We're flying over the ocean right now. How did all of this get started,
anyway? One day I'm a normal American teenager living in a small town, and
the next, my family is on a plane going somewhere. Where? I don't have the
slightest clue. Why? My parents haven't told me that either. I don't think
Amanda, my older sister, has any idea either.
Mom and Dad are sitting across the aisle from Amanda and me. They keep looking at each other with these worried glances. Frankly, I'm starting to get a little scared. But is Amanda? Oh, no, of course not. Not perfect Amanda. She doesn't get scared at anything. She doesn't do badly at anything. She can do anything she wants to because my parents think she's the best thing ever. Her hair is perfect too. Soft, silky blonde curls. Me? I'm not a coward, but I do get scared. I do badly at so many things it's not funny anymore. My grades aren't extremely bad, but they're not Amanda's straight A's. Teachers love her and hate me, because she's a little angel, but I will talk and not pay attention. They can't get mad at me, though, because I can still make B's, and a few A's if I'm lucky.
Anyway, my dad comes home all stressed out like it's the end of the world, and my parents have this ultra-top-secret meeting, and the next thing I know we're all on a plane, and my parents still look worried, and Amanda's sitting there with her headphones on, listening to music. Classical, no doubt. She actually likes that stuff.
I poke Amanda, and she turns in her seat to glare at me, and ask, "What do you want now, twerp?"
"Do you have any idea where this plane is headed?"
"Well, I'm fairly certain we're going to England. And before you ask why, I don't know. For some reason, our parents have decided to be secretive."
"Oh." Well, what else was I going to say? She always has to have a right answer. She makes me so mad sometimes.
The plane is finally landing. Mom and Dad get us off the plane, pick up our luggage, and rent a car in record time. I didn't think it was humanly possible to get out of an airport that fast.
We start driving, and after a lot of confusing turns- enough that I couldn't get back to the airport if my life depended on it- we stop at another car rental place. I think it was the same company as before, but I'm not sure. Amanda hops out of the car and starts looking around, as if wait for an adventure to start. I slowly crawl out, wishing like everything I was back in Humboldt with my friends. My parents start walking off, and I have no choice but to follow. Why me? Why do I have to be the one with crazy parents and a perfect angel sister? WHY?? I wonder.
We finally stop at this seedy looking place called the Leaky Cauldron ©. My parents walk in, and Amanda and I follow slowly. Even Amanda has her misgivings about this place. When we walk in the place goes dead quiet. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was staring at us, mainly my parents, like they we were ghosts or something.
"Julie? Mick? Is that really you?"
Someone from the back knows them. How is that possible? We've lived in America our whole lives! I don't think Mom and Dad even went to England on vacation! Amanda's what surprises me most, though. Her eyes squint a little, like she's thinking really hard about something.
"Amanda? What are you thinking about?" I'm whispering because it's still so quiet.
"That voice. I've heard it before. I just know I have."
"Where?" I scoff. "You've been in America your whole life, dummy!"
"No, I'm serious."
Ok, now I'm confused. How the hay does Amanda know the voice of a British guy?
The whole time Amanda and I are talking, everyone- or at least, it seems like everyone- has surrounded Mom and Dad, chattering on about something. I wasn't really paying attention. I was trying to sort everything out.
Eventually, Dad broke up all this reunion stuff. "Tom ©, we need a room for a few nights. Do you have one?"
It's the guy who spoke first. "Sure do. One your family ought to like."
We go up some stairs, and go into a room. Actually, it's more like a suite with two bedrooms, and a living room. Pretty nice, if you ask me.
Well, I guess there's a lot of stuff I don't know about my life. Right now, though, I am way too tired to figure it out. Amanda's claimed one bed in our bedroom, and is already sleeping on it, so I get to sleep on the other one. That's not too bad. I don't really care where I sleep, as long as I can sleep for a few hours without waking up.
"Night, Sage," says Amanda. Maybe she wasn't asleep after all.
