Old Promises, New Mysteries: Book 2 of The Kinstone series

I woke up, feeling the urge to head to the bathroom. I was so tired that I didn’t even really see where I was going. I banged my head into the door, causing me to stagger back a little. I rubbed my head slightly, then resumed inside.

After leaving the bathroom, I noticed the room was aglow with a soft white light. I staggered back to my bed, pulling off my hoodie, now feeling uncomfortable in it.

I collapsed back onto the bed, landing face-first. I wanted to just sleep there forever. I didn’t ever know what time it was. Shunting it from my mind, I allowed myself to melt back into the bed.

I felt something warm and fuzzy resting on the backs of my legs. A smile grew on my face, knowing that I had transformed into a kitsune, having become so relaxed. My tails swished softly over my body, my fox ears twitching now hearing the sounds of people noisily walking on the sidewalks below.

Rolling to the side, my tails curled around me, hugging them tightly. I yawned into them, feeling my fangs against my tongue. Once more my body seemed to sink into my bed. Eyes grew heavier once more. Just hoping that no one barges into my room.

My ears then twitched, hearing the door slowly creak open. The bed shifted as someone climbed onto it. I rolled onto my back, seeing little Susie curling up into me, still clutching a stuffed animal.

I sighed, pulling the little girl into a gentle hug. She must’ve wandered out of her room and found her way to mine, I thought. Funny how this little girl, and her brother, loved to cause such mayhem for me and yet here she is, sneaking into my room, and crawling into my bed.

Susie clung to me. I smiled, wrapping my tails around her, forming a blanket for the little to girl sleep under. I held her tightly to me, letting the both of us fall back to sleep.

Sometime later I felt someone gently nudging my shoulder. I opened my eyes to the girl’s mother kneeling by the side of the bed. I smiled warmly to her, not wanting to wake the child I was holding.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

Blushing softly, “Morning.”

Elizabeth leaned over and stroked her daughter’s hair, “Hope she didn’t startle you.” I shook my head with tails were still wrapped gently around the girl. She grinned, looking over my form, “I was just curious as to where she wandered off to.” I nodded.

She then leaned over and kissed her daughter’s cheek. Deep down I thought she might do the same to me, childish I know. But alas she didn’t.

She then smiled to me once more, brushing some hair out of my face, “Get some rest Aria.” I nodded to her, watching her slowly rise and leave my room, softly closing the door.

I stared back to the little girl in my arms. She nearly reminded me of Luna, whom often loved to sleep in my arms. I smiled to her, closing my eyes once more, and drifting back to sleep.

I don’t know how much time passed, but my stomach finally woke me up. I sat up on the bed, tails still wrapped around the slumbering girl. My arm had fallen asleep as well. A few turns of the shoulder and the numbness faded.

I peered over to the window, still seeing daylight. I popped my neck hearing it crack and then yawned, stretching my body. It had been quite some time since I had last slept like that, kinda felt good.

But then you have to remember, even though sleep is important, too much actually can make you feel sick. I crossed my legs, just listening to silence around me.

“Miss Aria?” whispered the little girl.

I craned my head to her, “Hey there, did you get enough sleep?”

She nodded, also sitting up and then proceeded to hug my tails, smiling to me, “So fluffy and warm.” I blushed to her, watching her yawn and rubbing her eyes.

I grinned softly; she really does remind me of Luna. I leaned over and kissed her forehead, “Hungry?” Susie nodded.

My tails unfurled around her as I slowly reverted to my human form. The look of disappointment drew across her face. Clearly she loved having the tails coiled around her.

I slid off the bed and helped her down as well, “Then why don’t we get some food?”

She nodded happily, quickly taking me hand. I smiled as the two of us then headed for the door.

The smell of fresh-brewed coffee filled the air, invigorating my body and mind back to life. Elizabeth and Alexis were already in the kitchen, hearing the sounds of bubbling pots and knives cutting and skirting echoed through the apartment. Both women were chatting about their lives.

My ears then picked up the sounds of bleeps and music, turning to see Robbie on the couch, playing with his mother’s phone. A few others of our room group were also sitting in the common area, one had fallen back to sleep. I hoisted Susie up onto a bar stool and sat beside her.

