The trees blurred as our car whizzed past, piling down some highway. I wasn't sure. In fact, I had no idea where we were at all. The trees were different, as well as the bird song and the grass which crept up upon the edged of the tarred road we drove down.
Even in the heated car I could feel an isolated chill run up my arms, and effectively reaching my now very cold core. A thin layer of dirtied snow lay on the grass beside the long road and I tried to think back to the last time I had seen snow. It must have been when I was before 5, some ski trip maybe? I wasn't sure but it definitely was long enough ago that I couldn't remember much about it. A small spark of excitement grew in me at the thought of seeing snowfall for the first time.
I shuffled further into the corner of my seat in attempt to relieve the uncomfortable dig of one of cardboard boxes shoved beside me in the back seat.
"How much longer, Dad?" I asked, interrupting the music softly blowing through the cars speakers.
"Nearly there Sweets, 'bout five more minutes," He looked at me through the rearview mirror, smiling sincerely but not without an angle of guilt. I knew they felt bad about making me leave home, and don't get me wrong, the news that we were leaving for Mums job was not on my Top Ten Best Moments of 2022, but I understood. Living prices were shooting and it only made sense for Mum to relocate closer to the project execution which she was formerly managing remotely.
A heavy weight of nerves set in at the thought of pulling up to my new home. My mind rushed with the copious amounts of unpacking I had to do, alongside the draining idea of starting Year 10- I mean Sophomore Year, at Frankenmuths' local High School.
Once my surroundings drifted from farms and empty fields into a standard suburban town, I knew we were here.
"Why does everything look German?" I asked, trying to shield the judgement from my voice as I analysed the traditional German architecture. Is this seriously where I am going to grow out my remaining teenage years? I could already miss the smell of sea salt in the air, and the heat of a humid wind, cooling the sweat on my skin.
"The town was founded by Germans, or something like that, I'm not really sure. But it definitely adds a bit of interest, hey?" My dad responded, his words laced with false excitement. I was sure he didn't want to be here any more than I did, but he had no choice.
After a few more minutes of mundane silence and repetitive buildings, our rental car finally pulled up a short stoned driveway, crunching the gravel beneath until we came to a complete stop. I quickly checked the time on my phone, which read 2:34pm, before unclipping my seatbelt and swinging the car door open.
I was immediately hit with a piercing cold, that stung the wetness on my lips. Hugging my torso tightly I rounded the car to wait for my parents to find the keys to our new house. Stretching my legs out of the car after a 20 hour flight and an hour long drive was positively the best feeling I had ever felt in my life. The stiffness ached in my hamstrings but spread a comforting heat throughout my body when I reached down to touch my toes. Quickly shaking any remaining stale blood in my arms and legs, I turned and had a look over at my new house.
"Wow guys this place is massive," I gawked. It was double storied and had a long wooden patio out the front.
"Not really Sweets, you're just used to living in a tiny complex all your life," Dad chucked before wrapping his left arm around my shoulder, and his right around my mum before kissing my temple. "Welcome to our new home."
After we loaded all of our boxes out the car, I sorted through the pile to find my things and take them to my room. As the U-Haul wasn't arriving until tomorrow morning with our furniture, we begrudgingly had to stay at a local inn overnight, and I couldn't be any more annoyed. I would never let it show because I knew my parents had been through a lot with moving, but the heavy tire in my muscles paired with my inability to sleep on the flight over made me incapable of thinking of anything other than sleep in my own bed.
Dropping my boxes of clutter on the soft white carpet of my new room, I collapsed on my back, arms sprawled out by my sides, as I stared at the plain white ceiling, adorned with a single hanging light.
As I lay there, I thought about my friends, my school, my new school, my hobbies, my running, my music, what if I'm too different? What if I can't adapt to the culture? What if I'm outcast? What if-
"Hi Honey, its getting late, we should starting thinking about leaving for the Inn in about 10, okay?" My Mums voice interrupted.
"Mmm," I grunted back, before rolling over and reaching across the plush white carpet for my phone which had been chucked somewhere on the floor not long ago. The time on my screen read 5:52 as I swiftly sat up and grabbed my backpack, already full with everything I had needed on the flight including chargers, a water bottle and some headphones.
Hopping down the stairs, I jumped to the kitchen to refill my water bottle with fresh water. The house was silent, and all I could hear were the sounds of the water streaming from the tap, and the hushed voices of my parents. I turned off the tap, leaving my water bottle only halfway full and tiptoed towards the wall, effectively hiding me from view but giving me the perfect spot to eavesdrop my parents in the living room.
"I know that its what you want to do, but we have to be considerate of Layla. This is all new to her and I feel terrible for pulling her away from everything she knows. We need to be there for her," I heard my dad say in a feeble attempt to whisper.
"You're right. Maybe we should just put a few things on hold so that we can be there for her. Help her to adjust." My Mum said. There was a moment of silence between them as I felt the familiar vice of guilt creep up the back of my spine.
"Okay so are we agreed then, no date nights until we are sure she is comfortable in the house alone, and no work trips at least for the first month, just to make things as familiar as we can." Dad said.
Mum let out a lengthy sigh, "Yeah. Yes. Yes, okay. But that also means no golfing for you. I know you love it and will want to meet the local golfers soon but I can't have you gone for days at a time either. Layla can't have that".
I quickly rounded the corner into the living room to see my parents sitting parallel to each other leant against the wall on the floor. I clapped my hands together and put on a bright smile.
"Alright guy are you both ready to go?" I beamed as they both turned to look at me. I knew I couldn't be selfish. I could adapt. I could cope. It really wasn't that big of a deal to move houses, hundreds of people do it daily and it was pathetic of me to act like it was some big issue. From here on out, no matter how hard I was struggling, I pledged myself I would keep my issues to myself. Mum and Dad were amazing to me and the least I could do in return was to tolerate a slight inconvenience in my life.
