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Chapter 3
I gazed out the window at the passing town of Forks as Charlie and I began our drive to Seattle. My bags were all packed and stored away in the trunk of the cruiser and I had my passport, ID, and all the other necessary documentation for my flight. Charlie was pretty quiet. I turned on the radio for a little relief from the somewhat awkward silence and the sound of the rain drumming on the windshield. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked my messages.
Jacob: Miss you already.
Me: Same here /3
Jacob: Be careful. I love you.
Me: I will thanks. I love you too.
I felt a familiar pang in my chest as I looked at Jacob's smiling face on the background of his messages. Feelings and images from when he kissed me swirled in my head and I felt my cheeks grow warm and my heart pick up speed in response. "Dad," I said, "How do you leave behind the people you love?"
Charlie looked over at me, his big brows knitting together. He sighed. "It's not easy. But you learn to get on with life. You've got the memories, and if you're lucky you can keep in touch with that person. But sometimes they get on with their lives… and they forget about ya."
"Like Mom?"
"Yeah. Kinda like me and your mother."
I didn't respond to that. Renee had left Charlie when I was just a baby, taking me with her. As far as I know, Charlie never dated after their divorce. That's just one of the many reasons why I felt sad and somewhat guilty about leaving. I was the only family he had left just about.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when we finally arrived at the Seattle airport. We got out of the car and Charlie helped me with my luggage. "You got everything you need?" he asked.
"Yes Dad."
"Carry-on bag? With your phone, iPod, documentation, wallet? Information from the school? Check your wallet. You got your credit card? ID? Social Security card?"
"Dad. Yes. I have everything."
"Now Bella, have some patience. Clothes, shoes, toiletries? Are you absolutely positive that you have everythingyou need?"
"Yes Dad. I promise I have everything. I double checked several times before we left the house." I assured Charlie. He sighed and gave me a brief once over, taking in my jeans, rain boots, and raincoat. Then he grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug, pressing my head against his chest.
"I love you, Bells. Please be careful. If you need anything at all let me know." He said in a gruff voice.
"Yes Dad. I love you too." I mumbled into his uniform pocket, a pen pressing against my cheek uncomfortably.
"Stay in touch." He instructed. I nodded and he released me. I put my backpack on my back, put my carry-on bag over my shoulder, and picked up my heavy suitcase. "'Bye Bella." I watched as Charlie walked over to the car and slunk into the front seat of the police cruiser. I waved until he was out of sight and then boarded the plane, my chest feeling tight and heavy.
It wasn't until I was seated on the plane, my carry-on in my lap that I realised that I was terrified. I was about to head thousands and thousands of miles away from home, from the tiny sleepy town of Forks for Italy, a foreign country that I had never been to and where I barely knew the language. My heart raced as the plane took off and I realised, this is really happening.
I listened to music, read books, daydreamed out the window, and slept to pass the time on the plane. The passenger who was seated next to me was a woman in her mid-forties, who was quiet and polite and mostly slept and read books on her e-reader. She didn't bother me and I didn't bother her. I couldn't have asked for a better traveling companion.
I had been asleep for several hours when the flight attendant came out to announce that we would be landing soon at the Galileo Galilei Airport. My heart started to beat a little faster with anticipation. This was it! After I got off the plane and retrieved my luggage, I went to the restroom to freshen up and change clothes. Once I looked and smelled somewhat decent, I went outside to wait for my ride to the school. I wasn't waiting long before I saw a man in dress pants and shirt and tie holding a sign up with my name on it. I hurried over. "I'm Isabella Swan." I announced. The man gave me a warm smile.
"Ciao, Isabella. I am Luciano. I'll be driving you to Volterra Academy today." He said in a smooth Italian accented voice. He had to be in his mid-thirties but his face was like a dream; deep dark eyes, high cheek bones, and sharp jaw line and full lips. I felt myself blushing under his amiable gaze.
"Ciao. Grazi." I said. Luciano put my luggage in the truck of the shiny black mini limo and opened my door for me. I blushed again and slid into the back seat. He took the front seat and soon we were off.
