SAMANTHA LILY ADAMS

'Circumstances have changed.'

Am crying myself out but no, let me be specific I have been crying my eyes out the past two days.

The past two days have been the worst time of my life so far that I am trying to lie to myself that it's just a dream and soon I will wake up, that it's only going to be for a year, but that's not it. It's 365 days that we are talking here, they don't just go like that, now that I am saying goodbye to my two best friends, am starting to feel reality kick right in. There is no way out so soon.

"So when are you coming back or it won't ever happen?" I shake my head while Chloe cries her eyes out even more than me which leaves Abby to stand there looking at us awkwardly and realize that there is no ending to my hug with Chloe.

She joins us and we all hug together.

"Sam? Dad is calling for you to come so we should go," I pull myself away from the hug and I pass the girls a quick saddened smile before turning to follow my sister to where they are waiting beside the car that is going to be taking us to the airport.

She opens her arms for me and I snuggle closer to her as we walk into the car that is waiting for us,

My dad says nothing as we finally approach them. He just turns his head to pass a nod to the bodyguard and I hear my mother asking if I am okay but I just ignore her.

If she is really worried she should have understood me when I asked to be understood.

I am so hurt, pissed, and angry at everything.

We get in the car and I sit between Yarrow and Sav, I am still lying in her arms and I don't know how it happened but as I closed my eyes they opened again when I felt someone shaking me slowly to wake up. Maybe it's the effect of staying awake for the past 48 hours without sleeping wondering about what the future holds for you like we can do anything about it.

I don't even know how I got to sleep because the past few days sleep was something that I have been getting not so easily.

I slowly open my eyes to catch my mother standing beside the bed that I am lying on and I don't even remember going to sleep, above all in a bed.

I pull myself up yawning in the process and I look at my mother who is smiling at me but I remember how angry I am at her and I just look away pursing my lips.

She leans forward and runs her hand in my hair smiling at me.

"We are about to land Lily, so wake up and sit properly before we land." I gulp feeling broken at what she just said but I don't show it.

I look at her and ask with a frown instead. "In Rwanda? Are you telling me, we are already in Rwanda? How long did I fall asleep for?" She pulls my dark brown hair compared to my sister's out of my face behind my ear.

"Yes, honey we are landing in Rwanda and you've been sleeping for 14 hours!" I nod my head not believing reality but also knowing that it's here already and there is nothing I can do to change it.

I wake up and I follow her out of the room that is in the private jet that we are in.

I didn't even understand how huge my father's post was until now that we were flying in a private jet.

Yes, we were rich but not to the extent of owning our private jet. The far that I thought we were going to be flying in was at least the first class but not this,

"Finally the sleeping beauty is awake!" I send a glaring look to my brother's way as he grins at me as if our situation is funny at all.

I turn my head away from him not wanting to be annoyed even more, my mother walks over to sit beside my father and I keep walking to sit at the empty seat in front of Sav beside the window.

I jump in the seat and Sav flinches as she glares at me but that is short-lived because she suddenly removes the Bluetooth earphones she had in her ear and asks me looking worried. "How are you feeling Sam?" her glare suddenly turned into a worried look as she asked,

I rush to answer and tell that am okay, but am I really okay? I find myself not knowing how I am doing and what to answer to that because am not, I just sigh leaning in the comfy seat of this private jet.

"I don't know Sav it's just, I feel exhausted from all this, that's it." She brings her hand forward and rubs her palm on my knee in a comforting way.

"This is not for forever Sam, we are starting our senior year in a few days then we will have to take off to college and it's not like you ever wanted to live with our parents after high school so take this like a sort of vacation and it will pass." I nod smiling at her wishing it was that easy.

But I appreciate this so much,

The three of us, are leaving our lives behind but it seems like I am the only one who is not capable of taking this as an adult as the others were able to do.

