Chapter one: Freaking Out
The morning I woke up was different from all the other mornings. As I got up it hit me, disaster after disaster began. First I stubbed my toe really hard thinking I broke it which cause my mom to wake up. She finally convinced me after I cried my eyes (I'm such a baby sometimes) out that it was just going to be painful to walk on since it would most likely be bruised. Then as she went on with her normal ritual half and hour early my loving mother made me breakfast. Can you guess what happened next? Hope so, because the hot eggs slid off the plate and onto my arm. Ouch! Yeah that's not all. My steady job which I hated but needed ended up getting closed. It turns out our Midwest branch wasn't getting any business.
Come on a workers compensation company not getting any business now when did the people of Illinois or any state stop getting hurt on the job? I was left in the cold with no paycheck. And I lived on paycheck to paycheck at that moment I felt like crying. I had time to get another job at least since I didn't have to pay off my college loan to the bank until I graduated. I knew my neighbors were looking for a baby sitter and I needed the money for car insurance and gas. I smiled knowing everything was going to be alright I just knew it. So now I'm here… at home watching my mom pay the tow truck guy (since I have no money) who had to be called since my car stalled in the middle of the highway. Such luck!
Mom walked in my room and looked at me with that motherly stare. It wasn't an evil stare just one of concern and worry. There was an eerie silence that I had to interrupt.
"Is this going to be a problem?" I asked knowing I was almost twenty years old and even my younger sister was out of the house. I didn't know if I was being a burden to her.
"No its just hard these days and I don't want things to be painful for you," she replied with a faint smile.
I smiled back hoping, me being here was doing well for her. Ever since my father died three years ago in a drunk driving accident she hasn't been the same but recently she had a boyfriend and that relationship ended quickly due to his overactive libido and other women he'd bring to his apartment.
I watched as she turned and closed the door softly behind her. I laid back resting my head on my arms as I stared at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and sighed. Opening them back up I turned to the clock. It was about that time for me to head out for school. I packed my English book in my bag with some pencils.
I was the first one in the class room. Students would occasionally pop their heads in to see if there was anyone in the room then leave. As time rolled by more and more students began to show up. At this point I'm grateful I hate being alone especially when there isn't anyone around.
"Hey Fiore," I heard.
I looked up it was Kim. She was out going and really nice. She had just came from Africa when her mother died. He father had a hard time excepting he had a biracial daughter. We hit it off quickly since both of our mothers are white and our fathers were black.
"Kim, what took you so long?" I asked eyeing her giggly stance.
"My arrogant father finally gave in and I can have a brother he's in the hall."
My mouth dropped. At a point I thought my jaw dislocated from my head. What was she saying? I knew Kim was weird and had a couple of screws loose, but to say something like that well, its insane. But when I thought for a moment and came a dropped a couple of levels to understand her, I knew what she was saying since I had been in an exchange program and sent to Japan I knew what she must have meant.
"Do you mean that you have a Japanese exchange student waiting out in the hall?"
Kim looked to be thinking until she nodded.
"Yeah that's it. His name is Kuwabara Kazuma. He's so nice and he speaks perfect English too."
I stared for several more moments. Then I began to laugh. Kim never seemed to slow down. Either she was planning something sort of event or having Japanese students live in her home.
"I'll be right back, don't move."
I watched her leave as Miss. Joule came in. I unpacked my paper that was due that day as Kim came tugging a very embarrassed young man in by the hand. He had curly orange hair that stuck out in the front. He wore jeans and a blue shirt. The look on his face was in face of pure embarrassment. I knew he wasn't used to girls holding his hand in such a manner. Kim most likely didn't know. Her thing was to leap into a problem and then figure a way to fix it if the problem occurred.
"Excuse me fellow students," Kim began, "This is my brother Kuwabara Kazuma, he's from Japan treat him with respect please."
I smiled as I stood to greet them.
"Kazuma," Kim replied, then a funny little look came across her face. "Is it alright that I call you by your first name?"
"Sure, Kim," he said.
"You remember me telling you about Fiore Dove, well this is the girl,"
"Hello its nice to meet you," I replied with a small bow.
Class began. Kazuma as Kim liked to call him sat in between us. She said it would be the best thing.
I rolled my eyes and noted how naive she was.
The whole evening I was taking mental notes on how she behaved around him. She hardly had given him his freedom. She was always there contradicting him when very well he knew the language and if in deed he had to make it on his own he probable could.
"Kim," I whispered as Kazuma made his way to the bathroom, "He's intelligent let him enjoy the states. The first thing in being a host sister is to let him have a little space."
"So I'm in his bubble?" She asked.
I hated when she'd use that phrase I always had to contour that one since she didn't understand. She was too into the slang to know anything else like normal talk but she never bored me.
"Your tasting his kool-aid," I laughed using one of the phrases I heard her use before.
"Oh," She whispered glancing at Kazuma as he seated himself moments later.
Kim bit her lip and looked at me.
"What should I do?"
