Welcome to my Story, H2O: A New Generation! I really hope you love it. Make sure to review, favorite, and follow to keep notified on everything!

Chapter 1: Welcome to Australia

A slight gust of turbulence jolted Sara upward. Her eyesight went fuzzy for just a moment, as she attempted to understand where she was. She yawned once, removing a few strands of golden hair out of her pale blue eyes. She shook her head as the line of airplane seats in front of her became clear again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen we want to remind you that we will be landing in the Gold Coast in about fifteen minutes. So, make sure your seatbelts are fastened and we have hope you have a lovely time in sunny Australia!" A chipper flight attendant announced over the planes speakers.

Sara only slumped in her chair to pout. Here she was, flying to Australia to meet her parents who just so happened to be setting up their new home on the Gold Coast. It was infuriating. She left all her friends back home in America, only move across the entire Pacific Ocean to never see them again, as god forbid her dad had to take a bigger salary in Australia.

A tear threatened to form in her eye, but she rubbed it away before it could form. "What are you doing flying to the Gold Coast?" the middle aged Canadian woman next to her asked, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"Oh, just some stuff," was the only response Sara had for her. Either way, she was happy to be almost done with flying. It took her three flights to get her across the pacific, including a five hour drive across central Nebraska to get to the Denver Airport. Passing through Los Angeles, to Sydney, where she took a small and mostly crappy plane north to Gold Coast, all with very little sleep. Needless to say, she was tired and irritable.

The landing was smooth and Sara collected her bags. The Canadian woman attempted conversation twice more, but Sara only gave short answers and moved away. She didn't want to seem impolite, but she was more than ready to be done with it all.

When she reached the lobby, she saw an older gentleman with "Sarah Meyer" written in large black ink. Great Sara thought to herself. They couldn't even get my goddamn name spelled right. Sara got the older man's attention and he quickly strolled over.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Meyer!" He spoke in a thick Australian Accent, "It's a pleasure to meet ya." He held out his hand, which Sara shook quickly. She didn't want to seem mean already, and he seemed nice enough despite misspelling her name.

"Yes. That is me. Although… My name is wrong. It's Sara, without an H."

"My apologies Ms. Meyer." He spoke. Sara managed a smile. She liked the Australian accent and couldn't help but feel a bit giddy. The gentleman grabbed her bags and hauled them out the front door of the airport, with Sara in tow. As soon as the sun hit her she immediately gasped out at how bright it was. She fumbled around in her backpack before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and throwing them onto her face. The gentleman giggled when he saw that. "Welcome to Australia," He joked. He pulled her bags up to a Black SUV and threw them in the back before opening the backseat door and Sara scuttled inside.

The drive through to her house was uneventful, or relatively so. This whole thing to Sara was still a gigantic farce having to leave her best friend behind in Gibbon. It wasn't fair. She began to pout again slightly. She shook it off. Her situation was already set in stone, so Sara was determined to make it work no matter what it took. She always wanted to move out of her hometown one day, but not in the middle of High School.

When the SUV began to slow, Sara looked around. She was in a neighborhood with exquisitely built and designed houses, each one backing up to a canal that eventually stretched to the ocean on the other side of a small inlet of land. She stretched her neck, barely catching the horizon line over the ocean in the distance before it disappeared behind the next house.

She sat backed in her seat and sighed. This was new for her, being from the center of a massive continent with a thousand miles at least for the ocean in any direction. She gulped at the thought of being so close to it now.

The driver pulled the car to the left, eventually stopping in front of a house backing up to a smaller cove, but even so, Sara could see the sea glimmering beyond it. Sara hardly noticed her parents running down the driveway to meet her. She stepped out of the SUV only to be blindsided by her mother in a massive bearhug. Despite Sara being a head taller and slightly more muscular than her petite and slim mother, her mother held on tight and wouldn't let Sara go.

"Mom…. Let me gooo…." Sara moaned, slightly annoyed by her mother's behavior. Sara looked to her father for support, who only shook his head and laughed at the both of them. He was far taller than the both of them at 6'4" tall, with the mass of a linebacker, which he had played as when he was in college. Although that was some years ago, and the muscle weight just moved to his stomach.

Her mother slowly let go, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry Sara. It's just so exciting to see you here after two weeks! How was the flight?"