"I am here for you Sam and I love you! If you want we could be best friends?" I laugh at that and am surprised by the strange looks that I get from Dad, Yarrow, and Mom who just smile at me. I turn my attention back to my sister wondering if we are moving to a country where people are not allowed to laugh and maybe I wasn't informed of it.

"Oh my God Sav, you really should choose a career of being a comedian. Me and you best friends, I don't see that in my head because you even know we can't last a minute without bickering at each other, man just tighten your seat belt we are landing, and forget the best friends talk." She chuckles while giving me the look that says. 'I was only offering it, it is not like it's happening.' Which I just shrug to.

"That was the intention bitch of making you at least smile and above that you laughed!" She sends a wink as she tightens her seat belt and it makes me wonder if I look that miserable for people to try hard to get a happy emotion from me.

I look out the window to notice the small country coming into view and I find myself sighing helplessly.

I close my eyes giving myself a pep talk convincing myself that life is not over and that I can survive this one year heroically.

We are in August and next year in March, and Sav will be turning eighteen, and then in May boom!! High school will be over and if am lucky enough next year in August I will be back in America but no, even if am not lucky to be in America at least I will be in London, Anywhere else but here.

'Thank you so much for flying with us,

We landed safely in Rwanda and it is currently 10 Am.

Have a good day Mr Adams and your family!"

I open my eyes to see everyone excitedly standing up and getting out of the plane and I find myself wishing that maybe if it was possible to teleport, I would love to get those powers now because I am so in need of them so much.

Yarrow is the first one to walk out followed by Sav, Mom after them and I am still standing in front of the seat I was sitting on not being able to move my feet.

"Lily Samantha? This is not the end of your life and even though the place could be different the people beside you are still the same now come." I look at my father and sigh. I wish I saw things like that, I wish it was that simple but no. It's so fucking hard to digest the reality of starting over again and worse in a place like this.

I sigh deeply once more and then walk by my father and walk out of the plane.

There are bodyguards and a few other guys in suits and it's hard to tell who the bodyguards are and who are not.

My father comes out behind me and he helps me to keep walking down by putting his arm across my shoulder and it's when I realize that I've stopped walking and staring at people like a prick.

He takes me over to the people I was staring at and he keeps his arm on my shoulder while he uses the other one to shake hands with them.

"Good morning Mr Adams. I am Sarah Smith your secretary and this is the team from the Embassy of America that is here to welcome you. Am glad that you landed safely, this way please sir." The Smith woman walks first and we follow her second while the rest comes behind us.

I am still in my dad's arms and I am not complaining because I love the feeling of safety and comfort, it provides.

Sarah Smith leads us to the cars that will be taking us to our new house now, mom, Savannah, and Simmons get in the same car while my dad gets in another one with the secretary.

"As you mentioned you didn't want to live in the embassy of America! The state bought you a house here in a very good area in this country, it's called Vision City and only those with strong titles own one of those houses in the estate so we hope it will meet your taste!" My dad holds his hand up to say something.

"Miss Smith, I trust what the state prepared for me so tell me more about work." She nods straightly with a serious look in her eyes almost that one that resembles a robot and her posture reminds me of how much I hate political and business stuff.

I would like to get a career that I love and would enjoy so much but not one is political or business stuff.

I snuggle closer in my father's arms as they dive into work-related details and it doesn't take long before it starts boring me.

I move away from my father and move closer to the window to stare at the new city that is home now.

I look outside to the streets full of black people and as I keep on starring am suddenly reminded of the fact that now I can't understand what they are talking about and it will be like that for the whole year now, maybe even more if my dad decides to stay for long and we will be back for visits.

I find myself frowning at my thoughts because I don't love this place at all and at this stage, I would have preferred boarding school than to be in this country. Why didn't I even think about that when I still had a chance?

The ride from the airport to our new house is a few minutes ride, so in like 40 minutes, we are entering 'the vision city' Sarah Smith talked about, and am not going to lie I am surprised at all because this is not what I thought about when I thought of a house in Africa.

