Learning to Fly

Chapter one - Getting away

Have you ever wanted something so much it hurts? Carly McClellan had. For as long as she could remember she'd wanted to get away from Scotland, away from Britain even. She'd spent all her life in the small village she was born in. Her father was the school caretaker, her mother worked in the local post office, aunt's, uncles and cousins all lived within a mile of the small terraced house that her parents had lived in for all their twenty five year marriage. 

Carly had wanted to study English at University after school, she'd looked at colleges in London, Birmingham and Cardiff. Cities that weren't Scottish. Not that she hated Scotland, she didn't she loved it. The lochs, the highlands, the beautiful scenery. But she had a desire that was stronger to branch out, reach her full potential. She felt so clipped, so restricted in this ridiculous town.

Her father losing his job as she was applying for University put paid to those plans, and she had to settle for a diploma in Childcare at the local college and a job in a nursery. 

But it had all changed when she'd opened the local paper one lunchtime and seen the small printed box nestled in between an advert for a new tanning centre opposite the council swimming pool, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppies that were ready in three weeks.

"Wanted. Qualified childcare worker

to compliment team at exclusive ski

resort in Austria. Flexible hours, good 

pay. Apply to above address."

When an opportunity like this fell in to your lap, you just had to take it...didn't you? Listed was the address of a company in London, and when she googled the the resort she'd gasped. It was opulent, a real high end resort with spas, pools, a huge gym, a la carte restaurants, hot tubs on every balcony of the fifty chalets that it contained. Since seeing the advert three weeks earlier Carly had though of nothing else. And three days ago in a Manchester hotel she'd met the Human Resources team, along with the head of entertainment for six of the sister resorts, and been hired. Tomorrow she made for pastures new, and it really couldn't come soon enough. 

Standing in front of the mirror she checked out her reflection, passable. But that's all she ever was. Her thick hair was mousy brown, falling to just below her jawline in a style that was practical for work, her blue eyes were hidden by her long fringe. Carly wished now, more than ever that she'd  taken the time to get it restyled,  or at least coloured before she travelled in the morning.

"You ready Carly?"

Her mother's voice dragged her from her reverie, and shaking her head she made for the stairs, and the party.

True to form the party had been huge. Over a hundred people, probably all there for the free buffet more than through obligation to her, but then her home town was like that, everyone did everything together! She was only going to Austria, a reasonable plane ride away. Hardly the other side of the world, but everyone seemed to realise that for Carly this was a huge, life changing moment, a stepping stone, and despite everything she couldn't really envisage coming back to this town. Not for more than a holiday. She'd overheard so many comments about how a girl like her couldn't pull it off, couldn't succeed away from home, but that seemed to be the mentality of her place of birth, and she was desperate to prove them all wrong. 

It was a Sunday morning, and Carly was bouncing with excitement. Her bags were already packed into her father's small car, and she was just having a final glance around her bedroom before she left. 

Her mother was close to tears, that much was obvious, but as Carly joined her parents in their car, she was anything but tearful. She was euphoric, but tried to hide her enthusiasm and happiness from her parents. At Glasgow airport, they parked the car, and her father pushed a trolley loaded with her bags into the departure zone. The three queued to check in, then at the gate to the departure lounge, they all hesitated.

Carly hugged her mother tightly, of course she'd miss her. Her mother may only be five foot two, but she had enough energy and vibrancy to make her appear six foot tall. Her father was solemn, and she threw her arms around his neck next and buried her face into his shoulder. She'd miss him too. All her life they'd been a unit of three, and now she was dissolving that.

"I'll call every day!" she promised as she stood holding a hand of each parent. 

Her mother smiled, "you'd better! If not I'll be calling, OK?"

Smiling through tears that had now spread to her, she disappeared through the doorway that signified the start of this new stage of her life.

Three hours later a bus was climbing roads that for the last hour had been flanked by small snow banks to what looked like an alpine village. Carly was still beaming, regardless of how silly she looked, as she gazed out the window, taking in the swelling hills that were now giving way to the more jagged peaks of the Alps.

Carly spent the day in wonder, the crisp white snow coated everything, and whilst she was used to snow most winters in Scotland, it was never like this, fresh, beautiful and part of life. So far from the dirty slushy ice that brought chaos and traffic delays at home. 

Once she'd dumped her bags, she decided to investigate the hotel. The main building housed the spa and gym she'd seen on the website as well as the various restaurants, all branching off from a very luxurious marble clad reception. A uniformed receptionist welcomed her and pointed her in the direction of the basement, the location of the creche,  her work place for the coming months. 

Opening the door she gasped, it was a huge room containing every toy and every craft a child could possibly desire. The walls were adorned with dozens of paintings, masterpieces of numerous children, and lovingly displayed for future children to see. There was a dress up area with fantastic costumes of dragons, princesses and firemen, a fully equipped miniature kitchen, and at least a dozen ride on toys.

