Hey, it's me again! Are you ready for chapter two? I thought that I should either write a separate chapter for each POV after the first chapter, but I decided to fit both POV's in one chapter. YAY! I decided to write chapter two anyway, so here goes nothing!
Disclaimer: I only own the characters that you don't know.
Welcome to Volterra
Alex POV: Volterra, Italy
The plane ride was awful! It took about five hours to get to Italy, and then an hour's drive to Volterra.
"Finally! We're here!" Jo exclaims.
"My thoughts exactly," I reply coolly.
Volterra is nothing like I thought it was like. I pictured a modern, upscale city. Instead, Volterra is a large town with peach-colored stone walls and bright fountains everywhere.
"It's so bright!" Sam exclaims, shielding her face.
I agree. The sun is blinding where I am standing. I see the town plaza, a clock tower, a castle, and a large fountain.
"This way, girls!" Mom leads the way.
Dad, Sam, Jo, and I follow Mom down a large cobblestone street carrying our suitcases. Mom looks down at her sheet of paper to check the address one last time, and then looks up.
"This is it, guys!" Mom exclaims. We look up to see a huge, possibly twenty-story hotel made of the same peach-colored stone as all the other buildings.
Many of those fancy brass luggage carts are being pulled around. My family and I step into the large hotel and relax. An attendant takes our luggage and brings it to our room.
"This is my kind of place," Sam says while staring bug-eyed at the intricate designs in the ceiling of the hotel and smiling toothily.
"Agreed," Jo says.
Mom and Dad take the room keys from the front desk and we pile into the elevator. Jo nervously twirls a lock of her hair around her finger. She keeps glancing at me from the wide. What's going on?
As soon as we step into the suite, Sam, Jo, and I nearly faint. It is so large and comfy!
Immediately, I run into a random bedroom and fall on the bed. I feel like I am resting on a cloud or a huge marshmallow.
Sam giggles and runs into the room beside mine. A connecting door keeps us together. Jo runs into the one on the other side of my room. I get up and start to unpack. Dad's head pops into my room.
"Alex, your mom and I are going to scope out the city. I already told Sam and Jo. Is it alright if you stay in the suite alone?" He asks.
"Of course!" I exclaim. "Dad, we're fourteen!"
Dad sighs and leaves my room. I hear the main door closing as he and mom set off to the center of Volterra.
"Come on, Sam!" I yell. "Jo!"
Sam and Jo come out of their rooms. Sam smiles.
"Do you guys want any food?" Sam holds up a menu. "Room service is cheap and awesome here!"
For the next five minutes, we decide on what to eat.
I finally choose a chicken burger, Sam picks some salad, and Jo orders some pasta. As we wait for the food to arrive, I stare out the window.
Mom and Dad are walking hand in hand down the quaint little street on the side. They aren't too far from the hotel, still. I see a tall, model-like lady approach them.
The lady has pale skin and tight clothes. She stands in the shadows. She talks to Mom and Dad for a second, and they nod their heads excitedly. The lady smiles warmly at them.
Suddenly, she turns around. I see her eye color. They are startlingly violet. Not like Sam's natural purple, but more like a direct mixture of bright red and blue. I gasp before turning around.
Artemis POV: Volterra, Italy
We are in Mom's new van, cruising along the strange cobblestone streets of our new home, Volterra. Everything here is a strange caramel-like color. The moving truck has already arrived at our new house.
Mom parks the car and Ena, Afro and I silently climb out. Afro is checking her reflection in one of the fifteen pocket mirrors she carries in our purse.
I constantly tell Afro that it's silly to carry a purse; we're only fourteen! Afro always looks at me cluelessly when I say this. Sometimes I really think that having a strange power could really help Afro.
Sadly, the only thing Afro has is her mystical beauty. She could be covered in mud and still look more beautiful than any supermodel in the world.
I look across the busy street and see a huge hotel. The sign reads, Il Dorato Albergo.
"Mom!" I ask. "What does Il Dorato Albergo mean?"
Mom smiles at me while Ena looks at her inquisitively. Afro looks around, bored.
"That means, 'The Golden Hotel'," Mom explains. "It's the most expensive hotel in town, and it's five-star. Only the rich tourists stay in there."
"Oh," I say.
Mom walks to the door and says,
"Welcome home!"
Our new home is huge, bigger than most houses I've seen before. It is made of the same peachy stone as every other building in the town, but has a flower bed in the front and a large garden in the back.
Mom opens the door to our house and we step in. The house is even better on the inside! Unlike most new houses, this house doesn't smell like paint- it smells homey.
Afro immediately plops down in a sofa that's been brought in and begins texting to her old friends back in Athens. I sigh.
"Why can't we go to that fancy hotel across the street?" Afro whines suddenly.
Mom frowns. "It's very expensive and we already have a house here!"
"Well yeah," Ena says matter-of-factly. "But since the movers are going to be here all day, maybe we could go to that hotel for just a day!"
"Of course!" I add in. "It's not like we can even stay in our house tonight. Why don't we go for just a day?"
Mom looks uncertain, but I know that we've won this battle. "All right, but only for one night."
Ena, Afro and I smile radiantly at her and quickly get up and move towards the door.
As we walk outside, a beautiful but pale woman approaches us. She has dirty blond hair and perfect features. She rivals Afro in looks. The lady has tight clothes that fit her just right.
"My name is Heidi," The lady says. Her voice entrances me. "You must be tourists from other parts of Europe."
Mom frowns. "Actually, we're from Athens, although I am native to Volterra. I lived here about ten years ago."
"Oh," Heidi says, her smile vanishing. "Then welcome back. I am your neighbor. I live right on Perfetto Street. I am a tour guide for the castle near the main plaza. If you ever wish to take a tour, just tell me if you see me around."
"Really?" Mom asks. "I didn't know there were tours for the castle!"
"Maybe there weren't ten years ago," Heidi explains. "Or maybe you didn't know about the tours because barely anyone knows about our tours."
"Do you think that we could take a tour today?" Mom asks.
"Sorry, there aren't any more tours for today," Heidi apologizes. "The castle is strictly off-limits when there are no tours going on."
Heidi walks off. She seems so fluid in motion! Ena sees this too.
"She seems nice," Ena says. "Can we take the tours?"
"Sure," Mom replies. "But I need to check the prices."
"Whatever," Afro says. "She obviously got plastic surgery."
I don't think so. She looks naturally beautiful, but I don't dare to contradict Afro. When Afro says things like that, it probably means that she's jealous. A jealous Afro is not something to mess with.
As we turn and walk into the hotel, I see something. Instead of turning onto Perfetto Street, Heidi turns toward the castle and walks in through a side door.
I thought that the castle was strictly off limits! What's going on?
REVIEW!!!!!! Please!!! ;-( I might not update for a while because I need to write a chappy for "My Very Frustrating Life". Show your support and review!