Stargazer
an excerpt

Niko rubbed at his arms nervously as he descended the escalator that lead him down to the baggage claim of the private airport his flight had arrived at. Niko Sophronia had never flown before then in his sixteen years of life, and given the circumstances, he would have preferred to wait for another moment to go on that kind of an adventure. He had arrived on a private plane provided by his father, a man he had never met before in person, but had seen and heard several times before while watching his television or the big screen at the movie theater. He never made the connection between their last names before. Why would he make that connection? he had no reason to deduce that he was the son of an A-list actor from Hollywood. His last name wasn't common, but that kind of a coincidence was left for the movies his (supposed) father appeared in. For the first time in his life, Niko was going to meet this man that he'd never known. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd get to meet his birth mother too, but that might have been pushing it. Nana had told him that his mother was dead. She had never made a mention of his father, so he was confident that she hadn't lied to him about something as important as that. She gave him no reason to not trust her. He only wished that he could ask her, but she was gone. he didn't want to think of her as dead, but he couldn't help but assume the worst. After all, if she was alive, and the police had hope, he wouldn't have had to leave the home that him and Nana had had with one another for his entire life, to go and live with a stranger who claimed to be his father and magically appear from nowhere. He didn't want to doubt, but it all seemed a little too convenient for Niko's tastes.

His thoughts were distracted off of these bizarre circumstances when a light flashed in front of his eyes, blinding him. He blinked a few times and rubbed the black spots that were clouding up what was left of his vision, scowling deeply. "What the-?" He began, and froze in his tracks when more lights started to flash. It took him a moment to realize that he was being assaulted by paparazzi. How did they know already? He had known about his father for barely a week, packed up what he could of his life, and shipped himself out there. News really did travel fast in Hollywood it seemed, and he couldn't help but wonder (and worry) if perhaps it was all some kind of publicity stunt in an effort to stay in the limelight. Celebrities thrived off of the spotlight after all, so what would make this man any different? He was, however, suprisingly cooperative with Niko when it was insisted that a DNA test be done to prove the parentage. They were scheduled to go into the doctor's to get tested over the weekend. Until Niko had scientific and legal proof that this man was his real father, he wasn't going to be holding his breath, nor getting comfortable in his new home. He was still surprised by the photographers though. How did they know?

Ignore them, don't look at them, just look straight ahead. That's what he instructed himself to do, and it worked well enough for a time, but it was hard to not be distracted and self conscious. These pictures would be sold, and for a lot of money, and then his face would be plastered all over the world in a matter of seconds to reveal that Armania Sophronia had an illegitimate son, who had no mother, and no other guardian but him, and he was so kindly and graciously taking this boy in now after 16 years of being completely absent from his life. It was quite the scandal of the week. There has to be some kind of law against this, Niko thought, nervously gripping onto the shoulder straps of his backpack that contained all of his carry on luggage. In his carry on were his most precious possessions. A picture of Nana, his two favorite stuffed animals that had never left his side since he was born (or so it seemed), a clean pair of clothes, his iPod, his laptop, his favorite novel, his Gameboy DS (lite), and a snack. It was big and uncomfortable, but he refused to take anything less, and was disappointed that he couldn't fit more. On the positive end of things, he wasn't restricted by public airline rules for sizes, as he flew into Los Angeles on a private jet. The ride had been smooth, but long. He was alone, and it was awkwardly quiet, giving him time to recollect his thoughts and attempt to rest. Attempt was the operative word, because he hadn't gotten much of that at all. He hadn't since Nana disappeared. Things just weren't right with her gone. She was like his mother, and he was worried for her. He could only hope and pray that she was still alive. If the police could find her, then he could go back home and back to his normal life. That was, of course, assuming that he could have a normal life ever again. If all else failed, he'd petition to be his own legal guardian, and demand money for damages from his father. Worst case scenario was that he suffered for two years and left as soon as he turned eighteen. Even worse would be that he ran away. No, he had to stay optimistic.

A few of the paparazzi asked him questions, begging for him to look at them so they could take a clear picture of his face. Niko had never been more relieved to find a strange man with his name written on a card. This man looked like some kind of a bodyguard. That was also reassuring to him. Niko approached the man and looked up at him. He felt like a dwarf next to the stranger, but it added a sense of security instead of fear. "I'm uh, I'm Niko," he stammered. The man didn't so much as nod at him and instead gave him a firm push towards the door so that they could leave. "What about my stuff?" He asked quietly, glancing back at the paparazzi and the baggage claim as he was pushed outside of the airport and to a black stretch limousine.

"It will come later. It's time to leave." Was all the man said before opening the door for Niko, and then he made a sweeping gesture with his left arm, hurrying Niko along so that he would enter the car. "I'll take care of it."

"Who-?" Niko knew well enough that it wasn't his father. He'd seen pictures, watched his dad move, listened to him speak, for quite some time without even realizing it. His female friends back home would constantly tell him that his father was five-foot-ten, which was an inch taller than Niko was, and that he had the most gorgeous brown hair (which apparently Niko inherited from him), and dark, deep, soulful brown eyes (not something Niko inherited). He looked gentle. This man was a mass of six feet, 200 some pounds, of pure muscle. He was a beast. He looked intimidating, which was probably how he got his job.