“Well hello there, did you get some sleep?” asked Alexis.

I nodded, rubbing my head, leaning onto the granite bar top, “Yeah. Still tired though.”

She chuckled, “Sweetie, you’re not the only one."

Breakfast, or in this case brunch, should be ready soon. I laid my head onto my arms, watching the woman cook, half wanting to offer my help to them.

Elizabeth turned and leaned over the countertop, looking to her daughter, “I was worried when I didn’t find you in bed with me.” Susie blushed, her tiny hand reaching for mine, and holding it.

Part of me was still skeptical on her, but in that moment, I was willing to just go with it. Her mother grinned, “You really do like Aria, don’t you?”

The girl blushed deeply, hiding her face. I looked to her, well…that’ll explain all of the pranks. She just wanted me to notice her. I smiled, pulling the girl close to me, stroking her arm. Kids can be insecure about their feelings, adults are as well, but with kids, it can be worse.

Her mother grinned warmly, turning back to her cooking. “I heard that you love to cook as well Aria,” Elizabeth added.

I nodded, “I do.”

She looked to me, “Your mother told me that you often do the cooking while the both of you are abroad.”

I smirked, remembering how bad of a cook Rachel is. “Yep. But it’s funny watching her try.”

The woman chuckled, “That it always is. Oh, since everyone is now awake, I wanted to you know that those who are staying together are also in the same group during the trip.”

“With you as leader obviously," resting my face onto my hand.

She nodded, “That would be correct.” I smiled softly.

With the clang of a pot, Alexis turned to the common room, “Food’s on.” The group stirred to life and headed for the bar, where both cooks had laid out the food. We all grabbed plates and began filling them.

It was about mid-afternoon, or so, when the entire group met together. We planned out our stay in the city. Museums and art galleries of course were on the itinerary, but with chances to go exploring the city during our free time. Some of the girls wanted to go shopping, seeing how Florence is one of the biggest fashion hubs in the world.

The youngest of the group naturally were to stick close to the adults at all times or at the very least with one of the older children. Magic wasn’t to be used unless necessary and we were to avoid any trouble-making. Eyes quickly turned onto Robbie, with a couple onto me. I grinned.

Each team was also given a list of places to go to if separated. I clutched my necklace, knowing that worse came to worse, I could transform into a dragon and fly anywhere. We then were given a map of the city, with prominent places to visit.

I quickly studied the map, pulling out my phone and marking the same places on it. The map also contained the address for the hotel.

The meeting lasted for another hour, which all the while we had a few of the adults cooking dinner for everyone. When the meeting was over, everyone stood in line and was served our meal.

The first day was full of exploration. My team toured the city, going from one museum to the next. The weather was perfect, mostly in the mid to low-sixties during the daytime, so quite pleasant. So we all wore outfits to match.

The city of Florence truly is a sight to behold. The streets and walkways were all lined with carefully laid bricks. The buildings all granted a natural shade to the people walking in between them. Not gonna to the old cliché of “I can feel the history of the city.”

There were hundreds if not thousands of people walking the streets. We took our time walking through the streets. Every turn every corner revealed something new.

The city was a hub of tourism for the region and it showed. I was constantly smiling with each new sight. But what a tourist judges as authentic and what a local thinks is are two completely different things.

Sure, there were museums to visit. But it’s the people that one also must observe in order to truly grasp a culture. You travel to any city in any part of the and you will witness the daily lives of those living there. One fun thing to do is people watch. Just find a good place to hunker down and look.

Our first major stop was to the Galleria dell’Accademia. The museum was full of art from Michelangelo including the David. I blushed softly seeing the sculpture up close. We then moved onto various other museums.

The walking I didn’t mind, nor the sheer amount of it. It was the constant stopping and moving on what was getting to me. By the time we left the third museum, I could feel my feet aching.

While touring the city, I wondered if Rachel too had been here. What am I saying? Of course she has.

As we walked around the city, it felt like the city was locked in time, old and yet modern. Naturally there were little cafes and boutiques dotted across the city.

