1 Chapter 1: A Long Flight

"I never liked waking early to prepare for a flight. I never liked packing my things. I never liked abandoning places which finally felt like home. I never liked leaving the people I loved so dearly. But there are things I always looked forward to when moving to somewhere else. I love the thought of exploring new places, places I have never heard of or been in. I love thinking of meeting new people and making lots of memories. It's all exciting really!"

The sounds of bustling people and airplanes taking off filled the air. It was still eight in the morning and everything was already so busy. The Dale family, a family of three, is preparing to move to a new environment. Their eleven year old daughter, Nellie, has had called eight places her home. This was going to be her ninth home. "Our flight is still at eleven o'clock, let's all go to the food stores and eat as much as we can because this is going to be a long flight" Mr. Dale, Nellie's dad, said. There were less people than usual on that particular day, so they had no problem finding their way to the food stores. "Dad? Where are we going to live this time? Where in the world are we going to call home?" little Nellie asked her father. "It's still a surprise, you'll see when we get there!" Mr. Dale said with an enthusiastic tone. "We looked at pictures of the place, and your dad and I are sure you'll love it there. We know you love exploring a lot, there are huge fields of grass and flowers, a few mountains here and there, a lake" Mrs. Dale was cut off by Mr. Dale to not spoil everything about the place because it wouldn't be much of a surprise anymore. "I can't wait to go there! It sounds like so much fun! Oh, I wonder who I'll be friends with. There must be lots of kids my age right? I don't think I could stop thinking about this place until we get there, I think I can only stop when I fall asleep on the plane, but I hope I would dream about it! I'm super excited!"

They eventually reach the dozens of food stores at the airport. There were fancy looking restaurants, the kinds that would sell a stack of pancakes decorated with maple syrup and whipped cream and berries of different kinds in the mornings and rich flavored steak topped with a small amount of greens in the evenings. There were kid's diners and fast food stores where all the classic hamburgers, hotdogs, iced tea, juices, ice cream, and all the fries are being sold together with the occasional kid's toys and collectables. There were candy carts and rainbow popcorn machines, ice cream stands and mini bakeries, and special food items and the fruit shake stalls. No person in their right mind would think that the smell of different kinds of food smelled bad, even thinking about all of this would make stomachs roar and growl, unless you already are eating something or is full.

"Where would you like to eat first Nellie?" Mr. Dale asked her daughter with a smile. "I would love to go to every single store there is if my stomach were big enough! Though, I couldn't choose between the bakeries and the candy carts." Nellie thought very hard about this and still couldn't choose which one to go to first. "As your mother, I would recommend get a few pieces of pastry before going to the restaurant for our brunches, and then we could get candy right before our flight!" Nellie has always been amazed by her parents and wishes to be as wise as them someday. "That sounds good mom! You're the best!" Nellie said with her eyes seemingly twinkling. "Hey, how about me?" Mr. Dale asked in a childish demeanor. "I love you both with my whole heart!"

The family set off to the different bakeries in the venue. They went to the one nearest to them first. They walked a few meters until reaching the store. This bakery had a room of its own, unlike the others which are only stands and stalls. Everything smelled heavenly nonetheless. The store had a big orange sign which lights up every few seconds, there were two round tables at each side just outside the store surrounded by four chairs each. A few number of people were sitting in these tables, and a few others were picking what pastry and bread and drinks to buy, then going to the counter which is inside, in the far right of the bakery at the middle with the kitchen and the kitchen staff at the back of it. There are glass displays on both the right and left walls with a few bars of metal being placed in front for you to put blue trays, which is used to place the bread you choose to buy. This bakery is said to be famous all around the country especially in this city, because of their delicious cakes and special bread which is filled with different kinds of fillings and topped with different types of toppings which are ones you don't really think about using on bread.

"There is so much to choose from!" Nellie exclaimed. Nellie was going around the shop, looking at many delicious pastries but sadly none of them caught her eyes, even the cakes and the cupcakes. She then spotted jars of cookies and biscuits on the shelves. One jar had the classic chocolate chip cookies, another had chewy cookies, and another had chocolate cookies. Then she spotted a jar of cookies with rainbow colored chocolate candies in them. Nellie is really amazed at this for she had not seen nor eaten cookies like these before. "Those cookies are calling me! Eat me! Eat me! Is what I hear them say. I have never seen cookies with rainbow colored chocolate candies in them. I'm sure those cookies would taste wonderful!" Nellie happily proclaimed.

