Chapter 1: Bang!
"Who are you? What is this place? Why have you brought me here? " said the girl.
"Don't worry" said an eerie voice. "Everything will be made clear in a few days."
"Why are you doing this? Why do you fill my head with these images?"
"It is a life that you must become accustomed to. These images are a life that you must play out until the end." said the voice.
"Play out?! I've never heard of this war or seen any of these people. Why can't you just leave me alone?" she said.
"I'm afraid that is impossible. You are the missing link. No matter what, you must fulfill your destiny; even if it kills you."
She awakened immediately at the mentioning of death. Drenched in sweat she began to get out of bed and get a glass of water. She'd had this dream every night for a month since she entered college and started practicing for her fourth track meet. It was tomorrow and the coach would never believe that she lost a race because of a few images she couldn't make go away. Angela Blackstone was not your average track star. She had brown skin which was made darker because of her time spent outside. She had black shoulder length hair and dark brown eyes. Her figure was one many people envied a body with curves in all the right places and muscles that were toned and gave even more definition to her shape. Besides her appearance, being an African American and 5'10" didn't help much. After getting a glass of water she returned to her bed. After crawling under the cotton sheets she quietly pondered the images in her dream. Dragons, people that looked like animals, robots, it's a wonder she doesn't fall asleep during class. She looked at her alarm clock and saw the red light glow 3:45. She had to be up at seven so she could get to practice by eight and be ready for the meet at one. She usually spent the day of a meet relaxing and walking through the park. As she pondered the upcoming events of the morning she drifted into a semi-blissful state of unconsciousness.
"Yukari let's go, we're going to be late."
"I'm coming, Amano" said the tan red head. As Yukari stepped out of her apartment in a rush to get to the meet on time she checked her reflection before she stepped out.
"You look great. Now let's go, you promised Angela you'd see her before the meet in order to wish her good luck" said Amano.
"I'm coming; you would think that the meet would be starting later than one" said Yukari.
As Yukari and Amano walked to the track she thought about all the things that happened since Hitomi left. She and Amano had decided to attend the same college and they were fortunate enough to go on a scholarship. Most would describe her as a boy crazy, hyper active idealist. But in fact she was an energetic, sophisticated, and optimistic person. Yukari was just barely hitting the 5'9" mark. With her mid-back red hair and bright hazel eyes she was what most people called a "rare" combination. She had a trim runner's figure, which was even more pronounced through the curves she'd developed in the past five years and was very proud of the way she looked. Even though the school had just re-instated the uniform policy she wasn't disappointed because she saved hundreds of dollars on clothes. As they neared the track Yukari thought about Hitomi and a mist of unshed tears came to her eyes. None of these girls had even half the speed that Hitomi had and a few tried frequently to break her records.
As she reminisced in her thoughts Amano searched frantically for their friend. The track meet started soon and they usually tried to wish each other good luck before they raced. Amano had met Angela this summer when he was training and the new recruits for the Barracuda track team showed up.
flashback
"Hey guys, it looks like we got a couple of new ones this year." said Veto.
"Great, now we can have more freshman girls drooling all over us." said Tanner.
As Amano finished his practice run for the day he noticed a group of people. As he looked around to find the coach he heard Benny and Alex calling his name. As he walked over noticed that the group that Veto and Tanner noticed seemed pretty new to the university.
As Amano grabbed a towel off the bench and a cup of water he asked "What's going on with that group over there?"
"Don't tell me you forgot already Amano. This is around the time the coach starts trying out new members for the team. Remember all rising sophomores have to help this year to ease the transition from high school track to college track" responded Benny.
"I guess I forgot. Hey you guys haven't seen Yukari have you? She was supposed to meet me today."
"Yeah, she said she can't she's got an essay due tomorrow." said Alex. As Amano was about to respond he heard a loud and irritating whistle blow.
