* * *
Tori rapped his fingertips against the soft leather wheel impatiently. His dark eyes roamed the sodden streets of Readington, only able to see a few feet in front of him through the sheer curtain of rain. The car inched forward until he hit the brakes before colliding into the bumper of a truck. A dull, green light shone through the obscurity of the storm. The digital clock blinked to 5:57. Tori frowned.
'If I don't hurry up, I'll miss the stupid recorder recital,' he thought, moving the car up the slick road. He glanced at a bright yellow sign to his left. 30 mph. He snorted. By the time he got to the school, Sakura would've graduated. Tori glanced around, no cars in sight. He gently rubbed his foot against the accelerator, gaining speed with the friction of the wet asphalt.
It was eerily silent in the car; except for the occasional jangle of keys and spray of water he had hit from the potholes. Tori tuned into the radio, fiddling with the stations. He let it rest on a jazz post. The saxophone solo trumpeted up and down in silky slivers of faded notes. When it ended, he switched to a rock song. The radio buzzed and rippled with static; but after awhile, it stopped. Tori listened, bobbing his head slightly to the beat of the song and humming the catchy melody as he made a turn.
The rain smashed against the windowpanes and streamed down like branches of rivers, flowing stealthily down the car. The window wipers whapped up and down in unison, swiping clean the dewy drops of rain and leaving a fan-like imprint of the window water-free for mere seconds. Sakura had said that she always thought that the wipers looked like baby pterodactyls; raising their skinny heads up for a bite to eat.
She was quite imaginative, or weird, Tori liked to say. Sakura was also the worst liar in the world. He knew there was something fishy about her and that stupid stuffed animal of hers. With a round, donut shaped head, curved lamp ears, small beady eyes, and little silvered wings, it seemed that the innocence of the play toy had already diminished; leaving an evil, conniving little beast that talked. He probably ate the missing lunch pudding that Tori had always bought and never ate. He quickly perished the thought and stared back at the speed. He was going to make it in time after all.
A curt smile curled his lips. Finally, things were seeing his way. The quivering needle pointed to 70 mph and then some. Tori remembered what his dad had said about driving being a privilege and decided to slow down, when a big, ugly mutt came hopping down the road.
It had curly fur and large brown eyes and a skinny tail. It froze as soon as Tori's headlight touched it. Tori, though hating animals of all sorts, gave the wheel a hard spin, the car whirling out of control. He heard the dog bark and saw a glimpse of it scampering away. The wheels squealed like a butchered pig, the smell of burning rubber clouding the insides.
Skid marks trailed the kamikaze car as it dizzied itself by whirling into circles like a dog chasing it's tail. He braced himself, gritting his teeth as he tried to grab hold of the chaotic automobile. The wheel was useless now; Mother Nature had taken it's course. The residue rain water made the roads as sleek as a seal, and as slippery as ice.
Tori's heart climbed in his throat as he stomped furiously on the motionless brakes. He sucked in his breath; he was going to ram head on to the trunk of a massive pine tree and couldn't do a thing about it. Shutting his eyes, he drew his arms over his head, shielding himself as he waited for the impact.
* * *
Sakura parted the end of the velvet curtain and scanned the audience as the clamoring ended and the lights cut off. Through the darkness, she could see her father in the middle row with the camcorder in hand. An empty seat was beside him. Instead of the bottom of a particular 17 year-old, a program sat to reserve the empty chair.
She frowned, unsure on whether to care if her dopey teenage brother came at all. He promised since Sakura had nagged on and on about why he didn't come to see her. His stupid driving skills had probably gotten in the way. Though he only had a permit for a couple of months, he had strutted around, thinking he owned the world since he didn't have to ride a bike like the other guys at his school.
Mr. Torata came up to the podium. "Thank you all for coming to the 2nd Annual Readington Recorder Recital." He announced. Claps and cheers filtered from the audience. When they had quieted down, he finished on with the speech.
Sakura felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. Madison stood prettily with a prim and starched dress. It was pure white with light blue edgings. An azure ribbon made out of satin was tied neatly in her dark hair.
"Wow, cool dress!" exclaimed Sakura, though she like wild and cute clothes. She was wearing a white puffy, ruffled dress. A velvet plush bow adorned her back . The shoulders were padded for a broad look A pink floppy band decorated her hair. For her, it was subtle enough.