We keep on driving, passing a lot of houses that look fine to me, and as we keep moving forward I catch sight of some white women walking their dogs across the streets and I feel lightened by just that I pull my father to my side to come and see.

"They are white people, Dad!" He smiles down at me as he messes with my hair lovingly.

"I don't know if you need to hear this but a lot of houses in this estate are owned by emigrants."

I don't know why hearing that brings a smile on my face

"Really?"

The woman nods and I feel like jumping in my seat but I hold myself to not scare the people in this car with my weird actions.

We park at a white polished house and I am already in love with how this houses are built, I am already looking forward to my jogging routine and if I will not be getting lost in the streets here.

The houses look the same and so do the streets. Mom, Savannah, and Yarrow join us later and they all look happy with our new home.

"let's get in and have a tour of the house." We all nod and we follow Miss Smith inside the house, she takes us to all the rooms in the house and to the small guest house that is attached to the side of a backyard.

We walk back into the house to choose rooms so they can bring our things in them and Miss Smith informs us that three rooms have their balcony,

"One of those is mine," Savannah says quickly to own one of the rooms with a balcony,

"Me too, and the master bedroom is officially for our parents which leaves Yarrow to sleep on the kitchen floor," I say next which causes the rest of them to laugh at the last part while the one it was meant for rolls his eyes at me dramatically,

"For God's sake Sam, she just said there are 3 rooms with balconies not that there are only 3 rooms in this house. Where were you? America?" I roll my eyes at him feeling annoyed at how irritating he can be sometimes, I mean why would he bring America into this seriously?

Miss Smith takes our parents in the living room to talk with the people that came with us from the airport while we three go to take a look at our rooms and I am happy with it because at least one thing so far looks normal and so relaxing.

I walk downstairs and mom is sending Miss Smith and the rest of the people off and my dad comes out of the kitchen.

"So how are you liking the house already?" My mom walks over to him while I lean on the railings of the stairs staring at them as Savannah makes her way down stairs grinning from left to right.

"Mama am so in love with this house! You can't believe that my room looks even better than that I had in our old house!" I turn to stare at her not believing the fact that she is even considering the fact of comparing this house with our old one, she can't be serious.

"Am glad you are liking it here lilac Savannah. What about you Lily Samantha?" I turn to my mother with wide eyes not believing that she is asking me that.

"I haven't checked yet but am sure it will be fine," I answer that because I feel annoyed by my parents pretending like everything is normal.

Nothing is normal or fine anymore.

"Trust me Sam, you are going to love it. I already have a plan in my mind on how I am going to decorate it!" I nod at my sister not even believing what she saying because she always strives to look perfect in our parent's eyes, so her faking a liking of this house to fool our parents wouldn't surprise me at all!

"So you guys, Wait where is your brother?"

"Missing me already Dad?" Yarrow grins as he enters from the main door of the house into the living room, leaving us all wondering how he even got outside in the first place.

"Yarrow I want you to be on your good behavior because you guys now represent America here in this country and by that I mean all of you." We nod our heads to our father.

"I advise you to get some rest now and get adapted to the time difference because at night we are all heading to the embassy, as there will be a gathering party welcoming me and formalizing with the rest of the team I will be working with."

Am not waiting to be told that twice before I go upstairs to my new room.

But I remember something and turn to look at my father with a question lingering in my mind.

"Am I still grounded dad?"

"Yes, but if you behave tonight I might reconsider." I roll my eyes and head upstairs not saying anything else.

I get in my room and am glad that the bed is made and I don't even want to think about unpacking my belongings because they aren't here yet.

I sigh slowly as I dump my body on the bed and the second thing that I am glad of here is how soft my bed feels, at least I will be having a good night's sleep in this country.

Thinking about how stupid and dramatic I sound right now brings a smile to my face and I start dosing off with a lot of things running through my mind but I put my thoughts at the back of my head and allow Dream Land to take me because it's been a while since I've had a peaceful sleep which was not in the air.

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