"We can save introductions for the car."

Niko was almost pushed inside, which didn't help with his nerves one bit, and he settled in towards the far end of the car. It was empty outside of him and this strange man, and he wanted to stay as far away as possible. "Okay, I'm inside the car," he said quietly as soon as the door closed and they began to drive away. He hugged his knees to his chest nervously, looking around curiously. He had never been inside of a limo before, and he was distracted instantly by the different lights that decorated the ceiling and the floor, the television that was behind him, the refrigerator, and even the glass the separated them from the driver. He risked a glance down the length of the car at his escort and then quickly looked away, deciding that his tennis shoes would be a much better place to stare. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Twix." The man leaned back in his seat and stretched out casually. He pulled off the dark sunglasses that made him appear like a secret service agent, and Niko saw bright and playful blue eyes. The intimidating persona disappeared, and it was replaced with a much softer one. Twix couldn't have been any older than 26. He put a hand through his sandy brown hair and offered Niko a weak smile. "I didn't mean to be pushy, but I couldn't watch as they exploited you anymore. I was about to tr-." He laughed nervously and shifted a little uncomfortably, "actually the word I'm looking for is ripping off heads. I was about to rip off some heads, and I wouldn't have felt any regret from it either. Those soulless freaks have it coming to them. I don't care if it's their job, it's absolutely ridiculous the kind of things they do to make money. There are no boundaries, no limits. You'd think there'd be a better way for them to use their skills right?"

"S-sure," Niko blinked a couple of times, a little stunned. From beast to puppy dog in less than two seconds. A violent puppy dog, but still a puppy all the same. "Nice to meet you?" He swallowed hard and then turned his attention out the window. That seemed more natural and less awkward to him. "I'm guessing you work for my," he paused. he didn't want to say 'my father', that seemed too weird to him. At the same time, he couldn't call him by his actual name. "You work for him?"

"If by him, you mean your dad?" Twix commented, and he took a moment to note the shiver than ran through Niko's body as he said the word 'dad'. "Then yeah, I guess you could say I work for him, or work with him, would be a little more accurate. Relax kid, it's going to be a bit of a long ride, so you might as well get comfortable and not look like you're going to spring at any moment. I ain't gonna let anything happen to you. That, I can promise you."

It took a while, and a lot of silence, but after some time passed, Niko was finally able to stretch himself out across the black leather seats. He shivered a little from the cold of the air conditioning, but tried to ignore it. He could feel Twix watching him, at least for a little while until he was no longer found as interesting, and as soon as he felt the eyes leave him, Niko closed his own. When he closed his eyes, then he escaped everything else around him. It was better than staring at the seats, or his shoes, or his hands. The blackness that his eyelids provided was welcoming, as he felt his body begging him to sleep. He could feel the wear and tear of the past week all over him, but he his mind refused to settle. At least he got to rest his eyes on the ride. He hadn't realized so much time had passed until he opened them again, and when he did he found Twix's suit jacket spread over his body and a small puddle of drool on his hand that he had used as a pillow. Did I just fall asleep? Niko looked around the car in a state of confusion. That couldn't have been possible, he didn't remember and he didn't feel as though he had slept.

"We're here," Twix stated and got up to collect his jacket. "You ready? Or do you need some more time?"

Niko stared at the young man and blinked a few times, completely distorted. "I'm never going to be ready, so unless you want to wait forever, then let's get this over with." A warm bed sounded nice, and a warm meal. Quiet was the most appealing draw to him exiting the car. Quiet, and the opportunity to be alone.

Twix nodded at the boy slowly and opened the door. He looked around briefly, as if to make sure that it was safe for them to exit the car, before gesturing for Niko to follow.

It was a mansion (not that Niko had expected less from a movie star), and one of the most grand proportions at that. It's appearance mimicked that of a modern castle. It was made of brick and stucco. Red and pink flowers surrounded the pillars of the entrance, along with a fountain that was further out in the yard. It made the castle look much less ominous. Armania stood in the doorway. He looked a lot different in person than he did on the TV. He looked just as tired as Niko felt, but most importantly, he looked human. As soon as he caught sight of Niko, he let in a deep breath. It was almost like he was as nervous as Niko was, and he had a small smile - a true genuine smile - that suggested that he actually cared for the boy (even if it was only a little bit).

Niko swallowed hard as he walked to the door. The three small steps seemed to be so many more, and so much bigger. They were the only thing that was really separating the two. As he got to the doorway, he noticed Armania move his arm as if he were going to embrace Niko as they walked into the mansion. "Don't touch me." Niko spat at him. That worked well. The arm quickly returned to the man's side. Niko nodded with satisfaction and stepped into the foyer. When he turned to look back at Twix, it was then that he saw the photographers at the gate, desperately trying to snap pictures of their first meeting. "Of course, you couldn't miss out on that perfect photo opportunity. We can pose for pictures all you want later."