Gone to Ithaca

Anabelle begins her new chapter of life on a limousine headed to Greenwich Academy.

Looking down, I saw Elwin city reduced to a miniature size. The houses and cars looked so tiny that for a moment I imagined myself playing dollhouse with them. I closed my eyes, tired of watching the cities pass by every time the pilot announced ," Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now flying over the city of (fill in the blank)."

I still couldn't believe I was flying to New York state to the prestigious Greenwich Academy. I tried everything possible -and believe me I tried- to stay home in sweet Los Angeles. The judge was about to order me to be sent to a foster home, but lucky me, Mr. Jensen came just in time and convinced the judge that Greenwich Academy would be the perfect place for a troubled teen with a defective family to grow academically and get the needed counseling. Yay.....not. 

I didn't want to go to Greenwich Stinking-House. What could be worse than being ripped apart from the people you loved and sent to live to a rich academy at some random place you've never been to with a bunch of strangers you've never met? Nothing, I figured.

So here I was, flying 100 miles per hour or whatever, going to a place I didn't want to. It was the first time I had ever gone on a plane and all the turbulence made me want to grab a barf bag. But I kept it in. Instead, I took out my notebook and began to draw. I just let my hand flow, not really thinking about what I was drawing. After a few minutes, I was drawing the face of a woman with red-burned hair and green eyes, a figure I realized, that kept showing up in my drawings. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now arriving to Ithaca city. Please, take your seats and put on your seat belts. Thank You."  

I put my notebook away in my backpack. I didn't have to put my seat belt on. I had been too scared throughout the whole flight to take it off. The plane began to descend, and I held on to the seat real tight. The plane bounced terribly and it made my heart-shaped necklace jump to my face, hitting me square the nose.

After I exited the plane and took my only suitcase, I walked to the exit of the airport, where I had been instructed by my social worker back home to wait for Mr. Elmwood. Mr. Elmwood? I thought. What a weird name. Having been born to Hispanic parents, foreign names had always seemed strange. I waited not more than a minute, when a man dressed in a black uniform approached me and asked me if I was Anabelle Montebello, to which I replied that I was.

"I'm Mr. Elmwood, private chauffeur of Greenwich Academy. Please, follow me," he said, taking my suitcase. I followed him to the airport's parking lot, where there were a few cars parked still, some dingy and some not bad looking. But out of all the cars, one stood out. A sleek black limousine was parked all by itself, that to my horror, we were walking towards.

I got into the limousine after the chauffeur had put my suitcase in the trunk and opened the door for me. The only thing that kept me from running back out was that it was warmer inside than out. The chauffeur slid into the drivers seat and drove off.

I analyzed the interior of the limousine with vehement apathy. It was very luxurious compared to my thrift-store coat and worn out sneakers. The seats were of black leather and the handles were a cranberry wood. It was very well lit by tiny lights hidden under the seats. 

"Help yourself to anything you want, Miss Anabelle," the chauffeur said referring to the mini fridge located at the side of the limousine. I pressed my lips together and didn't reply. I don't want anything from this disgusting limousine, I thought. I didn't say it out loud because it was apparent that it was Mr. Elmwood's prestigious job to take care of the limousine besides driving it.

I stared out the window and gazed at the passing trees. It was the only thing visible since - I'd done a bit of research the night before- Ithaca, New York wasn't much of an urban area. Odd, I thought, considering we were in New York State, one of the most populated states in the country. I rested my head against the seat and and closed my eyes shut. The flight had worn me out because soon enough, I was dreaming. 

Author's Note

Thanxs so much for reviewing. It helps catch up on my mistakes. I made a few corrections and modifications. They're tiny, I hope you don't mind. Thanks for reading!

Reviews

[Havatara]

I didn't notice any mistakes that other reviewers haven't already pointed out. One suggestion is maybe to have spaces in between the paragraphs if the text gets any longer than this. It's okay if it's for a short chapter, but so much black gets hard on the readers' eyes, and we don't want to have to get glasses. Or a new pair, in any case. I like where the plot is going and I can't wait to read the next chapter.

What could be worse than being ripped apart from the people you loved and sent to live to(at?) a rich academy at some random place you've never been to with a bunch of strangers you've never met?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now arriving to(at?) Ithaca city.

I rested my head against the seat and and closed my eyes shut. ('Shut' just seems a little unnecessary. Maybe just remove it and keep the sentence as is.)

There are only a few errors in this, as I have pointed out. Apart from them the story is going really well. I will read more of this when I have time.
Well done.

[Liza]

Cute bunny :)

you take the reader into your world with the descriptions of emotions and environment you are leaving and the ideas of your new journey. great set up!

[N.E.T.]

This great! I am already anxious for more. You did a beautiful job with your use of words and evoked real emotion - great start!

[James Watts]

A nice start. I noticed a few errors here and there but nothing major. A little shorter than I like to see in a chapter lol, but this is still in drafting I imagine.

[Undying Glory]

great intro, and i think this book will turn out great. nice job

[(:]

Good descriptions(:
I'm sure I'm going to like the next few chapters as well.

[Mason]

Some errors in grammar, punctuation, and verbiage. That bit about "vehement apathy" could not be a literary paradox: it must be either pretentious or misallocated. The plot, though, is good. Keep writing. ^^

[Ruth]

Excellent detail!
This is going to be great, looking forward to more:) xx

[Lilith]

Isn't "vehement apathy" slightly paradoxical? Other than that little thing, this is a very good write!