The British are coming, the British are coming!

[Pippi]

Heathrow Airport was, as always, incredibly busy and loud. People flocked from shiny corridors to sections filled with shops and waiting areas which had just too few chairs and benches. One of these waiting areas contained the Bachelor family, and one of the chairs was occupied by thirteen year old Amy Bachelor. She was holding a book, although she'd read it about five times before, and trying as hard as she could not to look nervous.

She'd never been on a plane before. The whole idea scared her, and the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. What if something terrible happened? What if the engines failed right over the ocean? God, she was just working herself into a state here. She just needed to keep reading. Focus on the book, not the flight that was about to happen in less than an hour.

Looking back down at the page she'd been holding for a few minutes now, Amy tried to find the section she was at. She started reading, but after a couple of lines, realised it was a line she'd already read about twice. Making a noise of frustration, Amy shut the book, leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes. She just couldn't blot it out. How could she; she was in an airport and about to get on a plane, forced to face her fears. The noise around her was making things worse. Not only was there the hustle and bustle of everybody else in the airport, but Dale seemed determined to be as annoying as possible. Thankfully, Destiny was curled up in her mother's lap, completely quiet, seemingly intimidated by the whole affair.

It'll be okay, it's gonna be okay... just... don't look outside... don't focus on the massive drop from the plane to the ground... goddamnit... okay, let's try this again... it'll be fine, no need to be scared...

"You feeling okay, Amy?"

Amy made a small noise of slight fear, the voice speaking to her momentarily unknown. She soon realised that it was just her father, however. Karel Bachelor was a tall, bearded man, with hair the same colour as Amy's. His voice was still as gruff as normal, but today it had a rather weary tone; the voice of a man who just wanted to get some rest. Amy tried to smile, but she was still so terrified that it looked more like a grimace.

"I'm fine dad, really" she said, voice quieter than usual. "I'm, uh... just a bit nervous about the flight. That's all." Her father yawned, then grinned.

"Well, I'm 'fraid there's not much I can do about that. Would you rather go to America by boat?"

This time, Amy did grimace. Shaking her head, she said "Oh God, no. Actually, I think that might be worse..." Amy's voice trailed off, her mind wandering towards the terrible things that could potentially happen on a plane or a boat. The plane could stall, could fly into a storm cloud, or just drop out of the sky... the boat could crash into another boat, or an iceberg or something! Amy's thoughts made her shudder slightly, a fact Dale noticed as he was tearing round the set of chairs his family were sitting on.

Dale laughed, and pointed at Amy. "Amy's scared of planes! Amy's scared of plaaanes!" He started to laugh again, until he noticed his parents and older sister glaring at him. Pulling a disgruntled face, he set off around the chairs again. Karel sat back in his seat, and chuckled softly. "Well, at least you two girls are being quiet." Amy merely nodded, and looked down at the floor.

Karel's face took on a look of concern, and he leaned in closer and spoke softer to his daughter. "Hey, Amy, don't worry. Travelling by plane is pretty much the safest way to travel. I'll make sure you don't sit by the window. Try and read, fall asleep something. Before you know it, we'll be back on the ground again."

Amy smiled and looked up at her father. "Yeah, okay... thanks dad" she said, opening her bag and putting the book back inside. As she was doing so, there was sudden flurry of activity. People were grabbing bags and standing up, filing towards a set of doors. Amy's mother turned to look at her and Karel. "Looks like this is it. Come on, let's go."

Amy stood up and grabbed her bag, noticing that despite what Karel had said, she was still shaking. Even though she was terrified, however, Amy knew the whole thing would be worth it. She'd always wanted to go to America, and now she was going to be living there. It was a pretty amazing opportunity, and not one she'd pass up just because she was afraid of heights. Noticing that her family had already made their way towards the doors, Amy hoisted up her bag and followed them.

[Pippi]

((Owen Kay, continued from Down in the Alley))

---

Amy Michelle said: Hey fat shit
Owen Kay said: OH GOD NO NOT YOU
Amy Michelle said: :'( What'd I do
Owen Kay said: Everything
EVERYTHING
Amy Michelle said: Pfft okay
Still better than you
Owen Kay said: If you say so
Amy Michelle said: So I hear you're getting all oacked right now?
*packed
Owen Kay said: Yep
It's kinda weird
There's boxes and shit in my room and i don't know where most of it's come from
Amy Michelle said: :L Sounds kinda like when I was moving.
Amy Michelle said (20:32): Helloo?
FATTY ARE YOU THERE
Amy Michelle said (20:34): Fine I'll go talk to Claire or someone
Owen Kay said: IT'S OKAY I LIVE DON'T PANIC
Amy Michelle said: Awww ;L
Owen Kay said: Rude :/
I just had to move a trunk downstairs for dad
And managed to drop it on my toe :c
Amy Michelle said: Ahaa, fails :L
Owen Kay said: So who's Claire?
Amy Michelle said: Friend here at Aurora
so basically she's too cool for you to know
Owen Kay said: Yeah but I will know her ina few weeks or so
Maybe
As long as everyone doesn't hate me
Amy Michelle said: It's pretty likely, tbh
Owen Kay said: cheers :c
Amy Michelle said: No probs ;L
Aw goddamn it, Lilly's crying again
This could take a while
Owen Kay said: Haa, sucks to be you
You cannot talk to Amy Michelle because Amy Michelle is offline. Any messages sent will be delivered to her inbox.
Owen Kay said: OH WELL FINE JUST UP AND ABANDON ME THEN.

---

Owen sighed and leaned back in his chair, which made a rather ominous creaking sound. It was pretty old, not the normal one Owen usually had in his room. That had been taken elsewhere in the morning, either to somehow be packed or to be sold. Owen closed out of Live Messenger and Facebook, shut his laptop, and looked around his room.

It was barely recognisable now. There were boxes full of stuff everywhere, not just his own; Noel and his mum and dad had some of their belongings in his room. His two bookcases were completely bare, the books, CDs and football trophies normally adorning them in bags and boxes. His walls were bare, the posters and dartboards also packed away. The only things left unpacked were his laptop, DS, a few games for it, and a copy of The Dead, by Charlie Higson. Aside from the laptop, they would be placed in his rucksack, which had more books, games, and his 3DS.

There was an odd feeling in Owen's heart as he realised that these were the last few hours he'd spend in this house. It was sort of a mixture of anticipation, at moving to a whole new country, and sadness, at leaving Chippy. He really did like living there. It was calm, peaceful, just how Owen liked it.

Carefully avoiding bags and boxes, Owen walked over to his large window, and pushed aside the blinds to stare out. The gradually dimming light didn't allow him to see much, but he had the whole of the road memorised. The trees along the bank on the opposite side of the road. The huge holly bush in their next door neighbour's front garden. Birds on the telephone wires, and cats dashing over the road. Owen had never lived in a city before. He hoped that, if only for a few moments, it'd be as peaceful and serene as it was in Chippy. He hoped that he'd get a better start in Seattle than he did at Chippy School.

Owen heard his door open, and he stepped out from behind the blind to see Johan Kay, holding a large cardboard box. "You finished with that?" he said, gesturing towards the laptop with his head. "I want to pack it away safely tonight, so we don't have to fuss around with anything too fiddly tomorrow morning."

"Sure dad, just a second." Owen carefully made his way back to his desk as his dad left. As he flipped the laptop back open, and started closing Serenes Forest and YouTube, Owen considered the hopes he'd just been thinking about. Yeah, everything would be fine. Everything would be great. This was a new start, new opportunities. He'd changed since those dreadful first few years of school. What was the worst that could happen?