CHAPTER ONE
At The Station...
Meg: Hi there! I just thought I'd let you know some of the differences between the normal Naruto world and my fan fic one. This is like a parallel universe to the Naruto one. Same characters, cept' they're not ninjas. The headbands mean something else. I'm sorry if some of the characters seem OOC!
My OCC's name is Emily Powers. She's a Taki girl and the story is told through her POV.
oOo
I leapt out of the car the second it stopped and, with my blue backpack with the wings slung over my shoulders, I set out towards the long diesel train called Takind, that would take me and many others to Iwa for summer camp.
"Hold it young lady!" My Mum stepped out of the car as well, and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Mu-um, let me go!" I cried, as my little sister jumped out of the car as well and grabbed my hand. "Pen-elope!" I complained, looking around to be sure no one could see my annoying little sister clinging onto my hand. "Please guys..." I said desperately.
"What, are you embarrassed about being seen with your family?" Mum asked me, grinning as he handed Penny her Hello Kitty backpack and then went around to the back of the car to get our suitcases.
"N-no." I said, truthfully. I love my family, and we've grown very close since my Dad died four years ago. It's just that other people...might not understand out closeness. Usually, like in school, this wouldn't bother me a bit, but summer camp is different. It's the first year for both Penny and I, and living in such close proximity to a bunch of other people, ages ranging from seven to seventeen, not to mention CIT's who are a little bit older and counselors who are much older...well, let's just say, for the first time in my life, I was worried about what other people would think.
I looked around, and recognised a lot of people I go to school with at Taki Senior Highschool. The thought of spending the summer with most of them was...a daunting thought, to say the least. I just hoped I wouldn't be put into the same cabins as them...
"Well, train's leaving," Mum said briskly, hugging us both at the same time. "So, you two had better...get going..." I looked into her dark brown eyes, which were a little teary. Suddenly, I stopped worrying about Penny and me, and started worrying about Mum, all alone in that big old house we call home, for three whole months... "Mum, are you gonna be okay?"
"Of course I will," Mum replied, standing up straight and beginning to wheel mine and Penny's suitcases to the train. "I've got my books to keep me busy." (Mum's an author). "And you girls will have so much fun at summer camp...why, I remember..." Her eyes took on a starry look.
"You met Dad at summer camp, didn't you?" I asked her. Mum nodded. I grinned. I love to hear the story of how Dad fished Mum out of the lake during canoeing, and then he went on to court her, they snuck out after lights-out and even went to the end-of-camp dance together, and shared their first kiss...I love to hear Mum talk about her sixteenth summer, she was just one year older then I was, and she found her true love!
Ah, I'm a bit of a romantic like that, I get inspired when I hear stories like that. Not that I'm exactly on the look-out for a boyfriend, since boy-shopping is not my biggest hobby. Try singing, horseback riding, playing the piano and about a dozen other things, then maybe hunting for Mr. Perfect...
"Okay..." Mum had given our suitcases to the train guard, and was facing us now. I knew what was coming. It never fails. Mum may be the best mum in the world, but she's become a teensy bit overprotective since Dad passed away.
Teensy is an understatement...
"Now, you girls have fun and be careful." Mum said, in her best 'Mom' tone of voice. "Don't wander off; don't touch poison ivy or poison oak; it gets could up in the mountains so don't forget to wear your sweaters; Penny, dear, don't forget to bring your inhaler with you wherever you go," (Penny has asthma). "Watch out for snakes..."
"And cougars!" I put in brightly.
Mum gave my a wry look. "There are no cougars in the northern hemisphere, they're only in southern hemisphere."
"Sure." I said, grinning.
"Mummy," Penny muttered. "Are there really..?"
"No," Mum said empathetically. "There are not." She gave me a Look that said 'stop it, you're scaring your sister' and I grinned. She smiled too, and then hugged us both again and put us on the train.
"Bye Mum!" We waved to her as the train pulled out of Taki Station, and we pressed our faces to the window (sort of) and watched as the beautiful lakes and waterfalls of Taki rolled by.
"Ah, nothing beats flying across the countryside on a train!" I told Penny, and she laughed, as we went looking for seats. The train was pretty crowded (and I began to wonder just how many kids were coming from the other places...) and finding seats was proving to be difficult. There were no two seats together.