The second day, our team slowly headed for the various theaters that dotted the city. One in particular, the Amphitheater of Boboli, located in the Boboli Gardens, was an incredible place to visit. I sat on the steps and gazed outwards.

Down on the stage, we watched a play being performed. I could easily follow it, even appreciating it a little. Theater isn’t really my thing, but while there, I was enjoying it.

The group then toured the gardens themselves. It was full of greenery and more statues and grottos. The gardens were expansive, and it took us most of the day just to tour them.

By far my favorite place was the Isolloto. An island which was litter with hanging gardens and at its heart was the Fountain of the Ocean. The sun pierced the clouds just enough for me to see it light reflect off of the water.

I took a seat on a stone railing and listened to the water. I pulled out my camera and began taking pictures of the grounds.

We then ventured into the Palazzo Patti, primary residence of the Medici family. It housed enormous galleries of art from the renaissance, with the bulk of our time being spent in the Palatine Gallery. In my life I had never seen so much art. Twenty-eight rooms were devoted to a specific artist or theme.

The palace itself was utterly massive and portrayed the wealth and prestige it masters wielded during their time. At point I eyed a covered bridge of the river. It was the Palazzo Vecchio.

I smirked, knowing through research, that it was full of stores and shops. Another small art gallery also lied within. Something I might want to check out if given the opportunity.

We would meet up during each day for lunch and cross notes. Each café we ate at would be abuzz with the laughter of teenage girls talking about the boys they would pass by, the same being for the guys. I often would sit back and listen to everyone.

It felt good being around people my age, and yes I do mean my age. I’m now a kid. Remember? So I think and act like one.

On the odd occasion, a random question would be thrown my way about my thoughts on any boys that I had seen. I’d just lean back into my chair and pretend to ignore the question.

This tended to prompt the girls to start teasing me, wanting to know if I had seen anyone that caught my eye. The pressures mounted with every nudge and prod until I relented on the second day and did indeed talk about a couple young men I thought were rather cute.

The girls then threw into a frenzy, again teasing, and asking me if I had a boyfriend back at home. I blushed, pulling my legs into my chest. I didn’t want to think about Drakon or Savero.

The onslaught of questions was finally ended once the adults stepped in and ordered them to stop harassing me. The girls would talk about heading to the shops and looking at buying clothing or jewelry. Personally I wouldn’t mind doing some clothes shopping. As for jewelry...no thanks.

When evening came, we all met up back at the hotel. The group piled into the lobby where we discussed the day’s events. It was nice to unwind.

The kids all gathered and joked, and swapped stories from our daily lives. This felt so much like the Summer Gathering and everyone knew it, albeit with much fewer people. New friendships were made, some strengthened.

I grew closer to Henry and Alexis. Henry talked about studying architecture upon graduating high school, and had become so enamored by the buildings here in the city. I still have to smirk at the idea of him designing homes or anything else given his lack of any sense of direction.

Alexis talked about picking of a second major in music, either producing it or writing it along with her English major. She also spoke of wanting to traveling the world and study the different styles of music. But when not talking about school, she often tended to pull me close to her, hugging me tightly.

I loved being with the both of them, traveling around the city and experiencing this with friends from my coven.

The adults drank from the bar, while most of the younger kids were carted off to bed. The rest of the children stayed in the lobby. I often was seen with a pot of steaming tea beside me. I giggled to myself, actually missing my “teatime”.

Around 11:00 we crept back to our rooms and got ready for bed. I swapped between texting Rachel and outright calling her. Susie snuck into mine each night, wanting to sleep with me. Elizabeth had told me that Susie wished she had an older sister to look up to. I smiled, taking the role.

Susie often would stick close to me, having been named her designated watcher by her mother. The little girl never once left my side, opting to become my shadow. I smiled, keeping a constant eye on her.

Knowing that kids do love to wander off, I tied a magical thread between to two of us. That way if she were to get separated from me, I could easily find her.

Her mother was rather surprised that I knew such a spell. I blushed softly when I told her that it was Marron who taught it to me, having been the one who tied it.

This goes back to when I got separated from everyone while in New Orleans and even Fenris couldn’t find our way back. I felt a thread being tugged around my finger, which I followed back to her and Rachel.

