Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 3

October 1st, 2019

Our new house was small but nice. We were living in somewhere called Harlem, in the borough of Manhattan. Just the name sounded posh. Ben was surprisingly wealthy. I had no idea how he'd acquired such funds, but he had. We were never 'out' of anything. Figuratively speaking, anyway. Ben was never out of anything. Javi and I got close to nothing. At least he was rich enough so that we were living in a nice townhouse.

Our time here had been decent. Ben was on good behaviour as he was waiting for the fuss to settle down. He and Marcie had been acting strange all week. They were hiding something from me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I didn't have time to worry anyway. I'd started a job near Central Park at a small cafe called Java House. It wasn't much, but it would help Javi and me since Ben gave us nothing. I didn't mind it much. The cafe was usually pretty peaceful, and Javi loved to sit at the counter while I worked. And the other employees were very friendly.

Javi and I would start school today, and I knew he was nervous. He barely spoke the language, and he couldn't read it either. He was shy and tiny, and I knew he was worried about making friends. I, on the other hand, was more worried about blending in and keeping my life hidden. Javi, è ora di andare!" I called to him, who was tying his shoelaces in the foyer.

"Sono pronto, sono pronto," he grumbled, getting up and taking my hand. Ben had already left for work, so the house was empty. We walked out and I made sure to lock it behind us.

***

The walk was a long one, as the schools were far from the house. The October weather was cold and grey, and everything was wet from last night's rainfall, though Javi enjoyed splashing through the puddles.

I dropped him off at the elementary school, wishing him good luck.

Luckily, the high school was only a few blocks down, so I didn't have to walk too much farther. Students were milling around outside waiting for the bell, so I scanned around for the administration office. I began making my way towards the central building in hopes of locating it but I was knocked aside by a group of punk-looking boys. They were dressed in dark clothing with wild hair and a tall, lean physique. Each kid was wearing a jean jacket with a giant snake stitched into the back.

"Lo sienta señorita," The boy who'd bumped me said with an apologetic grin. I understood his Spanish as our languages were quite similar in dialect. I timidly gave a small smile, hiding my face by keeping my head down.

"Va bene," I replied on instinct. He gave me a sly grin.

"Tu parle Italiano?" he asked me. I was shocked. I didn't think anyone in America would speak such an uncommon language as mine.

"Si. Sono sorpreso che lo faccia anche tu," I smiled again, shyly. His friends were just watching. The boy shrugged.

"Parlo molte lingue," he shrugged. His friend elbowed him.

"Quit talking to her! She's not worth our time!" he hissed. The boy just shrugged again. I felt mortified.

"If you can just direct me to the office, I'll be out of your way. I'm new," I mumbled, feeling very out of place. I was suddenly acutely aware of how thick my accent sounded.

"Clearly," One of the boys scoffed.

"Come on, man, let's go," another insisted. But the boy just stepped aside, grabbing my arm and pulling me along.

"I'll show you," he offered. I nodded as we walked along. There was a moment of silence.

"So, did you just move to America?" he asked.