Memoirs of the Tour

And so it Begins

**Arianna's POV**

That was it.

I was officially done with education, having finally completed my A Levels.

It felt surreal as I walked out of the school grounds, aware that this would be the last time I would do so as a student.

I would miss the place, I mean I had spent seven years of my life here after all, the last two years hadn't been the best but they were behind me now.

A Levels were stressful, they required a lot of work and the best of it was; I wasn't even sure why I did them.

I mean, I knew they would never be detrimental to my future but I wasn't so sure I needed them for said future given that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life.

All of my peers had signed up for University courses whose names baffled and alarmed me. I might have spent the majority of my eighteen years in education but I was the furthest thing from sure about what to do next with it.

I smiled sadly at the grey building before I left. It was odd, despite all the people I had met at my time in St Annes I was leaving as I arrived; alone.

It was iconic considering everything that it happened in the last year. I liked the solitude, the symbolism.

It give me time to accept that I was waving goodbye to a huge part of my life and officially stepping into the unknown.

The bus journey home wasn't long and as I arrived home my Mum met me at the door with a smile and a hug.

We didn't exchange words about the fact that this was the last time she would see me in a uniform, instead she focused on asking me how my exam went.

I was pleased with how it had gone but I didn't want to talk about it.

It felt wrong. I understood the reasons behind testing but it just seemed that it was against the very nature of music.

The next afternoon my Mum came into my room to find me still in bed, my head tucked under the covers.

'Arianna...' she began.

I groaned at being woke, dreading to have to face the world I no longer had a place in.

'What I'm trying to say is that your Uncle Gene has just landed, he will be here in the hour' she provided and even from my place beneath the blanket I could hear the smile in her voice.

'Aww, great' I managed 'I'll get myself sorted' I promised. At these words I heard her leave and sighed in relief.

I wasn't usually a late sleeper but at the present I felt useless, I had finished school at a different time to all my peers and I didn't have a full time job so I was at a loss as to what to do with myself.

Lying in bed wasn't going to solve the problem though so half an hour later I was freshly showered and feeling much better. I was excited to see Uncle Gene, he was the epitome of a cool uncle but he wasn't around much.

He worked as a vocal coach for some of the best in the business so he spent his home time in London and lots of the year travelling the world, it was a crazy life but he loved what he did. He was my Mum's only brother and she was always so excited when he came to visit, even if it was last minute. In true Irish style I could hear her rattling about downstairs cooking in anticipation of his arrival.

It wasn't long before the knocker went and I ran down the stairs to my Mum hugging Uncle Gene like he was all that mattered. I approached slowly, smiling at their joy. As soon as they had pulled apart Uncle Gene pulled me in.