Starting New

Chapter One

As I navigate through the busy streets of Manhattan, New York City, I finally begin to realize how truly big the world can be. Sure, I had read about the city online when I searched for an apartment here, but the words don't do it justice.

Everywhere I look, there are department stores and shops, cafés, large buildings and tall skyscrapers, and a diversity of different cultures of people. Not at all like the small suburban community I had lived in back at Chicago.

The sun  has just risen, but the streets are already filled with bustling people hurrying to their jobs. The traffic light turns red at the intersection, and I pause a moment at the sidewalk to look up at the rising sun.

The sky is awash with colors, yellows and oranges and blues and purples, the tall buildings jutting upward, casted in shadows.

I have seen dawn before, but not in all this glory. This would make a great painting, I think to myself.

I stand there for a few more seconds, mesmerized by the sight, then shake my head and continue along, using my phone to guide me toward the apartment I have rented from a college student, whom will also become my roommate.

++++++++

The apartment building is located at, what I perceive, a very nice neighborhood. The building itself seems old, but not ancient, with just a touch of modern style.

As I enter the lobby of the building, I see a girl with mocha skin and dark, chin-length hair pacing back and forth. When the creak of the door announces my entrance, she glance at me and her eyes lights up in excitement .

"You must be Beatrice Prior!" she exclaims, pulling me into a friendly hug, forcing me to drop my luggage.

I awkwardly hug her back, for I never had any contact with anyone at all throughout the last nine years, nonetheless a gesture as welcoming as this.

"You can call me Tris," I say after I pulled back.

"I'm Christina White," the girl says, introducing herself. "You got here okay? Need help with luggage? Where's the rest of your stuff? I have a car."

"No, that's fine. This is all I have." I follow Christina into the elevator, which will take us to the sixth floor. "Great neighborhood, by the way."

"During the day, it's pretty safe. At night, you gotta be careful," she tells me, leading us out of the elevator and towards our apartment.

Christina unlocks the door. "Come on in."

The living room isn't much: a couch, a coffee table, TV; the basics. But those aren't what catches my attention; it's the desk with the sewing machine that stands in a corner, the mannequin besides it, and the rack of beautiful clothings strategically placed to make an illusion of a separate room .

"Christina?" a voice calls out, breaking me from my revere.

A boy with golden blond hair, celery green eyes, and glasses appears at the kitchen doorway, holding a mug of something steaming.

"Oh, Will, this is Tris. Tris, this is Will, a...friend," Christina stammers. "We both go to the same college and have the same English class so we're working on a project together."

I raise my eyebrows at her, but don't comment at her stammering. Instead, I turn to Will and shakes his outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, Tris," Will says, smiling. "I hope you'll settle here okay."

"I hope so too," I reply.

"I gotta go. See you later, Tris, Christina," Will says, grabbing his bag from the couch and going out the door."

Christina waves goodbye and gives me a tour of the rest of the apartment, which isn't much: a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms, one of them mine.

"So, you're a fashion designer?" I ask as we unpack my stuff.

"Well, sort of," Christina says. "I'm not at that level yet."

"I think the clothings are beautiful," I say honestly.

"Really?" Christina is beaming. "Thanks. I'll lend you one of my pieces one day."

I laugh. "Okay! I've never worn a 'piece', but sure!"

"You're an artist?" she asks, gesturing toward the art supplies I have taken out.

"Not yet. Maybe someday," I say absentmindedly.

"What kind of work do you do?"

"Well, I worked on a fishing boat for the last couple-" I stop, seeing Christina's confused expression. "Oh, my work! Well, I don't know how to describe it. I guess I just draw what I see."

"That sounds interesting," Christina comments. "I'm going to run a few errands. Want to come with me? I could show you around."

"It's alright. I'm actually kind of tired right now." I reply. And it's true. The few hours on the bus, trying to find the apartment building, and the unpacking really wore me down."

After Christina left, I showered and made myself something to eat. And it feels absolutely normal to be doing this.

Today has been hopeful, and maybe the future would be as well.

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Author's Note:

Okay. I know, I know. I said I was going to update but I never did. I am not going to make any excuses. But here is an update and I am not going to give up on this story (or my other one). I will try to update again next week and every week after that, but no promises.

Thank you for reading, commenting, and voting!

~KathleenAG (March 16, 2020)

P.S. Please stay safe in the midst of confusion of the Corona Virus. Best wishes to you all.