There has not been a single day that I don't miss my family. Moving is really hard, especially when it is so easy to make it feel like the end of your world. When I made the decision to move, I made it without thinking about really having to leave, only thinking about it as an opportunity.
Sure, Beacon Hills doesn't seem like the most likely of destinations, but somehow, Aunt Nicole persuaded my mother that the school there was a good chance to get away from everything I was so keen to get away from.
Safe. That was the word that my mother kept repeating over and over into the phone. She'll be safe. It was never like I was in any danger to begin with, but when sending your daughter away across the ocean to go and stay with a family friend for the unseen future; safety is a nice certainty to have.
To begin with, Aunt Nicole is my mum's best friend from when she was working after college. She doesn't have any kids, nor is she married. She moved from England to Beacon Hills after her mother became sick and needed to be cared for. No one expected her to be there for long, but the old lady just never died. So now, Aunt Nicole lives in a very remote part of California, a remote part to which I am being sent.
Secondly, the move was a little unexpected for me. I never thought that there was a real problem in my life, only that I was bored and uninterested in the people my age. Sure they were good friends, but only when they thought your place was going to be the next free spot to have a party. I never really cared; I was occasionally invited, but never turned up to any of these events, having long since lost interest in the male population of London.
So it was that my mother cheerfully announced one breakfast time before school that she had had a call from Nicole, and was wondering if I wanted to go on an adventure. After lots of discussing how I felt about my options (she's like that my mum, likes to discuss things to death, eliminate any possibility of misunderstandings or withheld feelings), I was at the crappy little coffee stand in the airport, waving goodbye to my mother.
I'm not a sappy touchy feely girl, but I really am quite fond of my mum and was surprised by how upset I was to have her leave. It's not just her and me though, I have my dad and my sister, but they dropped me off at the curb, so it wouldn't be a party of us trouping through Heathrow airport.
Ignoring any sadness, I went through security and made my way to my gate, and from there, I was on the plane in no time. Unusually for me, I slept for most of the duration of the flight, and when the announcement of our final decent came through the speakers, it felt as though hardly any time had passed.
By the time I had gathered my things together and made my way to get my enormous suitcase, I was one of the last people out of the arrivals gate and into the main airport, where it seemed that no one had arrived to collect me. Nicole had never been known for being punctual, so there did not seem to be any reason to panic and call home demanding for a returning flight.
I was just settling in to one of the booths in the coffee shop seating area when I heard "Will Hope Knightly please report to the information stand. Hope Knightly." Arriving at the information stand, I saw none other than Nicole herself grinning like an idiot.
"Thanks Frank" she chuckled to the man behind the booth, presumably the one who had made the announcement.
I tried very hard not to look amused as my aunt gave me a devilish gin. "Now everyone knows that you have arrived my dear. I would not be surprised if you appear on the news tonight as the most exotic person to arrive in Beacon Hills. After me of course. " With that, she spun on her heel, my monster of a suitcase in tow, and headed towards the exit. That's just the way she is, Aunt Nicole, keeping it as short and fabulous as possible.
Her car, I was surprised to learn, was a big red pickup truck, nothing like what I had imagined her driving. A mini bug, maybe, but this, this was entirely out of character. She noticed me staring and gave a dramatic sigh, explaining, "It's my mother's" before hauling the cumbersome bag into the back.
It was only a short drive from the airport to her house, and I was still too tired to take in much, but of what I did manage to see, Beacon Hills didn't seem too bad. It was certainly a lot warmer than back home. I must have nodded off before we arrived at the house because the last thing I remember before being jolted awake again once we had arrived, was Nicole saying "And you will have your own bedroom, don't worry about that, just remember to keep you curtains closed, because we are right next to a family with a son who's bedroom is on the same floor as yours. But he's nice, you'll see."