On the third day of our time in Florence, my jaw dropped when we entered the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. I had been to a Catholic basilica before, but this…this was on a whole other level. The interior was massive.

The Duomo hung high over our heads as we entered the sanctuary. The sun shone into the cathedral, which gave the interior a golden hue. The Duomo was painted with depictions of the saints and God at its heart.

My own heart fluttered rapidly, thinking that my dad would’ve loved to have been here. I took as many pictures as I could as we toured the church.

I wandered off from the group and eyed many of the statues and paintings. I could feel the gaze of a few pressing on me. My paranoia crept up, wondering who was there. I clenched the strap of my bag, seeing my group, and headed back towards them.

I got the glimpse of a few shadowy figures, posing as tourists. I rolled my eyes; just don’t start anything in here guys. After a few minutes of touring the church, we turned to leave.

Upon exiting the church, I dipped my finger into a small bowl of holy water and did the sign of the Cross over my chest and shoulders, offering a small prayer. We then continued on to explore the plaza and its adjacent areas.

While in the Piazza del Duomo we all decided to take a rest near a small café. Behind us a small band was playing. I sank into my seat as I listened to them. The violinist especially caught my ear. She was a petite woman with short dark auburn hair and simple dress.

The melodies which hummed from her instrument smoothed away my exhaustion. I could actually picture the music in my mind. Without realizing it, my finger was waving in rhythm, even detecting the minor off-beats each musician performed, which irritated me somewhat.

“Vorresti giocare? (Would you like to play?)”

I opened my eyes and saw said violinist hovering over me. My face burned bright red as I stared at her.

“Io ... non potevo. (I…I couldn’t.)”

She smiled to me, offering her hand to me, “Certo che puoi. Per favore? (Of course you can. Please?)”

I looked over to Elizabeth, who was resting her elbows on the table, with chin on her palms. She clearly wanted to hear me play. My heart trembled terribly in my chest. Here I was, in the very heart of Florence, was being asked to play a violin.

Now Rachel has been giving me lessons since I moved in with her, something we did once a week as part of my education with her. This also included at least one to two hours of practice a day.

I glanced back over to Elizabeth, who was smiling, and nodded to me. Turning back to the woman, who had basically given her blessing to do so, I took the woman’s hand and had her pull me over to the rest of her bandmates. She apparently had already talked them into letting me perform with them.

The woman cleaned her instrument and handed it to me. It was old and well-played, but I could feel the love and care placed into it. It was roughly the same size as my own and even her strings felt the same.

The band began to play some simple local songs; the music was gentle and relaxing. My eyes closed, following the music closely. I brought the violin up and placed my chin onto the rest.

Fingers pressed against the neck, as I raised the bow to the strings, drawing it slowly. The notes flew out the instrument, tapping my foot in tandem with the beat. Thankfully the band had given me some music to follow, so I wasn’t completely lost.

I flowed with the music, feeling my fingers dance over the neck, hitting every note I could. When finished, I looked to the band, seeing them smiling to me. Blushing softly, I clenched the strings.

The leader then looked to me, “Ti andrebbe di scegliere la canzone successiva, signorina? (Would you care to choose the next song, young lady?)”

I blushed even more, holding the violin at my side. I gazed at my team, who all sat mesmerized. I blushed even more, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

I looked to the bandleader and sighed, venting my nervousness away, “Spero che tu sia tutti i fan di John Denver (I hope you’re all John Denver fans.)”

I took a deep breath and began to play the violin portion of the Whispers of the Heart’s rendition of Country Roads. The scene was one of my favorites from the movie, and was often the section I tended to practice the most. That and the theme from Fairy Tail.

I smiled like an idiot the more I played, loving every moment. The band soon joined in, giving a soft accompaniment at first, but finally catching on. The music echoed throughout the square, reverberating off of the buildings.

I closed my eyes, letting the music flow out of me, feeling more and more natural as the song progressed. I love music, always have and always will. So while basically being asked to play in the middle of the piazza with countless scores of on-lookers is jarring, in the moment I didn’t care. I simply was enjoying myself.