Luciano and I made small talk on our drive. He was very polite and seemed sincere in his curiosity to hear about my life back home and such. I found myself enjoying talking to him and started to relax a bit more. My heart still thrummed with nervous excitement and anxiety. I was glad Luciano seemed to speak very decent English and understand my accent. It seemed like no time at all before we had arrived on the sprawling campus of Volterra Academy of the Arts and Sciences. There were trees with leaves starting to change colors, flowers blooming still, and a generally nice atmosphere about the place. Luciano helped me unload and situate my luggage and we said brief goodbyes and thank yous. I walked up to the front office, my heart dancing in my chest and my cheeks a flame. I walked into the cool, clean office where there was a pretty young receptionist behind the desk. I walked up and she looked up from her laptop. "Ciao! Come posso aiutarla?" she said brightly. I blinked at her with confusion. All I had gotten from that was hello. I immediately spoke the phrase that I had memorized for the many times I wouldn't understand the language around me.
"Io non parlo italiano." I said, my accent sounding decent as the words rolled off my tongue.
"Oh! I am sorry. You have to excuse il lio inglese, it is not very good. My name is Ms. Rossi."
"I'm Isabella Swan. I'm here from America. I'm supposed to be staying in the Rafael dorm building." I explain.
"Oh! Benvenuto, Signorina Swan. Here are papers you need, yes?" Ms. Rossi said, pulling papers out of a drawer and handing them to me. I looked them over while she typed away on her laptop. "I have notified administration you have arrive. They send a student guide shortly, yes? Please sit."
I took a seat on one of the plush armchairs along the wall and picked up a magazine to flip through while I waited. My nerves had settled a bit and I mostly looked at pictures as I flipped through the fashion magazine written in Italian. I wondered if the student guide would be a girl or a boy. 'A girl would be better' I thought. Just as I was thinking that, a door opened to my left and in walked what had to be the most attractive boy I had ever seen.
I felt my cheeks flush just watching him walk up to the front desk. He began an easy banter with Ms. Rossi and even her cheeks seemed to warm under his gaze. He was kind of tall, lean but muscular, with tousled hair that I could only describe as having the color of bronze, a reddish-brown. His skin was very clear and pale and his jaw was sharp and his lips were full and red. He turned to look at me and I felt my pulse race. His eyes were the strangest color, golden like topaz. He walked over to me and I jumped to my feet, immediately feeling stupid for my enthusiastic response. He smiled and for a minute I felt as though I was staring in the face of an angel of God Himself. "You must be Isabella. I'm Edward." He said, sticking a hand out. I grasped it and shook weakly, still swooning from the sound of his voice, Italian accented and a clear tenor that sounded like music.
"It's nice to meet you, Edward." I murmured my voice barely above a whisper.
"I'll be walking you to your dorm today. The campus can be kind of confusing your first time on it. Can I help you with your bags?" Edward asked politely.
All I wasn't carrying was my suitcase, which was sitting at my feet. I started to decline but Edward kneeled to pick it up and led the way out of the office. "Good luck, Isabella!" called Ms. Rossi. I smiled weakly over my shoulder and followed Edward out.
"So Isabella, you're from America?" Edward asked as he strolled beside me. I was having a hard time thinking straight and floundered just to say the word, "Yes." Then I thought I should add a bit more substance to my response so I said, "You can just call me Bella, by the way."
Edward shot me a small smile that made my knees feel temporarily weak. I tripped over a dent in the ground and went sprawling across the grass. Mortified, I just lay there pitying myself. Edward kneeled down and to my surprise, laid down beside me. "You okay?" he asked, his face inches from mine, a smile on his lips. I sat up quickly, unnerved by his proximity.
"Yes. Sorry. You can get up." I flushed. Edward chuckled and then rose to his feet, stretching a hand down to assist me. I grabbed it and he hauled me to my feet with ease. "Thanks." I mumbled.