"Everyone get over here and quickly!" said Coach Brunson. "Now that I have everyone's attention; these are the students who will be trying out this week. Everyone will get assigned a student and you are to work with your student until the tryout date. As I read off these names please step forward." As the coach went down a long list of names everyone was assigned a partner except Amano.
"Angela Blackstone! Has anyone seen Angela Blackstone?"
"Wait, I'm here!" shouted a girl. As everyone looked towards the voice we were all shocked. Running towards us was a dark skinned girl. As she neared us and came to a stop she didn't seem out of breath even though she had run a great distance.
"Are you Angela Blackstone? Because if you are I don't tolerate tardiness." said the coach.
"I am and I'm sorry. I was at work and I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get here in the afternoon traffic." she replied.
"Understandable, but don't let it happen again. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir. Now that you're here we can assign someone to help you train for the try out this week." As the coach checked his list he finally called out a name. "Alright Amano, you will be training Angela for the try out at the end of the week. Now that everyone has their instructions you should get to work. Friday will be here sooner than you think." The coach turned and walked back towards that athletic building.
As the guys discussed what drills they would run throughout the week they decided that they should start by seeing how fast their partners could run.
"Okay everyone. My name is Alex Frankston and I am the captain of the Barracuda Track Team. The Co-Captain is Tanner Trotter. We are going to put you through a few drills, but first you need to get changed. You have fifteen minutes to get changed, stretch out, and prepare to run" said Alex. As the men and women scurried off to get changed Alex called the tall dark skinned girl.
"Look, I don't tolerate tardiness either and because you were the last to show up you'll be in lane eight." said Alex.
"I understand." replied Angela. Fifteen minutes later the sixteen athletes came out and were stretched and ready to go. As Tanner told everyone what lane they were in he explained to each person what they were to do.
"There seem to be more girls than boys. Does anyone what to volunteer to race with the guys?" asked Tanner.
"I will." replied Angela.
"Great!" said Tanner. As the first eight people ran only the four who came in first would be watched closely because there were only eight spots available on the team. As Angela watched Amano took this time to study her. She was unlike any girl he'd ever seen. She was considerably taller than the other girls and she seemed extremely confident. This was characterized more because she was an African American and considered a minority at the university.
"Alright. Good job you guys. Next group get into position and follow the same procedure." said Alex. As Angela approached the start line for lane eight Tanner explained what they were to do. As the runners got into the ready position they all prepared their bodies for a strenuous task.
"On your Mark." First position. "Get Set." Second position. "GO!" The runners shot out the starting blocks like sling shots. As Amano watched he noticed that Angela seemed to be able to keep up with the guys. Amano put into consideration the fact that she was a female and seemed to be running equal to the person in the fourth lane. Then Benny tapped Amano on the shoulder and pointed towards the Angela. She was slowly but steadily gaining speed on the person in the third lane. As Amano watched he thought this girl reminds me of someone. Angela continued to gain speed on each person in front of her until she was neck and neck with the runner in the first lane. As Amano watched he thought I can't believe she can go any faster. Just as they neared the finish line it seemed like Angela was going to beat the guy, but he came in three seconds before her. The guy who came in first, Andrew, had a time of six minutes and thirty-nine seconds with Angela in second place with a time of six minutes and forty- two seconds. As they brought their bodies to a stop each person went over to their partner with a towel and some water. As Amano waited for the dark skinned girl to acknowledge him, he suddenly realized who the girl reminded him of. As she lifted her face to his Amano handed her the towel, she was drenched in sweat. And who wouldn't be in this heat. Even though the sun was going down the humidity could still knock you out. As she toweled off Amano handed her the water and waited for her to relax. As Amano looked around he noticed that Tanner and Alex were in a heated discussion and that Benny and Veto were coming his way.
"Hi, my name's Angela Blackstone. What's yours?" It took Amano a while to register that Angela had spoken to him. As he replied Veto and Benny were already there.