When the song ended, the uproarious sound of applause rang around me. My eyes grew huge, seeing that a massive crowd had gathered around us. I lowered the violin, handling it back to its owner. My face felt as though it were burning, as I stood there.

The woman grinned brightly to me, “Sei stato fantastico! (You were amazing!)”

I lowered my head, “G-grazie signora, (Thank you Miss).” She smiled, patting my shoulder, returning to her bandmates.

I turned to the crowd was still cheering with a few wanting to talk to me. The band thankfully held them back, along with Elizabeth, who had gotten up as well.

I slunk back into my seat, burying my face into my knees. My heart pounded against my chest. I remembered during Ikkicon when Marron basically drafted me into a singing competition.

Elizabeth knelt beside me, “Your mother told me that you played the violin. But I never knew you were this good.”

I blushed even more, “I’m…I’m not that good.”

She grinned to me, “Don’t sell yourself short.” She held a glint in her eyes, the very same Marron had, knowing that she was going to send it to Rachel. I buried my face into my knees once more.

The news of my little “concert” spread quickly amongst the group. That evening, everyone just kept talking about it. I knew someone must’ve recorded it, seeing how they crowded around their phones.

I simply hid away in my room, head covered in a pillow. This was way different than the con. I really was out in the public and had enjoyed myself.

When I spoke to my mother about the day, someone must’ve told her about it. She showered me with praise, saying how wonderful I sounded. I kept my face buried under my pillow.

My mother laughed, saying how much she missed me. I missed her as well, starting to feel a little homesick.

The only downside during our time in Florence was that the weather was chilly enough that it wouldn’t allow us to venture out and tour the countryside. A few were shocked at the news, having wanted to go and explore it.

Having read numerous Italian romance novels, which I have actually found to be rather boring, I wanted to ride a bike through the Tuscan countryside. As corny as it sounds, I really did want to. And I guess Rachel is right when she calls me a bit of a romantic.

It didn’t rain while we were there, but the dark clouds constantly threaten to do so. During the fourth day, the group only went out for half the day. We visited another of the many piazzas within the city. While sitting at a café, I slunk into my seat and pulled out the third of the half dozen novels I had brought along with me.

Sarah and Elizabeth were discussing future plans, Alexis was enjoying a drink and the others were watching a soccer match on the TV. Susie of course was sitting at my side, having fallen asleep. I smiled softly, holding the little girl close to me.

Robbie had since buried himself into his mother’s phone again. It was just a nice quiet day to relax, once you could ignore the shouting of the other patrons when their favorite team scored.

On the fifth day, the girls again discussed going out shopping. We were planning to leave for Rome the very next day, so they wanted to do some in the city before we did.

They begged the chaperones, who reluctantly agreed. This also meant I was practically dragged along for the ride. I think also the fact that I spoke fluent Italian was a major reason why they drafted me to go. So off I went.

Susie begged her mother to go with. Even I told the little girl she couldn’t go, which broke her heart. I did promise to bring her back something.

She pouted, nearly crying, “Promise?”

I smiled to her, “I promise.” She nodded. I smiled to her once more.

“Hey Aria, you ready?”

I nodded to the girls, “Yeah, I’ll be right there.” I turned and head for the door.

The girls and I walked to the Ponte Vecchio, the enclosed bridge along the Arno River, which housed numerous shops. We talked along the way, with everyone discussing the upcoming winter solstice festival. I kept quiet during that part.

Last year’s festival was amazing to say the least. It was my formal introduction to the Coven and where I had met many who’d later become my best friends. The festival also served as a way to help me break my depression following the deaths of my family. Overall, I had a great time.

When we arrived, we saw the bridge was already packed with shoppers, a good day to do some shopping. The shops ranged from jewelry stores to a few boutiques. The group split up, covering more of the bridge.

We hit nearly every shop, with a couple of the girls ducking into the jewelers. I would listen in on the shop owners as they tried to sell to them. They obviously were hiking up the prices, with one shop owner calling one of the girls a “stupid American girl, easy to sell to.”

I rolled my eyes as they didn’t even realize that they were being hustled. I finally had had enough and told off the owner, which shocked him. I leaned over the counter and began to haggle with the man, bargaining so fast that he couldn’t keep up.

