Uppsala

Uppsala

Prologue

Aria was slouched over her student apartment couch. One part of her mind was watching the TV, as Mr Bean ran across the screen. The other part was thinking. Thinking of what she was going to do.

A Mr Bean’s program didn’t seem to be the kind of show that would inspire people. But Aria was inspired nonetheless. She thought of all the things she had wanted to do a year before. When she was still a freshman in college that wondered lost. Aria had wanted to live life to the fullest; she had wanted to go places! She didn’t hate school, but she didn’t love it either. And it didn’t seem that she was doing that in this Ivy League college.

Not that she wasn’t grateful that her parents had worked hard for her to come here Aria loved her mom and dad with all her. But if she stayed here and delayed doing something, she would end up in some bleak place with grey walls. No, she couldn’t - wouldn’t stay here any further. She didn’t want to be that. Aria didn’t want to lose herself.

And without a single thought more, Aria got off the coach and rushed to her room.

#

Aria threw everything in her closet into her suitcase. Hardly checking to see if she liked it or not. The red blouse that looked wonderful with her long sleek brown hair. The tattered jeans she wore on her lazy days, in it all went. She moved over to the dresser and threw in her bras and underwear in. On a second thought, she decided she wouldn’t be taking the ugly pair of pantyhose. But beside that everything else went in.

Aria would have to leave a note too. For her roommate and her parents… and the school, that would take while. She would have to hurry now; she had to be in the airport by 5 o’clock. Checking her watch she saw that she had four hours left. And the taxi would be here in twenty minutes.

Booking the ticket had been relatively easy. With a quick call to an airline company and the details of her laser card, filled with more than enough to take her across the world ten times and back. She had booked a flight to France in less than ten minutes. Oh! She needed her hairbrush too. Her thick locks got rather unruly in the mornings. And she made a mental note to buy a sleeping bag en-route to the airport.

Much sooner than expected, Aria was done packing everything. She rushed into the kitchen and searched for a sticky note. Where was one when she needed it? She finally found one. Aria wouldn’t miss Claire, her roommate much. Claire was nice and shy but she knew the day she had shaken her hand they wouldn’t be anything more than roommates. That was why she kept her note short and simple. Going away for a while, she scrawled. Yep, that would be enough.

Before she stepped outside her dorm door, she looked back at the place that was her home for a year now. It was a mixture of horrible. Aria had tried hard to introduce colours to the bland place but Claire had stuck her foot down. So the couch remained brown and hard. The walls stayed white and everything was in its place, it signified everything Aria didn’t want to be.

She closed the door with a final thud, and left. She didn’t even turn around, and damn did it feel so good!

#

“Mom I know… Yes... No… But” Passengers waiting to board, looked at Aria strangely as she talked to her mom on the phone. She was taking the news quite well, actually.

“But what? You can’t just leave!” Her mom said.

“I have to mom! I’ve already booked the tickets, and I’m standing in the airport now.” Aria argued.

“You’re not going to come back, are you?” Her mom’s voice sounded very tired and sad. It broke Aria’s heart that it was her fault and she felt that she would start crying any second.

“Of course I’ll come back.  I just don’t know when.” She fought hard to hold in the waterworks. If she started now she would never stop.

Aria’s mom sighed, when she realized she couldn’t keep her little girl forever. ”I’ve always known that you were going to explore. Ever since you were a little girl, with your cheeky grin and blue eyes.  I love you.” Oh no, why had her mom done that? She was getting all emotional too. Aria allowed herself one tear to roll down her face. Just one tear that was her maximum. “I love you too Mom.”

“Just call us when you get there. Okay?”

“Okay” Aria knew her parents would be there for her. Even if she was leaving on so short notice, they only wanted the best for her.

She sat back down on the airport chair and ended the call. That was it then, she wouldn’t see or hear for from here parents in at least a year. She sniffed and wiped the tear off her face. I can do this, she told herself. I can do this. Now all she had to do was start believing it.

#

Aria moved through the busy crowd, while carefully manoeuvring her bags past people. The airport buzzed with noise. And Aria found it almost impossible to move past the crowd. But eventually she saw a black sign that pointed her to the exit.

Aria walked through the doors and outside. That was it! When Aria felt the warm Mediterranean breeze on her face, and the heat of the sun all over her body. It had finally it her! She was here! In France! It had finally come true, she was living her dream!

~

Author's note:

Hello! Here’s my new story this is going to be a romance-fantasy-thing. I know I’m such a hypocrite because I don’t read watt-pad fantasy, but I have no problem with normal books. Yet I’m writing one. It’s just that the watt-pad ones are a bit far-fetched, which is wrong of me to say because all books are far-fetched. So I’ll try and read a few wattpad fantasy books.  But anyway this is just a prologue, so here you go. It might take me a while to get chapter one up but I’ll get there. And don't forget to read comment and vote.

                                                                                                                                                    Beth,