2.At home

What was wrong with her parents anyway?

"And what did she say?"

"I don't know," Amaya replied instead...

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Emily turned to look at Amaya.

"Exactly what it was supposed to mean,"Amaya replied rudely. What would her parents not understand that she wasn't in the mood for all these nonsense?

"I'm your mum," Emily almost screamed." Don't talk to me in that lousy manner of yours."

Amaya didn't answer for a while.The mood didn't last and she said almost brusquely as she could feel her mother's eyes on her." Stop staring, Mum. It's rude."

"You shouldn't have said that, Amaya. " her dad said calmly. He was trying desperately to savage the situation at hand.

Is that what she was expecting? Maya mused." By the way, didn't you see him in school today?"

"Or have you quarrelled with him,again?"

"Emily!" Her dad chided.

"It's true," her mum persisted stubbornly." She should have known and cared enough to prevent unnecessary affront."

"Do you know what your problem is? Improper reasoning."she said and turned to see the shocked expression on her parent's faces." Have Leo ever refused a lunch proposal of yours before?Do I have to serve as an alarm clock everytime and everywhere?"she said and grabbed her plate of food." Don't make me a source of colloquial embrassment. You know one of the reasons why I don't eat with you guys us that you don't give me breathing space. "

"Calm down, Amaya. She's your mum and definitely doesn't what the worst for you and moreover..."

"Would you spare me the lecture, please?" She said standing up." Sorry dad, mum but I can't take this."And with that, she left the dining room.

"Amaya!"her mother called after her." Summer Jayden!"

"Let her go,Emily. She would be fine."Arnold assured.

Back in the comfort of her room where she felt she truly belonged,she slumped on the huge divan bed and turned on the plasma television.She munched on her food for a while before thoughts of all that happened back at the dining room came flooding back.Why did she forsake her luxurious room for the freaking damned table downstairs devoid of cheer and laughter?

She never had a meal downstairs. Not even during her birthday. She was only downstairs when aunt May or some old relatives came visiting.And they had brought up Leo.

The sneaking freak of a fool who took her worst enemy out on a date.The same Leo whom she had once loved or was she deluding herself yet again?

Think about what you are doing,she chided herself almost immediately, of the consequences. Was she beyond reason because of a loss she could never had prevented on incurring on herself? A happiness or a feeling which was perhaps never hers to explore.

But she had refused to accept defeat, she reminded herself. She refused to believe that she had lost Leo to Clara. She believed in true love and that was why she loved Leo.

She looked outside. A great pall of smoke was beginning to rise, staining the clean,clear and ever blue sky like something grotesque, something obscene. She laid her food down and tried to read but thoughts of Leo distracted her again and again. He was a friend if not a lover, to valuable to lose. A little voice sang in her head.

Leo. Leo. She sat up. There was a time when the name sent flutters down her heart and gave her butterflies in the stomach but what about now?

She went down the memory lane and remembered how they had moved to Avalon; away from all the love in her hometown.

She had wanted to live a quiet and cool life; free from all the hustles and bustles.But then she met Leo.And things stopped being quiet too soon for her liking as things had taken a drastic turn in her life.

~~~~~~~~~~

A car pulled up in front of a building and a little crew came up.

"Voolah!Emily,Amaya, welcome to Avalon and our new home."

Amaya took a drastic look around.First impressions mattered and this was sure more than what she was expecting or had anticipated.

"Are we actually gonna live here?"she asked.

"Yes and don't you worry a thing darling,because you are actually going to love it here."

"You bet I'm gonna do."

Another crew came up.

"Hey! Look! They are here," Lloyd announced.

Hugs and kisses were exchanged.

"Arnold,Emily,meet my wife Anika and my daughter Anita."

"Cmon Lloyd,the introduction wasn't necessary. By the way Emily hope you have improved on your French I hope to take a few lessons."

"For sure,"Emily replied.

"By the way,"she asked looking around."where is Amaya?"

"She's here,"her mother said and turned to look around only not to find her daughter by her side "Amaya?"

"Over here Mum,"she replied from beside the luggages.

"Come here,will you?" she said and Amaya obliged."Meet your aunt Anika."

"Bonjour mademoiselle."

"Bonjour.Comet sava?"

"Sava bien merci."

"I guess that's the limit of my French," Anika and they laughed."Meet Anita."

"Hi."Anita said.

"Hello,"Amaya replied.

"Why don't you both wait for us to settle down and then get to each other more?"Arnold suggested tiredly.Both girls had looked up with a Glimmer in Their Eyes and since then they had been a connected friendship between them. Amaya's resumption into Avalon High School had been swifter than she thought or even expected but then she realised that Avalon was different from her hometown where she grew up.She knew that she had to take from what is available in a world different from hers;two worlds far apart from each other.

She made to go into the principal's office when she heard whispers from the male folks.Boys.She hated the whole lot of them.They were scum and the whole lot of them was nothing to write home about.