Eventually I was able to get him to sell us a few pieces for about half off. Becca and Kayla, the pair I was with, both thanked me, offering to get me something in return. I declined, wanting to find something for Susie as promised.

I wandered the shops, and to my surprise, I found a bookstore. I headed in and browsed the selection. Granted, everything was in Italian, but that didn’t matter to me. I did find a few books in English.

My eyes got the sight of a couple books from Minerva Oslont. Apparently she had another book series that I didn’t know about. I grinned, instantly buying them. The shop owner thanked my purchase.

When I neared the door, I got the whiff of freshly-cut grass. I turned my head, now seeing the owner sported tiny coiling sheep horns on her head. I smiled to her, thanking her again, and exited to shop.

The rest of the shopping trip was quaint and pleasant. I even picked up a couple little trinkets to bring home. As promised, I found a tiny present for Susie, a tiny stuffed grey kitten. I grinned, thinking she’d love it.

I met up with the girls, who all were heavy with bags full of whatever they bought. I had what I wanted. We all giggled, talking about our purchases, not even noticing the sun had begun to set.

Upon exiting the bridge, a figure stood by, watching. I glanced at him, whom was clearly looking at me. I tilted my head at him, but the figure remained stoic, only his eyes tracked me. I hung close to my group, keeping a weathered eye on him.

There were too many people around us to try and confront him if the figure tried to make a move. And I didn’t want to alarm the girls or cause some sort of international incident or something. The group walked on, with me choosing to feign ignorance of the man.

We trotted back to the hotel, now feeling extremely hungry. The group had gathered on the first floor, with the adults having used the kitchens in the rooms to make dinner for everyone. I plopped onto a couch and texted with Jenn, who complained about not being there.

She made a comment about seeing a video of me playing the violin. I slumped deeper into my seat, blushing. I texted back and confirmed that I did indeed play with the band. She practically squealed in her response.

The adults then called us over for to eat. Susie, of course, sat beside me. During the entire week, I was actually surprised that Robbie hadn’t pulled any of his pranks. It probably had something to do with his mom keeping an extremely short leash on him. Regardless, I was grateful for the reprieve.

The group sat and talked about our week, each sharing a unique experience that we all took away from our stay. My team in particular all brought up my performance in the square. I blushed, trying to hide myself. Everyone just laughed.

When dinner had died down, I pulled out the kitten for Susie. Her little face lit up like a rocket. She quickly hugged the toy. “Thank you sissy.”

My heart felt as though someone had shot an arrow straight through it. I blushed and hugged the girl, “You’re welcome Susie.” Her mother beamed, taking a picture of the two of us.

“All right everyone, quiet down,” declared Sarah, “I’m going to announce our plans for tomorrow.”

We all turned to look at her. “We will be leaving here around ten in the morning. So have everything packed up and ready to go. Our train will depart an hour later. So hopefully traffic won’t be that bad.”

The group nodded.

“With that said, I want everyone to get some rest. It’s an hour and a half ride to Rome so take the opportunity to rest up along the way as well. Believe me, this portion of the trip will take the most out of us.” Again we nodded in agreement.

“Any questions?” pausing for a moment. “Okay then, let's head back up.” We all then got up and returned to our rooms.

I threw my dirty clothes into a drawstring hamper, tossing it into my suitcase. My feet were already killing me from all of the walking that I had been doing while here in Florence.

After finishing with my belongings, I sat by my mini balcony and stared out onto the city. My arm rested on the railing, with my head on the arm.

The Arno River shimmered and reflected the lights above it. The city was still bustling with life, hearing the sounds of people walking about. I took long and deep breaths.

The last time felt like this was when Rachel and I went to London last year, with me sitting on a window sill and staring out onto the city. It was peaceful. A gentle chilled breeze brushed against me, catching my hair slightly.

I heard a knock on the door, turning to face it, “Come in.” The door opened to reveal Elizabeth with Susie next to her, who was already dressed for bed, looking like she was about to pass out. I smiled to them.

“Ready for bed Aria?” she asked. Nodding, I leaned back against the window frame, taking another long breath.

“Good. Lights out soon.”

