{Leah}
"Leah! Leah wake up!"
I groaned and rolled over to find myself nose to nose with my little sister.
"Aw come on Rae, five more minutes..." I murmured.
"Not a chance, sis. You gotta get up now or you will miss your flight to London!" Rachel poked me in the stomach a few times. "Leeeeaaaahhh, what will Johnny say if you don't show up? I'm not explaining this to him you know."
"Alright, alright. I'm up, Jesus." I ruffled my sister's bouncy golden curls fondly while her blue eyes twinkled with laughter. Her nose wrinkled causing her freckles to dance on her skin as she have me one last poke and ran off.
I sighed and threw my legs over my bed and stood, my joints cracking as a slow yawn tumbled out of my mouth. Today was the day when my life was going to change completely, yet it started no different than any other.
I shambled into the bathroom and threw myself under the steaming shower and tried to ignore the buzz of excitement in the back of my skull. London! The day was finally here! I still couldn't quite believe it.
Six months ago Aunt Martha (my father's sister) had called with a proposal. Having moved from a small Kansas town to London after marrying a British foreign exchange student she met in high school, she never got to see much of my parents nor of my sister and me, and she truly wanted to remedy that.
Whenever Aunt Martha came to town, I bombarded her with questions of London and of my cousins Harry and John. She laughed often at my insatiable curiosity and attempted to indulge me by telling me about the most mundane sort of things that life in England had to offer. I wanted to see the world, I wanted more than the flat boring sea of grass and sky that was Kansas. I wanted the city.
When Martha suggested that I should attend a year of school in London with John and Harry I nearly keeled over. I agreed without the slightest bit of hesitation and anxiously awaited the day when I would leave home.
The buzz in the back of my skull had now spread to the rest of my body at the thought of spending my sixteenth birthday in London. I finished my shower and pulled on a pair of dark capris and a light blue tank before settling my black KU sweatshirt on my shoulders and slipping on my old Nike basketball shoes.
I looked around my room and it felt empty and sad, but I couldn't be bothered too much by it since my excitement outshone everything.
After a lengthy goodbye to my family and friends who came to see me off, I boarded the plane at Kansas City International Airport. I settled into my seat and the flight attendant raised her eyebrow at the stupid grin plastered all over my face. It didn't matter of course.
I, Leah Zimmer, felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
{John}
I had heard a lot about my cousin Leah from my mother. From what I heard, she was smart as a whip, very athletic, and musical as well. I was very excited to meet her since it seemed as though we had a lot in common. I was in the advanced classes like she would be, I played football while she played basketball, and we would be in the school symphony together, she was a cellist and I played the clarinet.
I hoped she would fit in and not be worried about being in a new place like I would be if the roles were reversed. I already planned to introduce her to my best friends Greg and Molly who were in the same year as us. They were the good sort of people you wanted to be around.
"Johnny-boy! Where have your thoughts got to now?" Harry said with a grin on her face. "You aren't nervous are you?"
"Oh come off it Harriet, you're just as nervous as I am." I snapped. I didn't have much patience for Harry these days, even less when she broke out that patronizing nick-name.
Harry pulled a face. "Don't call me Harriet, that's an old woman's name. I'm only two years ahead of you."
"Don't call me Johnny-boy, I'm not a toddler." I shot back.
Harry and I stare daggers at each other until my mother returns from the bathroom.
"You kids at it again? Really?" she tutted as she smoothed out my striped jumper. I blush slightly and Harry rolls her eyes. "Promise you'll tone it down when Leah gets here? We don't want to frighten her off. First impressions and the like." I nod and Harry scoffs, turning on her heel to the door.
"Where are you going, Harry? We are about to leave to meet Leah at Heathrow!" I say.
"I'm off to Clara's. I can't stand one more minute around mama's boy over here. Text me when she gets settled in an I might consider making in appearance. You know, first impressions and the like." Harry snaps bitterly before leaving the house.
My mother sighs. "What on earth am I going to do with her?"
I shrug. "Not much now, I suppose. Come on, let's go meet my cousin. I don't want to be late." She nods and we walk out of out apartment and hail a cab.
~20 minutes later~
When Leah's flight lands, my excitement goes through the roof and I can hardly contain myself. As passengers begin to leave the plane, I find myself looking for a face I have never seen in person. Mom senses my tension and chuckles lightly.
"Patience John, I'll point her out when I see her." she says quietly. I nod, but continue to search the crowd.
A few minutes later, Mom nudges me and points. "There she is!"
