Not So Fresh Start

1. First Sight

"I'll be fine, Mum. I promise." I said, annoyance starting to creep into my voice. I was moving to a different country, her worries were warranted, but that didn't make them any less annoying. I had only repeated that exact sentence approximately 45 times in the 20 minute drive from the house to the airport. And then another 20 as we walked through the airport and to the boarding gate.

My mother rested her hands on either of my shoulders, "At anytime you'd like to come home, just call. Or owl. Or send a smoke signal."

"Mum, Aunt Emily is ready for me to come. We've been setting up stuff to do all month. And she has me enrolled in Forks High already. I'll be okay. I promise." Aunt Emily was my father's sister. My father, who was a muggle, died when I was small. I, of course, had stayed in touch with his family, but they had no clue about the "private school," as we were calling it in Forks, that I attended in London. No clue about the wands. Or the potions. Or the charms. Or the astrology. Or the creatures. None of it. They probably just assumed it was some regular private school. With the plaid skirts and the matching blazers.

My mother pulled me into a tight hug, "Write me. Often. Study hard. And...make friends, darling. Maybe meet a few guys?"

My chest tightened at that last sentence, "Yeah...friends. Studying. Writing." I pulled away, "I- I gotta go, Mum. I love you."

"I love you. Have a good flight."

I nodded and walked off, onto the plane, not looking back once. Fresh start. Change of scenery. New friends. New life.

《》《》《》《》

I finally got off the plane at around 7 in the afternoon. Aunt Emily was waiting for me by the luggage claim, holding a sign with "CARMEN" written in all caps in red ink. She's more beautiful than I remembered. I had always been jealous of her. I mean, with her smooth, tan skin. And her brown eyes that somehow had so much depth to them. Her shiny, black hair that falls to her shoulders. Then there's the scars that took up the right side of her face, which still made her look beautiful. They made her look strong, durable. Like she was a survivor. Next to her was her fiance, Sam. He's very handsome. Too buff for my taste, but he's got some kind of wild look to him. The way he looks at her, too. The only thing close to it I've seen was the way Cedric looked at me.

"Carmen! Oh! It's so good to see you!" Emily exclaims, a smile breaking across her face. She rushed forward and pulled me into a tight hug. I was startled for a second before reciprocating. When she pulled back, Sam was behind her, his hand on the small of her back.

"Nice to see you again, Carmen," he said. His voice was a lot deeper than I had remembered. It shocked me.

"And you as well, Sam. I've missed you, Aunt Emily."

"Oh, please, Carmen, you're in America now. You don't have to be so formal!" Emily said and waved a hand dismissively. I chuckled and grabbed my bag.

"Well, are we ready?" Sam asked as he threw an arm around Emily.

"I think so...Carmen?" Emily turned to me.

"Yep," I followed after them. I already felt lighter. Like it was finally gonna get better. I was only in the airport and I was already starting to try, at least, to let go. Don't get me wrong, I realized this was always gonna hurt. But, maybe it could start to not hurt as much.

《》《》《》《》

"Okay, so, here's your room. I tried to make it look nice, but I didn't know really what kind of stuff you liked," Emily explained while glancing around, "I hope it's okay," she shrugged.

I looked around to. The walls were painted a pale yellow, almost white. There was a full sized bed, the headboard against one wall. The bed was made with navy blue bedding. The curtains over the window were the same color and there was a fancy looking desk pushed against the corner opposite from the closet.