Portal: What Cara Mia Means

Chapter 1: Landing in England

The plane was landing in London England. Chell had spent the entire six-hour flight staring out the window watching as day turned into night. She loved watching as the sun rose and fell in the sky. As it got dark the normally distinguishable things on the ground became harder and harder to see. The houses got darker and darker and were then illuminated by lights inside while rural areas stayed dark. 

Most of the flight had been over water but was still interesting and beautiful to watch. It was always fun to watch for boats and animals this far out into the ocean even though she was very high in the air and sometimes she might miss something or think that she sees something that was never actually there. She could see the reflection of light on the water get dimmer as the day progressed. The waves would grow and fall and sometimes they passed over a storm that raged on below them. 

Chell loved storms. If there was a storm of any kind and you were looking for Chell, anyone who knew her well would know that she could be found outside walking through the streets. They would sometimes question how she often didn't get sick when out in a storm for so long but then laugh it off when she told them that she had once been told she was very stubborn so she was probably too stubborn to get a cold.  

Truth be told, Chell was stubborn. Very stubborn. She had always been and will always be. Being this stubborn had saved her life more than once back in Aperture so she decided to never let her guard down and always do things her way. It was her way or the highway and all of her friends knew that all too well. 

The plane pulled up to the gates slowly and she watched all of the employees jump to work. Everyone inside the plane was talking now as most woke up. The plane had been quiet before and it made for a more enjoyable time. Chell wasn't fond of talking and loud people or children. They were the worst. They yell and scream and are annoying all the time. She wasn't like that when she was a kid. She was quiet. Rude maybe, but never loud. She hated kids even back when she was one. But now that her freedom had been bestowed upon her once again she was more at ease. Sometimes. Chell still thought it was odd that even after complete isolation for most of her life, she could still hate being around others.

She stepped off of the plane when her turn came and went up to the baggage claim. She picked up the Companion Cube and a large briefcase containing her portal gun. She still had it after all these years and despite the straining effort of explaining it to every security worker who would stop her when she travelled, it always made her feel safe. As if, if she didn't have it, she would end up back in Aperture Science with GLaDOS or Wheatley laughing at her and finally kill her now that she has no way to move around the Enrichment Center and throw bombs or burn them. 

Images of these moments from her past sometimes surfaced while she was sleeping and send her flying off of her bed as she jumped out of sleep and onto the floor reaching for the closest weapon she could find. Sometimes she would check the portal gun to see if it was real and her memories were real. Just in case. In case she woke up one day and realised it had been a dream. A terrible, vivid dream. 

She made her way out of the London City Airport to the streets. Every country smelled, looked, sounded, and felt different. This was pleasant place. People seemed friendly and smiled at you as you passed by them in the street even though it was later in the night. The city was still very much awake. She liked it here. 

"Maybe I should stay here," she thought and continued walking down the streets of London.