I see a tall girl with long, golden hair streaked with dark blue wearing jean capris and a comfortable sweatshirt. She has a large suitcase, a backpack, and a rolling lime green instrument case in tow. She looks up to see us and smile brightly. She walks over and sits up the instrument case and removes her headphones from her ears. Now that shes close, I can see her gold and green eyes which are wide with excitement, matching the grin plastered on her face.
"Aunt Martha! It's good to see you again!" she says in a strong American accent. She pulls Mom into a hug before she turns to me. "And you must be John! I have been dying to meet you!" and I get pulled into a hug as well.
"Hello Leah! It's awesome to finally meet you!" I say, aware of my goofy grin. "You are going to absolutely love it here!"
"I have no doubt in my mind that I will, considering how much Aunt Martha told me about London." Leah says, still grinning.
"Hearing is one thing, Leah. Experiencing is another. Come on, let's get you home. You must be absolutely knackered from your flight." I say, picking up her suitcase, noting Mom's approving smile.
"Sounds like a plan!" she says.
{Leah}
I have been in London for a grand total of one hour and I am already in love with the city.
John is absolutely wonderful and I can already tell we are going to be great friends. We make small talk as we load the waiting cab with my belongings. I take extra care of my cello, whom I call Zurich and make sure it doesn't get jostled on the ride.
The entire drive John is cracking corny jokes and I can't help but laugh. After a while I ask where Harry is and John falls silent.
"Oh, um, I'm sorry..." I start to say, but John quickly shakes his head.
"No, no, you're fine. Harry's out with friends right now." he lets out a sigh. "She and I don't get on very well."
"Look, I would like to meet someone who does get along with their sibling. Lord knows there are some times where Rae drives me up the wall." I pat John's shoulder. "Don't worry too much." John smiles.
"My friends are going to love you," he says. "I can't wait for you to meet Molly and Greg!"
"Who are they?"
"Well, Molly is the president of the Biology Club and Greg is captain of the football team at Baker High School. They are lovely people and I can tell they will like you already."
"They do sound nice! Now your football is my soccer, right?" I ask sheepishly.
John laughs. "Yes it is, oh you are going to have a bit of trouble picking up our vocabulary aren't you?" I nod, blushing slightly. "Don't worry, Leah. I can help you out. Soon you'll be talking like a local," John says with a a smirk.
"Thanks John. Now tell me, when are auditions for the Symphony?" I have been itching to ask this question since I learned there was a Baker High Symphony.
"Those are in three days. Since school starts in two weeks, and the Symphony alway play a piece at the morning assembly the first day." John says. "Do you have a solo piece ready?"
"Yes, I just polished up the Squire 'Tarentella' I think that should work nicely for an audition piece. What's yours?"
"I have almost got 'Fantasy Piece Op. 73 No. 1' memorized. We should practice once you get settled in!
"Definitely! Is the competition stiff for chairs?* I was hoping to get at least third chair."
"Well, we have a good amount of talent, but it should be easier to chair well in our sections. Just be glad you aren't a violinist." John says, rolling his eyes.
"Why?" I ask, intrigued by John's irritation.
"Sherlock Holmes, that's why. He's bloody concertmaster** every year. He's brilliant, don't get me wrong, his solos are the most lovely thing you will ever hear, but the bloke is cold and emotionless. The only personality traits he has include genius and arrogant."
"What kind of name is 'Sherlock'?" I laugh. "I pity the poor guy already!"
"The guys at school call him 'the Freak' which I think is ridiculous. He isn't a freak, he can just be a bit... what's the word... Exasperating."
"You sound like you know this Sherlock guy well." I say offhandedly, but when John blushes, I press further. "You friends with him?"
"He... Doesn't have friends. Not really." John says, blushing furiously.
"Why don't you talk to him? You seem to get him. What's with the blush, John?" Right then is when the cab slows to a stop in front of an apartment building.
"Meyer Street! The cabbie hollers and Martha pays the man. She was quiet most of the time, just listening to John and me talk with a small smile.
"Alright John, you get away with it this time, but I want to know more about this Sherlock character!"
John evaded the question by retrieving my suitcase and hauling it into the apartment building. I smiled as I recovered Zurich and followed after John.
A/N: Thank you for reading! This is my first fanfiction so comments would be great! Did you love it? Did you hate it? I want to know! I should be able to update soon of the muse strikes :)
*Chairs in a symphony show the skill level of each individual and determine the seating arrangement. The first chair musician is called the 'Principal'. The higher your ranking, the closer you sit to the conductor.
**Concertmaster is a term used for the principal first violinist. They are typically the featured soloists. Before concerts, they are the ones who help the orchestra tune.