I nodded, turning my head back to gaze out onto the city. I felt Susie hugging me, which made me smile. “Night sissy.”

I grinned to her, “Night Susie,” hugging her back. Guess she wasn’t sleeping with me tonight.

Her mother smiled, picking up her daughter, “Get some rest sweetie. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.” I nodded, letting out a soft yawn. Elizabeth grinned, slowly leaving my room, and closing the door.

I leaned my head against the frame once more, closing my eyes for a moment. Rome…the final stop on our tour of Italy. I still couldn’t believe that I was actually going to visit the ancient city. I sighed, getting up and closing the window.

I climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me. My eyes were already growing heavy, my mind fading away in the quiet of the room. Without notice, I drifted away into sleep. The next portion of our trip was set to begin.

The next morning was both relaxed and hurried. The each team had packed up the previous night, and stood reading to leave. My team was the last to get out of our apartment.

As with every time I stayed in a hotel, I took one last look over my room. Each piece of my belongings were picked up and stuffed into my suitcase. Satisfied, even levitating certain pieces of furniture, I exited my room, turning off the lights.

Elizabeth looked to me, “Ready Aria?”

I nodded to her, letting out a soft yawn.

She smiled to me, turning to help her kids. Alexis walked up behind me, resting a hand onto my shoulder, “Sleep all right kiddo?” I looked up to her, nodding.

She sighed, “Just another week and we’ll be heading for home." I rubbed my neck, feeling the exhaustion welling up. Rome awaited us, but before that we still had a long train ride ahead.

Elizabeth then turned and saw that everyone was ready. “All right then, let's head down and meet up with everyone.” The team nodded and slowly filed out of the apartment.

We gathered in the lobby one final time, with the group leaders checking us out. I leaned against my suitcase, nose buried in a book. It had been a bit of a running gag that I was called a bookworm, being constantly seen with an open book in my hands. It wasn’t an insult, just a nickname they gave me.

I had even given some of the girls a few of the books I read when they asked me. No one wanted to start a book club. Believe me, those are really boring.

“Let’s head on out guys,” shouted Sarah.

Outside were a row of vans, waiting for us. Everyone packed our luggage into the back end of each van. Within less than ten minutes, the group was ready to leave. Piling into the vans, and taking my seat, I gazed out of the window.

The sky was a soft grey mixed with whites. I leaned back into my seat, half tired, but eager. Once everyone was buckled in, the vans all roared to life, and drove towards the train station.

Upon our arrival, the group leisurely shuffled in. We still had plenty of time, but it didn’t mean we could doddle. Finding the train didn’t take us long. Checking our tickets, we boarded.

I will admit to being on a train in a very long time, and never for the length of time or distance ahead. So this was going to be yet another first for me.

I climbed into my seat, pulling back out my book. The trip to Rome was going to be at least two hours. Thankfully the weather was going to cooperate and not rain on us.

I pulled my headphones up over my ears, and turned them on. As I read, I watched everyone in the group shuffling about, and locating their seats. The youngest of the kids constantly were running around, causing havoc for their parents. I smile rose on my face, turning my attention back to my book.

A small swirling mass of nervousness grew in my stomach. Prior to my flight here, I had researched much the city, even asking for info from Xiphos about any possible dangers. The old sphinx smiled, telling me to relax and have fun while I was away. I nodded to him.

The train jerked forward, slowly pulling us away from the station. I peered out the window, watching the platform slip away. My music played, drowning out the sounds of the tracks below as we slowly began to pick up speed.

The city of Florence soon came into full view. My mind went back to all of the experiences and places we explored. Our time there was good and eventful. I even blushed when I remembering playing the violin with the band. Hearing a chime in my headphones, I looked down to find a text from Rachel.

Have fun in Rome sweetheart. Know that we are counting the days until you return home. Be safe and continue to mind your elders. Love, Rachel.

I blushed and smiled after reading the text. I missed home and my mother. But part of this trip was to test how the both of us could handle being halfway across the world from each other. There were a couple times when I would reach out for Fenris and not find him there. I sighed, but was also looking forward to our next stop. Returning to my book, I found myself lost within its pages. My music again tuned out the world.