me trust you even more, even though you admitted that you can’t prove you’re not a serial killer.”

“Like I said though, love, who can prove that they aren’t a serial killer?”

Audrina laughed, shifting closer towards him in hopes that he would understand that this is his cue to hit on her, but her giddiness didn’t last long. Over Theo’s shoulder, Audrina spotted Brianna and Emery performing a routine spot check, looking at the ID’s of everyone in the bar and steadily making their way towards Audrina.

She first looked at Julia, who had already spotted them and slid her keys across the table towards Audrina. She then turned to Theo. “Look, I know we just met and I know how weird this will sound, but… you have to pretend to make out with me for a little while.”

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back towards the corner of the wall and the booth where the lighting was less bright. In the shadows, Audrrina slipped her hands around Theo’s waist and hid her face underneath his, waiting until Brianna and Emery turned to check the table next to theirs before grabbing Theo’s hand and running towards the stairs. As the two bounded up the stairs, Audrina looked to see Julia successfully running interference.

The two ran outside. “Do you have a car?” Audrina panted, frantically looking up and down the street for Julia’s scooter.

“Should I ask what we’re doing, or…”

“Ah! There it is!” Audrina grabbed Theo’s hand and ran towards the opposite side of the street, tossing him the extra helmet while she frantically tried to put the key in the ignition.

Just as she started up the scooter, she could hear the door of The Pint slam open and Brianna and Emery shouting her name.

Audrina didn’t even think about where she was going. She hit the gas hard and started to zig-zag down streets and alleyways in an attempt to lose the Service, to be free again. To have this one night getting drunk with a pretty boy and not think about the consequences.

Little did she know that the pretty boy behind her was typing a text to one Bryce Madden:

With Bluebird. She’s safe. Will check in next morning.