hacienda || afi

one

Rain thrummed against the windshield as we drove through what must've been the largest orchard I've ever seen. It has to have been hours by now that we've been in this one plot, and hours since it started raining. I hope it isn't always like this.

I leaned my head against the window and cooled my flushed cheeks, watching the water droplets race each other down the side of the glass.

"We should've been through this grove already," my dad said as he turned his road map upside down several more times. My father has always had a soft spot for the old fashioned way of doing things.

"We're close, I know we are. I feel it." said my mom. Her grip was solid on the steering wheel, eyes never moving from as far down the road as she could see. The sparkle in her eyes was unmistakable. 

We're on our way to move me into Hacienda Academy, my mom's alma mater. My old school at home wasn't bad, I was just too claustrophobic in our tiny town. I felt like I was suffocating, I'm not one known to sit still. I was bored. My mom noticed this in me as I've been getting older and diagnosed being too much like her the likely reason why. Her prescription, she said, was fool-proof; leave home. Go to Hacienda and have my life begin, just as she did when she was exactly my age.

It's interesting to think about that. All the legends and lore I've grown up hearing about this place, there's no way it's actually real, and there's no possible way I'm moving sixteen hours away to live there. My mom did this at my age? She really is the bravest person I've ever met.

Sure enough, my mom was right (as she normally is,) and the gravel road wound us around a sizeable sign in the center of a small traffic circle:

Hacienda Academy. It all starts here.

We squeeze through one more tight gap of orange trees before we emerge into a large parking lot bustling with students and their parents carrying boxes, bags, and suitcases in every direction. Beyond the gravel lot stood large, dilapidated one-story buildings that had to be the residence halls. Nicer classroom buildings could be seen a little further on, but those were hardly as eyecatching as what was behind them. We must have been driving slightly downwards for some time, as a massive hill rose up for miles, covered completely in fruit trees. Hardly visible was the town of Hacienda at the top of the hill. 

"It hasn't changed at all." My mom breathed quietly, stepping out of the car and turning in dreamy circles, taking everything in. The rain had let up at just the right time.

"It's beautiful," I say, grabbing her arm to steady myself as I looked around. She wraps her arms around me and plants a kiss on the top of my head.

"You're going to love your life here," she whispers into my ear, sending cold sweat down my back, "this place does things to you."

"Name?" 

We jump and whirl around to see a tall, blonde boy in black skinny jeans with a clipboard. He chews his lip ring before he says something else. "Oh yeah, and welcome to Hacienda! I'm Luke."

"Sophie, hey," I state confidently. Luke smiles at me and looks down at his clipboard for a second.

"Sophie. . ?"

"Oh sorry, Sophia. Sophia Dumont."

"Dumont? You don't mean." Luke's gaze darts to meet my mom's.

"Christina, it's nice to meet you Luke." My mom extends her hand to shake his. Luke takes her hand enthusiastically and she turns her head to look at my dad, who had started toward us with some of my bags. "Honey, Luke here has heard of me!"