So there I was trying to live a normal life when my dad was given a job offer in Rome for let’s say a lot more then is making now. He is an artist so of course he wanted to work in Italy. He told me and my brother to pack up because we were going to leave at the end of the week. I don’t blame him. He’s been a single dad ever since my mom died 5 years ago. It was really hard on me because I was only 10. My little brother was only 2, so he didn’t really know what was going on. But it hurt my dad the most because she was his best friend. So ever since then he has been working really hard to play the role of mom, and he’s trying. We’ve been moving around lately because he keeps on saying we need to start over but I think he’s just trying to run away from the past. But this move I wasn’t expecting because we have never left the country before. I had just found a group of friends at my school and now I’ll have to leave yet again. I started packing when my dad poked his head in my room. I knew what was coming. He was probably going to say “You’ll love this place”, or “Don’t worry you’ll make new friends”. Easy for him to say he’s not a teenage girl. The old lecture is recited and I’m left to packing. I liked this house best out of all of my previous homes. It used to be a plantation home, so it’s big and open. I love the hardwood floors and big windows that let sunlight peek in. The stomping of my little brother’s bare feet against the hard wood floor wakes me from my dream and into reality. He’s telling dad how excited he is about moving to Italy. He’s only eight so making friends isn’t a problem for him. Every move he sees the opportunity to see new places and make new friends but me, all I can think about is the memories I’m leaving behind. That night I stare at my reflection. A habit my insecurity has brought upon me. I don’t see my mother’s beauty, my father’s smile, or even my grandma’s dimples. All I see is a disaster. I thought when I was younger I would grow up to be a beauty queen just like my mom but I guess it wasn’t mean to be. My hair has an awkward curl, my eyes are more of a grey then a blue and my skin is so called “olive”. The sound of thunder soothes me as I fall asleep. I fall into a deep sleep that consumes. I dream of old memories that send a flash of warmth through my body. I pictured me and my mom prom shopping, celebrating my engagement, and best of all just talking. Like what normal mothers and daughters do. I soon wake up from my dream because of a weird sound coming from downstairs. I ignore it and continue packing knowing by tomorrow this room will be empty. The shipment crews come early the next morning so I don’t really even get to say good-bye to my friends. I wonder if they even cared. We drive to the airport in Charleston and prepare for the long flight over seas. I make sure I have all of my favorite books with me so I can retrace back lost memories. I take a window seat next to my brother so he can lie in my lap. To him I’m his mom. As darkness creeps over the sunset and i drift into a light sleep. I wake up to a splash of orange and pink, and my little brother sleeping soundly in my lap. My dad is across the aisle. He’s asleep to. He looks so much younger; his dark eyelashes casting a shadow over his narrow face. His hair is messy but on him it looks good. I never noticed how beautiful he was. No wonder mom fell head over heels for him. Suddenly the plane jolts forward and all the passengers wake up from their dreams which were probably far better than this place. I look out the window and I’m finally amazed for the first time. I see nothing but small villages with huge churches and miles and miles of open land! My dad looks out his window but doesn’t look happy but almost sad. I let the emotion pass over and let Italy amaze me. As we exit the plane i see a castle. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My little brother kept starring like he just saw God or something. My dad pushed us forward and we stepped outside. The sunlight filled me with warmth and I actually felt welcome for the first time in a long time. We are shown to a car that has the steering wheel on the wrong side and drive down a road that will lead me to my new life. We pull into a small neighborhood then stop in front of a red mailbox. That same exact red coats our new front door. The house is definitely smaller then our last house but it almost seems perfect. I step out of the car and stare will my dad talk’s to some men in their language. I never knew he could speak Italian. My little brother was already half way up the brick walk way to the front door when I headed toward the house. When I step inside the room fills me with its colors. I feel like I stand there for hours trying to absorb my new home. I rush up the stair so I can choose my bedroom. I walk all the way down the hallway to back and look into the last room and know this one is mine. It’s big and open. But best of all it has a balcony. That afternoon I walk to the castle to look through the tourist part. The place is so big I feel like I’m growing smaller each step I take. There are ropes that block off where you are not allowed to go. There aren’t many people there because it’s mid afternoon and its Sunday here. As I walk farther down the hallway I notice a gigantic library but of course it’s blocked off. Where’s the harm at looking at some books. I wonder in through there just admiring how amazing this is. As I was about to turn around and leave I notice a book by itself on a shelf. I half walk half jog over to the book out of pure curiosity. When I reach it I realize it’s just the names of the people air to the throne. I pull it off the shelf just to see how heavy it was, and out dropped a small book. I set down the big book and pick up the smaller one. On the front are two people smiling at each other. They resemble my parents but how could my parents be royal. As I open the book a puff of dust looms in the air and I fall into complete darkness. I screamed at first but now I’m too scared to scream. Then after what felt like years my feet find solid ground. I realize I’m still in the library and run as fast as I can away from the book and toward the entrance. As I leave the library I realize it’s not blocked off anymore. I keep running down the hallway until I stop right in front of my mom. But she can’t see me. I am screaming at the top of my lungs and trying to hug her but she keeps talking to this old lady with a big crown on her head. But this doesn’t look like the mom I use to know. This lady had on a long pale pink dress and a gold tiara in her hair which was neatly on top of her long and dark hair. She’s a lot younger too. She doesn’t have the crease between her eyebrows or the pieces of grey hair that use to haunt her. Now she’s crying at the old lady. The old lady reminds me of someone. She has grayish blue eyes and almost white hair. She stands elegantly and tries to calm my mom down. But all of a sudden my mom runs down the hallway which was my q. I chase after hopping the old lady doesn’t see me which she never does. My mom runs to room on the right wing of the castle and I follow her diligently. I can’t lose my mom again, even if I’m taking a chance. I run in after her as she tears herself into what I guess is her bedroom. She throws herself onto her huge bed and cries. I look around the room and see nothing but gold and diamonds. This can’t be my mom. She never had a lot of money like this; let alone a princess. As I was just about to walk out I hear something hit the window. It’s dark now so I can’t tell who’s out there but it seems like my mom does because she runs to the window and starts climbing down. My head told me to walk out but my gut told me to follow her. So I followed her out the window. She made it look easy so I tripped a few times. She followed this mysterious person out of the castle walls into a small meadow were they hugged. I couldn’t tell who this person was but I had a strange feeling I knew who it was. I heard them whisper and laugh together and just sit there while their eyes consumed each others faces. The laughter is so familiar. It reminds of when my parents would talk at the dinner table while my brother and I were already in bed. I glance over the bush and I see my parents. I haven’t cried in a long time but this time I couldn’t hold it in. I cried but not in a sad way. Now I know how in love my parents were and still are. Every day since my mom has died my dad has lost another piece of his heart. Now I know that true love is stronger than anything else. And it lasts even after you think u lost someone, because if you truly love someone they will always be a part of you. And that’s when I wake up.