"Emmy," Penny tugged on my sleeve, using my nickname instead of my proper name. "I really wanna sit down now..."
People began to look at us, probably because there weren't too many people younger then thirteen in this carriage. A group of girls sitting in a row of seats, with two empty at each end of them, started giggling.
I frowned at the sight of them. I wouldn't know them from a stick in the mud (as my father used to say) but I knew the look of them. I know it's not nice to judge a book by its cover, but...all four girls had the 'snob' look about them, right down to the caked-on make-up. Their camp uniforms, which were white tops with tan bandanas and matching shorts, were perfectly pressed and accented with, shall we say, trinkets? Gold bracelets, rings, dangly earrings and about a zillion other things that weren't on the camp to-bring list. I glanced down at myself quickly. The only jewelry I wear are my four little gold earrings that I hardly ever think about, and the golden crescent moon/sun musical locket/compact from my father, which I think about all the time because its from my father. I looked back up at the girls, who were now looking at me. There were two blondes, one brunette and a girl with blue hair. (Who says snobs are always blondes?). Usually I would have just walked away, but something in their snide looks made me feel so very bold. I stepped up to them.
"Excuse me," I said politely, and the girls stopped giggling and listened. "Could one of you please move so that my sister and I can sit next to each other?"
One of the blondes looked at me like I was some kind of parasite. "Excuse me?"
I must have been having a spurt of courage, because I didn't cower under her scorn. "You heard me, please can you move so we can sit down?"
"So sit." The brunette said, rolling her dark eyes and pointing at the empty seat beside her. "There's a seat there and..." She pointed at the other one beside the blue-haired chick. "There." She and her friends, not to mention half the train compartment, laughed.
My sister and I exchanged a glance. Her face was beginning to get that whiny look. My sister, who is seven and would be in the youngest group at camp, is really cute. She has long shiny light brown hair and dark brown eyes that can be really cute - except when she gets that whiny look. I knew she was going to start complaining any second now, so I made a decision.
"Penny," I said, guiding her by the shoulders and sitting her in the seat next to the blonde. "Sit."
"But what about you?" She asked, confused.
I sighed, and leaned against a nearby pole. "I'll stand." I replied, and I knew it was going to be a long four hours.
Aurgh.
oOo
Two hours into the trip, my legs were feeling like jelly. There wasn't really any sitting room because of peoples' backpacks and...ah, extra luggage. My feet were killing me, and I was sure this pole was going to fall over, and I'd (happily) fall with it.
Suddenly, the door to my right opened, and a person wearing the white top and green shorts and white bandana of a camp CIT and a white turban (wtf?) came into the compartment. He had bright green eyes, which swept over the carriage, and then landed on me.
"Why aren't you sitting down?" He asked me. He had a name badge on that read Kakuzu.
I opened my mouth to say something, like I didn't mind standing or I was in training for the World Records, but Penny beat me to it.
"We wanted to find two seats together," She said, loudly enough for the whole entire train to hear. "But these girls wouldn't move!" She glared angrily at the four girls in question, and I fell over, anime-style.
Kakuzu looked at Penny, and then at me. "She your sister?" He asked me.
I nodded. "Ya. She's Penelope Powers. I'm Emily."
Kakuzu nodded. "Okay, that's fine." Then, he looked at the snob squad, as I'd spent two hours referring to them as (in my mind). "Okay, one of you move over, so that they can sit next to each other."
The girls were all staring at this CIT. I could read the expressions on their faces like they were bad books. He's so cute! Wow, what a hunk! He's such a hottie! He's Mr. Gorgeous!
"I-I'll move..." The blonde said, standing up shakily and, blushing, she made sure to brush past Kakuzu as she sat down on the other end of the seats. "There..." She said, smiling at the CIT.
He didn't smile back at her, but instead turned to me and nodded. "Go on, sit down, we've still got two hours to go."
"Umm, right." I nodded back, and sat down in between Penelope and one of the snobs, who gave me the evil eye as Kakuzu left the carriage.
"Man-izer." She whispered to me.
"Snob." I whispered back, and then turned my attention to Penny, who was begging me to read The Animals Of Farthing Wood with her.
I obliged, because I like Farthing Wood, I love my sister and I didn't care one bit what anyone else thought of us.
Kakuzu had given me strength.