"Liv, breakfast time!
"I'm coming mom!" Olivia Taylor screams from her bed, not wanting to wake up for her first day of yet another new school. Six months after working for his father, Tristan Taylor decided that he was going to live his childhood dream, travel the world. In his travels, he fell in love with North America but eventually decided he wanted to fulfill his other dream by enlisting in the Japanese Army in which he eventually becomes a Medical Corps Officer. "Olivia, you're going to be late and your food is getting cold" the voice persists, "Alright, Alright!" she shouts back.
Olivia groggily gets out of her bed and gets ready for school, "At least I can see Kazumi again". The aroma of fresh pancakes, bacon and miso soup is roaming through the halls as Olivia makes her way downstairs. "I told you to go to bed earlier Olivia, now you only have ten minutes to eat" Serenity Wheeler scolds while placing pancakes on her plate. "Are you excited to see Kazumi Bakura again?" "She is the only reason why I'm not completely dreading going back to this god-forsaken school" Olivia muffles through large bites of pancakes and imported mikan juice. "I mean, it's just going to be the same drama and same SOB's that I had to deal with before" she continues, "watch your mouth Olivia" her mother sternly warns looking back at her. "I know that you had a hard time before but it's been three years, a lot can change between now and then". Olivia, rolling her eyes, slurps the last bit of her soup and strolls to the mirror by the front door. "Yeah right, but I know that I'll be ready for them if anything comes up. Zumi has kept me up to speed with those girls and I'm a lot stronger than I was before in every aspect. So I hope they don't try anything with me because it will be the sorriest days of their lives. A lesson that I trust Forrest and her little friends will never forget."
Sighing, Serenity walks behind her headstrong daughter, "I want you to try and fit in more this year. You never have any friends and you're always hiding in corners." Olivia, fixing her long, brown hair in the mirror looks up at her mother, "I'm gathering intel of the people around me. Secrets, lies, betrayals, everything I need to ensure that I won't have to deal with any more annoying bullies. I don't use it until people decide to challenge me". Grabbing her hair to make a bun, "Well in any case, I don't want any more calls from the schools telling me that you are in some sort of trouble. Promise me that you will at least try to stay out of trouble and be the bigger person."
"I promise Mom"
"Good", kissing Olivia on the cheek, she grabs her iPhone 6 and her lunch bag. "Don't forget to FaceTime your father at lunch today, you know he is dying to see you!" Looking at her watch, Olivia grabs the things from her mother as well as her black, North face backpack and runs out the door, "I will". Without warning, her phone starts to vibrate in her hand, smiling at the words across the screen.
"Hey daddy"
"Hey! How's my princess doing today?" Tristan questions, fully dressed in uniform, grinning from ear to ear at his beloved daughter. "I'm good, I just have to go back to the same hell that I thought that I was freed of three years ago. But other than that how is army life treating you?" Tristan through giggling, "I'm just fine over here but as for you, just try to look at the bright side. You get to see Zumi again and thanks to a battle buddy of mine, you guys can go to England to see that new Harry Potter show that you have been begging me to get tickets for". Keeping up with her pace to the bus stop she mumbles, "I suppose your right but I know Forrest and the rest of her cronies are going to start in on me again. But I've learned all her secrets and few new ones that Zumi has told me over the years just so I can be prepared. The one who is the most prepared for battle will win the battle in the end, suffer a few defeats in my case but nevertheless win". "Where did you get that from?" a baffled Tristan questions, scratching his head at his overzealous daughter. Excitedly, she stops walking and reveals her copy of Sun Tzu, Art of War book. "I found this book at the end of last year and it's really informative, reminds me that I am right in defending myself"; she explains, quickly flipping through the pages. Tristan taps on the table in front of him to grab her attention, "Olivia, I know these girls had given you a hard time in the past and I am proud of you for defending and standing up for yourself."
"Thank you! I swear it's like no one else in the world can understand that! If I'm the bigger person then I get picked on and no one does anything! Talking about, 'it's a part of growing up' or 'we can't regulate what a student says to another student'. But as soon as I figure out a way to beat them at their own games, I'm the one that's wrong!"
"But" Tristan sternly interjects, "I don't want your mother calling me worried because you are at risk for explosion for the third time. That doesn't look good for you and the rest of our family so please promise me that you will try your absolute best not to engage with these girls. You're a Taylor so I expect you to defend yourself but inform the teacher first and then give them a warning. If there are any problems after that, then your mother and I will handle if from there like we always do. You promise to do your part?"
"I promise" Olivia warmly says smiling at her father through her cracked, iPhone screen cover. "I just have a different way of defending myself compared to you and Uncle Joey did back in your day." Smiling at the memories of the stories that her father would tell about his adventures with the Moto's and her uncle when she was younger. "According to Sun Tzu, 'the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting'". Suddenly, a faint dinging is sounding on the other side of the phone. "I'm sorry my love, but duty calls" Tristan says, stopping the alarm on his sports watch. "I have to go and due to this new mission that I'm probably going to be assigned to today, I might not be able to contact you as often as I do now. But I'll call when I can and will do everything in my power to make it home in time for Christmas. So please just don't get into as much trouble". Winking at Olivia, making her giggle, "Your mom needs you and I need to know that you're having fun and happy."
"I'm happy when I get to talk to you" Olivia sadly mumbles. "But, I'll hold up my end of the deal if you just stay safe and come home." Grabbing his duffle from the corner of his room, he approaches the camera again, "Liv it's me, of course I'll stay safe. I love you."
"I love you too, daddy".
