- [✩] ; CORA HAD MIXED FEELINGS about moving from Cape Cod, USA to London, UK because it was now her Senior Year, or as the Brits call it, Year 13 and she was now in a new goddamn continent. Yes, Cora was glad that her mother was able to transfer to a better paying law firm, but in Europe?! It's more than a ways way from Cape Cod, especially from the friends that she grew up with, (even though there weren't many friends) so now, in freaking Europe, Cora would have to make new friends. Now, that's not very hard for her, but there was still anxiety bubbling under her skin at the thought of taking to new people. And don't even get her started on the initial culture shock of London, because she certainly doesn't want to think about it.
Despite her initial annoyance about the move, including the jet lag no one warned her about, the teenager was excited to see the United Kingdom in person rather than on her phone. London, even though it was very different to Cape Cod, was full of new opportunities for Cora to explore. Maybe she will use a fake accent. Or she'll go by a completely different nickname. Or something cooler than those initial thoughts.
Oh, and did Cora mention that it was only herself and her mom moving across the pond? Because now it's been mentioned. Cora's father has never been in the picture, and Serena Valencia has worked hard to provide for herself and her only daughter. Deep down, the teen knew that her mother took this big move for her and her future, but that still wouldn't stop her teenage angst from coming through every-so-often.
After Cora and Serena settled into their new three bedroom studio apartment in central London, Serena was almost immediately whisked away to her new job. That left Cora alone, at home, to unpack, which was fairly easy. Most of the items they brought over to London were things like picture frames, special vases, China that they'd never use, books, and their clothes. Oh and Cora's guitar and ukulele, she could never forgive herself if something happened to her babies. Luckily for the Valencia mother-daughter duo, furniture like couches, chairs, and beds were already provided, though they should get a better dinning table because it was a bit too small. If anything, they'd go to IKEA and get more knickknacks they needed like plates and utensils that weren't made out of biodegradable paper. Plus pots and pans, the ones the apartment provided looked old and worn.
For the next few days, since it was the beginning of summer, Serena sent her daughter to buy the pots, pans, plates, and utensils from IKEA while she was out. Cora, didn't mind this because although she loves her mother more than anything, she absolutely had no taste. She would then be given a hunk of pounds not dollars, to buy the necessary items and pay for the taxi ride to and back. Some might think that sending your sixteen and a half year old daughter into the city all alone was a bad idea, which it was, Serena knew for a fact that Cora could take care of herself.
