Chapter 3

New Flat

"Okay, so France, Norway or The United States?" Alexander asked me on our hike to school the next morning. The air was chilly and the road ahead was fog ridden, your typical gloomy day in England. There was warmth though, mainly in the excitement emanating from Alex and his out of character smile. "I'm sure you've been racking your brain about it."

"I was at first." I admitted. "But I think I've settled."

"Wow! Already? Which country then?"

"France."

"Really?" Alex pouted, gripping the straps of his backpack. We took our time climbing over the partition that divided the road from the muddy bank we'd been walking through and continued when it was vacant. "I thought for sure you would've chosen America."

"Me? In America?" I scoffed. Alexander shrugged.

"I could see you there more than I could see you in France."

"Why are you so sure of that?"

"Because I can't see you learning or speaking French. You couldn't be bothered to learn another language!"

"Do you really think I'd have to learn French?" I frowned. "I figured I would be able to get by on English alone. Surely, they speak at least a little bit, right?"

"Pleeeease don't be that person!" Alexander laughed. "You can't go to their country and expect them to speak your language, Kyle. I'd rethink a little more." He had a point. The last thing I'd want happening to me is getting lost somewhere whilst needing to find a washroom or something and not being able to stop someone to ask for help to find the nearest one in an emergency. I know that was oddly specific, but it was a real fear to have!

America though? The most I knew of America was through the television. Massive food portions, high crime rate, obesity issues. In part, I also heard word of the country through Sigmund's eyes, especially after his first major tour. During his first tour, he'd told me about the tall buildings, crowded streets and bustling roads he'd seen in New York. Then there was the warm air, palm trees and luxurious living of Los Angeles. I was pretty sure I wouldn't have luxury accommodations wherever I was being placed for my study abroad opportunity, but hearing about the vast differences from city to city alone was enough to intrigue me. Almost anything sounded more lively than the dwellings of the realm or the countryside where my extended family resided.

Finally making the trip to our school, we stopped at our lockers to change shoes and started down the hall in the direction of our classrooms. The more I thought about me in a big city, the more I liked the idea. I was originally thinking of something more classic, like the French countryside or the serenity of a smaller Norwegian town, but a big city was so different from anything I'd ever experienced before. And I knew for sure that it was far enough away from here to keep a safe distance incase any meddling, ex-parental figures decided to pop up one day. As Alexander faced me to part ways, I gave him a nod.

"America." I spoke, catching him off guard. His eyes widened and the smile from earlier instantly reappeared.

"Yeah?!"

"Yeah. America."

"Ha! I knew you'd agree! How exciting! I'll see you at lunch!"

I waved back at Alexander as he dashed down the hall and turned into my own classroom, filing in with my other peers. My teacher, Mrs. Stokes, stopped me before I could make my way to the back of the room, gently grabbing my forearm.

"Good morning." I greeted. She gave me a smile.

"Good morning, Kyle! Let's have a chat after class today, okay?"

"Yes, of course. I've made my decision."

"Wonderful! Go on and take your seat."

I joined in on the silent reading at the beginning of the class, skipped out on the group conversation this time and turned in my homework at the end of the lesson. Mrs. Stokes had me excused from my next class to follow her back to the headmaster's office, which to my surprise, my Aunt Lillian had also been standing in.

"Oh, Aunt Lillian! What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I'd miss your big decision, did you?" She giggled. I honestly didn't think she cared. In fact, I was surprised with how invested the entire extended family seemed to be about this. When events came up for me at Milkweed, my ex-parental figures could never be bothered to get involved in anything or provide me with the support needed to get through. Since the announcement of the opportunity, the mood in the countryside home had been so light and airy and genuinely overjoyed for me. Hell, since I'd arrived in their home, I'd experienced an entire childhood worth of parental support and family joy in three days.

I caught myself blushing from the attention that was suddenly placed on me in the room. Headmaster Meghan folded her hands on the desk she was sat in front of and looked down at me, eager to hear my decision.

