[Ok, hello everybody who bothers to read this! I know this chapter is short and boring, but that's just because it's set before the game starts, so it's like an intro chapter. I would greatly appreciate reviews, and encourage constructive criticism. This is the first thing I've ever written, so have mercy!]

I'm never staying up all night EVER AGAIN. My vision is blurring, I seem to have lost all sense of balance, and none of my thoughts make sense anymore. But that sure was fun.

"Kaia? You're up early!" Oops. Mom.

"Um…yeah! Good morning Mom!" Maybe she won't be able to tell I never went to sleep in the first place…

"Kaia, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Oh god, must not yawn, must not yawn…I yawned.

"You were up all night playing your new game, weren't you?" Oh crap… "…I couldn't help it! Tales of Symphonia is addicting!"

"You were supposed to go to bed at 11!"

"I know. I'm sorry Mom."

"Go to bed. We'll talk about this later." OH THANK GOD!!

"Ok, good night! Or morning, I don't know anymore." Well, I've made it to bed, despite my lack of balance…and as soon as my head hits the pillow, everything goes black.

I open my eyes. Wow, the sky is so pretty this morning…wait, SKY!? I sit up and look around. Where the hell am I? Wait, where was I before? I think I know who I am, and that counts for something, I suppose… Ok, I'm in some sort of village. Someplace warm. There are a lot of trees, and several cute little houses. They're pretty small, but they look cozy. I get the feeling I've seen this place before…maybe I was here all along? I wish I could remember more…

"Hey, are you ok?" Huh? Who's talking? I turn around and see three people standing behind me, looking at me as if I might drop dead any second. One of them, the one who talked, was a boy with spiky brown hair, a bright red shirt, and a sword at each hip. He looked like he was between 16 and 18. Another was a girl of about the same age with long blond hair who was wearing mostly white. The third was a much younger boy, 12 or so, with fluffy whitish hair and pointed ears who was wearing mostly blue. Where have I seen these people before..?

"Yeah, I think so." I was still a little tired, but I was mostly fine. Hold on, why was I tired in the first place?

"You don't look ok! You're so pale!" The younger boy says, looking concerned. "Don't worry, I always look like that." I guess most people are only as pale as I am when they're sick.

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's ok. Hey, can you tell me where I am?" Maybe if I hear the name of this place, I'll remember something…

"Yep!" blondie sure is cheery, isn't she? "This is Iselia. I'm Colette Brunel, what's your name?" …What's my name again? Oh, that's right!

"I'm Kaia Tristan. Nice to meet you Colette and…um…"

"I'm Genis Sage." The youngest is Genis, the giggly blond is Colette, and…

"I'm , Lloyd Irving, nice to meet you!" And the one in red is Lloyd.

"Nice to meet you, too!" I just know I've heard those names before…

"So, Kaia, any reason you're just…sitting in the middle of the village? Where are you from, anyway?" Good question, Lloyd…

"Um, I'm not sure about either. I just woke up here with no clue about where I was, how I got there, or where I came from."

"…That's weird." No, Lloyd, it's completely normal. OF COURSE IT'S WEIRD! "No, Lloyd, it happens every day." Ok, Genis is officially awesome. "Really?" And Lloyd is officially an idiot.

"OF COURSE NOT! I was kidding, you idiot." I swear Genis can read my mind.

"Shut up, Genis!"

"Um, we're going to be late for class…", Colette reminds her quibbling friends.

"SWEET MARTEL, PROFESSOR SAGE WOULD KILL US!!!!" Whoa, Lloyd needs to cool it. Wait, who's Martel?

"RUN!!!!!" Ok, now Genis is freaking out. This 'Professor Sage' must be a pretty harsh teacher…

"Sorry Kaia, we have to go!" well, at least Genis remembered me…

"If you're still lost this evening, wait by the village gate, over there." Lloyd gestured towards a big wooden gate. Two points for me! Lloyd remembered me too.

"I live a ways outside the village, though the forest. I'll have to go through the gate to get home, so I'll definitely see you if you wait there. Good luck with your memory!" Ok, Lloyd is awesome too.

"Thanks! Good luck with your professor!"

"AHH!! WAIT FOR ME, GUYS!!" And off he goes.

Now what? I have no idea where I'm supposed to go. I guess I'll just wander around the village until school's over. Hey, I'm wearing a massive backpack! Wonder where that came from. Maybe there's something useful in there. I open it and turn it upside-down, and…wow. Lots of stuff. There's a ton of tiny round objects in wrappers, a water bottle, several small bottles filled with different kinds of mysterious liquids, a first-aid kit, lots of ingredients for cooking, a blanket, a pillow, and clothes. How the hell was I carrying that?? It didn't seem heavy at all, but it must weigh a ton…that's awesome! I cram everything back into the pack. Hey, I just realized something…I feel great! Is this what it's like to be healthy? I'm not sure where I came from, but I do know who I am, and I've never been healthy before! Oh, maybe I look different, too! Find a mirror…oh, a pond! That should work. I look at my reflection on the water's surface and, lo and behold, I seem to have lost all my excess weight! No more pudgy Kaia! The only fat on me is on my chest. And that's the good kind. After a short victory dance, I check again to see if anything else has changed. Nope, I'm still me. Raven haired, blue eyed, super-pale me. And I seem to be wearing my favorite outfit: a faded low-cut yellow tank top, pale gray short-shorts, and beat-up black leather sandals. Yay! But I have some new stuff too. I have a bow and a quiver full of arrows on my back, a belt around my waist with two sheaths: one is small and contains a dagger, and one is mid-sized and contains a rapier. Awesome! There's some sort of gem on the back of my hand… I wonder what it is? It's deep red, and set in a round gold plate that seems to be attached to the back of my hand. Weird.

After wandering around the village aimlessly for about a half-hour, I've seen just about everything there is to see. Houses. Trees. A small schoolhouse. A vineyard. Another gate. More houses. More trees. I end up right back where I started: crouching down, having a staring contest with the pond. There's a pretty big trout swimming around in there…I can't help but wonder how he got into this tiny pond, and how he survives there. He seems to be the only animal in the pond. Eep! I feel a cold nose on my thigh. I'm so startled that I fall forwards and…into the pond I go. And it's cold. Very cold. I glare at the large dog that caused my fall. At least I left my backpack on the shore. But that doesn't really change the fact that I am freaking COLD! Ok, I'm getting out of this pond and far away from it. I guess I'd better go wait by the gate like Lloyd told me too. After dripping and shivering my way to the gate, I sit down and lean against it. Man, am I tired. I guess it wouldn't hurt to just close my eyes for a few seconds…

"Kaia? Hey, Kaia! Wake up!" Lloyd's voice wakes me from a sound sleep, and I look up to see three faces staring down at me.

"Oh…hi guys!" I mumble, sitting up from where I…apparently laid down and fell asleep.

"Um, Kaia?"

"Yeah, what's up Genis?"

"Why are you all wet?"

"Um…I fell into the pond." Colette's eyes widen.

"Really? You too?" …Too?

"Yes, did that happen to somebody else?" Lloyd grins.

"Yep. Colette fell in just yesterday." I grin back.

"Well, that makes me feel a lot less idiotic." Colette beams.

"Did I help?" Aww, she's so sweet.

"Yep! Thanks, Colette!" Genis looks very confused.

"Did you just thank Colette for falling into the pond?"

"…I may have."