"You'll know don't think too much,"
Kim, Kazuma and I departed when class was over. I felt strange for some odd reason like someone was watching me as I exited the building. I looked up on the roof and shivered noting how cold it was for a normal March night. It was quite which triggered my paranoia. I don't know why I over react I just assumed I wasn't careful in my past life which triggered a fear in this one. Reincarnation is something I believed in for a long time and I do take it seriously.
I stopped near the doors. There wasn't any students from my hall who I could ask to walk to my car. They all knew I hated to walk alone if Kim wasn't there but to my bad luck from which my day was running on,know one came. At that point I was running scenarios through my mind. I could clearly see myself being pulled into a van and assaulted or attacked for my purse. I looked around to only see a very familiar red head and the famous tan trench coat.
"Shuuichi," I yelled zipping my jacket and running down the sidewalk to him.
He greeted me with a brilliant smile. His green eyes seemed to be shining under the parking lot lights as he looked down at me.
I knew I was in love with him from the moment I saw him. I was late to class one day and then suddenly I dropped my books and paper scattered all over the place that one year ago. He had helped me up when the others didn't. With that one look he gave me I felt that numbing feeling in my legs. I slurred my thank you to him then and my speech has gotten better when I'm around him. I just don't understand why he would still talk to me after all my clumsy moments when I'm around him.
"You look worried, did something happen?" He asked me.
I watched his somber look as I shook my head. I wonder if he knows how I feel about him? I think I don't show it but I don't know what I look like when I'm talking to the one I love.
"It was too quite out here, I hate that," I mumbled feeling a warm sensation in my gut. I knew I was falling in love with him all over again.
"You look pale, should I be worried or call your mother?" He asked.
Wow he was worried about me. I laughed to myself and shook my head. We stayed in silence for a while as I watched him look around as if he saw something. I too trailed his gaze but came up with nothing.
"Hey can you walk me to my car?" I asked out of the blue.
He smiled and nodded. As we ventured to my car I wondered what he was looking for. He seemed to be concerned about something. He wasn't really quite like now. He was always talking about his mother in Japan and about his younger step brother who was also named Shuuichi.
"Kim has a host brother from Japan, his name is Kuwabara Kazuma,"
I heard his steps slow as he stopped. I turned towards him as I watched his eyes narrow a bit. Then I heard the breathing. It might as well have been right in my ear for my fear heightened and my legs felt like jell-O and led. I couldn't move but yet I felt as though I could just fall to my knees. I really don't know what possessed me to take a look at what could be making that noise but what I saw stunned me. I didn't think a creature like this before me could exist.
The beast was on all fours. Its body was no bigger then my silver 2004 caviler. But its head was a bit bigger. It had antennas which twitched as I took an in breath of air. Its color was a dull dark brown. I looked at Shuuichi who looked calmer then I looked at the moment. I could just see myself white as a ghost and ready to bolt. But to no reason at all I couldn't move. I wanted to but I couldn't. I didn't think it was fear since I'm the kind of person to run if danger faced me. This was one of those moments I considered dangerous, I just didn't know why my body didn't react.
I felt Shuuichi come to my side and gently squeeze the back of my neck. The next thing I knew I watched the image of the creature blink I compared this blinking to when the camera goes in and out of focus on the television screen which it did several times and then disappear.
I shook my head and looked over at him. He just smiled and grabbed my keys out of my hand. He knew what my mothers car looked like so he started it up for me. He didn't bother to get out of the drivers seat. He just waved me to the passenger side and he drove off.
My mother invited Shuuichi inside once he parked the vehicle and walked me to the door. I had a big headache which I asked Shuuichi what he had done with that squeezing thing he did but he just said I looked blank and needed jarring. I didn't understand what he meant and I wanted to know if he saw that monster too but he didn't give me the chance too ask.
I looked at my mother who just winked at me and walked out of the den. I turned on the radio and placed in Utada's CD. We both enjoyed listening to her English and Japanese CD's. It was silent which was awkward since we always have something to say but this time it was different. Shuuichi took off his trench coat and neatly placed it on the coat rack. I noticed he was always tidy. Even the way he held himself was neat. It was as though his body made him seem so perfect. Then I caught myself starring. He just smiled but I felt the heat rush up my cheeks. I turned my head away and glanced out the patio door.
"What are your plans this weekend?" He asked.
I jumped I was so busy daydreaming I zoned out. I cleared my throat to answer him.
"Nothing really. Maybe study for my Japanese quiz." I answered awkwardly.
I felt like a total moron. I was acting like a child. We both were adults and I took theater once and my acting was good. Maybe I would just act this out until I could get enough courage to tell him how I feel, that's if the words would come out of my mouth.
"Would you like help?" Shuuichi asked.
"Sure," came my sudden reply.
Should I have said yes? Would I act as stupid as I was now? The den was a safe place for studying as I surveyed. This would be fine just several hours of help from the smartest guy at college should be great. Besides I was getting confused on how the sentences were structured. I smiled to myself. This would turn out just fine, I'd have help.
I nodded once more to myself giving myself a boost of self esteem and led him to the door.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" I asked almost forgetting he drove my mothers car all the way here.
"I'll be fine," He said with a wink and he was down the stairs.
I did worry about him being all alone. If that monster came back what would he do then? Or was there even a monster in the parking lot to begin with?