"Three flights Mom. And they were tiring." Sara replied, trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Well the important thing is that you're here," her father spoke up before giving her hug to Sara. His was less strong than her mother's, even despite his larger mass.

"Come inside!" Her mother exclaimed, "Come see our new house!" Before bounding into the house. She called back over her shoulder. "Paul? Dear, would you mind grabbing Sara's bags and bringing them in. Her father just grunted in affirmation in response and went to the trunk to grab her bags.

Sara followed her mother into the house, and it opened up into a beautiful living with large sofas and a TV spread against the corner with an open doorway across from her leading to a kitchen and dining room. Carpet ran from the door to the kitchen which led to granite tiling. It was much more than their previous house had been before.

"Well, what do you think?" her mother asked, smiling beaming from ear to ear.

"It's… Amazing!" Sara exclaimed. "But, how can we possibly afford this?"

"Your father's new job. It pays double what we earned in Gibbon. Plus with selling his previous company for a large sum, we had plenty of money for this house!"

"It's…. Wow… I can't believe it!" Sara replied, thoroughly impressed with the house.

"Come see the best part." Sara's mother beckoned her up the staircase to the other side of the living room. They climbed the steps up into a hallway with a few doors on either side. Sara's mother motioned to a door on her left. Sara cautiously opened the door and went in.

An immaculate bedroom lay before her, with a tall cabinet, large bed, and open closet. The walls were painted a pale blue, which was her favorite color. But wait… "Whose room is this?" Sara whipped around to her mother and asked.

"It's yours sweetie! I hope you love it!"

"I love it already," Sara replied, amazed at what it was. It was better than she ever hoped it would be.

"You also have your own bathroom as well," Her mother pointed out, gesturing toward the door in the far back corner. "Check out your room, see what you have. I'm going to go see what your father has gotten up to." She slowly left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Sara alone in her new room.

Sara walked forward, turning and checking out her new room. It was the perfect room she always wanted. Maybe Australia won't be such a bad place after all. She thought to herself. She fell backward onto her new bed. It was surprisingly softer than she imagined it to be, and she found herself relaxing. She closed her eyes, feeling peaceful. Before she could react, the jet lag hit her, and she was sound asleep within moments.

Sara opened her eyes and yawned. She had fallen asleep somehow. She patted down her pockets, before eventually finding her phone and pulling it out. It read 6:00. I slept for five hours? Why haven't my parents gotten me yet? She got her answer when she rose up out of the bed to see both her bags and her backpack lying on the floor near the door. I guess they dropped my bags off and let me sleep.

She yawned again before following the hallway back down the stairs and into the kitchen where her father was busy cooking supper. Her mother was on her laptop, scowling as she looked at the screen. Neither of them seemed to notice her as they were busy with what they were doing. "Hey," Sara spoke up, trying to get their attention.

Both their heads whipped around at the same time. "Good to see you!" Paul exclaimed, then went back to cooking.

"What are you making?" Sara asked to the back of his head.

"Chicken Paella," he called back without looking around. "But…" he grabbed a piece of paper with the recipe on it, looking at it and back to what he was cooking. "I don't know how it'll work though…" he shook his head and continued back to cooking "It should be ready in five minutes… maybe…"

Sara rolled her eyes at her father and went to her mother at the table still staring at her computer screen. "And what are you working on?" She asked.

"Well, two things actually," her mother answered without looking up from the screen. "With us moving here for your father's job, I'm looking for a job of my own here in Gold Coast. As well, both your father and I believe we should buy a boat for this family, considering we are close to the ocean."

"That's pretty awesome," Sara replied. Her mother nodded and returned to her search, obviously hard at work.

True to form, five minutes had passed and Paul emptied the pan he was cooking in into a large serving bowl and placed it on the table. "Dinner is served," He said, bowing in a jesting manner.

Sara ate quickly, trying to speak between bites. "So… I was thinking…. MMph…." She finished chewing before continuing. "I want to explore this area a little bit tonight before the sun goes down. Do you think that would be ok?"

"I'm not so sure Sara. You are still new here. Maybe we could all go tomorrow and we could show you what we've learned of the city from our two weeks here," her mother answered. Sara deflated immediately. She didn't want to stay cooped up with her parents.

"Oh Karen, let her go exploring a bit," her father said, coming to Sara's side.

"I suppose that's ok. Just be home by ten. Ok?" Karen affirmed. "10 o'clock on the button ok?"