We walked the rest of the way to my dorm building in what I considered to be an awkward silence but Edward was whistling so maybe not for him. He walked me up to my room and knocked on the door. We waited a few seconds and then heard footsteps padding over. The door opened to reveal a tall slender girl with big brown eyes and long straight black hair. Her already large eyes widened when she saw Edward. She blushed. "Ciao Edward." She said.
"Ciao Temira. Si tratta di Isabella Swan e lei sarà alloggiato in questa stanza." Edward said.
Temira looked at me and smiled. "Ciao Bella! Benvenuti!"
I smiled politely and internally because I actually understood her. "Grazi." I said. " Io non parlo molto italiano." I explained. Temira smiled.
"That's okay. My mom's an American Jew so I speak great English. Come on in so you can meet the other girls. Orabella is in English 1 so she doesn't speak it very well but Jahzara has taken all four years and speaks it fluently. " Temira turned to Edward and her cheeks flushed again. "Grazi Edward. Lo ce la faccio da qui."
Edward nodded and smiled at me. "If you need anything just let me know. It's nice to have you here at V.A. and I hope you like it." He said, sounding like it was a line he said often. I softly thanked him and he left, closing the door quietly behind him. I turned back to Temira.
"So." I smiled shyly.
"Orabella! Jahzara! Isabella è qui!" Temira called out. A few moments later two girls turned the corner of what seemed to be a hallway leading away from the front living space. "Isabella, this is Orabella Bianchi and Jahzara Jelani."
Orabella stepped forward first and kissed both of my cheeks, a little to my surprise. Must be an Italian thing. "E 'un piacere conoscerti." She smiled, her voice a sweet soft soprano, her blue eyes sincere and open. I nodded and smiled, not really following her but interpreting her words as being along the lines of, "Nice to meet you."
"Isabella non parla molto italiano." Temira said. Orabella laughed and said, "E non parla inglese. Va bene." Temira and Jahzara laughed.
Jahzara stepped forward and shook my hand. "It's nice to meet your aquaintance." She said in a heavy Italian accent.
"Likewise." I smiled shyly. I was so relieved that the girls seemed to be sincerely happy to have me and they seemd friendly enough.
We made small talk for a while. I answered their questions and told them a bit about myself and they did the same in return. Temira Blum was of Hebrew descent and had been born in Israel. She was a singer and her course of study in voice here at Volterra Academy. She also ran track for the school.
Orabella was very beautiful. She had wavy golden hair that spilled over her shoulders and skin clear white skin. She was shorter than me, about 5'2" or so, and had the deepest dimples I'd ever seen. She was an aspiring actress and the president of the drama club. Her soft voice was conflicting with her outgoing personality.
Jahzara was an African beauty. She was taller than me but not as tall as Temira, with curves in all the right places and cocoa brown skin. Her eyes were cat like and hazel and she wore her hair in long dreads that reached down to her waist. She was a dancer and one of the most intelligent people I had ever met. Her father was a college professor and her mother was a clothing designer. She had been born in Ethiopia but had lived in Italy since she was a very small child.
They were all very different, in looks and persoanlity and interests, but also the same in the fact that they all seemed very sincere and friendly and were not shy at all. I knew then and there that they would make great companions while I was here at Volterra Academy and couldn't have asked for better roommates. I unpacked my things and put them away in closet and desk that I shared in my room with Temira. Orabella and Jahzara shared the other room. The dorm was more spacious than I thought. I was loving this place.
I was barely nervous about classes tomorrow anymore. I couldn't wait to start my experience at Volterra Academy for the Arts and Sciences. I wondered if Edward would be in any of my classes and ferverently hoped so.
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Translations:
Ciao- hello/hey
Grazi- Thank you.
Come posso aiutarla?- How can I help you?
No parlo inglese- I don't speak English.
Io non parlo italiano- I don't speak Italian.
Si tratta di Isabella Swan e lei sarà alloggiato in questa stanza - This is Isabella Swan and she will be staying in this room.
Benvenuti- Welcome!
Io non parlo molto italiano- I don't speak much Italian.