"So, what have we decided on?"

"The United States."

All three women seemed to brace themselves and glance at one another to keep their thrills in. I smiled at their expressions. Quickly shuffling through a manila folder, headmaster Meghan pulled a pamphlet out. Leaning over her desk, I followed her lead and also leaned in to look over the folded paper with her. My aunt and teacher did the same to get a peek for themselves. It was a pamphlet for the study abroad program, specifically for the America location.

"The courses will be taking place here." The headmaster pointed out. "In a town called Galaxy Hills. Have you heard of it before?"

"No.." I answered, shaking my head. The photo she pointed to displayed a bright and cheerful looking urban town. Beautiful blue skies, bright colored buildings and clean streets. I wasn't particularly a fan of the bright colors, but it was still exciting to see something so unusual. The name of the town, alone, was fascinating. "Is this it? Is this...Galaxy Hills?"

"Yes!" Headmaster Meghan responded. "This road here is where your accommodations will be, so that image there will be your new neighborhood. And this is the school where you'll be doing your foreign exchange. It's within the same Galaxy Hills school district."

The bright yellow, stumpy, rather mundane school building was quite literally night and day to Milkweed's tall, dark, castle-like structure. There wasn't much greenery or nature, like what surrounded my current educational institution at Waverly Prep. Very city-like, like what Sigmund had described New York to be, though I wasn't sure if Sigmund had ever visited this place.

"Well, what do you think?" My aunt asked suddenly, taking my focus away from my thoughts. "Is Galaxy Hills the place to be? I think it looks lovely!"

"I think so too." I nodded, a response that finally got cheers out of everyone in the room. They all seemed to be holding their breaths before. They were more excited for me than I was for myself. Truthfully, I just wanted to get away. The accommodations in America were more then what I'd originally expected.

I thought I'd be in a dorming situation, the way I'd been back at Milkweed, only with other exchange students. It turned out that in the American location, only a small batch of students were selected and building units were rented out individually. Which meant I'd be living completely on my own, in my very own flat! A complete flat with a kitchen I could cook in, living room and separate bedroom. I was ecstatic about that bit of news. A flat of my own was a luxury in itself.

After filling out registration forms, taking an ID photo and practically signing my life away, the headmaster gathered everything up and scanned each page to be emailed. She assured me that I'd be picked for the program since this was Waverly Prep's first time taking part, though my grades were more than enough to qualify. After a week of waiting on the response, her assurance had indeed, become reality. I'd been chosen to take part in the exchange program, the flight was booked and the morning of the trip had come in an instant.

My aunt and uncle had gotten me a new luggage case, filled it with new clothing and even went out of their way to wash my cape whilst I'd been asleep the night before. It was my first time getting on a plane and I was a bit nervous about it, but my cousins had pumped me up with so much hope that the nerves were quickly overshadowed. Standing at the departure zone, I turned to look back at everyone as we prepared to go our separate ways. My cousins Albert, Andrew and Alexander all gave me smiles, though Alexander looked noticeably melancholy.

"Awe, don't give me that look..." I frowned. Alexander's weak smile instantly fell to reveal the sad expression he'd tried hard to keep back. It was a heart wrenching sulk that caused me to mirror him with my own sad look in return.

"I can't help it. I-I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, Alex. I've really enjoyed sharing a room with you."

"Me too, Ky. You're my most favorite cousin. I've really missed you. I wish you didn't have to leave so soon."

"You know I'll come back as soon as I get the chance."

"Yeah, you better!" Albert butted in. "Come back for holiday!"

"Haha! I will!"

"And let us know how everything's going, alright?" My aunt spoke up, holding Andrew in her arms. "Don't forget to call."

"And let me know if you need me to send you anything." My uncle added. "It won't be a problem. I have your new address and the post isn't far from you, so I can send you just about anything!"

