"Seannie, wake up. Look, we're here." the voice of Sean O' Cullen's mother, Lilah gently woke the 13-year-old from his slumber.

Sean O' Cullen stretched and looked out the car window. The cityscape of downtown Toronto sprawled before him, large buildings and small businesses streaming past. It was lightly raining too.

Sean slumped in his seat and pulled his fur-lined hood over his face. "It's not Cape Breton."

Lilah sighed. "Son, I know you miss Nova Scotia, and I know this is a big change, but your father's new position means we can save more money for you."

Kellan O' Cullen looked at his son through the rearview mirror. "Besides, lad, it isn't like we'll never see Mira Lake again. We can always go back for the summer."

Sean scoffed. "Yeah, for, like, a week, then we'd come right back here," he lowered his hood and scowled. "This godforsaken city. We use to live right on the Mira. Every day, I saw nature, God's unspoiled Creation…" his fists clenched as he began to get worked up. "Now we're in a city. Not a natural setting in sight."

Lilah turned and glared at her son. "Sean Brian O' Cullen, calm yourself. Getting upset won't change anything. We're here, so come to terms with it. The sooner you do, the better your time here will be."

Sean sat back, taking deep breaths. His mom was right. Getting upset would only complicate things. Besides, Toronto had one thing going for it.

Meilin Lee.

Sean had met her a couple of days before, back on the Mira. Her family was on vacation. She and Sean hit it off quickly, but Mei had to leave before the two pre-teens could get to know one another. "I will find her again," Sean promised.

The family soon arrived at their new apartment complex. Sean looked up at the building. "Well… it looks nice, I suppose. But it'll never be as nice as our old cabin."

Kellan ruffled his son's hair. "Aye, you're me boyo, alright."

The apartment itself was nicer than Sean would've figured. Spacious too. The terrace had a wonderful view of the city below. Sean also had a much bigger room than he had back in Nova Scotia. "I'll admit, I'm at a loss with what to do with all this extra space."

—

Sean spent the day helping his parents and the movers get everything situated. As Sean hefted his Nintendo 64 into the apartment, he noticed the door across the hall open. A short kid in a too-big Oilers jersey and a matching toque peered out with huge blue eyes. He was younger than Sean, it seemed, but only by a couple of years.

Sean smiled. "Hi. I'm Sean. I'm new."

The boy waved but said nothing.

Sean raised an eyebrow. "You know, it's customary to respond in kind. What's your name?"

The boy didn't respond. He just pointed to his hat.

Sean snickered. "What, am I supposed to call you Toque?"

The boy nodded.

Sean chuckled. "Alright, Toque. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a Nintendo to plug in."

Toque pointed to the N64, then pantomimed playing it.

"Do you… want to play sometime? I got Super Smash Bros Melee."

Toque nodded, then ducked into his apartment for a moment. He returned a few moments later with a slip of paper with an e-mail address on it and gave it to Sean.

Sean took it and smiled. "Alright… well, I'll get in touch with you sometime this weekend. Cool?"

Toque nodded with excitement. He gave Sean a thumbs up and then went back inside his apartment. Sean pocketed the address. "Weird kid. But, hey, when in Toronto…"

Later that day, Sean was walking around the neighborhood, taking in his new surroundings. There was a deli down the street, a bus stop just outside the lobby, and plenty more shops and businesses within walking distance. Sean regarded it all. "The city is certainly more crowded than Cape Breton. But, maybe the folks are right. I just need to relax." He turned to walk towards the deli and immediately bumped into a tall, well-built teen in a yellow coat.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I really ought to watch where I'm going." The teen apologized.

"Ah, no harm, no foul," Sean regarded the guy. He had short black hair, big brown eyes, and a tan complexion. "So, you live around here? My family and I just moved from Nova Scotia. I could use some recommendations."

"Oh, sure. No problem," the teen held out his hand. "My name is Makwa. But you can call me Mikey if you want. That's what my dad calls me."

"Sean. So, Mikey, where can a guy go for a quick bite to eat?" Sean asked.

"There's a Beaver Tail place a couple of blocks down the road," Mikey suggested.

Sean smiled. "That'll do."

As the two walked to their destinations, Mikey looked at Sean. "So… you in middle school too?"

Sean nodded. "I should probably be nervous. A kid from Cape Breton starting grade 8 in the big city… but I'm not."

Mikey smiled. "As long as you go to Lester B. Pearson, you'll be fine."

"That's where I'm meant to go. Do you go there?" Sean asked.

"Yup. Starting grade 8." Mikey replied.

"So… random question, and it may be a stretch, but… you wouldn't happen to know Meilin Lee, would you?" Sean asked hesitantly.

"Mei Lee? Yeah. She's in my band class. Nice girl. Aggressive flute player. Bit of an overachiever, but, hey, to each their own," Mikey smiled. "You know, she did just tell me that she met an adorable guy in Nova Scotia. Was she talking about you, by chance?"

"Possibly." Sean was blushing as red as the nation's flag.

Mikey laughed. "Well, I'll make sure the two of you meet up properly at school tomorrow. It's the least I can do for a new pal."

Soon, the duo found the shop that sold Beaver Tails, thick slabs of fried dough drizzled with chocolate and other sweet fixings. After ordering a couple, the boys left the shop and turned to walk back towards Sean's complex. Unfortunately, their path was blocked by two high schoolers.

"Hey, look, Ricky. The shrimp and the Chippewa got us some Beaver Tails." one sneered.

"I prefer Ojibwe…" Mikey whispered. Clearly, the big guy was a big softie.

"And these Beaver Tails aren't yours, ya moose brains." Sean snarled.

Ricky's buddy swiped Sean's Beaver Tail and knocked him down. "Lesson number 1, shrimp. Always defer to the bigger guy. You'll live longer." As the two thugs walked past Mikey, he gave up his Beaver Tail and then rushed to his friend's side.

"You alright, Sean?" he asked.

"No, Mikey, I'm not," Sean growled, his temper rising. "Those two neanderthals pushed around and stole our tails. I swear, I'd love nothing more than to pound them into poutine."

Mikey gently put a hand on Sean's shoulder. "Hey, take a breath, bud. We can just get some more." Was it Mikey's imagination or were Sean's blue-green eyes starting to turn more green than blue?

Sean suddenly took a deep breath and relaxed. "My parents say anger never solves anything… and maybe they're right. But man, do I sometimes want to wallop the jerks of the world."

"Hey, take it from a pacifist, bud, revenge won't help your case," Mikey smirked. "Nor will it help you score points with Mei."

Sean deflated. "I hate that you're right. If I want to get to know Mei, I need her to see Dr. Jekyll, not Mr. Hyde."

Mikey patted his back. "Ah, don't worry. I believe in you."

Sean smiled. "Thanks, bud." the two walked on in silence for a while, then Sean turned to Mikey. "You wouldn't happen to have Mei's e-mail address, would you?"

That night, Sean sat in front of the family computer and nervously wrote an e-mail to the address that Mikey provided.

Mei,

It's Sean O' Cullen from Nova Scotia. Of course, as of early this morning, I'm a resident of Toronto. I got your e-mail address courtesy of one Makwa "Mikey" Deere. He says hello. Hopefully, you're still interested in being my friend. Mikey says we'll be attending Lester B. Pearson together, so I hope we'll get to hang out or attend classes together.

Sincerely yours,

Sean O' Cullen

Sean took a deep breath and hit send.

"And now, we wait."