We arrived in Warsaw, the capital of Poland.
It was indeed a large and beautiful city. It looked exactly like the descriptions I had read about in books. The city was filled with magnificent buildings, industries, and several leisure areas.
We were to reside at Nowy Świat Street 100. The street had neat pavements, beautiful trees perfectly aligned in one direction, and cars moving smoothly along the roads. I was impressed. Ireland wasn't as breathtaking as this. This first view alone was enough to make me fall in love with the city.
We took an Uber that drove us straight to our doorstep. I didn't even bother helping Dad and the others with the luggage. I immediately dashed into the yard with my arms wide open, spinning around and admiring everything around me.
I moved towards the backyard and noticed several things.
The lawn was unbelievably green, and the grass was perfectly trimmed, all at the same length. There was a beautiful well painted in pale ash, and right beside it was a bed of roses, roses of different colours.
I stood there in awe.
"I've found the perfect spot for me," I said to myself.
As I walked further, I noticed a belt swing with two seats.
"Damn," I whispered to myself. "I'm sooo loving this place."
Before I could finish my sentence, Praise passed by me at the speed of light and sat on one of the swings.
"How the hell did she know we had this here?" I wondered silently.
Noticing the expression on my face, she quickly explained.
"I was following you from behind," she said with a giggle.
Realizing she had noticed exactly what I was thinking, I chuckled softly and sat on the other seat.
For a while, we just stared blankly into the air, enjoying the breeze and the peaceful feeling of nature. From the look of things, Praise seemed to be enjoying it even more than I was.
It wasn't even up to a minute later when Dad called us.
We happily rushed back to the front yard and realized everything had already been packed inside.
I felt a little embarrassed and chuckled before walking in.
The inside of the house was breathtaking.
Everything was perfectly arranged. The paintings matched the sofas beautifully, and the TV stand complemented the luxurious table placed at the centre of the room.
The dining area was brightly lit, making the entire space look warm and welcoming.
A perfectly designed staircase led upstairs to our rooms and the restrooms.
I carefully climbed the stairs and noticed a long hallway with rooms on both sides, each door facing another. I was so happy and relieved.
At least I would have a room all to myself.
Each room had its own restroom, and the doors matched our room numbers perfectly.
Selena took the first room, while Kay took the one directly opposite hers. I took the second room, and Praise took the one directly opposite mine. At the far end of the hallway was a very large and beautiful room.
Of course, that belonged to Mom and Dad.
I quickly entered my room, trying to arrange a few things. Before 5 p.m., everything was finally settled.
Mom called from downstairs, announcing that dinner was ready, and we all went down to eat.
As we ate, several thoughts ran through my mind.
"What is it going to be like going to a new school, making new friends, and starting all over again? I hope I'm lucky enough to meet people I can truly call friends. And, of course, I hope I find my prince charming someday."
I smiled at the thought.
"Anyways, I'm already 18…"
Before I could finish my last thought, I felt a cold breeze hit my face.
It was Praise. She waved her hand in front of me and said,
"Back to Earth, Mai."
I immediately shook myself out of my thoughts, embarrassed as I realized everyone had noticed I was daydreaming.
Dinner ended, and we all went to our rooms, except for Mom and Dad, who stayed downstairs to enjoy a movie together.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. The same thoughts returned, but this time they went much deeper.
Eventually, I drifted off to sleep.
~~
My phone buzzed continuously until it fell off the bed, waking me up.
Still half asleep, I blindly searched for it and picked it up.
It was already 6 a.m.
"Oh God, not so soon," I groaned, stretching my hands. "Isn't this supposed to be the summer solstice already? So why do we have shorter nights?" I asked aloud.
"We're in Poland, remember? Things are different here," Mum replied as she walked past my room.
"Oh, she heard me," I said, gasping.
I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the nights here were longer. I was such a sleepyhead that even if I was given twenty-four hours to sleep, it probably still wouldn't be enough.
I quickly got ready and walked downstairs to the living room.
Everyone was already prepared.
Guess I was the only lazy one.
We had breakfast, got into Dad's car, and he drove us to school.
We didn't take the usual commercial road because we had to drop Praise off first since she was still in primary school. Her school wasn't bad at all. From what I observed, it was actually quite classy.
Praise got out of the car, said goodbye, and walked towards her block with a huge smile on her face.
I wasn't surprised though. Praise was that type of person. She loved trying new things, exploring new environments, and she was the kind of person who could easily get along with anyone.
I picked up my phone and went through Instagram while Dad continued driving.
It wasn't even up to forty-five minutes before we arrived at our school. I didn't even notice the journey because I was so focused on my phone.
It was the distinct chatter around me that finally caught my attention.
Slowly, I raised my head.
I was speechless.
The environment was undeniably breathtaking.
I stepped out of the car, my eyes moving everywhere as I tried to take everything in.
At the centre of the school stood a statue of a young woman who looked like the definition of beauty. She held objects that looked like books, and from her mouth flowed a fountain that poured down towards the roots of the beautiful flowers growing beneath her.
The school had huge buildings, most of them made of glass, with a perfect combination of grey and white colours. It was completely different from my former school, which looked like a mixture of every colour imaginable.
I carefully counted the floors of the main building from bottom to top.
Six floors.
At the very top was a beautifully carved wooden sign with the school's name written on it.
"Florence's High."
"What a beautiful name," I whispered in amazement.
I slowly walked towards the hallway.
I must admit, the hallway was massive. I had no idea which direction to take.
I noticed some students turning right, so I decided to follow them. Luckily, they were heading towards the classroom section.
I searched each door carefully until I finally found mine.
"B2."
I took a deep breath.
This was it.
My new beginning.