It was perfect. 

Carly was investigating, opening drawers and cupboards when she heard a sound behind her. Turning she saw a woman smiling at her, she was probably in her late thirties, and tall with long blond hair cascading around her shoulders. She wore the uniform that Carly recognised from some of the staff at the reception. 

"Hi!" The woman held out her hand. "You must be Carly. I'm so glad you're joining us." 

She had a heavily accented voice and Carly was trying to guess where she hailed from when a hand was thrust in front of her. "I'm Danica, I am the manager of the creche and the ski schools for children. I don't get down to this place very often, but I wanted to come and say hello. Have you settled into your room?"

Carly shrugged, "I was shown to a room, but I left my bags and came to have a look around!"

Danica smiled, "it's great here, isn't it? Is it your first time?"

Nodding Carly answered almost too quickly, "I've been looking forward to this forever!"

"Well you've got until tomorrow morning to look around. The staff usually go to some of the bars on a Sunday evening. We've got a lot of things to sort out in the morning, nothing too taxing though I promise!"

Danica dragged her long hair back over a shoulder and sat on a small chair gesturing to one opposite, "grab a seat." Carly slid down next to her. "There's a lot to do here and a lot of the staff are quite crazy. We can't tolerate that craziness drifting into work, after all we're here to make holidays perfect for the clients. Sometimes some staff get that mix wrong! Saying that I'm not here to be a killjoy. If you need any help, or are struggling, shout. OK?"

She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a business card, "this is all you need to get me at any time. I'd rather be disturbed at three in the morning that make to carnage. You know?"

Carly smiled. Despite the strength of the words and the underlying message, Danica had a pleasant friendly demeanor, and Carly wasn't threatened. Despite being twenty four, she was quite glad to know there was a mother figure there if she needed help.

"Thanks Danica!"

The woman, Carly'd now guessed as being Scandinavian, grinned, "No problmes! Meet me at reception at nine tomorrow and we'll fill in all your paper work. Get you started and all that. OK?"

The room she'd been allocated was a single bed in a twin room. The other bed was obviously occupied. Pictures of what appeared to be three Shit-zhu dogs and teenage twin girls were stuck at jaunty angles to the walls around the bed. Pink feather fairy lights were entwined in the rungs of the bedstead, and a selection of clothes were strewn over the unmade duvet.

There was little space between the two beds, and a single wardrobe sat between the door and each bed. It was little more than a box, probably smaller than her bedroom at home, but she didn't feel restricted or restrained. She felt free!

"So this is my home for the next..." the sentence was unfinished as she heaved her largest suitcase up on to the bed and unzipped it, she didn't know how long she'd be here really. She'd emptied most of it into the small wardrobe and the drawers built into the base of the bed. She hadn't brought as many personal belongings as her anonymous room mate appeared to have, but she took a few moments to hang a photo of her and her parents taken at her last birthday, on the wall above her bed, along with a few scrawled messages from friends.  Other than that she had a small alarm clock, her ipod and a couple of books - she'd definitely packed light. 

Not sure whether she wanted to socialise on her first evening, she pulled out a beaten Dan Brown novel that she'd started on the plane and stretched out on her bed. 

She must've dropped off, because she almost jumped up the bed in shock as the door not only burst open but slammed into the wardrobe at the end of the bed, causing the whole bed to shift. Opening her eyes, Carly looked up to see two interlaced bodies falling into the room. it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began, but Carly could make out blonde feminine curls encased in two large hands, and a soft buzz-cut trying to bury itself into a pair of voluptuous breasts. 

Clearing her throat as loudly as she could, she braced herself for an awkward first meet with the person she imagined must be her room mate. The couple pulled apart as though they'd been doused in ivy water and both turned to glare at her, a mixture of awkwardness and embarrassment from her, and annoyance and extreme disappointment from him. Carly  watched as the bottle blond lifted her head and stared questioningly at her, her blue eyes piercing her. She'd never seen anyone as glamorous as the blond, her hair hung to her shoulders in perfect waves, her face was immaculately made-up, and all her clothes were both trendy and designer. He on the other hand, with his dark buzz cut and chocolate brown eyes smiled in a lazy over confident way at her.

Carly smiled awkwardly, "Hi I'm Carly. I presume you're my room mate?"

The other girl untangled her arms from under the boys shirt and tried to not look annoyed, nonchalantly, she gave a shrug, "yah...presume you are. I'm Camilla. This..." she turned to smile at buzz-cut, "is Lucas."

Carly smiled awkwardly at them both, then Lucas tapped Camilla's shoulder, "my place!" 

And with those two simple words she was left alone.