"I won't forget and thank you. All of you, t-thank you for taking me in like this." I could feel myself quickly getting worked up and I think they noticed, because smiles fell. I didn't want to cry, but I could feel my eyes getting misty. "You didn't have to be so kind..."

"Rubbish!" My uncle smiled, doing his best to lighten the mood. "You're a Bloodworth! It's what we do!" My cousin Albert suddenly pulled me into a forceful hug, the same way he'd done when I first arrived.

"Come on everyone! Group hug!" He called out. Even though the hug was entirely too tight, I embraced the warmth from the family till I couldn't anymore. When everyone pulled away, we all waved goodbye. I grabbed Alex before he could walk away with the rest of the bunch.

"Huh?!" He breathed. I hushed him and reached into my carry on bag, quickly pulling a Milkweed textbook and handing it to Alexander. His eyes went wide when he realized what it was.

"D-don't you need this?!" He gasped. I shook my head.

"That's one of my first year books, I must've grabbed it by accident when I was first leaving home. I'm passed that level already, so, keep it."

"A-are you sure?"

"I promised you I'd train you and I never got the chance. So whilst I'm away, read over it and I'll give you a review when I visit for the holiday."

"Kyle—!"

"Go! They're leaving you behind!"

Alexander's eyes quickly filled with tears, but he turned away and went after the rest of the family. I watched him go til I couldn't anymore and turned away to find the gate to my flight. I'm not sure if Alexander cried, but I know I did. A lot.

It was caused by a combination of uncertainties that hiked my anxiety all of a sudden as I boarded the plane. I knew nothing of America, nothing of where I was headed and nothing of truly living alone. If I was feeling homesick, I wasn't as close to home as I would've been if I chose France. This was a permanent choice for the time being. With some air plane snacks and juice, I managed to get some rest, though it wasn't exactly restful. And I almost wished I had never eaten those snacks because I quickly learned that I get motion sickness on planes, which was strange to me, considering I fly all the time...just on a broom instead. I blamed it on the confined space and I was thankful when the plane finally landed seven hours later.

Once off the plane, I collected my bags with the rest of the passengers and pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. The paper had directions for my arrival. Apparently, there would be someone waiting for me to arrive right outside the exit from the baggage claim and thankfully, there was. A man with brown hair, a pair of black, framed glasses, a white linen polo, jeans and dirty once-white trainers. A generic sketchy look, but he was holding a sign with my name, as well as another student's name, on cardboard and he stood in front of a short white shuttle bus. As I rolled my bag over, his once rather dull expression changed and he smiled, holding his hand out for me to shake.

"Kyle, right? There you are!" He greeted as we shook hands. "I'm Michael Wexler, the building advisor. You can call me Mike. I'll be right upstairs from your apartment. Nice to meet ya!" I grinned. That American accent was mighty.

"Nice to meet you too."

"We've got one other student to wait on, an older student so you won't be in the same building or the same school, but once they get here we'll be on our way."

"Sounds good."

"Leave your rolling bag here. Go ahead and hop on the bus there and take a breather. They'll be landing soon!"

I nodded and climbed the steps into the shuttle bus with my backpack, pulling it off to take a seat at the front. I felt relived that everything had gone smoothly with the trip and actually fell asleep after leaning my head against the window. The entire shuttle ride had gone by before I opened my eyes again after Mike tapped me to wake me up. I gasped when I realized I'd fallen asleep and sat up, taking a rather frantic look around as Mike laughed.

"I was gonna point out a couple places to you during the bus ride, but I didn't wanna wake you up." Mike told me. "You looked like you needed the shut eye."

"O-oh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's cool! Don't worry about it! We've actually already dropped off the other exchange student. This building is ours, so let's go!"

"We're here already?"

"Yup! C'mon and check it out!"

I pulled on my backpack and peered out the window. Sure enough, the colorful streets of Galaxy Hills looked back at me. Stepping off the bus, I noticed it hadn't looked as bright as the pamphlet photos, but it was still an unusual appearance of its own. The street was lined with cool toned townhouses. After grabbing my luggage from the undercarriage of the bus, Mike lead me into the building in front of us, a dirty chartreuse color of its own.

