Budapest Novels & Stories

The whole of the city is laid out beyond my bedroom window. We entered the city on flat roads but the landscape this side of the palace is all hills and I can see most of the city spread out before me. I have never seen anything like it. All the different buildings, the colour, I couldn’t see individual people but I could see movement and signs of life in the streets.

Maybe I'd put it in my Will; a kind of a post-dated apology letter. "That sounds nice," Hana smiled. "Any specific location? Father married Misty in the Helsinki Cathedral." Hint, hint. "Or we could use St. Stephen's Cathedral in Székesfehérvár," I tossed out there. Jormo and Hana were at a loss. "It is in Hungary." What I neglected to add was it was the traditional site for the coronation of Hungarian royalty for hundreds of years. "My homeland?" "Oh," Hana allowed...then it dawned on her that I was an untrustworthy cad who loved hidden meanings.

ODETTE After a close to eighteen-hour flight with two stops in between—one of which Gunnar had made, we landed in South Africa, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. We were hauled up in a hotel room near the beach. The city we were staying in—from the little I had seen—was beautiful. Durban seemed to be filled with people of different races and ethnicity. It was different from what I had expected. Then again, I didn't know what to expect when Ace said we were going to a safe house. All I knew was that we wouldn't be staying at this hotel for very long.

Her soul would be long gone before Zion could even get here. If only I hadn't gone to Zion's room with Kendra or anywhere alone with her. She wanted to see the house, I thought nothing of it since hardly anyone had ever been inside Zion's home before. It had a reputation of being haunted in the town so everyone stayed clear of it. Hence, her excitement to see the building didn't strike me as odd.

I was rubbing my mouth before I was thinking about his statement. “And what is it all about?” I asked him before I was leaning against the window, waiting for this news that he brought to me. “Well, two news actually. One is that my potential suitor for your daughter was in close proximity and your daughter has been using her credit card in Budapest, Hungary,” he said before I was blinking my eyes. Budapest? Hungary? Taylor was in Hungary at this moment?

“Hey guys, I need to know when we are going to head over to that warehouse that Amy said was about ten miles from Juxney’s. I’m not sure I remember where that is.” “I know where that is.” Gael said. “We used to use that field over there to play baseball and soccer.” “Well, we need to get over there and get those she-wolves. Every day that passes is another day they could be in misery, and I can’t have that.” Phoenix said with authority in her voice. Sonya asked, “How do we know that it isn’t a trap? I mean Amy may have been lying.” “Oh no, we know it isn’t a trap.” Tina said as she got up to grab some more food. That girl could put it away.

she added. We pulled up to the training grounds just as it was getting dark. I smiled at all the flowers, ribbons and lights the coven had hung from the trees and poles. There were an abundance of smaller tents along the edge near the bathrooms and huge tables full of food and drinks on one end. There was a bonfire in the opposite corner and I spotted another group of tents a distance away that I assumed was going to be where the children were going to be sent. Lance's Grandma greeted us as we walked over.

The bouncer with quite the body build called out in a stern voice. Gina and I stepped forward, and it seemed as though everywhere had gone silent in an instant. The bouncer hadn't taken note of this, because he had his eyes glued on the entry list before him. I figured out that he'd mastered the routine of keeping his gaze on the list as members called out their names. That way it'd be easier for him to scan through the list quickly without having to go through the stress of directing his gaze, up and down. But I and Gina’s name weren't on the list, this I knew because we hadn't made reservations.

Between the grandeur of the castle and the prominence of the UFO tower lay SubClub - the dingy, hole-in-the-wall known for its unique venue, techno music, and cheap drinks. The contrast between Prague - where Chloe had been staying for the last week - and Bratislava, was enormous. She’d travelled by train, as the majestic lights, bridges and buildings of Prague faded into the humble city of Bratislava. People had asked her why she’d decided to come here. Bratislava was the only European capital that bordered two other countries. Despite the grayness of the buildings and the generally dismal look of the place, she was excited to be here.

It’s just that I can’t help feeling a little jealous. I sigh. It isn’t going to do me any good to be jealous of Chris. He is my brother now. Back to what I was doing, I flip the next page. The serpents in here are a bit crazy. I sure hope that I don’t have to face this one. It says that it is called the Hydra. Nine heads! A shiver wracks my body. It may be in the river Styx. Apparently, it used to haunt the lakes in Lerna. Now I am definitely not going to get any sleep. I put the books away and head to the gym. It’s completely silent when I walk in. I strip off my shirt and begin to punch the bags when I heard the door open. Glancing back, I notice Chris walk in.