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2. Settling In


Yani- June 27

'You're not really going to work while you're here are you?' Auntie Cecilia demanded with obvious disapproval.

'You're young, you should be having fun, falling in love!' Auntie Rosa tried. She was the more romantic of the spinister sisters of my grandfather. They were my great-aunts, but there wasn't really a word for that in Spanish.

I grimaced at the thought of falling in love.

Matt had smashed my heart into a gazillion pieces.
I didn't think it was quite ready for another beating.
No pun intended.

'Tia, it's a good opportunity to give back to the community...' I reasoned.

'And normally I'd be the first to agree,' Auntie Cecilia interrupted, but children are hard work, they'll demand a lot of time and energy, we don't want to send you back to Australia with grey hairs!'

I really was touched by the thought.
But the plight was there.
I needed to do this.

But before I could say anything more, my little cousins took a moment to go mad.

'DIEGO CARRY ME!'
'NO! CARRY ME!'
'DIEGO, DIEGO, DIEGO!!!'

'Alright you little monsters,' and the tall figure at the doorway scooped all three kids into his arms and twirled them around.
They squealed with delight and it was about five minutes before the adults finally managed to pry the little kids hands off their favorite Tio.

'Yani, you remember Diego don't you?' Rosa winked at me.

My smile faded slightly.
I remembered him...
But he was nothing as I rememberd him by.

For one thing, he'd grown by ten years.
And at age seven, I didn't realise that he'd grow up so... so...
Good-looking?

'Hey,' I said with my usual friendliness.
God, do you think you could be more flirtatious? I heard Camie's voice teasing me in my head.

'Hi,' he nodded towards me.
Diego Santoro definitely epitomised Latin-male-hunkiness.
Tanned and muscular...
Dark curls hanging down his black eyes...

'Maybe you can convince her that she shouldn't spend her entire holiday working,' Cecilia broke the moment.

'Yes-- why don't you go outside on the terrace with Diego?' Rosa added.

Diego and I stared at each other with understanding.
In Colombia, matchmaking was not uncommon.
And besides, they meant well.

'You're not really going to try and convince me are you?' I asked him as soon as we were out of earshot.

'I'd try if I didn't see that determined look on your face,' he admitted.

'It's just that--'

He raised one calloused hand up at me, workman's hands, 'You don't have to explain. I understand what it means to be passionate about something.'

Maybe it wast he fact that he'd said passionate in that sexy Latin drawl.
But I don't think I'd ever blushed that hard in my life.

This was going to be an interesting summer.

+++


Emi- June 28


'Guten tag.'

'Guten morgen,' I responded to the cheerful blond behind the reception desk, who was idly reading one of the Dutch teen magazines.

'You're smart to have gotten up so early,' she commented, 'once it hits nine o'clock it is impossible to get a shower stall without a long wait.'

'I'll keep that in mind,' I grinned at her.

At eight-thirty in the morning, freshly showered and awake (shock horror to my friends who know I don't get up until noon most days), I went to the common room for breakfast.

I'd arrived at the Blue Kaiser the night before, absolutely exhausted and determined to get to my bed and sleep.

My room was great.

Small in the way that there was hardly room for another person, but great.

There was a single bed, a tallboy, and a multi-purpose desk. And that was all I had time to notice before I went to the toilet, brushed my teeth and dropped off for a twelve hour sleep.

I'm so glad jetlag hasn't been a problem. The last visit to Germany had caused me to have insomnia for the most part of the first week, not to mention ill.

But no matter what memories, I still chose to stay in Stolberg because it was such a beautiful place. I'd told Silla about all the places we'd visited and that was how she'd come up with the ideas for the photos.

'Ahmmmmahmmmmmmmmm'

I raised an eyebrow at the figure which lay crouched over one of the breakfast tables, moaning and groaning.

Pretending not to notice, I went to get myself some cereal.

I normally hate Weetbix, but in an attempt not to be so homesick I piled two on my bowl and plied it with a truckload of sugar.

'Morning,' the voice said.

I saw green eyes staring out at me from somewhere behind the masses of black hair which seemed to stick out at various directions in waves and spikes.

'Morning,' I replied.

His voice was decidedly upper-class British.

Already, I was curious at to why someone who looked like him, who clearly had a different background, was doing in a youth hostel in Western Germany.

But I decided against asking him.

I really didn't want to be called the nosy Australian girl.
Yeah, another shock surprise, as I hardly ever speak back home.
My sanity must be slipping from me.

'So where to today,' I asked myself as I took out my itenerary.

In an attempt to get everything done in the four weeks I was in Europe, I'd had to plan out everything.
This wasn't some relaxing holiday.
This was a job, and Silla was counting on me.

'St. Julian's Chapel.'
I took out the map and planned my route as I scoffed down the awful Weetbix.

