Chapter 1: Where it began
A nice warm day in Venice, Italy. School is starting today as we speak; I am going into 3rd grade. I’m a bit nervous, but Mama said I could get Gelato if I make it in my first day. So, here I am, about to enter the classroom, my big dark brown eyes scanned the tall beige door in this small hallway of my school , the International school of Venice, my small form could only focus on the door in front of me, my mind didn’t hear the kids around me going into the classroom through the door, my small hands gripped the straps of my plain pink backpack. Mama left me here a few minutes ago and I was still scared, my new white Gucci shorts began to shake a bit along with my legs that were trembling, my purple butterfly print shirt swayed in the wind as the hallway was crowded with kids who knew each other, I don’t know anyone at all. Soon I calmed down and entered the big classroom, I saw my teacher in the front of the class, already starting class my brown hair fell over my face as I shied away and went to the teachers’ side. I knew the teacher since she was my old baby sitter, and I was used to being around her. She smiled down at me, Ms.Anita always did that as she knew I was nervous, then her voice came out like a pretty melody, and got everyone in the class to stop and look at her, and when they saw me they began to wonder why I was there, the more they starred the more I hid behind Ms.Anita as she said “Tutti, diamo il benvenuto Angelina Vargas, facciamo sentire il benvenuto.”1 of course I was shy, because I was scared of being judged. But Ms.Anita was super nice as always. She made me go to my seat, asking me nicely. I sat down in between two boys, one who sat to my left,, with brown, almost reddish hair, a black shirt and some jean shorts as Mama Calls them, sat by me looking kind of scary. He had bright almost dark green color to them, he looked like, hmm, and what was it they called it? A trouble maker, was it? Yeah, that, that’s what he looked like. He didn’t look like he was from here either, the boy to my right looked like his complete opposite, Blond hair, blue eyes, a smile also not here, that I could tell, well, at least they both didn’t notice me, I didn’t expect them too anyways. When lunch came I went into the large cafeteria, I saw 3-4th graders in there, but there was three of those two graders, I sighed and head over to a table that no one was at, to just eat alone like I always do. What caught me off guard was that the two boys I was sitting with at in class, the blonde one sat in front of me, the brown haired boy just was mad and didn’t wanna sit but he sat down anyways with him I looked down becoming shy till the blonde one said “Hi Angelina, is it ok if we sit here?” he asked that to me but I couldn’t answer, I was too shy for my own good. He seems off though, but it could be just me, who knows. What people don’t get is that I am smart for my age, I love to read, and I know bigger words than most kids in my class but not everything of course. Hmm, maybe the other one is nice too? “Let’s go Alois, she doesn’t even talk.” The brown haired boy said to the boy ‘Alois’, well, so much for thinking he was nice. Alois looked kind of sad and pouted at the boy “I can talk; I just didn’t know what to say.” I said quietly but they looked at me and Alois Smiled, and the brown haired boy introduced himself as Antonio. I let them eat with me, and slowly as we talked we became used to each other and we soon became close. Every day we sat together in classes and at lunch too, it was really fun, to have some friends to talk to, I know Antonio can be mean but, he is really nice, so nice he treats me like his little sister. Alois also did too for a bit, but, I still was keeping a big secret from them. My secret is; I hear a girl, a young girl in my head. She tells me a lot of things, she’s really smart. She says to call her whatever I want, so I call her “Shadow”. I call her that because the few times I did see her, she had long black hair, bright red eyes, and very pale skin. She and I always talk when I am left alone, but I don’t know why, but through this week she’s been talking mean about Alois, and I don’t get why. One day though I did find out why she never liked him, but I really wish I never found out.” I don’t wanna be your friend anymore Alois.” A faint voice said in my mind, a memory, and I thought it was nothing, the next day, I found him ignoring me, not wanting to play with me. By the time P.E came I wanted to cry, he wouldn’t even look at me, by now though, we were already used to the life a 4th grader. I tried today, a little bit cold Tuesday in early Fall to talk to him “Alois? What’s wrong? Did I do-“I started to say but he looked over at me, and just the way he looked at me was enough to know I shouldn’t talk to him, it was enough to cut me off, Soon after that he left, went to his other friends and played soccer with them. “Angelina? Are you ok?” I heard Antonio call to me. I didn’t reply back though, I was almost crying, because just then, I figured out why I always felt weird around Alois. I like him, a lot, more than a friend. Antonio hugged me from behind, between the three of us he was the oldest, with our two other friends, he was second oldest. Felicia and Lovina where the two youngest ones. But they came over to hug me too. We stayed like that, them hugging me. “Angel, Let’s play our game! We don’t need him to play.” Felicia said, she was always the calm one, Lovina then said “Yea! Who needs him? We sure don’t. Let’s go.” She pulled me to our spot at the playground and we played our fairy game. The game is easy; we would pick a fairy from the books we read our favorite one of course, and play as that fairy. I was always indigo, the Indigo fairy, Felicia was Sunny the sun fairy, Lovina and Ruby the Ruby fairy, and of course Antonio always played Jack Frost, the enemy of the fairies. We made it so we could pick 2 of the 5 elements; Earth, Fire, Air, Ice and Water. Antonio would chase us as we found safe spots and then try and defeat him. We had so much fun I just pushed the problem away from my mind.
