Firebug

New Beginnings

Juliana's POV
Juliana never expected the turn of events over the past year of her life. The turbulence, the uncertainty and the unknown clashing with exhilaration, gratefulness and close friendship. Not to mention the terrible weather and the gridlock of city traffic. But she had gotten used to the drizzly skies bursting open at a seconds notice whilst trying to navigate through confusing road signs and millions of cycle lanes that were seldom occupied with said cyclists.

England- the land of questionable food and strange English humour. But she had grown fond of the oddities of the country, the country her and her mother now called home. The country which had given them a chance to start their lives over, without having to look over their shoulders in fear.

Lupe had stuck a pin in a map of the country and that would be the place that they resided for their new adventure. Leicester, the city known for King Richard III and pork pies, was where the pin guided them to. At first, she wondered what on earth her mother had done, when the taxi dodged in and out of the traffic on a main route in to the city, which was littered with burnt out shells of former knitwear factories, an industry which had died in the seventies.

But seeing the shabby, dilapidated crap had given her some inspiration on what she wanted to do with her life. Their hi rise flat looked over the Corah building, another victim to the deceased knitwear trade. Juliana had done a little research and awed at the sheer size of the site before its demise. The local kids seemed to take great delight in starting fires for fun, which Juliana had witnessed first hand during the middle of the night when the firefighters were dousing the flames on a roaring fire in one of the older parts of the building.

She enrolled on a fire fighting experience day with the local fire department on that same week of the terrible fire and it was the best decision of her life. She was now a fully qualified firefighter, extinguishing the flames at Corah's rather than being a witness to the devastating arson epidemic.

As if by fate, she had also gained a best friend in the form of Shannon, a beauty of Irish heritage, who could easily pass as a model with her slender body, black hair and piercing blue eyes. The two women had an unconventional introduction, when Shannon had spilled a cup of coffee over Juliana during their classroom training. Instead of being furious with Shannon, Juliana had burst out laughing when Shannon stood frozen to the spot, mortified. A reassuring hug and couple of jokes were shared and they have been inseparable ever since.

Juliana didn't easily let people in to her life, but Shannon had almost instantly captured her trust by helping her and Lupe settle in their new surroundings and helping them accustom to the British way of life, with no strings attached. Shannon had taught Juliana to relax a little and not to be so guarded, convincing her ever so subtly that nobody was out to hurt them anymore. Lupe had instantly taken to Shannon and the three of them frequently ate dinner together when their shifts didn't clash. Lupe had managed to snag a night shift job in a sprawling crisp packaging warehouse and was on the verge of taking a team leader position with the company.

Shannon has also introduced Juliana to the football team at the local university and they played as regularly as they could fathom- shifts permitting. Juliana had never imagined that she would enjoy football, but she actually really liked playing and it was a healthy release to chill out from working.

"Hi, Mi Juli! You look like shit." Shannon waltzed in to the rec room, hurriedly buttoning her navy blue shirt and tucking it in to her trousers. "You look like you have been taking MDMA all day."

"Oh hello, wonderful friend. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. Do you ever manage to make it here without rushing?" Juliana snarked, rubbing her tired, baggy eyes.

"God, snappy drawers. What's up with you?" Shannon retorted, sinking in to the comfy sofa. She quickly tied her hair in to a messy bun, before turning back to a dishevelled Juliana, who's frown line on her forehead was grooving deeper by the second.