"Ok Great!" Sara exclaimed. She hurriedly ate the last few bites of her meal and threw the empty plate onto the counter. "Great meal dad!" she called behind her as she raced toward the door, throwing her shoes on and out into the evening.

The sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon, but there were still at least a couple hours of pure daylight left, and Sara really wanted to enjoy them. The feelings of jet lag and homesickness for America were abated by Sara's new enthusiasm for checking out her new area. She took the steps off the porch and to her new life in Australia.

Sara had been walking for around ten minutes, continuing along her street until it turned left back towards the main road. She decided to instead travel along the coast, walking instead on a trail along one of the canals. She looked more into the distance to see a smaller harbor up ahead. She kept walking, staring out over the canal and to the glistening ocean beyond. She almost felt enamored by it. The prairies back home almost seemed like a sea, but that was nothing compared to the vastness she felt staring out over the ocean.

She rounded a bend to a few docks with planks heading downward where some boats had been parked. She leaned against a railing, staring out over the water. I might be able to get used to this. She looked forward along her path to see a small building with a few outside tables. A bright neon sign hung above the door.

"Rikki's Cafe…" She read aloud. It seemed interesting, so she headed inside. On the inside were bright colors. To the right was a stage of some kind with another "Rikki's Cafe" Neon Sign hung above it. In front of her was the front counter, with a menu board behind it.

She stepped up to the counter. A man just older than her stepped up behind it, he had dark brown hair and a look of confidence about him. Or was it arrogance? Sara couldn't quite tell. It could've been both. "Welcome to Rikki's Cafe. What can I get ya?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I.. uh… Can I get a mango smoothie?" She asked, seeing it was the only thing that caught her attention.

"You're not from around here I'm guessing?" he asked back.

"What was your first clue?" she quipped sarcastically.

"Mostly you sound like the most stereotypical American I've ever heard."

"Glad I could win your most stereotypical American voice award…" Sara just rolled her eyes. She figured it would just be something she would have to deal with here.

"Where are you from in the States?" he asked.

"Gibbon, Nebraska."

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah. It's a small town. Not a lot of people there. Not a lot of people even in Nebraska have heard of it. I get that quite a lot."

"So do you work on a farm then?"

"No. Are you done with your interrogation?"

"Well hold on, I'm just trying to make conversation."

"Can I just please get my goddamn smoothie please?" Sara was losing her patience. The first time she met someone new and already commenting how American she seemed and how annoying he'd become. This could've gone better.

"Zane, please, just get her the juice already," shouted a voice behind her. She turned to see a girl with her arms crossed, looking quite peeved. She had the same hair color as Zane, but hers was wavy and hung at her shoulders. She was slightly thinner than Sara, but she might've had a half inch on her.

"Alright fine, I'll do it already," Zane spoke, "Just trying to have a conversation." He went behind the counter and began making her smoothie.

The girl walked up to Sara and extended a hand. "I'm Mia by the way. And sorry about Zane. He's a good guy, but sometimes he can get full of himself."

"I'm Sara. And obviously like Zane said, I'm not from around here." Sara smiled. Mia was the same height as her, but slim compared to Sara's more athletic body.

"I'll admit I've never met an actual American in person before. What brings you all the way across the Pacific Ocean?" Mia asked.

"My dad got a good paying job here, and now he moved here with me and my mother. So, here I am. Living a new life across the ocean." Sara replied, trying to make it light. Zane put her finished smoothie on the table, and Sara pulled out some Australian Dollars she picked up at Sydney airport and paid him.

"What do you think about Gold Coast so far?" Mia asked, as the two walked out into the patio area, sitting at an empty table.

"It's been ok I suppose. Well, all except for Zane I suppose," Sara joked.

Mia laughed. "Yeah he can be quite irritable at times. He is actually a good person. He runs the cafe very well. He named it after his girlfriend, and while she's gone at university in California, he keeps it running himself. They actually opened a second location not too long ago."

"Naming it after his girlfriend. I'm not sure whether that's adorable, or incredibly tacky."

"Maybe it's a little of both," Mia joked back.

"So… How do you know Zane so well? It seems like you two are close. Or at least close enough for him to listen to you."

Mia smiled. "He's my cousin. I'm glad he listens to me even though I'm younger than him by three years. He's nineteen and I'm sixteen."

