CHAPTER ONE T'Challa rested his head against the cool glass of the plane's window He was exhausted his The flight to Alabama was a grueling sixteen hours and the last leg of the journey was quickly coming to an end The flight attendant a very tall man with a Southern accent came through the first class cabin More orange juice sir T'Challa shook himself awake No he said rubbing Um no thank you eyes Very well sir We will be landing shortly Finally T'Challa thought
SPELLBOUND Even though he was the Prince of Wakanda a technologically technologically advanced nation hidden from prying eyes on the continent of Africa he had to settle for a first seat on a regular flight although the hot towels slippers and salted cashews were an unexpected treat Of course he could have begged his father T'Chaka the ruling Black Panther and King of Wakanda to hire a private jet for the trip But then T'Challa thought where would we have landed They couldn't just fly into an ordinary airport The jet would attract too much attention Air traffic control would probably think it was a UFO and shoot it down Unfortunately his seatmate a businessman from a place called Dover Delaware tried to engage T'Challa in conversation conversation several times Where in Africa did you say you were from again Have you ever seen a rhino What kind of business is your family in Americans sure do ask a lot of personal questions T'Challa thought The only answer he gave after much persistence was that the family business was mining A deafening screech jolted T'Challa fully awake He peered through the window A flight crew in orange vests swarmed the tarmac waving their batons T'Challa released a satisfying satisfying sigh He had pestered his father for weeks to allow him to visit his friends Zeke and Sheila in America Sheila
SMITH was spending the summer in Alabama with her grandmother grandmother and Zeke had come in a few days before T'Challa was scheduled to arrive They had planned it out for weeks through video calls Finally after much back-and-forth and his father's insistence on T'Challa being careful the King of Wakanda had allowed T'Challa three weeks vacation T'Challa was ecstatic He couldn't wait to see his friends again And now he was here He wondered not for the first time what surprises the trip would hold Outside the International Arrivals gate T'Challa was met by a wave of sweltering heat not the dry and pleasant heat of Wakanda but a stifling humid heat that made the collar of his shirt stick to the back of his neck Footsteps sounded behind him He spun around quickly his defense training kicking in A girl with tiny freckles and curly hair stood in front of him She smiled revealing straight white teeth Welcome to Beaumont Alabama she said T'Challa exhaled a sigh of relief Sheila he said giving giving her an awkward hug Her hair smelled like strawberry shampoo I can't believe you're here his friend Zeke added pushing pushing his glasses up on his nose I mean all the way Wakanda from
SPELLBOUND Zeke raised his hand for a high five and T'Challa returned it Zeke was skinny with close-cropped hair chunky glasses and a quick wit T'Challa had seen on several occasions Is that the only bag you brought Sheila asked looking at the glossy black leather shoulder bag he carried Uh yeah T'Challa replied I didn't bring a lot and I didn't want to check it Sheila fanned herself with a hand and put on an exaggerated exaggerated Southern accent Well it's so hot here all you'll need is shorts and a T-shirt anyway Zeke waved her off She's been talking like that since got here I T'Challa chuckled The only Southern accents he'd ever heard were from old American TV shows he had watched in Wakanda So when did you get here he asked Sheila About a week ago Sheila replied I haven't been here in years The last time was with my parents and I was like five or six What about you Zeke T'Challa asked Three days ago I've been researching various food groups He licked his lips Sheila poked a sideways thumb in Zeke's direction All he's been doing is eating I'm a growing boy Zeke said patting his flat stomach Plus there's a whole lot of food I have to try out