"My name's Amano Uchida. This is Veto Romani and Benjamin Sanderson. We call him Benny for short. "
"Hi." both Veto and Benny replied simultaneously. Veto was the first one to speak.
"It's amazing that you're able to run that fast. I haven't seen anyone that fast since my freshman year." said Veto.
"Thanks." replied Angela. "I would have done better but I missed lunch today."
"If you skipped lunch then you must be starving." said Benny. "Hey Tanner, Alex, let's show the new recruits where the best place to eat is."
"Good idea" said Tanner. "Everyone hurry up and get changed so we can get something to eat." At the mention of food every recruit and track member changed into their regular clothes immediately. Soon the students were sitting down and eating at a local restaurant not far from the university. Everyone ordered and began to learn more about each other.
"So, Angela, where are you from?" asked Amano.
"I'm from America. I lived in a small town called Conway. That's in South Carolina." replied Angela.
"Really, you're all the way from America. What's it like there? What did you do for fun?" asked Veto.
Angela laughed at his enthusiasm and said, "It's hot in the summertime, breezy during spring, and cold during the fall and winter. What I do for fun is work, shop, eat, and go to the beach."
"So Angela," said Benny, "What brings you all the way to Japan?"
"Actually this was the only university that was willing to offer me a full scholarship based on running and academics. I spent my summer savings to come over here and try out for the track team. Even with the scholarship it's still not enough to pay the entire tuition for the year."
"Well if you run that way at tryouts you better believe you'll make the team. The only person I knew who could run like that was a girl on our track team from high school. What was her name Amano?" said Benny.
"Which girl Benny?" replied Amano.
"You know the one that used to hang out with Yukari all the time." said Benny.
"Oh, you mean Hitomi." replied Amano.
"That's her name Hitomi Kanzaki. Boy was she something else. I wonder what happened to her?" asked Benny.
"She moved away. That's all." replied Amano. Amano didn't mention how Angela reminded him a lot of Hitomi.
end flashback
"Angela. Hey Angela, over here." called Yukari. Angela came running over. The hair that was normally loose was braided back in a French braid.
"Yukari, Amano, I didn't think you guys would make it. I can barely stand the heat out here, it's ridiculous."
"I hear you. We just wanted to wish you good luck. Oh and if you win Amano will take us both to lunch. So you'd better churn up some dust." said Yukari. Amano suddenly snapped out of his silent reverie.
"What do you mean take both of you to lunch?" said Amano. "I can't blow all my money on feeding two little piglets."
"That wasn't funny." pouted Yukari. Amano laughed as Yukari tried to hit him.
"All runners please report to the starting block. All runners please report to the starting block." said the announcer over the intercom.
"That's me. As much as I love your and Amano's public display of affection I have to get to the track. See you guys later." said Angela. As Angela made her way to the track she tried to clear her mind for this final race. If she won she would be setting a new record for incoming freshman next year.
As Yukari and Amano made their way towards the stand Amano finally spoke.
"Yukari, did you notice anything usual about Angela?" asked Amano.
"Not really. Why should I have noticed something?" asked Yukari.
"No, it's just that she seems somewhat tired." said Amano.
"I'm sure you're imagining it. Angela would never tire herself out by overworking at the restaurant or at school. Besides she's knows how important it is to get proper rest and nourishment. This is all the more reason why you should take us to lunch." said Yukari.
"Isn't nice of you to use your friend to get out of paying for a meal." said Amano.
"Oh, Amano. Look the race is about to begin." Yukari said excitedly.
The announcer's voice was blaring over the loud speaker and into her ears. The sun was blaring down on her body. She was already exhausted from lack of sleep the previous night. Disturbing images keep her up until early this morning. As Angela prepared her mind and body for another race she cleared her mind of everything except the finish line. She was determined to set this record. The announcer signaled for the race to begin so she ignored her weaknesses. Then all of a sudden bang!
