[ON HOLD] A Wonderland Of Misery (Solangelo AU)

Mixed Receptions

WPOV

I shook my head at the memories of the flight, during which I was stuck sitting next to a person who was full of nothing but complaints. The old lady - I think she said her name was Mrs. Dodds - had randomly began a conversation about the decline of morals in the country.

She ranted the entire trip, going so far as to pulling up articles on her phone. I didn't want her to feel bad for wanting to talk to someone, because sometimes people just need to vent, so I nodded along and threw out opinions of my own to humor her.

I was glad when the plane landed and it was time to leave the terminal.

Holding our carry-ons, the other passengers and I exited in a single-file fashion. I walked past a family waiting on the ramp, paused so other members could catch up.

Seeing them made me wish I had someone in the city. I mean, Hazel and I talked on the phone quite a bit before I moved, but I didn't know her yet, or her brother. I didn't even get a chance to talk to Nico before meeting him in person. He was working every time I tried to schedule a phone call. He never responded to my emails or text messages.

Those were already some red-flags, and, on top of that, Hazel gave me a few warnings about him. She said that he could be stubborn and hard to get along with, but she was quick to add that "he would warm up to me eventually."

None of that was reassuring, especially since I was already so nervous about meeting them. Other people always claim that they don't care what others think; however, I was never able to adopt the same mindset.

I care, sometimes too much.

Leaving my old life behind, I had a chance to make my new one better. A fresh start. A clean slate.... But there was still the possibility that I could ruin everything.

No. I told myself sternly as I walked off the ramp and passed through the airport. You are not going to overthink this. Everything will be fine.

I locked eyes with girl across the room. She had curly brown hair and a darker tone of skin. Her easy smile was an inviting warmth to complement her relaxed mannerisms. We were able to recognize each other by the pictures we sent back and forth.

Hazel's eyes lit up with sparks of excitement. She nudged the person slouched against the wall next to her, who must've been Nico, and weaved through groups of people to meet me. Nico followed her reluctantly.

"Will! It's so nice to meet you in person!" Hazel said, throwing her arms around me and embracing me in a hug. "How was the flight? Everything go well?"

"It's nice to see you, too! The flight went okay, nothing out of the ordinary." I laughed as we broke apart.

"This is my brother, Nico. I told you about him."

Nico looked less enthusiastic. His eyes darted to his sister's before meeting mine. Hazel put her hand on his back - probably so that he wouldn't run away.

He wore all black, like he was in mourning, and his pale complexion was a stark contrast to his sister's. His high cheekbones would have made him look regal, in a way, if not for the dark circles under his eyes and how he carried himself. He looked drained, exhausted.

I held my hand out shake his. "It's nice to finally put a face to a name."

Nico regarded my hand with a cold, steady gaze. It became obvious that he wasn't going to shake it, so I awkwardly let it fall to my side.

Nico cleared his throat after a beat of silence. "We have a driver waiting. Let's just get your luggage and leave."

"Oh. Um, yeah.... we should do that." The voice inside my head cursed at how stupid my words sounded.