"I just wanted to wish you luck!" she said cheerily, her eyes brightening.
"Thanks," answered Sakura. "I'm sure I'll need it. I'm so nervous! I hope I don't mess up . . . "
" . . . And now," said Mr. Torata. "Miss Sakura Avelon will be performing first tonight . . ."
"That's your cue," whispered Madison. "Knock 'em dead!" With that, she gave her a little nudge and a grin.
Sakura bravely walked through the side, instrument tightly clutched in hand. She stood in the middle of the stage and lifted her recorder up to her pursed mouth. She tucked her fingers in the correct position, curling them for an elegant look.
A low, harmonious tune floated in the still room. The melody was hauntingly slow and sad in a way. Mesmerized, the audience stared at her dancing fingers that spiraled up and down and the soothing song engulfing them.
* * *
Suzie Liu drove her small, red convertible down the road, hoping she wasn't late for her brother's 25th birthday. As she neared the street, she noticed an adorable puppy barking it's head off on the side road. Unable to resist the urge, she stopped the car and rushed outside to give the dog a pat.
He licked her cheek, but barked and jumped in circles, his stumpy tail wagging furiously. With it's bark, he hopped backwards on his hind legs. He shook his shaggy coat of fur and resumed his whining.
"What is it, boy?" she giggled, tousling the mousy curls. "What do you want to show me?"
The dog snagged his teeth on her white cashmere sweater and began to tug, pleading to her with his sweet chocolate eyes.
"Alright, alright!" she followed the yipping dog as he pranced to the fork in the road towards the overgrowth of greens. She noticed that the road was leading to her old school. Suzie smiled, remembering the old days. The dog rubbed his head against her leg, dragging her from Memory Lane.
"What is it?" she cooed as they walked down together. "Did you catch a rabbit? Huh?" With that, she stroked his head.
Suzie sniffed the air. The aroma of rubber, gas, and smoke filtered from ahead. Not a good sign. As she strode closer, her eyes suddenly widened and she gave out an ear-splitting scream.
* * *
Tori rapped his fingertips against the soft leather wheel impatiently. His dark eyes roamed the sodden streets of Readington, only able to see a few feet in front of him through the sheer curtain of rain. The car inched forward until he hit the brakes before colliding into the bumper of a truck. A dull, green light shone through the obscurity of the storm. The digital clock blinked to 5:57. Tori frowned.
'If I don't hurry up, I'll miss the stupid recorder recital,' he thought, moving the car up the slick road. He glanced at a bright yellow sign to his left. 30 mph. He snorted. By the time he got to the school, Sakura would've graduated. Tori glanced around, no cars in sight. He gently rubbed his foot against the accelerator, gaining speed with the friction of the wet asphalt.
It was eerily silent in the car; except for the occasional jangle of keys and spray of water he had hit from the potholes. Tori tuned into the radio, fiddling with the stations. He let it rest on a jazz post. The saxophone solo trumpeted up and down in silky slivers of faded notes. When it ended, he switched to a rock song. The radio buzzed and rippled with static; but after awhile, it stopped. Tori listened, bobbing his head slightly to the beat of the song and humming the catchy melody as he made a turn.
The rain smashed against the windowpanes and streamed down like branches of rivers, flowing stealthily down the car. The window wipers whapped up and down in unison, swiping clean the dewy drops of rain and leaving a fan-like imprint of the window water-free for mere seconds. Sakura had said that she always thought that the wipers looked like baby pterodactyls; raising their skinny heads up for a bite to eat.
She was quite imaginative, or weird, Tori liked to say. Sakura was also the worst liar in the world. He knew there was something fishy about her and that stupid stuffed animal of hers. With a round, donut shaped head, curved lamp ears, small beady eyes, and little silvered wings, it seemed that the innocence of the play toy had already diminished; leaving an evil, conniving little beast that talked. He probably ate the missing lunch pudding that Tori had always bought and never ate. He quickly perished the thought and stared back at the speed. He was going to make it in time after all.
A curt smile curled his lips. Finally, things were seeing his way. The quivering needle pointed to 70 mph and then some. Tori remembered what his dad had said about driving being a privilege and decided to slow down, when a big, ugly mutt came hopping down the road.
