Small Girl, Big World

1 Orientation

"Yes... I'm okay... Yes, I have my toothbrush... and my paintbrush... Yes, mom... Yeah, love you too... bye.... okay bye... Yes bye!" I hang up with my mother to face a very annoyed, very impatient Dylan Moore. I pick up my bag from the ground of terminal A and start heading to terminal E where we were supposed to be in the first place if I didn't mess up the directions. Oops. 

"Dylan I think we haven't started this trip off on the best foot. Since we are going to be spending a whole year together, I think we need to be at least tolerable of each other. Let's start with you giving me a real smile!" I smile at him in hopes my sweet smile changes his preconceived opinions of me being a spoiled brat. He stares back at me with dead eyes and a straight face. 

"Luna, just get us to the correct terminal and you'll be stepping in the right direction of my tolerance." Harsh, but I'll take what I can get.

We finally made it to the correct terminal with a couple minutes to spare and I decide to go get some snacks from a shop close to the terminal. Since I was in Dylan's eyesight I was able to go alone. As I went up to the cashier I recognized them to be a friendly face from college.

"Hey, Chris! How is your summer work coming?" 

"It's coming, making your way to Italy I see! Exciting new adventures, I wish I could come with!" 

"Yeah well I'd much rather have you than macho man Dylan with me, but don't tell him that." I smile thinking about the possibility of Chris being my bodyguard and how his weak arms couldn't even hold down a chihuahua, much less a werewolf. I say my goodbyes and a see you at graduation in a year and make my way back to Dylan. 

Boarding is a pain when you have a 6'3 macho man trying to get on an aircraft. We slip into first class, which wouldn't have happened if I was in charge of booking the flight. My father didn't want me to be close to anyone but Dylan and with three seating in coach it just doesn't fit the bill for him.  

The next few hours are covered by me watching the movies, Mean Girls and A Dogs Purpose, which by the way is the saddest, sweetest movie ever. The rest are periodically sleeping and waking up to watch outside the window as we fly high up in the sky. We make a stop in Salt Lake City, then fly some more, then stop in Rome, then fly a little more, and we are finally here after 24 hours, in Florence, Italy.

∫

After the flight, we stayed in a hotel for the first night before orientation. Waking up in the morning, we both got ready in silence. It killed me to be in a room with someone and not talk at all. 

Arriving at orientation, I was bombarded with friendly faces that wanted to meet me, the American. Of course, macho Dylan would always find a way to interrupt the conversations and lead me away. 

"You know, I want to have friends right?" I say, Dylan scowls at me. "Everyone thinks I'm a weirdo that brought my protective father to this study abroad program."

Dylan stares at me but backs off going to a nearby coffee table, leaving me by myself.

"Finally," I whisper.    

As a senior in college, I was able to get a chance to be an independent Art study student, and have one class at this Italian college on Tuesdays and then the rest of the time, work with a local artist through-out the year to work on my pieces for the showcase at the end of the year. It's a pretty cool gig, so of course, I applied. I got accepted and now I'm here, although I had to take my Dad's Beta with me because I haven't shifted as a 21-year-old wolf and "wouldn't be able to protect myself" as my parents put it. But all in all, this is the best opportunity I've ever had.