Emily tugged carefully at her daughters clothing, making sure that everything was perfectly in place. Her fingers shoved a stray piece of hair back under the lens of her sunglasses before cupping the rosy cheeks currently blushing profusely. The long-worn collar of the ancient Christmas jumper stolen from one of her older siblings hung off one of Alfie’s nimble shoulders as ruffled slightly as Emily shoved the brown carry-on bag higher up onto the other shoulder.

“She looks fine, sweetheart.” David shook his head nervously and looked down at his watch.

Emily tutted as she pinched the collar. It was far too late to change it now. “Look at the state of your jumper.”

Alfie frowned down at the comfortable item of clothing and shrugged. It was warm against the January air but she did wish that it was a little thinner now that they were in the warmth of the airport. She shuffled her brown boots awkwardly on the tiled flooring on the unfamiliar surroundings. There were people everywhere, waiting around for the gate to be opened as the bored flight attendants trudged with their snobby noses in the air towards the plane.

“C’mere kiddo.” David grabbed his daughter and pulled her in for a bear-hug. “Stay safe, okay?”

Alfie merely nodded her head slowly and hugged his middle tighter to her petite frame. Even at the age of twenty-two she still wasn’t able to hug any higher than his middle and only managed to reach his shoulders at the stretch of her toes. Emily was far easier to engulf in a cuddle, their arms tangling together as the lightly glossed lips of her mother landed upon her forehead.

When she was finally let go, Alfie took a large breath that inflated her torso. Letting it go in one big huff, Alfie turned towards the entrance of the airplane where the smiling assistants were almost beckoning her over – welcoming her to her new life away from Wales. She took one final look towards her waving family as she handed over her boarding pass and smiled widely. She waved back – shaking.

“Alfie, over here!”

Uncle John was a tall man with bright white teeth obviously bleached and a tanned complexion that shone in the artificial lighting of the all-too-bright airport. He wore a button down black shirt that exposed his waxed chest and his tattooed forearms. His ripped stonewashed jeans rustled as he moved forwards to engulf his niece in a tight hug that squeezed what was left of her energy from her petite frame that hung almost limp in his strong arms. The muscles he’d acquired from his farming days were still noticeable.

Alfie tugged at her luggage nervously, rubbing the under-curves of her tired blue eyes as she stepped back to breathe in the fresh air that consumed her carefully. It smelt of the ocean, even inside the airport. The sounds of flip-flops and loud screams and pure happiness were surrounding her in a way that made her feel almost at home in the foreign land she’d only ever really visited on rare occasions during the summer or maybe the odd Christmas.

Uncle John held her at arms length and looked her up and down carefully. “My, have you grown!”

Alfie shrugged her petite five-foot stature and smiled demurely. “Nope. Still the same height as last time,” she giggled.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here anyway. We’re playing here in LA tonight to kick off the tour so are you ready to get straight to work?” Uncle John chattered away as he tugged her luggage towards the exit. “Once you’ve gotten freshened up, of course. We’re staying in a hotel tonight...”

Nervously fingering the leather strap of her bag, Alfie nodded her head and smiled as best she could. Her stomach was burning with butterflies as she trudged alongside her companion through the throngs of people congregated outside immigration to welcome home the passengers. She could feel the tension of those waiting with hands clutched tight to one another in soothing knots, the happiness of those already in the embrace of love, the tears of joy as people arrived home from far-flung holidays and trips.

Alfie carefully pulled her long dark hair over to one shoulder once she was sat comfortably in the safety of a taxi. She took note of the man giving her an odd look in the rear-view mirror and turned away quickly to stare out of the tinted windows at the huge sign stating that she’d just left LAX – whatever that meant. Her legs were cramping and tired and her head was spinning with the luxury of breathing air that hadn’t been tainted by her past.

Eyes wide with curiosity, she scanned the streets of Los Angeles with a hunger that could not be quenched. She wanted to see more, feel more. She wanted to taste the freedom of the American dream – feel it full her up to the brim, to the point where it pushed everything else out of her.

With a frown, Alfie noticed something odd about the arrangement of the city. She’d never seen a city like this before. There weren’t any rolling green hills speckled with the peppered white coats of sheep or cows that lowed in the sunshine sprinkling down between the gaps of fluffy white clouds that lazily lolled by as if swimming through the blue skies above. Her forehead vibrated with the rhythm of the engine as she leaned it against the window for a better view of the cluttered streets and brightly painted faces of the shops.

“Everything’s so big,” Alfie murmured without realising that her lips had moved.

Embarrassed she covered her mouth and looked at the laughing driver with a blushing heat rising from her chest up towards her cheeks where it bloomed red roses in blotchy patterns over her flesh. Uncle John chuckled in agreement and patted her thigh reassuringly.

“Yeah, it is,” Uncle John mused and looked out the window with her. “Look, there’s the Hollywood sign.”

Alfie gawped at how huge it was as they drove passed. Her eyes were glued to the rolling green hill – the first she’d seen since lifting off from Manchester airport yesterday morning. A hollow pain found her chest as she watched it slowly drift passed to be hidden by the skyscrapers and buildings too big for her to take in all in one journey through. She felt so small – so insignificant and fresh, a bit like a newborn child seeing the world for the first time.

“Almost there now.” Uncle John sent her a smile as they turned down a backstreet. “You’ll be staying with Corey and Lucas, they’re your age and good lads.”

This made Alfie’s stomach lurch. Not because she had to share a room with boys, she’d done that all her life seeing as she was one of seven children (all of which were boys aside from her) but because she was actually doing this. She was actually going through with the whole job in America thing. She took a deep breath and looked out the window again as the taxi pulled up in front of a huge building that seemed to stretch up into the skies above like a giant.

Stepping out from the taxi cautiously, her leggings hugging tight to her legs as she stretched up her hands to the air with pops and snaps resonating from her aching joints, Alfie looked up at the shining black building glaring down on her from above. This was to be her home for one night and one night only as she set off on her rock ‘n roll lifestyle. A grin grew on her face.

“Aren’t you a bit warm?” Uncle John pinched playfully at the hem of her jumper.

Alfie shook her head shyly. “A little.”

Uncle John sent a huge grin as he opened the door of the hotel. Everyone was messing around in the lobby, already getting the drinks in and starting a small party off in the hotel bar from the sounds of things. People were shouting and leering in a tipsy fashion which reminded her of the bar on a match-night.

“Welcome to the world of being a roadie.”

Notes

One comment and a vote already! Thanks guys! Sorry it's going slowly but the lovely lush lads will be in the proceeding chapters, I promise :) And hopefully some pictures of my characters who will be the main features in the story! Thanks for all the support :)

All my love, Freyer. xx