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Now it was early fall and it was Friday, I’m so happy to sleep in tomorrow, but of course that won’t happen. The next morning, I got a call on my new phone that my friend Luciana gave me, the one who is the first oldest in our group. And she knows I HATE waking up this early!” Luci!” I whined as I picked up the phone, and I could hear her laughing as soon as I picked up my small phone. I pouted at this, this was so unfair! “Buongiorno~ Angelina~!” I heard her say as I sat up in my black and white flower print bed, messing my hair too as I smiled as I could hear my 7 year old brother laughing in my mom’s room. “I just wanted to say Ciao.” She said, and I just know she was smiling the whole entire time. “Ok, ok. Oh are you still coming next weekend?” I asked happily. I mean, she comes over a lot any way. And when she does, we always play chef. “Of course! We are going to have a bunch of fun and play all day.” She said, and I could tell she was excited like I was “Maybe it won’t be as fun. You never know.” I heard Shadow say “but, if she becomes fun, or something, I won’t do anything” this has been happening a lot more and more, she’s no fun at all. We continued, and so, by the time we were done Shadow said “Hey, Angelina?” I sat back on my bed as I finished changing, I mean, why go back to sleep if your awake? “Yes Shadow? “ I said back to her as I grabbed my new book from school.” How about eating? How does that work?” she asked, so I tried my very best to explain it to her, since she can’t taste anything I eat. “Angelina? Why do you always protect Antonio? What is it that you have to-““he has no mommy….and he’s like a little brother to me. So I have to protect him.” I said before she finished talking. I meant what I said to her too. He really has no mommy, but that doesn’t stop me from protecting him.” Angelina! Come down stairs for breakfast~!” I heard my mommy say from the kitchen. I smiled at that and ran down the stairs for breakfast “PANCAKES! “ I yelled as I could smell them “ hi sister~! “ my brother, Emil, yelled in his 7 year old voice as he saw me going to the kitchen. “Buongiorno Emil” I said to him as I messed with his almost snow white hair. It was like this because mama said, when he was born, something happened and his hair became like this, but I still find him cute, even with his whitish hair. He laughed as I messed his hair up and I smiled at him giggling “Buongiorno Mama~! “I said as she put the yummy pancakes on the plates. “Buongiorno Mamacita~” my mom said to me as she picked me up and laughed as she did. “Did you sleep well?” she asked me smiling. I hugged her and nodded “Yes mama!” I said, and she put me down to eat. Today was the day I got to go to our store with Luciana. She never has come to see it so it will be fun. After breakfast we went into daddy’s car and we went to go get Luci from her house. Once we got there she came running out and I yelled “Luci!” as she came into the car and hugged me close, like I hugged her “Angel! My baby!” she yelled as she hugged me more. “Wow, she’s hyper.” Shadow said in my head with a sigh. As soon as Luciana wasn’t looking I pouted and thought back to Shadow “Oh hush. She’s nice!” When we got to the store we walked around the store since it was so big, and had everything you could think of! Even toys. So we walked around all by ourselves, “Look! Gelatos shop Luciana! Per favore let’s get some!” I said as I took her to it. When we got there she ordered her favorite one, Vanilla and mine, Lavender. “Come on Angelina, let’s go look at more stores.” Luci said as we ate our Gelato and walked around some more. Later, we found out we got lost, and we tried to find our way back, but we couldn’t. “Luciana, we’re lost” I said, almost crying because I hate being lost. “Come on Angelina, let me take you back. I may be your age in your head, but, I am much older. Go back to the Gelato shop you were at.” Shadow said to me and I nodded. “Luci? I think I know the way back.” I said to her, she looked at me and nodded and so, I took her back, following what Shadow was telling me to do. “How did you remember the way Angelina?” Luci asked when we got back. I only shrugged and said “I just remember” and just like that, we continued on with our day at the store.
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