The air is awfully clear
The calm before a storm

What do those people really want to know
With seemingly kindness
Hiding a sharp knife of curiosity
Behind their gentle looking eyes?

To tell you the truth, I was never one to be completely caring. I thought ignorance was bliss. I never tried to meddle into other's affairs. It was okay as long as I was happy in my own little world of thoughts and silly dreams. Listening to a sad melody or one where the lyrics made me feel like crying, seeing how long I could withstand the tears from rolling out of my eyes and down my cheeks. I found refuge in pretty things, like the dew on a carefully woven spider web or the newly fallen snow glistening in the sun from the clear winter sky. As you can tell, my world merely existed on things that seemed unreal. I was nothing but a dreamer. But, I was sick. That's one thing I couldn't lie about, it was obvious everywhere I went. It was the only 'real' thing my body could register.

I stood in my room, staring out the clear, glass window into the garden of my grandmother's estate. My reflection shone right back at me, as I frowned in disapproval at my disheveled, blonde hair. My spring green eyes looked dull after I'd stayed up all night. People always told me I was beautiful, much to my dismay. Even though it may seem odd, I didn't want to be noticed as pretty. I wanted to be normal, or even below that. I smiled quickly, but my face once again turned into a frown as my grandma walked into my room, yelling in a shrill voice.

"You were up all night, weren't you Suzuna?" She said, more like yelled. Even though she was always so mean, I knew she only acted this way because she cared. "Yes, ma'am. I just couldn't stop thinking of the most beautiful scene I've ever encountered that I saw last night. The moon was shining a bright white although it was covered by the clouds." She 'hmphed' and left the room, obviously still angry. I checked to see if she was gone. She was leaving my building and walking off the the main house. "Alone, finally. I muttered. And forced myself to sleep, only to see the dream I was hoping for.

When I awoke, the afternoon sky met my eyes, which had to work to adjust themselves to the changing light. Ah, summer. Such a pretty season. The people of my city have forgotten the coldness of the snow, as everyone tries their best to beat the heat. I dressed myself in a white summer dress, and grabbed my umbrella to keep the heat off. As for shoes, I wore flip-flops, so I could listen to the noise they made. I opened the sliding glass door and stepped into the almost overwhelming heat of the garden. "It's so hot!" I yelled, wishing I could have something cold with me. I quickly opened the umbrella, putting it over my body and resting it on my body. The shade helped, but I couldn't find any shelter from the humidity. I set off for my destination, the forest.

I stopped in a secluded spot, looking over the side of my umbrella. I liked looking at the scenery that showed under my tilted umbrella... It was so pretty. I could see the sun through the cracks in the foilage. There were wild flowers everywhere, so I was always careful not to step on any, which proved to be hard because of the mesmerizing beauty of it all. Whenever I wanted to be alone, I came here, a place far from the outside world, where I could lay down, and think. But today, my thinking was cut short, due to a husky, male voice coming not far from where I lay.

"Hm, I wonder which way I should go..." the man said, obviously talking to himself. He seemed confused, probably lost. Judging by the sound of his voice, he didn't seem very old, maybe around my age? I was curious. I got up from my comfortable position and went closer to the voice. I knew he was coming this way, as the voice got louder and louder. I could hear a "I think I see a clearing where the forest is less dense.." and a "Tch." along with a noise of him stumbling. The voice was dangerously close now. As the boy walked into my area, I was finally able to see the face that matched the voice. His black hair was long, not like a girl's, but it reached only under his ears, and his bangs stopped before his eyes. Those eyes were beautiful. What a strange color of reddish brown they were... I didn't notice it at first, but we had been staring at each other for the longest time until I spoke, embarrassed.

"W-what's your name?" I spoke, choking on my words. His expression was priceless. His eyes were bright as he didn't look away from mine. "Natsume Hyuuga." He added a smirk this time, his eyes softening. He didn't even bother to ask mine? "I see, well nice to meet you Natsume. My name is Suzuna Otsuka." I probably sounded annoyed, but, well, I was annoyed at the rude boy in from of me. "You can call me whatever you want though." I added. His smirk got even bigger as he looked me over and said "Okay, Polka Dots." I was confused. I looked down to find my dress had been blown by the wind, revealing my, yes, polka dot underwear. I blushed madly at this. I clenched my fist at first, but then relaxed it. I knew I shouldn't start fights when we just met... "So, Natsume..." I started and was rudely interrupted by his voice saying "Yes, Polka dots?" I sighed, controlling my anger. "I've never seen you, are you new here, if so, what school will you be going into?" I talked quickly, so he couldn't interrupt me. In return, he said, "Yeah, I'm living in the dorms of alice academy, where I'll be going to school." I noticed a bored tone in his voice. "Oh... I'll be going there too. It's also my first year there, but I've lived in this town with my grandma for awhile. I'm going to move into the dorms, though." The reason why I didn't stay home was pretty much because my grandmother was always yelling... "You live with you grandma? What about your parents?" He said, for the first time showing some real emotion. He sounded concerned. I had trouble holding back my tears as I looked him straight in the eyes.

"They died."

This is my first gakuen alice fanfic... please review!