"It's settled then! Nellie, do you still want to go to the second bakery after this?" Mr. Dale asked.

"Yes! I'd very much love to dad, because I heard that that bakery sells special traditional pastries that can only be found in this area, also because they sell souvenirs there."

"Well, I guess we could go there after eating in the restaurant too. But you'll have to buy only a few sweets your teeth may ache." Mrs. Dale said, concerned.

Mrs. Dale added the cookies with rainbow colored chocolate candies in them to the pastries that she herself picked for the family as snacks for the flight, for the snacks in the snack cart of the plane are very expensive. She then went to the counter, placed her tray on the counter, and pulled out her wallet. After paying, receiving the bag of pastries and her change, Mrs. Dale headed to where Nellie and Mr. Dale were waiting for her. They took off to the fancy looking restaurant.

This restaurant is painted in shades of brown and black, the ceiling lights in a subtle yellow color, and the different paintings and decorations being hung on the walls. It gave a really mature and calm vibe, a vibe that would be just like drinking hot cocoa on a cold winter's day by the warm flames of the fireplace, a vibe like you're living in the past in a restaurant full of gentlemen in suits to take a break from a tiring day of work. There were brown tables and brown chairs in the venue, and fancy looking black chairs and tables outside. The family went inside and searched for a place for the three of them to sit down. They found a vacant table by the wall. That area had black leather-like seats with golden fairy lights hanging just above them. Nellie was asked to stay put and look after their luggage while Mr. and Mrs. Dale were to go order meals. "What would you like from the menu Nellie?" Mr. Dale asked. "Is there rice in this restaurant Dad? If there is, I would like a plate of that with chicken and iced tea!" Nellie loves eating rice for her meals. "Okay then, wait for Mom and I there okay?" Nellie then gave a reassuring smile to her Dad. The moment her dad started walking away, she brought out her bag and rummaged through every other thing in that bag, looking for the book she has almost finished reading. 'I may be able to finish this before we get to our new home!' Nellie happily thought. She was about four chapters away from finishing this book. 'Now, where did I place that bookmark…?' Nellie flipped through the many pages until she could find where she put her bookmark. "Here!" In the blink of an eye, she was already deep into reading.

Unlike the children of the modern world who are always facing screens for hours at a time, Nellie Dale would read endless amount of books. She would read anything from fantasy to mystery, fiction to non-fiction, slice of life to adventure. Nellie would read any book where she could imagine herself reading and enjoying. In just less than five minutes, she would be so deep in reading a book that it would take a while to fish her back into reality.

The book she is currently reading is about an orphan girl with an endless amount of imagination who finds a home with a pair of siblings, and finds a kind soul in many people. Nellie is at the part where the girl in this story would come home from her studies every end of the week. The girl would always look forward to go home together with her friends and be greeted happily by everyone. In some days, the girl would take glances at her beautiful friend and her declared rival who would usually hold her beautiful friend's satchel. To the girl, male friendships are just not what she would be looking for, especially when it comes to this particular declared rival of hers. Nellie continued reading for a bit more until she heard the footsteps of her parents approaching their table.

"You're already almost done reading that book Nellie?" Mrs. Dale asked in amazement. "You're so fast at reading, you just started that book less than two weeks ago! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks Mom! You know, I would love to be an author when I grow up. The thought of making stories of my own and sharing them with many people who would love to read what I write thrills me so much!"

"Well, whatever you'll choose to be when you grow up, we'll support you." Mr. Dale said reassuringly.

'I hope they would.' Little Nellie thought.

After that, the parents proceeded to talk about their businesses, what will they do when they get to their new home, just talking about adult things, while little Nellie continued to read her book, eager to finish it and read the other dozens of books she has in her possession.

Their meals came a while later and they started eating. Nellie had her rice with chicken and iced tea, Mrs. Dale had a green salad full of tomatoes and cabbage and carrots and other vegetables with a glass of water, and Mr. Dale had his sizzling hot steak with a plate of rice and a cup of black coffee. They finished their meals in a bit over thirty minutes and paid for what they ate. "It's already nine-thirty. Let's go buy all the other things we need to buy and wait for our flight." Mrs. Dale reminded. They all stood up from their chairs, brought their luggage with them and went towards the candy cart which is a few meters to the right of the bakery they went to earlier.

The candy cart was just literally a cart of many different candies. There were lollipops, bubble gum, and chocolate, the traditional sweet candies and the occasional sour candies, candies that melt in your mouth and candies which would take forever to finish. Nellie would want to take one of each, but knew that it wasn't good for her. She looked around for a while and finally decided on a pack of gummy worms, two jawbreakers, and a small box of chocolate.

