The City Realm

Chapter 1 - Reunited

Sophia watched the endless stream of people walk by the small coffee shop window, inhaling the rich aroma from her cup. Sitting there in the dainty shop with it's brick walls, dark mahogany furniture and aged Persian rugs, she couldn't help but feel lost in her own world. She had always loved life in the city, the chaotic streets where you could find a range of peculiar places around every corner, the buzz of the people all day and through to the night. A city never sleeps. The thing she missed most about living in central London was the sound of the traffic, the country was eerily silent and sent a shiver up her spine - she would never know why her father decided to ship her off to the Cheshire countryside at the age of twelve.

The thought sounded harsher than she'd meant. Although she loved her dad to pieces, there was always something he kept hidden, a cloud constantly hovering over him. She presumed he must be eternally broken after her mother died giving birth to her and that's why he was occasionally...questionable. That though also sounded bitter, it wasn't that she didn't love her mother but she didn't know her and to be quite frank - had never felt a connection when her father spoke of her. He didn't often speak of her.

She was a realist and didn't see the point in fantasing over a relationship with a person she never knew.

The point was she was back in London after five painful years away from the wonderful mechanical city. Okay so the word 'painful' was slightly dramatic but Phia shrugged it off as she saw a figure walking towards her.

Long was a suitable word to describe her best friend Cece; long tan legs, long red hair, long perfectly manicured nails to match her graceful long fingers. It was a shame she sucked at playing the piano. Phia felt the smile pour out as Cece sat down yet felt oddly self conscious that her friend looked like a supermodel in a chiffon dress while she just looked like a potato in jeans.

The black hair that reached the bottom of her ribs hung boringly over her green T-shirt and got in the way of her hazel eyes. She felt like a plain canvas compared to her bestfriend.

"Phia! I've missed you a ridiculous amount," she gushed while forcing a violent hug upon her. 

Sophia awkwardly untangled herself and laughed shaking her head, "Cece you saw me two days ago when we moved back."

"The time we had wasn't enough" she added with a dramatic hand across her forehead.

Phia and Cece (or Cecilia if you're a formal acquaintance), had been best friend since birth. Phia always though it was the sharing of play-dough at nursery that really united them, and ever since they'd been inseparable. Even when she lived in the country, Cece made it her mission to come and see her at every opportunity, her mum and dad tried to protest occasionally but stubborn Cece fought to the death and won - and Phia was too grateful for it.

Cece blew on her steaming black coffee and looked up over at her friend, "So, game-plan."

"I'm sorry?" Phia asked,

"We need a game-plan, God keep up"  Cece said with a roll of her eyes, "So because you're back and we've finished school we need to make plans because this has to be the most amazing summer ever." 

"But I really just want to rela-" she cut me off,

"No I mean it Sophia Verwood! I wan't us to have the best summer of our lives, you can not say or do anything that will change and that is an order!" she snapped on in all seriousness.

"Okay, Jesus are you even happy to see me or did you just come to shout at me?"

"A little bit of both," she smirked.

Times like this is what Phia missed the most while she was away. Sure she had made new friends in the school she attended but the majority where snotty rich kids who didn't give her a second glance, and the ones who weren't never made Phia feel as comfortable as she did with Cece. It was like Christmas when her father has told her they would move back to London after her exams, she swore it was only that promise that made her study her butt off and somehow pass all of her A-Levels. A miracle she had never seen coming. 

"So first things first, my birthday is on Thursday and I was thinking we could go to the food festival in Hyde Park?" Cece suggested hopefully, "The food last year was meant to be awesome and there'll be music and drinks too"

Phia's stomach automatically growled at the thought of food, "Yeah sounds great, and speaking of food fancy eating at my place tonight? We'll watch Gossip Girl..." she taunted knowing that would be the deal breaker for Cece.

"You know what I'll have to check my schedule," she joked, "I might just want to play some chess tonight and try to get in touch with my inner self while fighting for equal rights for guinea pigs..."

"Guinea pigs don't have equal rights?"

"Of course not Phia, jeez keep up with current events."