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prologue | part i
Ariana's brown orbs sparkled in awe as New York became visible down below. The view as the plane flew over the city was breathtaking, like something out of a dream. Ariana couldn't take her eyes away from the window. The stunning sight almost made her forget about the nerves and anxiety that had been gnawing at her from the inside out for the duration of the flight from London.
She was finally 16 and that meant by law in the UK, she had aged out of the foster system. Instead of finding her own place to live, Ariana decided she was going to use the money her mother left her to book a flight to New York and find her father. Her mother used to talk about him all the time, so she knew bits and pieces such as his name, and the fact that they were high school sweethearts living in New York City before her mother moved back to England after high school finished. Ariana's mother had always made it clear that her father wasn't to blame for not being in the picture. She made the decision to not tell him she was pregnant before leaving, so he didn't even know Ariana existed.
However, the small details Ariana knew about her father wouldn't help her track him down in the entirety of New York City. That was, until one day before Ariana moved out of the foster home she lived in. One of the kids was watching an American soap opera named Days of Our Lives. Immediately, Ariana recognised the character Dr. Drake Ramoray from the pictures that her mother showed her growing up.
After a bit of research online, Ariana discovered that her father lived in the Greenwich Village area of NYC. She couldn't find an exact address, but she figured the lead was better than nothing. If she had to, she would just find the Days of Our Lives studio and hope to find him there.
So, now here she was; on a plane to New York City, by herself, at 16 years old in hopes of finding her father.
Ariana took a deep breath as the plane landed and people began collecting their things. She grabbed her own carry-on from the overhead locker and followed the line of people making their way to the plane's exit. Once she was out of the airport, Ariana hailed a cab and asked the driver to take her to Greenwich Village.
"Thank you." She smiled politely at the cab driver before paying and climbing out of the taxi.
Ariana's eyes grew wide as she stood on the sidewalk and took in her surroundings. The hustle and bustle of this neighbourhood alone was intense. Ariana began to feel even more nervous, and a little naive. She wondered why she ever thought she would be able to find her father in New York City when she didn't even really know where he lived.
Gathering up her bags, Ariana began walking aimlessly, not knowing where she was headed. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't noticed the woman walking towards her until the two collided.