Just through the front door of the building was a long hallway with a burgundy door at the end and a wooden stairwell with a mustard colored runner lining it to the left hand side. Mike pointed out the stairwell first.

"If you go up two flights, my apartment is there." He told me. "I'm on the third floor of the building, green door."

"Got it."

"And down the hall here in the lobby, that red door there, that's your apartment." From his pocket, Mike pulled out a pair of keys and offered them to me. I took them hesitantly, doing my best to suppress a smile that wanted to come on. "I've got spare keys to the place if you lose these, but do your best not to lose them. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"You don't gotta call me sir!" He chuckled. "Mike is good enough for me. And you can smile! Get excited! You're in a new country! Aren't you excited?"

I almost felt like I needed permission to be happy. My emotions and opinions didn't matter when I lived back in the realm. I learned to keep to myself and celebrate in the comfort of my own privacy. Standing in the dimly lit lobby of the building, I looked down at the pair of keys in my hand. Right then and there, I told myself that this wasn't the realm. This wasn't where Kristen and Oliver Bloodworth-Thomason lived. This wasn't even England! This was MY home. Mine. No one could take these keys from me. Not Professor Flan, not Oliver, no one!

"I'm beyond bloody excited." I finally grinned. Mike blinked in surprise, but finally laughed.

"That's more like it, kid!" He smiled back, starting up the stairs. "Get settled in and sleep some more if you need to! School starts tomorrow, eight o'clock in the morning!"

With a nod, we parted ways and I rolled my luggage over to the door of my new flat. I struggled with the keys in the lock, but when I finally got the door open, I was stunned. At first glance, I could already tell it was bigger than I imagined. Bigger than it had been described. I closed the door behind me and locked it before taking a couple more steps into the living room. In my backpack, my Necronomicon was itching to have a look for itself, which I granted and let it out.

"AMERICA!" The book cheered. "How THRILLING!" I couldn't help but pout a little when I started noticing faults in the space. The furniture was an eyesore. A lumpy brown sofa in the living space with an equally ugly, and chipped, coffee table. The entire home seemed to be filled with unfitting, hideous furniture. And then there was the dust. It looked as if the place hadn't been swept for a lifetime. Leaving my suitcase in the living room, I turned down the nearest hall.

"I just can't stand the look of this place..." I finally spoke to the book as it floated behind me. I was surprised to come across a dining room as well. Turning on the lights, I frowned again. Dim and flickering above my head. "Goodness. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but..."

"But what?" The book asked. "Go on. Say it." I couldn't hold it in anymore. I was annoyed with this situation.

"This is shabby in the worst way possible! Utter poverty and just foul! Dingy, dirty, dust everywhere! Look at that cobweb in the corner! I-I hate it. I don't know if I can do a whole semester here. I think this was a mistake..."

"Slow down! Slow down!" The book quickly protested. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Hm?"

"You're a wizard, Kyle. A conjurer! You can change this place!"

"It would take a lot of magic though...I don't know if I can..."

"You have all the time in the world right now to try." The Necronomicon actually encouraged for once. "It's your flat after all, not a class assignment. You won't be graded!"

The book of the dead was right. Even if I needed to take a break in between rooms, I could manage! Looking down at the small, circular table in the dining room, I took a few steps back and pulled my wand from my cape pocket. I took a deep breath and visualized what I wanted the table to actually look like. I wanted a long table, enough to sit my aunt, uncle and cousins if they ever decided to visit with room to spare. I wanted us to be able to have a spread of platters of food across the table, long enough to have to pass down those platters of food hand to hand like a scene from an old holiday film. Once the image was clear in my mind, I conjured it.