"Yes Sweets let me just grab my bag," Dad smiled back as they both rose from the floor. Mum made her way towards me as we both waited by the front door for Dad to get his things. The last lights of the day were shining in through the fogged glass in our front door, and illuminating the living room through the expansive windows too. However, the lack of heating still made me feel uneasy in the new house. I'm sure Mum and Dad would get that sorted out once all of the furniture was in too.
As Dad made his way towards us, bag in tow, the front door sounded 3 polite knocks.
I whipped my head towards my mum who was already reaching for the door handle and swinging it open, revealing a woman around my parents age, wrapped in a thick cream sweater, with a deep red scarf wrapped around her neck.
"Hello! It's lovely to meet you, I'm your neighbour, Karen!" She beamed, opening her arms widely and stepping towards my Mum before embracing her in a hug. Her voice was soft yet full as she spoke to my parents, who exchanged 'hellos' and other introductions. I stood awkwardly to the side as the three of them moved in a blur before Karens focus was on me.
"Hi I'm Layla," I spoke politely. She seemed kind and motherly, and as if to confirm my thoughts she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight, squeezing before she let me go.
"Its lovely to meet you all. I have 4 kids who might be around your age actually Layla. Are you starting school at Frankenmuth High next week? Maybe you will be in some of my boys classes! Oh how wonderful that would be!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.
I laughed a little, "Yeah I am starting Year 10- I mean, um.. sophomore year next week".
"Oh how wonderful you must be the same age as Josh and Jake then! They can show you around and help you find your bearings," she said sincerely. As much as I wanted some help in this new town, I couldn't help but dread the thought of two teenage boys showing me around a town and inevitably making me feel more socially awkward than I already was. Nevertheless, I didn't want me parents to worry. I promised.
"Yeah that would be great!" I said, the same smile still plastered on my face, almost getting painful to maintain. I just wanted to go to sleep. Karens face lit up in surprise as she clearly came to a thought.
"Maybe I could take you guys over to our place now to introduce you all? It wouldn't be a bother truly."
"We really shouldn't..." My dad started.
"I can make you all some supper too! Dinner shouldn't be too much longer from now and I'm sure you are all positively starving from your travels," she continued, and as if on cue, my stomach let out a low grumble. I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment as Karen opened up her mouth to speak again, most likely to coerce us into coming in for dinner.
"We really should get going, we have a booking at an inn tonight, but thank you for your kindness, Karen," Mum interrupted. Karen only furrowed her eyebrows and it was now that I knew that her sons never won arguments against her.
"Oh now don't be ridiculous, stay at an inn? How outrageous. You can stay at our house tonight. We have space for you all and I cannot, in good conscious, let our new neighbours stay in an inn on their first night here now, can I?" She questioned with a look of disbelief.
"We don't want to intrude.."
"It would be our pleasure to have you all over, plus, you must tell us about Australia, your accents sound so exotic already I'm sure your stories are even more interesting," she said, spinning on her heel and walking down the front porch steps. I turned to Dad who merely shrugged to me and followed Karen down the steps, with Mum and I following closely behind.
With only a short distance of grass to cross to make it to their home, I quickly found myself rushing through their front door as Karen frantically ushered us inside otherwise we'd "catch a cold". She was too sweet.
Warm orange lights adorned the living room as we entered the home, with warm wooden furniture and rugs, yet the feature that grabbed my attention was the smell. It smelt like home. My home. In fact, it absolutely reeked of it. I took a deep breath in and my eyes fluttered closed for a moment, basking in the smell of warmth with a hint of cinnamon, and despite the warmth surrounding us, the air was fresh and reminded me of the salty spray of the sea at the nearby cliffs.
Though, my comfort was short lived when a dirty sock came flying to the side of my face, followed by very loud, very angsty yelling.
"Fuck of Jake! It's your week not mine!"
"Can't you just do one thing for me Josh oh my GOD!"
Turning, I caught sight of two teenage boys, who looked my age standing, up in each others faces, once of which held a pile of dirty laundry in his hands and the other with his arms frantically waving them around the air. One of the boys had long silky brown hair, with a subtle wave in it, and the other, whose face was turned away from me had a head of brown curls.
"Are you serious?! I-" The curly haired boy screamed, charging forward before Karen grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Boys! Stop it right now! We have guests." She muttered the last part through clenched teeth at a volume I assumed we weren't meant to hear. Both boys dropped their arms and their faces went slack as they turned to face us. I stood awkwardly in my spot shuffling my feet slightly and offering them a small smile. The long haired boy cleared his voice and dropped his pile of dirty laundry next to the wall before making his way over to us while scratching the back of his neck. The curly haired one followed closely behind before filing next to him, wearing a very red and apologetic expression.
"Boys, these are our new neighbours from Australia!" Karen said excitedly, as if the whole previous interaction never happened.
"Hi I'm Jake," the long haired boy said politely, reaching his hand out for me to shake. It was slightly calloused and rough, but his hold was gentle on mine. He sent me a shy tight lipped smile and I offered a similar one back.
"And I'm the better twin, Josh," the curly haired boy beamed, throwing me a wink before wrapping his arms around me in a hug. I could hear Jake introducing himself to my parents while I breathed in his very earthy scent. His hold was softer than his mums, but still held that comforting feel. All this hugging and warmth and good smelling home made me even more tired than I thought I was.
After all were introduced Jake turned to me, "Sorry I didn't get your name?"
"Oh sorry! I'm Layla, it's lovely to meet you all."