"Who are you? What is this place? Why have you brought me here? " said the girl.
"Don't worry" said an eerie voice. "Everything will be made clear in a few days."
"Why are you doing this? Why do you fill my head with these images?"
"It is a life that you must become accustomed to. These images are a life that you must play out until the end." said the voice.
"Play out?! I've never heard of this war or seen any of these people. Why can't you just leave me alone?" she said.
"I'm afraid that is impossible. You are the missing link. No matter what, you must fulfill your destiny; even if it kills you."
She awakened immediately at the mentioning of death. Drenched in sweat she began to get out of bed and get a glass of water. She'd had this dream every night for a month since she entered college and started practicing for her fourth track meet. It was tomorrow and the coach would never believe that she lost a race because of a few images she couldn't make go away. Angela Blackstone was not your average track star. She had brown skin which was made darker because of her time spent outside. She had black shoulder length hair and dark brown eyes. Her figure was one many people envied a body with curves in all the right places and muscles that were toned and gave even more definition to her shape. Besides her appearance, being an African American and 5'10" didn't help much. After getting a glass of water she returned to her bed. After crawling under the cotton sheets she quietly pondered the images in her dream. Dragons, people that looked like animals, robots, it's a wonder she doesn't fall asleep during class. She looked at her alarm clock and saw the red light glow 3:45. She had to be up at seven so she could get to practice by eight and be ready for the meet at one. She usually spent the day of a meet relaxing and walking through the park. As she pondered the upcoming events of the morning she drifted into a semi-blissful state of unconsciousness.
"Yukari let's go, we're going to be late."
"I'm coming, Amano" said the tan red head. As Yukari stepped out of her apartment in a rush to get to the meet on time she checked her reflection before she stepped out.
"You look great. Now let's go, you promised Angela you'd see her before the meet in order to wish her good luck" said Amano.
"I'm coming; you would think that the meet would be starting later than one" said Yukari.
As Yukari and Amano walked to the track she thought about all the things that happened since Hitomi left. She and Amano had decided to attend the same college and they were fortunate enough to go on a scholarship. Most would describe her as a boy crazy, hyper active idealist. But in fact she was an energetic, sophisticated, and optimistic person. Yukari was just barely hitting the 5'9" mark. With her mid-back red hair and bright hazel eyes she was what most people called a "rare" combination. She had a trim runner's figure, which was even more pronounced through the curves she'd developed in the past five years and was very proud of the way she looked. Even though the school had just re-instated the uniform policy she wasn't disappointed because she saved hundreds of dollars on clothes. As they neared the track Yukari thought about Hitomi and a mist of unshed tears came to her eyes. None of these girls had even half the speed that Hitomi had and a few tried frequently to break her records.
As she reminisced in her thoughts Amano searched frantically for their friend. The track meet started soon and they usually tried to wish each other good luck before they raced. Amano had met Angela this summer when he was training and the new recruits for the Barracuda track team showed up.
flashback
"Hey guys, it looks like we got a couple of new ones this year." said Veto.
"Great, now we can have more freshman girls drooling all over us." said Tanner.
As Amano finished his practice run for the day he noticed a group of people. As he looked around to find the coach he heard Benny and Alex calling his name. As he walked over noticed that the group that Veto and Tanner noticed seemed pretty new to the university.
As Amano grabbed a towel off the bench and a cup of water he asked "What's going on with that group over there?"
"Don't tell me you forgot already Amano. This is around the time the coach starts trying out new members for the team. Remember all rising sophomores have to help this year to ease the transition from high school track to college track" responded Benny.
"I guess I forgot. Hey you guys haven't seen Yukari have you? She was supposed to meet me today."
"Yeah, she said she can't she's got an essay due tomorrow." said Alex. As Amano was about to respond he heard a loud and irritating whistle blow.