It had curly fur and large brown eyes and a skinny tail. It froze as soon as Tori's headlight touched it. Tori, though hating animals of all sorts, gave the wheel a hard spin, the car whirling out of control. He heard the dog bark and saw a glimpse of it scampering away. The wheels squealed like a butchered pig, the smell of burning rubber clouding the insides.
Skid marks trailed the kamikaze car as it dizzied itself by whirling into circles like a dog chasing it's tail. He braced himself, gritting his teeth as he tried to grab hold of the chaotic automobile. The wheel was useless now; Mother Nature had taken it's course. The residue rain water made the roads as sleek as a seal, and as slippery as ice.
Tori's heart climbed in his throat as he stomped furiously on the motionless brakes. He sucked in his breath; he was going to ram head on to the trunk of a massive pine tree and couldn't do a thing about it. Shutting his eyes, he drew his arms over his head, shielding himself as he waited for the impact.
* * *
Sakura parted the end of the velvet curtain and scanned the audience as the clamoring ended and the lights cut off. Through the darkness, she could see her father in the middle row with the camcorder in hand. An empty seat was beside him. Instead of the bottom of a particular 17 year-old, a program sat to reserve the empty chair.
She frowned, unsure on whether to care if her dopey teenage brother came at all. He promised since Sakura had nagged on and on about why he didn't come to see her. His stupid driving skills had probably gotten in the way. Though he only had a permit for a couple of months, he had strutted around, thinking he owned the world since he didn't have to ride a bike like the other guys at his school.
Mr. Torata came up to the podium. "Thank you all for coming to the 2nd Annual Readington Recorder Recital." He announced. Claps and cheers filtered from the audience. When they had quieted down, he finished on with the speech.
Sakura felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. Madison stood prettily with a prim and starched dress. It was pure white with light blue edgings. An azure ribbon made out of satin was tied neatly in her dark hair.
"Wow, cool dress!" exclaimed Sakura, though she like wild and cute clothes. She was wearing a white puffy, ruffled dress. A velvet plush bow adorned her back . The shoulders were padded for a broad look A pink floppy band decorated her hair. For her, it was subtle enough.
"I just wanted to wish you luck!" she said cheerily, her eyes brightening.
"Thanks," answered Sakura. "I'm sure I'll need it. I'm so nervous! I hope I don't mess up . . . "
" . . . And now," said Mr. Torata. "Miss Sakura Avelon will be performing first tonight . . ."
"That's your cue," whispered Madison. "Knock 'em dead!" With that, she gave her a little nudge and a grin.
Sakura bravely walked through the side, instrument tightly clutched in hand. She stood in the middle of the stage and lifted her recorder up to her pursed mouth. She tucked her fingers in the correct position, curling them for an elegant look.
A low, harmonious tune floated in the still room. The melody was hauntingly slow and sad in a way. Mesmerized, the audience stared at her dancing fingers that spiraled up and down and the soothing song engulfing them.
* * *
Suzie Liu drove her small, red convertible down the road, hoping she wasn't late for her brother's 25th birthday. As she neared the street, she noticed an adorable puppy barking it's head off on the side road. Unable to resist the urge, she stopped the car and rushed outside to give the dog a pat.
He licked her cheek, but barked and jumped in circles, his stumpy tail wagging furiously. With it's bark, he hopped backwards on his hind legs. He shook his shaggy coat of fur and resumed his whining.
"What is it, boy?" she giggled, tousling the mousy curls. "What do you want to show me?"
The dog snagged his teeth on her white cashmere sweater and began to tug, pleading to her with his sweet chocolate eyes.
"Alright, alright!" she followed the yipping dog as he pranced to the fork in the road towards the overgrowth of greens. She noticed that the road was leading to her old school. Suzie smiled, remembering the old days. The dog rubbed his head against her leg, dragging her from Memory Lane.
"What is it?" she cooed as they walked down together. "Did you catch a rabbit? Huh?" With that, she stroked his head.
Suzie sniffed the air. The aroma of rubber, gas, and smoke filtered from ahead. Not a good sign. As she strode closer, her eyes suddenly widened and she gave out an ear-splitting scream.
* * *