+++


Camie- 30 June


'You've got to forgive him sooner or later.'

'I cant do that!' I insisted.

I could already imagine Kei on the other side of the phone line waiting for me to explain myself, 'that's rubbish.'

'Whatever!'

'That's real mature, Camille. REAL mature. You're in Italy, for the first time in your life, you're within twenty miles of each other.'

'Actually you're wrong. He's in Milan this week.'

'So what's the problem?' she demanded.

'I've got to go sis,' I glanced at the watch, it was almost time to meet January for her lunch break, 'I'm off to lunch.'

'Keep in touch by email!' she said before we disconnected.

I picked out a cute sundress that January had helped me chose one of the local market stalls and my favorite high heeled sandals.

January could only get two weeks of break time during my stay, and that wasn't until later on so that we could take a trip up to Lake Como. So for the first part of my stay, I wasn't going to see much of her.

She'd thought it through though, and gotten Trina, one of her friend's little sister who was on summer holidays to keep me company.

She was nice enough I suppose, but she was one of the people that Johnie had warned me about, a bit wild, a heavy smoker, a heavy drinker. And all at the age of eighteen.

'Ciao!'

'Ciao, Dino!' I grinned at the gardener that doubled as a security guard at the apartment where my cousin lived.

'Come sta?'

'Bene, e tu?' I asked.

'Cosi, cosi,' he laughed and I joined it. My Italian was slowly improving, the girls would be so jealous.

I walked down one of the busy streets and turned into another street. It was a long walk, but it was simple enough to do once you got used to it.

One thing I really loved about Italy was the appreciative looks that were sent to you by most of the young men, I often wonderded how Johnie would look at me.

I sighed.

We weren't on good terms at the moment.

I'd had a fight with him, him thinking I was still back in Australia--

'Why wont you give me your phone number?' I asked.

It was a question that I'd asked him numerous times before. And again, he dodged it expertly, leaving me frustrated.

Didn't he know that I was closer to him than I'd ever been before? Couldn't he feel it?

'You better stop thinking or your face will become a permanent prune,' January said smacking me on the cheek lightly as she showed up.

I shrugged.

'It's only for a week.'

'Yeah, that's if he wants to see me.'

'Of course he will,' January looked at me as though I were crazy.

But I wasn't too sure.

+++


Kei- July 01


'Where are we going?'

I sat at the back seat of my cousin's Mustang. Jenny had gotten hers on her eighteenth birthday a few years back.

The sisters grinned.

'I don't like that look,' I confided.

They laughed joyously at the look of horror that came across my face as I saw that we were going to yet another mall.

'Not again.'

'Kei, Julia looked through the bag you packed for Turtle Cove and you have not one bikini in there-- it's a travesty!'

'Jenny, I don't have anything to put into the bikinis,' I groaned.

I'd always been a little sensitve about the fact that when God gave out the gifts for endowed cleavages, I was standing behind some horribly tall person.

'Nonesense-- we'll get you a small one.'

'You're joking!'

But apparently they werent.
When we got home that night I stared at the two bikinis for a good ten minutes.
They were ridiculously small.
I'm talking, eight year old small.

'Hey Kei, you better get down to dinner.'

'I will.'

I walked down the stairs and contemplated throwing myself down them. Surely they couldn't expect me to go to the beach with a broken leg?

'You're going to love Turtle Cove,' Auntie Belle, their mother said with an indulgent smile.'

'How come you're not coming with us?' I asked curiously.

'There's a time when parents have to let go,' Uncle John replied for her, 'and besides Brian and his friends are taking up one hut on their own.'

I glanced across at my cousin.

I didn't really know him that well, but he seemed easy enough to get a long with. I hoped that his friends were the same way.

Julia saw the trepidation on my face but thankfully didn't bring it up until much later, when we'd gone upstairs to her room, where I was staying at.

'Don't be worried. They're good guys.'

'What-- I didn't--' but they were too similar for Julia to believe me.

'I don't know what your hiding, cousin, but I'll figure it out.' There was a brief silence but Julia didn't push it, 'Jed, Avery and Duncan are really great friends with Brian. They wont cause you harm, in fact, they'll probably be around to protect you.'

'Do I need protection?' I wondered.

'Not the kind where your life is at risk.'

If that wasn't cryptic, I didn't know what was. All three cousins were training to be lawyers, so if she'd wanted to, I knew she could get straight to the point.

'Besides, they're hot. In fact, I've always had a crush on Jed.'

'Really?' I winked at her, wanting to know more.

Julia sighed dramatically, 'Really... but he wont lay a hand on me. It's some sort of unwritten rule between the four of them. Annoying to say the least.'


+++

A/N: Hey guys, so were getting into the summer fairly slowly. I promise things will get a bit more exciting. love kei