"Everyone get over here and quickly!" said Coach Brunson. "Now that I have everyone's attention; these are the students who will be trying out this week. Everyone will get assigned a student and you are to work with your student until the tryout date. As I read off these names please step forward." As the coach went down a long list of names everyone was assigned a partner except Amano.
"Angela Blackstone! Has anyone seen Angela Blackstone?"
"Wait, I'm here!" shouted a girl. As everyone looked towards the voice we were all shocked. Running towards us was a dark skinned girl. As she neared us and came to a stop she didn't seem out of breath even though she had run a great distance.
"Are you Angela Blackstone? Because if you are I don't tolerate tardiness." said the coach.
"I am and I'm sorry. I was at work and I didn't realize how difficult it would be to get here in the afternoon traffic." she replied.
"Understandable, but don't let it happen again. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir. Now that you're here we can assign someone to help you train for the try out this week." As the coach checked his list he finally called out a name. "Alright Amano, you will be training Angela for the try out at the end of the week. Now that everyone has their instructions you should get to work. Friday will be here sooner than you think." The coach turned and walked back towards that athletic building.
As the guys discussed what drills they would run throughout the week they decided that they should start by seeing how fast their partners could run.
"Okay everyone. My name is Alex Frankston and I am the captain of the Barracuda Track Team. The Co-Captain is Tanner Trotter. We are going to put you through a few drills, but first you need to get changed. You have fifteen minutes to get changed, stretch out, and prepare to run" said Alex. As the men and women scurried off to get changed Alex called the tall dark skinned girl.
"Look, I don't tolerate tardiness either and because you were the last to show up you'll be in lane eight." said Alex.
"I understand." replied Angela. Fifteen minutes later the sixteen athletes came out and were stretched and ready to go. As Tanner told everyone what lane they were in he explained to each person what they were to do.
"There seem to be more girls than boys. Does anyone what to volunteer to race with the guys?" asked Tanner.
"I will." replied Angela.
"Great!" said Tanner. As the first eight people ran only the four who came in first would be watched closely because there were only eight spots available on the team. As Angela watched Amano took this time to study her. She was unlike any girl he'd ever seen. She was considerably taller than the other girls and she seemed extremely confident. This was characterized more because she was an African American and considered a minority at the university.
"Alright. Good job you guys. Next group get into position and follow the same procedure." said Alex. As Angela approached the start line for lane eight Tanner explained what they were to do. As the runners got into the ready position they all prepared their bodies for a strenuous task.
"On your Mark." First position. "Get Set." Second position. "GO!" The runners shot out the starting blocks like sling shots. As Amano watched he noticed that Angela seemed to be able to keep up with the guys. Amano put into consideration the fact that she was a female and seemed to be running equal to the person in the fourth lane. Then Benny tapped Amano on the shoulder and pointed towards the Angela. She was slowly but steadily gaining speed on the person in the third lane. As Amano watched he thought this girl reminds me of someone. Angela continued to gain speed on each person in front of her until she was neck and neck with the runner in the first lane. As Amano watched he thought I can't believe she can go any faster. Just as they neared the finish line it seemed like Angela was going to beat the guy, but he came in three seconds before her. The guy who came in first, Andrew, had a time of six minutes and thirty-nine seconds with Angela in second place with a time of six minutes and forty- two seconds. As they brought their bodies to a stop each person went over to their partner with a towel and some water. As Amano waited for the dark skinned girl to acknowledge him, he suddenly realized who the girl reminded him of. As she lifted her face to his Amano handed her the towel, she was drenched in sweat. And who wouldn't be in this heat. Even though the sun was going down the humidity could still knock you out. As she toweled off Amano handed her the water and waited for her to relax. As Amano looked around he noticed that Tanner and Alex were in a heated discussion and that Benny and Veto were coming his way.
"Hi, my name's Angela Blackstone. What's yours?" It took Amano a while to register that Angela had spoken to him. As he replied Veto and Benny were already there.
