New Journey

ZAIRE

My alarm went off at six in the morning, waking me up from a deep sleep. I cursed in my mind as I turned it off before laying in bed, looking at the ceiling. Today would be the day we moved to a new home, the day we would start a new life. I was not too keen about it, but my father seemed to be pretty excited, and I couldn’t ruin it for him.

Yesterday, I said goodbye to my friends and teachers. They had all planned a farewell party in the classroom, the girls hugged me while they cried and the boys patted my back, wishing me good luck on my new journey.

“We are going to miss you, Mouse,” they all said in unison. I was petite and short, hence the nickname, but I couldn’t say I minded, they were my friends and I loved them. Suddenly needing some air, I left the classroom and headed outside, my heart squeezing inside my chest. 

My father had been promoted from teacher to principal for a very prestigious high school up in Canada, so we were moving from sunny Florida, to probably cold and harsh winters.

“Zaire, time to wake up, honey!” I heard my mom call, pulling me out of my thoughts. I got out of my bed and walked to my bathroom, ready to take a quick shower. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I realized my eyes were swollen from crying almost all night. 

I didn’t take too long to get cleaned. We had to be out of the house by nine, so I tried to get dressed to be ready for breakfast before we left. There was a pair of jean shorts, a red tank top and a black vest waiting for me on my bed. On the floor, I kept a pair of brand new black combat boots, ready to be worn. 

I put my clothes on, finishing my look with a red headband, letting my long, brown hair down as I put on some eyeliner to accentuate my gray eyes and a clear lipgloss on my plump lips. 

“Zaire, Hurry up! We need to be gone soon, come get your breakfast!” mom called again, this time in Spanish and I knew I needed to hurry up. 

Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zaire Morales, daughter of Cesar and Gabriela Morales. Best parents any kid could ask for. My little brother Daniel, was only ten years old. He was what everyone calls a rainbow baby after mom had two miscarriages. It was my job as his older sister to protect him. 

“Everything has been arranged for us. Visa, residency and even our own house,” I heard dad as I came out of my room and joined them downstairs. He must have noticed how much this move was hurting me and he put his hands on my shoulders, giving me comfort. I tried so hard not to cry, but my eyes found the floor more interesting than my family. 

“Everything will be okay, Pumpkin. This will be the fresh start we need,” he said, lifting my chin and smiling at me softly. I nodded my head with a smile, giving him the reassurance he needed. 

“I know, dad. But I’m still a bit afraid. What if they don’t like me there?”

He cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead, just as he used to do when I was a kid. 

“They won’t like you, they’ll love you.”

We had our quick breakfast, mom letting us know we would stop on the way to grab food and rest. Dad grabbed my last bag and walked out to put it in the back of the new minivan they bought for the trip. I looked at the moving truck, already driving off and gave our house a last look before getting inside the van. It would be a very long ride to the north.

~~~~~~~~~~

I walked down the halls of my new school, the white walls and the brown linoleum floor gave it an older look, but it was so shiny, it looked like there was a sheet of ice on top. The lockers were blue, not even matching the rest of the building, and not to mention how eerie the school looked from the outside.

It was like looking at Dracula’s castle in one of his movies. I walked into my classroom and there was no one there yet, so I picked a chair to sit on. 

“Hello! You must be Zaire, the new girl,” a girl greeted me as she walked into the classroom. She was short and a bit on the curvier side, with a brown knitted sweater and faded black jeans. Her copper red hair, blue eyes, thin lips and buttoned nose made her look like a model on a magazine under those glasses.

“Yes, that’s me,” I said, shaking her hand with a smile, “and you are?” 

“My name is Margery Willard, and I’ll be sitting next to you in class if that’s okay. We can even be friends,” she said, excitedly. Wow, that was fast. She doesn’t know me and is already offering me to be her friend. I wonder if she was just a lonely soul.

As we both sat down there, getting to know each other, the rest of the students walked in, but when I looked up, they were all standing in the front of the classroom, looking down at me. One thing I noticed about them, their eyes glowed brighter than Christmas lights.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Zaire, wake up honey. We’re here,” mom woke me up and I looked around, realizing what I experienced was just a very strange dream.

“Are we there already?” I asked sleepily as I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hands and let out a loud yawn. I looked out the window and there was a diner. Suddenly, my stomach growled. 

“No, we’re not there yet, but this will be our last stop. We made it to Canada,” she replied, and got out of the van, taking Daniel with her. Dad walked around and stood by my side, opening the door for me. 

“Are you coming?” he said with a big smile on his face. I got out of the van and walked towards the diner. The brick building looked inviting, but as soon as I walked in, all eyes were on us, more specifically on me. It made me feel uncomfortable, bringing shivers throughout my body as I tried to look away to ignore them.

I guess it was normal for them to stare, but the way they looked at me was definitely strange, as if they knew me. It made me wonder, what about us was catching their attention? At this point, I doubted it was us being new in town. 

A skinny, tall waitress, maybe in her late twenties approached our table, offering us drinks while handing out the menus. When she walked away to prepare them, dad leaned against the table, showing how happy he was as he smiled from ear to ear and his eyes showed that glimmer we loved to see. 

“We have traveled quite the days, but we are only two hours away from our new house, and I was thinking about driving the rest of the way there after lunch. If you need to use the restroom, now’s the time.”

“Sounds good, dad,” I replied, looking out the glass window with a solemn gaze. I was still a little on edge about the move and that dream I had earlier was not making me feel better. It all felt too real. 

“Dad, are supernatural beings real?” Daniel suddenly asked as he looked straight to someone’s table, where there was a man looking at us. His eyes glowed a golden yellow and for some reason, it was calling to me. Shaking my head, I looked back at my family. Daniel must have seen it too and that is why he asked that question. 

“Well, Daniel. There are rumors that where we’ll live there are supernatural beings, but you know I don’t believe in any of that,” dad replied, taking a sip of his coffee as soon as the waitress brought it over. 

I looked once again at the mysterious man. He stood up and walked out of the diner with his family. When he approached the door, he stopped and tipped his hat in salute before he left.

“Strange,” I whispered as I turned to Daniel who was looking back at me with his eyes wide open. He saw them too.