DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for Audrey (my OC) and Pluto the ferret.
I got off the flying sardine can known as a Boeing 747, my legs shaking from not being used in seven hours. I didn't get up once during the flight from New York to London. Big mistake. My legs felt like jell-o, and I really, really had to pee. Even though the Mythbusters said you wouldn't, I was afraid I would get stuck to the toilet seat. After sitting on the runway for twenty minutes, someone had finally decided to let us off the freaking plane. I took out my phone and called my mom as soon as I got inside the airport. I got her voicemail, as I had expected to. It was midnight back home. "Hey, Mom, just wanted to let you know I'm at the airport and all right. I'll call you back later when you're awake. Bye."
After I found bathroom, I went to the luggage carousel thingy (I don't know the technical name for it; this is the first flight I've been on where they didn't have to sedate me. I kid you not.) I packed light, taking just a backpack, my suitcase, and my laptop bag. The rest of my stuff was coming in a couple days. After I went and got my ferret, Pluto (named after the Roman god of the Underworld, not Mickey Mouse's dog), I got out my laptop to check my e-mail because I had an hour before my bus came. There was the usual crap ("Look fifteen years younger in just days!" "How Jane lost ten pounds in 24 hours!" You get the idea.) And an e-mail from Dr. Bloor about the rules at the academy. After I got that out of the way, I played "bash the computer" (it's a game. I didn't actually bash MY computer.) I got out to the bus stop five minutes early. I expected it to be like the plane, but it wasn't that bad. There was only one other person on the bus, an elderly woman sitting in the front. I went and sat in the back. I decided to make a flame dance on my finger, just to amuse myself. Oh, guess I didn't tell you about my, ahem, "talent", did I? Well, I can talk to fire. That was one of the reasons I was going to Bloor's. The other was because I had gotten a full scholarship because not only was I "talented" supernaturally, but I was the third best clarinetist in Washington, and could learn flute and oboe. I had gotten kicked out of my old school because of a little, um, accident involving fire.
I talked to the fire for the whole twenty-minute bus ride. Then I was at the bus station and saw Olivia and her mom waving excitedly at the bus. I hurried off and ran to them. "Hi! It's so cool to finally meet you guys in person." I said, shaking both of their hands.
"I know! Isn't it exciting?" Olivia replied.
"Is that permanent?" She was pointing to my hair, black with red tips. I nodded. "No fair!" She was now looking pointedly at her mother. We decided we'd better get to the car. Olivia offered to carry my clarinet, Mrs. Vertigo took my suitcase, and I took my duffel bag, schoolbag, and Pluto's crate. We stuffed everything in the trunk of their car and I took Pluto out and put him on my shoulder. "He's adorable! Can I hold him?" Olivia asked.
I nodded and showed her how to handle him properly before handing him over. We got into the car and headed o the Vertigos' house.
On the way there, conversation was nonstop. We talked about my life in Burlington, what my school was like, what kind of music I liked. Mrs. Vertigo asked most of the questions, since Olivia and I had been emailing back and forth ever since I found out that the Vertigos would be my host family.
