The Moment

Chapter One - Goodbye

I stare. I stare at the house I've grown up in. The house which holds a tragic story. The house I fought for. The house that will always be mine. I can't seem to let go. I can't leave.

Today I leave my small home in Surrey, England and start a new life in New York. But I can't. I can't go. My friends, My family...My dad. Just gone.
"Hey, I know it's hard. You wanted this" My mum said from the drivers seat. "I miss him" I mumbled, a lump in my throat choking me, tears threatening to escape my eyes. She sighed. "Me too".

The drive to the airport was slow and silent. The sound of the worn wheels on the road was the only sound circling the car park at 4:36 am. When we arrived at our terminal, we headed straight for security and bag check so we had enough time to eat and buy things like water and magazines for the flight. Security is my least favourite thing ever. Long queues, loud chatter, children crying, "I'm hungry" or "I'm tired".
After roughly 40 minutes of stand still queues, we checked in.
"Right, Where next?" I asked my mum. She gave me 'The Look', grabbed my arm and dragged me to McDonald's.
McDonald's breakfasts are literally heaven on earth. "Right, What do you want?" My mum asked. "Is that a serious question" I laughed.
"Breakfast Wrap, No bacon and ketchup?"
"yep"
We ate our breakfast and drank our drinks, talking about what to do in New York. We're moving out there so we can have a fresh start away from family drama and just England in general.
After we ate we walked to 'Boots' (a shop in England that sells holiday necessities, Makeup ect) to buy water, A phone charger, Sun cream and Magazines so we won't get bored.
I've always had a constant fear of flying. I always think of the worst, The plane crashes, Someone somehow sets of a bomb or we need to make an emergency landing.
"Gate 5, Now open" I heard from the intercom
Me and my mum grabbed our carry-on to get our Passports and Boarding Passes out. Once we finally found them, we walked to the gate.

It felt strange, restarting my life in a new country, But leaving most of me behind. I didn't even get to say bye to my friends.
the aircraft started to move towards the runway. Panic struck. i started thinking of the worst. What if we never make it to New York. I was snapped out of my thoughts by my mum shaking me. "You'll be fine Flo" I nodded, not believing a word she said.

We were 4 hours into he flight when I finally calmed down. "I'm gonna go to the toilet ok, I'll be back as soon as I can" my mum told me, getting up. I nodded again, half asleep. I started reading the book I bought with me, Dear Evan Hansen, I'm yet to see the musical but hopefully I get the chance in New York. I was a good 20 pages in when I heard someone talk to me. "Have you seen the musical?".I heard a thick American accent call. I looked across the aisle. I was met with a pair of deep blue eyes and his platinum blonde hair drooped over his forehead. I was lost for words. "oh ur...no" I said with a nervous laugh. "Well you should" he replied.
"Well I'm hopefully can now. it's not in the West end yet. ( AN: ik it's coming to the west end in January)
"What's the west end?" he laughed.
"It's basically Broadway but in England..but without the musicals I'm interested in"
"Well maybe you get to see a fair few in New York while your there, How long are you staying?"
"I'm moving there, getting away from family issues for a while"
"Well, random girl from England, I'm Odin" he held out his hand. going for the formal approach I see. "I'm Florence, but everyone calls me Flo" I said as I returned the gesture.
We talked about musicals for about 5 minutes until my mum came back. I felt something hit my shoulder, I looked in my lap. A paper aeroplane. I picked it up cautiously. I looked at Odin. "Open it" he mouthed. I did just that. His number. I looked back at him. "Cliché" I mouthed back.
we laughed. "Hey hey, why are you laughing"
I looked at Odin again. we burst out laughing this time, earning looks from the other passengers. "Who's this?" My mum said pointing at Odin. "I'm Odin, You're daughter has good taste in musicals"
my mum turned to me "How many times do I tell you not to talk to strangers?" she whispered
"He started talking to me" I whispered back. I grabbed my phone out my carry on and put his number in. "I'll text you when we get good service" I told him.
we moved the topic onto Colleges and Universities.
"I want to go to Guildford School of Acting. It's in Surrey University" I said
"I'm gonna pretend I know where Surrey and Guildford is, anyway I wanna go to Tisch School Of The Arts" I nodded along. I've heard of that school but I know nothing about it. The rest of the flight was fun. Me and Odin got to talk without my mum chirping in here and there.
When the plane landed, Me, Mum and Odin walked to baggage claim. We shared random facts about eachother.
"Well I'm fluent in Italian" I said.
"I don't believe that" Odin laughed.
"It's true I swear, I was born in Florence, Italy, that's why my name is Florence. I learned to talk there, I moved to England when I was 5."
"Go on then, say 'Hello I'm Flo and I like the floor'" he requested.
"Easy, Ciao, mi chiamo Flo e mi piace il pavimento. (AN: I used Google translate, if it's wrong, Sorry)
he stood there in disbelief. "Woah, I thought you were kidding"
"There's more than what meets the eye Odin"
I collected my suitcase and headed out the airport, Waving to Odin.
What a start to my new life.

Word Count: 1054

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