From the Moment We Met (Marina)

Chapter 1

Carina DeLuca had spent her entire life (all 17 years to be exact) in Sicily, Italy. She had grown accustomed and rather quite fond of the never setting sun and the warmth it provided even on their coldest days. She thrived off of the constant buzz and vibrancy the locals exuded. Yet, she somehow found herself moving to, what she considered to be, the rainiest and dreariest city west of the Hemisphere...Seattle, Washington.

The faint sound of beeping had been looming over Carina for the past 15 minutes as she stared up at her ceiling, reluctant to turn over and acknowledge the cause of the sound. That night had been a restless one for the girl but what else was to be expected; it was her first day of high school after all, well American high school.

Dread filled the now yawning girl as she got up, turning her alarm off as she made her way over to her closet. Carina had spent the majority of her night thinking about every single possible way the day could play out.

She thought about her arrival at school and what the building and classrooms would look like. She thought about how she'd fit in at her new school and more importantly, if she'd be accepted by her new classmates or if they'd make fun and laugh at her for stumbling over silly little English words, the same way the baggage claim attendant did when she first landed in the country.

All of these thoughts were currently bouncing around the brunettes head as she tried on outfit after outfit, struggling to find one she'd feel comfortable but cute in. This was another thing that bothered Carina. In Italy she wore a uniform every day to school meaning she didn't have to worry about such menial things. She didn't have to worry about whether or not her choice of clothing would be deemed acceptable by the people around her because everyone else used to wear the exact same thing as her. This was yet another thing the girl would have to get used to.

She eventually gave up the search for something comfortable but cute and settled for only comfort, landing on a red sweater, faded jeans and a simple white sneaker to accompany the look.

The brunette slowly made her way to the kitchen, dragging her feet along with her almost as if she was a prisoner making her way over to the chopping block. "Buongiorno papà." she said as she kissed her father on the cheek before sitting herself down at the kitchen table to try to stomach some breakfast.

"Carina you are finally up. I was worried you had forgotten that you are starting school today." the slim man responded, receiving a shrug from his daughter. "Are you not excited to be starting school? I've been told American schools are quite the experience." he chuckled trying to get a smile out of his sullen daughter.

"Papà perché devo iniziare a metà anno scolastico. Non ha sens..." 

"In English, Carina. We are not in Italy anymore. We need to respect the Americans so please say that again...in English this time." Carina rolled her eyes before taking a deep breathe. Why she had to speak English in her own home made little to no sense to the girl but she humoured her father.

"Fine...Why do I have to start in the middle of the school year? It makes no sense and it'll make me more of a stand out and Dio sa I'll already be sticking out because of my accent and because of the fact that I'm from another country." Carina slumped back in her chair, folding her arms in the process, waiting to hear her father's excuse.

The move had been hard on the father/daughter duo, but it had affected Carina the most. She hadn't thought about how much she would be missing her mother and little brother when she offered to move with her father.

She loved her dad but in times like this, she wished her mother was there to kiss her on her forehead and tell her that she was going to be fine before pulling her into a reassuring hug. She understood that her father wasn't the affectionate type but even him just listening to her worries and feelings concerning the move would be enough for her.

Carina's train of thought was interrupted when her father finally broke the awkward silence. "Rina...you know you would get bored staying at home with nothing to occupy that beautiful mind of yours. At least at school you will be with people your own age and who knows maybe you will even make a few friends. Who would not want a stubborn, know-it-all, Italian as their friend huh?" her father joked whilst nudging her with his elbow, drawing out a smile that Carina tried to hide.

"Ora vai a prendere le tue cose, dobbiamo andarcene." The man said as he stood up from the table to make his way to the front door. 

"Uh Uh Uh...In English, Vincenzo." Carina retorted mockingly while packing the last of her things into her school bag. The only thing her dad could do in that moment was laugh, and for the first time since they had arrived, Carina felt like maybe their stay wasn't going to be so bad.

Carina and her father had driven in silence the entire way to school and when they did eventually speak it was to say their goodbyes. She took a shaky breath as she peered up at the menacing building. "You've got this Carina! Just take it slow" the nervous girl whispered to herself before making her way into the school.

An overwhelming feeling overcame Carina the moment she stepped foot inside the dimly lit building and realized just how large it was. Luckily for her, there were a few signs plastered on the walls indicating the direction to various rooms that were scattered randomly throughout the hallways.

She quickly scanned over the signs until her eyes landed on one reading 'RECEPTION'. Carina took one last breath and made her way over to the front desk to receive her welcome tour. 

Along the way the girl couldn't help but think about the vast differences between this American hell hole and the prestigious Italian private school she had previously attended.  For one, the floors of her old school weren't covered in an unknown stinky substance that clung to her shoes, forcing her to put more effort into the already daunting journey.

Carina arrived at the reception and was instructed to take a seat while she waited for her school tour guide to arrive. Trying to keep herself occupied and away from the thought of impending doom, her mind drifted, once again, to how this school differed to her old one.

Her old school had bright yellow walls, while she couldn't even tell if these walls were meant to be grey or if they just hadn't been cleaned over the past couple of years. 

Her old school had a beautiful green quad with a fish pond in the centre that the students would always flock around. It had outstanding food served at lunch, amazing teachers and all of her friends.

She was now solely focused on the idea that her new school couldn't offer her everything the old one could, so when she got tapped on her shoulder Carina just about jumped out of her skin.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were expecting me." Carina looked up to see who had almost caused her to go into what felt like cardiac arrest and was immediately at a complete loss for words when she met eyes with the mysterious figure. 

"I'm here to give you the tour. I'm Maya...Maya Bishop".

Well, maybe there was one thing her new school could offer Carina that the old one couldn't and it just so happened to go by the name Maya Bishop.

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