"My name's Amano Uchida. This is Veto Romani and Benjamin Sanderson. We call him Benny for short. "
"Hi." both Veto and Benny replied simultaneously. Veto was the first one to speak.
"It's amazing that you're able to run that fast. I haven't seen anyone that fast since my freshman year." said Veto.
"Thanks." replied Angela. "I would have done better but I missed lunch today."
"If you skipped lunch then you must be starving." said Benny. "Hey Tanner, Alex, let's show the new recruits where the best place to eat is."
"Good idea" said Tanner. "Everyone hurry up and get changed so we can get something to eat." At the mention of food every recruit and track member changed into their regular clothes immediately. Soon the students were sitting down and eating at a local restaurant not far from the university. Everyone ordered and began to learn more about each other.
"So, Angela, where are you from?" asked Amano.
"I'm from America. I lived in a small town called Conway. That's in South Carolina." replied Angela.
"Really, you're all the way from America. What's it like there? What did you do for fun?" asked Veto.
Angela laughed at his enthusiasm and said, "It's hot in the summertime, breezy during spring, and cold during the fall and winter. What I do for fun is work, shop, eat, and go to the beach."
"So Angela," said Benny, "What brings you all the way to Japan?"
"Actually this was the only university that was willing to offer me a full scholarship based on running and academics. I spent my summer savings to come over here and try out for the track team. Even with the scholarship it's still not enough to pay the entire tuition for the year."
"Well if you run that way at tryouts you better believe you'll make the team. The only person I knew who could run like that was a girl on our track team from high school. What was her name Amano?" said Benny.
"Which girl Benny?" replied Amano.
"You know the one that used to hang out with Yukari all the time." said Benny.
"Oh, you mean Hitomi." replied Amano.
"That's her name Hitomi Kanzaki. Boy was she something else. I wonder what happened to her?" asked Benny.
"She moved away. That's all." replied Amano. Amano didn't mention how Angela reminded him a lot of Hitomi.
end flashback
"Angela. Hey Angela, over here." called Yukari. Angela came running over. The hair that was normally loose was braided back in a French braid.
"Yukari, Amano, I didn't think you guys would make it. I can barely stand the heat out here, it's ridiculous."
"I hear you. We just wanted to wish you good luck. Oh and if you win Amano will take us both to lunch. So you'd better churn up some dust." said Yukari. Amano suddenly snapped out of his silent reverie.
"What do you mean take both of you to lunch?" said Amano. "I can't blow all my money on feeding two little piglets."
"That wasn't funny." pouted Yukari. Amano laughed as Yukari tried to hit him.
"All runners please report to the starting block. All runners please report to the starting block." said the announcer over the intercom.
"That's me. As much as I love your and Amano's public display of affection I have to get to the track. See you guys later." said Angela. As Angela made her way to the track she tried to clear her mind for this final race. If she won she would be setting a new record for incoming freshman next year.
As Yukari and Amano made their way towards the stand Amano finally spoke.
"Yukari, did you notice anything usual about Angela?" asked Amano.
"Not really. Why should I have noticed something?" asked Yukari.
"No, it's just that she seems somewhat tired." said Amano.
"I'm sure you're imagining it. Angela would never tire herself out by overworking at the restaurant or at school. Besides she's knows how important it is to get proper rest and nourishment. This is all the more reason why you should take us to lunch." said Yukari.
"Isn't nice of you to use your friend to get out of paying for a meal." said Amano.
"Oh, Amano. Look the race is about to begin." Yukari said excitedly.
The announcer's voice was blaring over the loud speaker and into her ears. The sun was blaring down on her body. She was already exhausted from lack of sleep the previous night. Disturbing images keep her up until early this morning. As Angela prepared her mind and body for another race she cleared her mind of everything except the finish line. She was determined to set this record. The announcer signaled for the race to begin so she ignored her weaknesses. Then all of a sudden bang!