"Hey! I'm sixteen as well!" Sara exclaimed.

"That's great! We'll probably have a few classes together then. When do you start classes?"

"In three days unfortunately. On Friday. I'm not sure I'll be ready but whatever. I have to do it."

"You'll be fine! I promise." Mia paused for a moment. "Where did you say you were from again?"

"Gibbon, Nebraska. Yes, I know it's a small town. No, I did not grow up on a farm. And no, I'm not used to being this close to the ocean."

"A lot of people will probably ask you this, but have you ever been to the ocean before?"

"Once. My family and I went to Disney World in Florida when I was nine. And we spent one day visiting the beach. And that was it. I suppose it's weird to you that I've only been to the ocean once, considering you probably grew up next to it and know not much else besides life near the sea." Sara explained.

"Even so, I still think the ocean is amazing after all my years of living here." They both looked out over the ocean. The sun had begun to set behind them, casting an orange glow in front of them.

Mia turned her gaze over Sara's shoulder, seemingly noticing someone behind her. Sara turned to see another girl walking over to where their table was. Mia waved her over. The girl smiled when she saw Mia and quickly came over. "Hey Mia! How's it going?" the girl asked, and Mia stood up and gave the girl a hug.

"Pretty great. Although Zane was being a pain earlier." Mia replied, as they released the hug. She gestured toward Sara. "Katy, this is Sara she's new to the Gold Coast. Sara this is my friend Katy."

Sara stood up out of her chair to shake Katy's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said to Katy. She had a big smile on her face and brightness in her green eyes. She seemed quite happy-go-lucky. Her copper hair hung long toward the center of her back. She seemed barely over five feet even more than half a foot shorter than both Mia and Sara.

"American I'm guessing?" Katy asked immediately.

"Yes. I'm American." Sara replied, almost rolling her eyes again. But she restrained herself, trying to make a good impression. She turned back to Mia. "I suppose everyone I meet here will probably ask if I'm American." She joked.

Mia chuckled. "Probably so, considering how different you sound from everyone in Australia. I wouldn't pay no mind to it. You might get some slight attention from it, but once people get used to it they won't care."

Sara sat down again and Katy pulled up a chair next to Mia. "So Sara," Katy asked, "Where are you from in the States? I've actually been there on holiday with my family before, I want to see if I've been to where you're from."

"I'm from Gibbon, Nebraska, and I'll probably be asked that multiple times as well," Sara joked, trying to be funny. She knew Katy wouldn't know where that was.

"Oh I've actually been to Nebraska!" Katy exclaimed. "About three years ago my family went on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York and we went through Nebraska."

"Really? Surprising. But you probably didn't go to my hometown. It has something like two thousand people and that's it."

"Don't worry about it. It's not about where you're from, it's about where you're going!" Katy replied, almost bubbly with energy.

Sara laughed. She felt like she really could connect with Mia and Katy. Even though she left her best friend Jenny back home in Gibbon, it was good to meet new people and make new friends. The three continued talking for a few hours, with the eventually setting, the lights of the harbor lighting up to signify the night.

It was some time later when Sara looked at her phone for the first time in a while. "Crap!" She exclaimed, "I gotta be home in like five minutes or my parents will lose it."

"No worries," Mia spoke. "We'll text you later." Sara quickly exchanged phone numbers with the two of them and she ran off into the night back in the direction of home. Luckily it wasn't too far and she remembered where she was going. She continued running. It was good that she had started doing running workouts back in America or it would've been much harder. She easily breezed through the half mile or so back to her home, bursting through the door just as the time hit ten.

Her parents were in the living room flipping through the TV channels when she returned, perking up when they saw her come through the door. "Sara! You're back!" her mother exclaimed. She got up to greet Sara, pulling her into a big hug. "How was it? Do you like the neighborhood so far?"

"It's pretty good. I met some new friends as well!" Sara replied.

"That's amazing sweetie. See, Australia may not be so bad after all." Karen replied, releasing her daughter.

We shall see, mom. Sara thought. But, she couldn't hide the optimism in the back of her mind after meeting Mia and Katy. And maybe, just maybe, things might just turn out well in Australia. It was the first time she felt slight confidence about.

A/N: I actually wrote this story many years ago. It wasn't until recently that I actually found it and read it again. And I hated it. So, I'm writing this all from scratch. Hope you love it!