My name is Angel. Angel Kozanic. I'm fifteen years old, have blonde hair and blue eyes, and enjoy singing. So much, in fact, that I now have a scholarship for a 3-month transfer to a school in America, somewhere in Ohio. I've never taken geography before, but whether I like it or not, I'm about to find out where exactly I'm going, having never ventured away from this tiny country at the bottom of the world before.
And, right now, I'm standing in the middle of a crowded Christchurch airport, preparing to say good-bye to my family, with absolutely no idea what the hell I'm doing here.
"You'll be good, won't you?" My mother hugs me tightly. I hug her back, breathing in the familiar smell of her floral perfume. When she releases me, she hands me my small bag to take on the plane. "Now, the family who you'll be staying with are called the Corazons, who come from the Philippines. They have a girl about your age who is also a transfer student."
"Great." I try to sound enthusiastic, but it doesn't come out right. What if this girl doesn't like me, and attempts to make my time spent in Ohio a misery? I glance around the busy room, people bustling past with places to go, people to meet. Well, at least they probably know what's in store for them. Me, not so much.
I hug my dad, him giving me a few words of last-minute advice. "Be good, be helpful and try not to get into too much trouble. And that includes sneaking out in the middle of the night, missy." I laugh, watching the way his blue eyes twinkle whenever he thinks he's made a particularly good joke. I'm going to miss my family, I think, as I turn away from my father towards Tessa. Over these past few days, she's become decidedly more friendly towards me, even helping me pack my gear and talking about what she would do if she got the chance to go to America. I look at her, half expecting her to march away, performing the hair-flick she's known so well for, at least among my family. But she surprises me by pulling me into a tight hug.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Angel. Email me, okay? We'll talk on the phone at least once a week. And–I'm really sorry about the other day. Really." I hug her back, then step away. "It's okay. You're my sister, Tess. And I'll bring you back something really nice from Ohio."
"I'd like that." Tessa smiles at me, and I grin back. It's nice for once that she's admitted out loud that she would miss me, something else she never really does when I go anywhere.
Over the loudspeaker, an announcement booms, "All passengers who are travelling to Ohio, America, please make your way towards the gate."
This is it. Trying to swallow the nervous rock in my throat, I stand my large suitcase upright, and clutch my other bags, trying not to topple over from the weight of it all. I turn to look once more at my family. "Bye, everyone. Try not to miss me too much." My mum gives a shaky laugh, and waves. I wave back, and with legs that seem to be made of something slightly stronger than water, I stumble towards the plane gate. The lady on baggage check smiles at me as she weighs my bags and gives me a nod. She must have had to do all this once, I think, as I show my boarding pass and collect my luggage. As I pass through the gate, I give my family one last look. Mum and Tessa wave, my father gives me the 'aye aye captain' salute we used to do so long ago. I salute him back, as, with a heavy heart I struggle onward with my bags, until the sight of my family is lost, and I'm officially on my way to America.
The flight seems to take forever. I watch a couple of movies on the plane, which serves to entertain me for a while. Especially Avatar, as it's one of my favourites. I read a book that Mum gave me for Christmas, however some sentences only remind me of my current situation, stuck on a plane for twelve hours with no idea of what to expect when I get to Ohio. The food comes around and I eat it without really tasting it. But mostly I just sit there and stare out the window, watching the fluffy dark clouds drift past and thinking about this new school. William McKinley High School, it was called. At my other school in Christchurch, we had to wear a uniform. At this school, you could wear whatever you liked. I can't deny it, I'm really looking forward to going, if only I wasn't so nervous whenever I thought about it.
When I see the passengers in front of me pulling the blind down over the windows and leaning their seats back, I'm surprised at how quickly the time has flown. I check my watch, the numbers flashing in the darkness. Wow. Five hours since I boarded the plane, now it's ten at night. I lean my seat back, and grab my flight pillow and blanket. Once I'm settled, I gaze out the window watching the stars twinkle in the night sky as my eyelids grow heavier.
Eventually, I fall asleep.
