Demi

Chapter 1 - Arrival

I sank back into my seat and stared out of the tiny aeroplane window at the clouds swirling by. It was early afternoon and the only noises I could hear on the aeroplane were those of people snoring, especially as my little sister Trixie was doing it right into my ear. Turning to my right and jabbing a finger at the 11 year old, I waited as Trixie grunted and slowly opened her eyes.

"Jasmine, what is it? Are we there?" She yawned, her almond brown eyes drooping with tiredness.

"No" I replied, taking a quick glance at the television attached to the roof in the middle of the aisle. If we were anywhere close then the under camera of the plane would surely be showing land about now.

"Then why did you wake me up?" Trixie moaned, her eyes narrowing at me and her knuckles clenching tight.

"You were snoring!" I could feel my defences raise up like the hackles on a dog's back.

"Shut up Jasmine, I wasn't snoring. I never snore." She pouted, offended at me having told her otherwise.

"The first step to getting over a problem Trix, is to stop denying that you have it. Shall we talk about it?" I teased her. Not the best idea of mine when we were stuck in a large, metal, airborne box. I felt pain shoot through my leg as Trixie hammered a fist down onto it, a look of anger shadowing her face.

"Jasmine, give it a break please. All I can hear are your childish taunts and it's starting to annoy me. Just let Trixie go back to sleep and listen to your IPod or something." Beatrice opened one eye and glared at me. My older sister and one of those effortlessly pretty post-cheerleaders, Beatrice had wavy blonde hair and sea grey eyes. The complete opposite to me, with my long brown curls and irises the colour of fresh grass.

"Whatever, I need the toilet anyway," Shunting out of my seat and into the aisle, I heard Trixie heave a huge sigh.

"Thank God, I can get some sleep now" She muttered loudly.

"Oh don't worry Trixie, when I get back I'll make sure to play my IPod extremely loud." I smiled at her, walking backwards down the aisle. Sticking her tongue out at me, I rolled my eyes and turned my back to her, only to walk headfirst into a complete stranger.

"Damnit! Watch where you're going!" I moaned, rubbing my head where I'd hit it. Looking up, I realised that the stranger was a guy with strange coloured eyes, black ruffled hair, chiselled cheekbones and a look of bemusement on his face. Whoops.

"I don't think you quite grasp the use of eyes yet, do you?" He smirked at me, eyes glinting with delight. Mustering up my best unamused smile which could only be described as 'flat', I brusquely strode past.

I spent the next few hours of the flight watching out for the guy I'd bumped into so I could I could stick a finger up at him to let him know he'd not won but it was to no avail. When the seatbelt icon pinged on and we clipped ourselves in however, all thoughts of him dissipated, replaced with happiness. I was finally going to get off this damned plane. Looking out of the small rectangular window, I shivered as we descended, the sky was a dull, muggy grey. Unbelievable. I'd forgotten how awful the weather was in England. I heard Beatrice moan and Trixie stifle a sob from next to me.

"My thoughts exactly" I muttered to myself as the plane jerked to the right from turbulence.

After we'd landed and waited for what seemed like hours for our baggage, we all trundled up to the taxi bay to wait for our ride. Looking around, my eyes fell upon the guy from the aeroplane. The one that I'd bumped into. He was climbing into a car along with a petite girl with shiny dark hair and designer shades covering her eyes although I had no idea why she was wearing them as the heavens had opened and was now pouring rain upon us all. I didn't have much time to ponder however, as our taxi pulled up and we all tumbled inside.

After about an hour's journey in the taxi, we pulled up in front of a beautiful detached building and I only realised when everyone tumbled out of the car that this was our new home. Clambering out of the back seat, Trixie went straight into bedroom selection mode.

"How many bedrooms are there?" She asked my father.

"Four with the attic conversion and before you start, two of the rooms have already been claimed" Dad smiled and followed my mum into the house, lugging cases as they went.

"What! Who bagged the other bedroom?" Trixie trilled and followed dad inside. I did the same.

"Lee." Dad answered and, dead on cue, he ambled into the house. Lee was Beatrice's twin and he had the same wavy blonde hair, although his was cut short, and same grey eyes. Lee was skinny but muscular from his high school days back in America.

"Did someone say my name?" Lee asked, his expression not changing.

"Yeah it's not fair because you get your own room and we have to sort out who shares with who!" Trixie wailed and kicked her feet. She may try and act older than eleven but this was not one of those days.

"Good luck with that" Lee laughed and grabbed his cases, leaving the room. Beatrice suddenly appeared at the door with more bags and dropping them with the rest, she walked over to us.

"I'm here. Let's get this over and done with then." She sighed. This had happened when we'd first moved to Florida. There was a big kerfuffle over who'd be placed with who and in the end Beatrice had won out, getting her own room, leaving me with Trixie. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

"I think we should have a vote with mum, dad and Lee. It makes it fairer" Trixie said and ran off to round-up Lee and mum. I looked around the room and felt a wave of nausea sweep through me. I was homesick for Florida and desperately wanted this to be a dream where I would wake up in mine and Trixie's yellow room. I would look across and see Trixie sprawled in her bed and I would end up hanging with Caleb and Anna for the remainder of the summer. There were only two days left until the school's here started and everyone would know each other but me? I would be the newbie who'd not know where to go and would have to rely on being alone for the first few weeks as my shy character would wait for someone to approach me.

Trixie arrived back in the room accompanied by mum and Lee and we all looked at each other.

"Okay, fire away girls," My mum smiled an eager smile and Trixie started off.

"I think I should have my own room because I have more toys and equipment and books and..." Whilst Trixie gabbled on about the entire contents of her suitcases, I looked at Beatrice and rolled my eyes. We were both wondering whether to just give in and share a room with each other so that she'd stop talking. Anything to cease this torture. When we turned back towards the others though they were all looking at us expectantly. I guess we'd spent more time pulling faces than Trixie had talking. Well, there's always a first for something. Beatrice spoke next.

"I think I should get my own room because I need privacy. There's also the known fact that I will be busy working when I manage to get a job. I do not want to work all day to come home to Trixie or Jasmine snoring in a bed beside me." I was convinced that Beatrice would get her own room no matter what I said. It was still worth a shot though.

"I deserve my own room because I remember that Beatrice got her own in America and I had to share with Trixie whose endless snoring cost me a lot of earplugs. If I remember correctly though you said mum that if we ever moved again, I would get my own room that time. This time" I tried to make my speech as convincing as I could but I feared that Beatrice had won out over me again. Like always.

"Ok Lee, who do you think should get her own room?" My mother asked him. It would be Beatrice, obviously.

Lee unsurprisingly voted for Bea and my mother for me. It was all down to my father now.

"I think that Jasmine has done well sharing and she deserves to have her own space" My dad smiled and winked at me. I was shocked. Something good had finally happened. Something amazing had finally happened. My parents had finally chosen me over Beatrice and I didn't have to share with Trixie anymore. As most of the furniture had been left in the house we all got into a bed to sleep away the jet lag. Trixie and Beatrice had to sleep top and tail.