"Night, Amanda." That's the last thing I say until morning. Finding out your whole life was way different than what you've believed for most of it is quite tiring.
Author's Note: I know I didn't explain much in this chapter, but I will later.
Mom and Dad are sitting across the aisle from Amanda and me. They keep looking at each other with these worried glances. Frankly, I'm starting to get a little scared. But is Amanda? Oh, no, of course not. Not perfect Amanda. She doesn't get scared at anything. She doesn't do badly at anything. She can do anything she wants to because my parents think she's the best thing ever. Her hair is perfect too. Soft, silky blonde curls. Me? I'm not a coward, but I do get scared. I do badly at so many things it's not funny anymore. My grades aren't extremely bad, but they're not Amanda's straight A's. Teachers love her and hate me, because she's a little angel, but I will talk and not pay attention. They can't get mad at me, though, because I can still make B's, and a few A's if I'm lucky.
Anyway, my dad comes home all stressed out like it's the end of the world, and my parents have this ultra-top-secret meeting, and the next thing I know we're all on a plane, and my parents still look worried, and Amanda's sitting there with her headphones on, listening to music. Classical, no doubt. She actually likes that stuff.
I poke Amanda, and she turns in her seat to glare at me, and ask, "What do you want now, twerp?"
"Do you have any idea where this plane is headed?"
"Well, I'm fairly certain we're going to England. And before you ask why, I don't know. For some reason, our parents have decided to be secretive."
"Oh." Well, what else was I going to say? She always has to have a right answer. She makes me so mad sometimes.
The plane is finally landing. Mom and Dad get us off the plane, pick up our luggage, and rent a car in record time. I didn't think it was humanly possible to get out of an airport that fast.
We start driving, and after a lot of confusing turns- enough that I couldn't get back to the airport if my life depended on it- we stop at another car rental place. I think it was the same company as before, but I'm not sure. Amanda hops out of the car and starts looking around, as if wait for an adventure to start. I slowly crawl out, wishing like everything I was back in Humboldt with my friends. My parents start walking off, and I have no choice but to follow. Why me? Why do I have to be the one with crazy parents and a perfect angel sister? WHY?? I wonder.
We finally stop at this seedy looking place called the Leaky Cauldron ©. My parents walk in, and Amanda and I follow slowly. Even Amanda has her misgivings about this place. When we walk in the place goes dead quiet. You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was staring at us, mainly my parents, like they we were ghosts or something.
"Julie? Mick? Is that really you?"
Someone from the back knows them. How is that possible? We've lived in America our whole lives! I don't think Mom and Dad even went to England on vacation! Amanda's what surprises me most, though. Her eyes squint a little, like she's thinking really hard about something.
"Amanda? What are you thinking about?" I'm whispering because it's still so quiet.
"That voice. I've heard it before. I just know I have."
"Where?" I scoff. "You've been in America your whole life, dummy!"
"No, I'm serious."
Ok, now I'm confused. How the hay does Amanda know the voice of a British guy?
The whole time Amanda and I are talking, everyone- or at least, it seems like everyone- has surrounded Mom and Dad, chattering on about something. I wasn't really paying attention. I was trying to sort everything out.
Eventually, Dad broke up all this reunion stuff. "Tom ©, we need a room for a few nights. Do you have one?"
It's the guy who spoke first. "Sure do. One your family ought to like."
We go up some stairs, and go into a room. Actually, it's more like a suite with two bedrooms, and a living room. Pretty nice, if you ask me.
Well, I guess there's a lot of stuff I don't know about my life. Right now, though, I am way too tired to figure it out. Amanda's claimed one bed in our bedroom, and is already sleeping on it, so I get to sleep on the other one. That's not too bad. I don't really care where I sleep, as long as I can sleep for a few hours without waking up.
"Night, Sage," says Amanda. Maybe she wasn't asleep after all.
"Night, Amanda." That's the last thing I say until morning. Finding out your whole life was way different than what you've believed for most of it is quite tiring.
Author's Note: I know I didn't explain much in this chapter, but I will later.