Simone de Beauvoir said, "There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless." Honestly, I couldn't relate to that quote. Because for the last half an hour, I have been yawning continuously. Even the "Interesting" facts about New York that the driver was telling us couldn't activate my hazy mind. "Just five more minutes." dad said. It didn't offer any relief because that's exactly what he said twenty minutes earlier. My eyelids were growing heavier with each passing second. I looked through the window glass towards the sky. The clouds were dispersed against the dark background like cotton candy. I chuckled at my own weird imagination. Leaning back into my seat, I closed my eyes for a moment and the next thing I knew, someone was tapping my shoulder lightly. "Mmmm." I emitted an exhausted yawn. Opening my eyes to small slits, I looked at my father who was sliding out of the car. Stretching my arms, I hopped out from my side. My eyes met with a two-storey house which looked a lot smaller then our house in Florida. The maroon walls were dusted with dirt particles and the condition of the gate didn't look well-maintained either. "Not this one, Ali." Dad called and I turned around, only to find a beautiful amd cozy looking house standing in all its glory in front of me. The walls appeared beige under the moonlight, a grey metallic gate was separating the house from the street. Dad unlocked the gate, revealing a small yet beautiful lawn surrounding the house. I followed him to the inside of the house. A small hallway led us to a TV lounge. Three of its walls were mahogany colored while the one against the LCD screen was painted in white. A seven seater sofa was occupying most of the space inside the lounge. "There are three en suite bedrooms, one at each floor. Which one do you want?" Dad asked, placing his suit case on the sofa and slouched down beside it. "I'll take the one on second floor." I said and exited the lounge. Climbing the stairs, I stopped in front of a beige door and pushed it open. The room was drowned in darkness. I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and started the torch. The dim light helped me to locate the switchboard. As soon as I sitched on the lights, a small gasp escaped my lips. The room was like those rooms photographed in an architectural magazine. The walls were deep violet, contrasting perfectly with the white furniture. A white upholstered bed was set in the middle, with one chaise couch on its right and a wardrobe with attached dressing table at its left. There was a small window beside the wardrobe, covered with white silk curtain. With small steps, I reached the window and slided the curtain away. There was haunting silence prevailed in the street, not even a bird was chirping. I was about to close the curtains again when something caught my attention,or rather someone in the window of that maroon house. There was a man, or a boy maybe. I couldn't see clearly because his back was facing me. My mouth gaped open at the sight of his flexing muscles as he punched the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. Every dip and crevice of his muscled back was visible under the moonlight. He paused for a minute and stretched his arms, his biceps bulged out as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. Damn. "Ali." I heard Dad's voice and I felt like I was caught stealing my favourite candy. I turned around swiftly, my eyes still wide open. "Y.. Yes." my throat felt dry. "Do you like your room?" he asked. "Yes. It.. It's beautiful." I managed to say. He assessed my face for a moment, trying to find the reason behind my flustered state. "Ok. Good night." he said, looking around. "Good night dad." I passed him a small smile. After he left, I turned around and looked through the window again. To my disappointment, the window was now closed and a brown curtain was covering it from inside. Letting out a low groan, I closed the window and jumped into my bed. It was Saturday night and I'll be starting my new school from Monday. Just one more day of freedom. With that thought in mind, I buried myself under the duvet and started making plans about my new life in New York. ... Next day, we settled for cereals in the breakfast because this was the only food stored in the refrigerator. After cleaning the house, Dad and I went for grocery shopping for our new home. It took us our whole afternoon to stock the kitchen and prepare food to feed our growling stomachs. Dad baked beef casserole while I made salad. After we had eaten to our maximum limit, dad cleaned the dishes while I sprawled on the couch and switched the LCD on. "Ok sweety, I have some work. I'll be back before midnight." he said and kissed my head. "Bye dad." I answered without averting my eyes from the screen. By the time I finished watching second season of "Modern Family", it was almost midnight. Switching the TV off, I made my way back to my room and changed into my PJs. As I stepped out of the bathroom, my eyes involuntarily moved to the window. A strange wave of disappointment rushed through my body when I opened the window and and my eyes met with an empty room. Pouting, I lay down and waited for the sleep to envelop me. ... "I must say Mr. King, your daughter is an excellent addition to our school. We are lucky to have her." the principal Mr. Brown said. He looked like he was in his fifties. With his serious face and professional tone, I could say he was a man of strict principles. Dad looked at me and smiled. I could see the pride swirling inside his grey eyes. "So Alicia, are you ready to start your senior year at Redwood high?" he asked me. "Yes sir." I replied in a confident voice. He nodded and handed me over a piece of paper. "This is your schedule. You are starting this year a little late so I'll ask the teachers to provide you all the help you need." I nodded and looked at the schedule. My first class is English Literatire and Composition and it will be starting in fifteen minutes. "You should go and find your way to your class. I have to discuss some things with your principal." Dad said and I stood up to leave. I didn't have to look around much as the Literature class was on the same floor as the principal office. To my relief, nobody cast a glance towards me. I sat down in the first row beside a redhead girl who was reading what looked like a novel. "Hi." I said in a low voice to the girl. She raised her eyes from the book and assessed my face. I expected her to say something or introduce herself to me but she didn't bother and turned her face back to the book. I didn't speak anything again and waited for the teacher to enter the class. After five long torturing minutes, an asian woman entered the class. She was short and petite, her black hair was pulled back in a tight bun. "Who will tell me what homework I gave you on Friday?" she asked and nobody answered. "Anyone?" she asked expectantly. "Well, I asked you to write a paragraph about Jane Austen's views on marriage in Pride and Prejudice. Did anyone completed this task?" she asked again and earned silence again.