"THERE YOU GO!" The book cheered when the wooden table I'd imagined had appeared in place of the old, plastic one with a heavy thud. Manifesting an image was the key to conjuring being accurate. And once I started, I was on a roll. I conjured high back chairs with red velvet and emerald lining, a chandelier above the table, a couple candelabras, dining wears and a rug beneath it all. Before my energy drained, I wanted to take a look at my bedroom and I was glad I had. It was just as horrid as the rest of the flat.

After taking the time to refurnish and redecorate that room, I spent my last bits of manna left in me on giving the entire flat a magical clean sweep. With the space alone clean, it already felt heaps better. Even with the other rooms still in need of refurnishing. The brighter lights lifted my spirits and after unpacking, I went in search of a phone to call my cousin's home.

There was a wall phone in the kitchen beside a corkboard. Pinned to the board was a map of Galaxy Hills, a phone card and a directory for local restaurants and businesses. I pulled the phone card from the board and quickly used it to make my call to England. As I waited for my cousins to answer, I looked over at the map of Galaxy Hills. From the size of it, it wasn't exactly the city I thought it out to be. In fact, it seemed more like a small, urban town than a city. The school bus stop was circled off on the map as well. It wasn't too far from the building I was in.

"Hello?" My aunt Lillian suddenly answered, making me jump. I smiled when I heard her voice.

"Aunt Lillian! It's Kyle!"

"Kyle! I've been waiting for your call all evening!" She spoke enthusiastically. "I'm so happy to hear from you. Are you well? How's your flat?"

"I'm glad to hear from you too. I'm well! The flat? Erm—..." Taking a look around at the oddly colored kitchen, I bit my tongue and decided not to be honest. I didn't want her to worry about my well being, especially since I planned to change it anyhow. "It'll take some getting used to.."

"I'm sure of that." She giggled. "You'll be wonderful, Kyle. I'm sure of it!"

I spoke with some time on the phone with my family and it honestly helped strip away the underlying anxiety I didn't know was still weighing on my chest. I felt so much better when I heard from them. My uncle urged me to eat something before calling it a day and reminded me that they'd sent me with more than enough funds to treat myself every now and then. Though he suggested takeout, I thought a grocery run would be the more responsible thing to do.

After hanging up the call with them, I turned my attention back to the corkboard. There was a convenience store not too far from the building. Considering the actual market was a bit further away and I still wasn't familiar with the neighborhood, I settled on making the trip to the convenience store instead for light shopping. Surly, it would have the basics. At least I hoped, knowing how Americans were portrayed to eat...

"I'm heading out!" I spoke to the Necronomicon as I unpinned the map from the board. The book followed me to the door.

"I'll hold down the fort!" It replied to me. Spinning my keys around my finger, I gave a wave before closing the door behind me and locking up. Mike was halfway down the stairs when he spotted me.

"Touring the neighborhood?" He asked me. I nodded, flashing the map to him.

"Just going for food."

"The Frosty Mart is literally two blocks down and right around the corner, you can't miss it! It's got a neon sign right on the roof of it. You can get everything in there. Snacks, drinks, hot nachos!"

"I'm just picking up some light groceries." I replied. "I'd like to make breakfast in the morning before school. And I need tea...badly."

"You gifted kids are always refreshing." Mike chuckled. "Kids around here don't think the way you all do. They'd blow their entire allowance on a basket full of strawberry fun fingers and a gallon of freezy freeze at the first chance they'd get!"

I laughed weakly with him, not at all aware of what he was on about. Turning the doorknob to make an escape, I waved with my mapped hand and slipped out of the door as quickly as I could manage. Mike seemed like a friendly advisor, but I couldn't deal with the American humor and overdone kindness. It was...overwhelming to say the least.

I was happy to get fresh air and finally see Galaxy Hills. The map was easy to read and after a bit of walking, I didn't need it much anymore. I had more fun feeling the street out for myself as I walked the pavement. The streets weren't too busy. I'd seen a car go past every now and then, but it was a fairly quiet Sunday evening.

