I don’t really know what I’m supposed to say…. Hi?

My name is Achaia Connolly Cohen. I’m sixteen. My dad is a writer, well, I thought he was just a writer… That’s complicated. My mom died when I was a baby. I don’t really remember her, so I don’t really miss her. If anything, I guess I am curious about what it would be like to have a mom. Sometimes I think I might get, I don’t know, jealous of girls who have moms.

Don’t get me wrong though! I Like my life with my dad. We travel and move around a lot. I’ve lived in a lot of pretty cool cities. My dad also knows a lot about pretty much everything, so we’re never short on things to talk about. We’ve been moving around since I was thirteen. We don’t usually stay anywhere very long, so I’ve never really had many friends. Or, I didn’t. I never really minded that though. I’m pretty introverted. Not in a shy, people-make-me-uncomfortable way… it’s more of a most-people-annoy-the-crap-out-of-me kind-of way.

I have made some friends recently though, which is new for me. First I met Olivier. He is super nice, and really laid back. He might be the most likable person I’ve ever met. You know those people in life that you come across, and its like an instant-best-friend… that’s Olly. Then there’s Yellaina. Girly-girls usually annoy me, I guess they don’t seem real or genuine to me, it seems like they’re faking everything, all the time. I didn’t want to like Yellaina at first, she kind of freaked me out a bit. But she is genuinely one of the most caring and compassionate people I’ve ever met. She is naturally bubbly and likes pink too much, but if I try to see life through her eyes, its a brighter place.

Amelia is a tough read. I think she might like me, either that, or she wants me dead…? I think we’re alike in that most people annoy us.  She is a slow person to get to know, but I think its worth the patience. She seems to be one of those people who is all or nothing. Once she loves you, she is a fierce, fierce friend.

Emile is Amelia’s twin brother, and they couldn’t be more different. As guarded as Amelia is, Emile was wide open with me from the start. Every time I see him, its like walking into a hug. He is truly easy to talk to about everything. He is an amazing listener, and probably the most selfless person I’ve ever met. He genuinely just loves and cares about people, and what is going on in their lives.

Then there’s Noland. He is kind of the team leader. Noland is one of those people who is too serious for his age, and is really intimidating at first, but then he starts cracking jokes and you think you might have been wrong about him all this time, but you’re not really sure because he is still bossy and annoying sometimes, but then he has  your back and doesn’t let anyone push you around, even though he pushes you around, but he always does it in an “I mean well” sort of way because he has a savoir complex from when he lost his parents, which reminds me, he is the only person I’ve  ever been able to talk to about my mom dying, and I just realized I haven’t breathed in like five minutes. Whew!

I would tell you more about myself, but I’m out of breath.

Visual Inspiration for Achaia to stare at while I write.

Disclaimer: The images in the first collage are not mine, I pulled them from my inspiration board on pinterest. The sketches in the second are by my friend Phil Thomas. I do not take credit for any of these!