They finally went to the last store, a small store that sells souvenirs and special local food. It looked like those small food stalls you would see in festivals, conventions, and other events. It had a small cream coffee colored roof with a sign in front with the store's name on it, and a short catchphrase. The main stall displayed lots of pastries, which most had fruit jam inside of them and is said to be the most popular choice in the menu, and other popular local food and snacks on trays behind glass like sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves best served with brown sugar and bananas that were made into chips, fruit shakes made out of local fruits, and the usual sodas and water in bottles. At the right side of the stall is where the souvenirs are placed on a maple wood floor shelf with a light brown bulletin board make of cork sitting on the top like a picture frame you would put on a nightstand, but bigger. There were necklaces and bracelets decorated with wood carvings and fake jewels or stone in the center hanging on the cork board, as well as dreamcatchers which are famous with kids and the elderly, and many different weavings of tiny bags, items, and dolls. On the top platform, there were more necklaces, bracelets, and weavings, and there were also scarves for sale which designs are said to be inspired by their ancestors. The compartment below that was full of keychains meant for people arriving and leaving that city, for tourists and for memories. The second compartment was full of extra scarves and trinkets which they would display once a few souvenirs were sold it seemed.

"Good morning! What should I get for you?" The woman behind the counter asked Nellie. Nellie thought for a bit and finally decided on a bread with a filling of strawberries, another bread with a filling of watery rose apples, and a medium sized pack of banana chips. Mrs. Dale bought three pieces of sticky rice for the family, while Mr. Dale bought a simple glazed doughnut. "Is that all?" The woman behind the counter asked. "We're still going to get a few souvenirs to remember this place!" exclaimed Nellie. So they looked around the shelves, each only being able to buy one. There was a man wearing the store's apron just beside the souvenirs. "Do you like that one sir?" he asked Mr. Dale. Mr. Dale was clearly mesmerized with a necklace with woodcarving and a blue shining gem in the center, so the employee continued, "That gem there is a moonstone, beautiful isn't it? It also has a wonderful meaning. The stone is said to bring peace, wisdom, and protection to those who keep it close by. It's also lucky that you like that one, because it comes with a ring and a bracelet with similar designs!" Without hesitation, Mr. Dale bought it for himself, his wife, and his daughter, especially since it was also at a reasonable price. By that time, Nellie and Mrs. Dale had picked out what they would like. Nellie picked a purple and white checkered scarf with purple and yellow flower patterns at the two sides of it, and Mrs. Dale picked a simple brown dreamcatcher with colorful threads and white feathers and beads. They didn't have to buy a keychain since Nellie's best friend from that city, gave her one. All of the items were paid for, and they quickly put all of their newly bought things in their bags, heading to the waiting room for their flight.

They waited for an hour after finally going through those gates, getting their luggage checked, and entered the plane. The flight was said to be for 8 hours, so Nellie had more than enough time to finish the book she was reading. She had so much fun in the plane keeping quiet. She was seated in the window seat listening to the music in her phone, book in hands and bread from the small bakery on lap while wearing her newly bought scarf on her neck. Less than thirty minutes later, she was in tears because a character she connected to a lot, who is one of the siblings who took the auburn haired girl in died because of a heart attack. It took Nellie a few minutes to get a hold of herself as she continued the story in tears. It took her a bit longer than usual to finish a chapter because of these tears. 20 minutes and a chapter later, she finally finished the book. 'That was a beautiful story.' Nellie thought, still in tears. The story's ending was sad and happy. The girl decided to stay with the remaining sibling, who is the younger sister, because of the said sibling's slowly deteriorating eyesight. The girl had a hard time planning what she should do next since she was a teacher who was assigned in the city, which was far from their home, but then the boy who was declared her rival had given up his position as the teacher in their village for her. It was definitely one of the best stories Nellie had ever read, Nellie's really happy too because she had the sequels to the story she just read, and is really excited to start on them.

After closing the book and contently sighing, she took the watery rose apple filled bread from her bag and began eating it while staring at the clouds outside her window. Lots of thoughts and questions filled her head, not of the book she just finished a minute ago, but of the life she would experience in her new home. Nellie first did this before they transferred to their last home.

'What kinds of people would I meet?'

'What will my friends be like?'

'I hope to have adventures a lot.'

'Will my friends from my past homes remember me?'

'Will we finally settle there forever?'