I came across the Frosty Mart convenience store after turning the corner, as Mike had instructed. He wasn't kidding when he said the store wasn't hard to miss. A tall, obnoxiously pink, mountain-like structure of a rooftop was the first thing my eyes fell on. The parking lot was busy with cars, the most I'd seen since I started walking, and my eyes finally fell on a couple residents as they entered and exited the store with their hauls. I couldn't help but feel excited about finally seeing people outside. For some reason, no one looked very happy. It was another thing I'd noticed. Lots of upset and annoyed expressions.

I made my way into the store, greeted by an automatic door and a pinging noise. At the counter to the left, a dull faced employee was practically slumped over the register. Deep set bags under his eyes that I could see straight through the thick frames on his face. The frankly depressed expression on his face didn't match the cheerful aesthetics of the store in the slightest, but matched everyone else I'd seen thus far. Though he was actively ringing up a customer, he still took a moment to squawk out a greeting.

"Welcome to the Frosty Mart..." He sighed unenthusiastically. His demeanor was night and day to the coworker on the immediate left of the counter who was pounding away at an arcade machine. The ruckus he was making playing the game quickly annoyed even me. I could see why the teen at the register was fed up.

Walking around the store after picking up a basket, I gathered basics for the kitchen back home. Milk, eggs, bread, sugar, tea, canned beans. With the veggies and greens not looking as fresh as they could've been, I opted to wait till I'd be able to shop at a proper market instead. I wandered into the aisle with the snacks. There was a massive variety in a myriad of colorful wrap and packaging. Everything looked like something I'd be willing to try at least once.

The strawberry fun fingers caught my eye, and I could recall Mike mentioning them, so I picked those up. I also went for a bag of plain crisps and figured a fizzy drink would be the best match to wash down all this sugar and sodium. Just as a way to celebrate my new life. Leaving the aisle and looking towards the drink fridge, my eyes fell on it, the freezy freeze machine.

"Ohhh..." I realized. This is what he was talking about. The frosty freezy freeze was a slush drink that came in two colors. I wasn't sure if they differed in flavors, but I saw it was pretty cheap at only a dollar and decided to go for it. The pink looked more appealing to me than the blue, which had entirely too much food coloring for my liking. Filling a disposable cup, I sealed the lid and stuck a straw into it before taking my basket to the register.

The worker from earlier didn't look thrilled at all to see the basket I'd set on the counter. In fact, he groaned over it before he started scanning items. I furrowed my brows, a little irritated with his attitude, but decided to keep my comments to myself. I was new to the neighborhood after all, and I didn't want any issues in an establishment were I'd more than likely visit again.

"Twenty four dollars and sixteen cents..." He sighed, giving me my total. I quickly reached into my back pocket and pulled my wallet, shuffling through the American dollar bills. I wasn't exactly used to the paper money, especially considering how similar all the bank notes looked. Every note was the same, ugly shade of moss green. The clerk was quickly becoming more annoyed with me, especially when a queue started to form behind me.

"M-my apologies..." I smirked sheepishly, feeling my face quickly heating up. "I'm not familiar with the—"

"Oh! You're not from here!" The clerk gasped in realization of my voice. "H-hold on, lemme help you out."

"I appreciate it erm..." I looked at his name tag as I leaned over the counter. Lenny. "...Lenny. Thank you!"

With the items paid for, he handed me two bags of items and my spare change and I headed back home. I looked down at the slush drink and finally took a sip. Immediately, my head panged in pain. The slush itself was dangerously sweet, but had a taste I surprisingly enjoyed. I wasn't sure if the brain freeze was worth the trouble though.

Back home, I packed away my groceries and got myself ready to turn in for the evening. Once I was washed up, I made myself a cup of tea and walked it into my newly renovated bedroom. I sat in bed and took a look around, finally able to celebrate in private. I was overjoyed, truly. I felt somewhat at peace. I was looking forward to what the school day had in store for me tomorrow.