I'm not going to go through disclaimers and the whatnot.
Enjoy.I won't put cherries and fudge and that other stuff on it, though.
So tough!
Tragedy and Hope
The smell of anesthetics and cleaning supplies filed her nose She didn't want to open her eyes. She knew it would be too bright. But, oh, her nose tickled and burned, provoking tears to her eyes. She couldn't hold it in any more. She sneezed.
~~!$!%#!%##
A nurse walking down the hall heard a scream of sorts emit from a room. Startled, she hurried to it as fast as she could. When she opened the door, she saw a girl with watering eyes rubbing her nose. The nurse took her profile and skimmed through it. What had been an exuberant mood sobered quickly.
Being a nurse can be so depressing, she thought to herself with a sigh. The girl's profile was surprising all in itself. She was pulled out of her thoughts with the eerie feeling of being watched. Upon looking up, the eyes of the patient in the bed bored into hers as if reading her soul. They had the most peculiar colouring. For the most part, they were a startling green, but the pupil was ringed with a grey that was almost silver and the outside of the iris was ringed in a light sienna. Her gaze was unnerving.
"Good afternoon, Riis," the nurse said.
"Hello," Riis said cautiously.
The nurse frowned mentally. She's acting like she's trying to disappear. She's going to be difficult. "I'm Nurse Joy," the nurse replied instead. "Do you need anything or can I answer any questions you might have?"
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. The nurse was expecting something like a request for food, a computer, water, or something other than the question the girl finally asked.
"What is to become of me?"
A sad look came to the nurses' face.
"I'm not sure. On our records, you have no known relatives other than your mother," Nurse Joy said replied softy. "Investigators found your mother's will yesterday morning and lawyers are looking at it now."
"Oh," was the reply from Riis.
"Is there anything else?" Nurse Joy asked.
"I am very hungry," Riis said meekly.
"I'll find your doctor. We'll see what we can do for ya 'bout that!" Nurse Joy replied as she turned and started to leave. Before the door had finished shutting, Nurse Joy heard the faintest, "thank you" from within. She smiled to herself. The girl couldn't look worse and she was worrying about formalities. Nurse Joy started her search for Riis' doctor.
!#%!#^!$^!#%$!$#!$#@$
Lawyers and state officials poured over documents and like pieces of paper.looking. They had been looking for somewhere to put the injured girl for weeks, almost months. So far, they had a very depressing family tree: father OD'd and died, dead grandparents on both sides from old age, and the rest of her relatives were either in rehab, drunk, in jail, or in like stages. No one other than her recently deceased mother had been able to care for the teen.
"At this rate we'll have to stick the girl in a foster home," a frustrated lawyer said.
"No we won't."
Everyone looked to the lawyer that had spoken. They gave her a look that as clear as day said, "Care to explain?"
"Looking through Ms. Zannen's will, she has a friend in Japan that is a sister of sorts," the lawyer explained. "Here is says, 'if anything is to happen to me that leaves Riis in search of a guardian, because of my incompetent family, my daughter is to go live with my dearest friend and sister in Japan, Hitomi Kanzaki, or rather with their correct grammar, Kanzaki Hitomi.'"
All the lawyers sighed. They could finally stop searching through endless papers. They had finally found a place to put the girl in.
"Then it's settled," another lawyer said. "Lianne, get in touch with Ms. Kanzaki and inform her of her new arrival."
"Sure, Mark," Lianne said.
"She'll need inoculations," another lawyer said.
"Lianne?"
"I'll handle this. You guys go and get something to eat," Lianne replied with a smile.
"'Kay! See you around," was voiced by the others as one by one they left leaving Lianne all by herself in the large conference room. Lianne looked at her watch. With a quick math calculation, she sighed, stood, and made her was to a phone in the corner. Opening a pamphlet of phone numbers, she dialed the operator and asked to be connected to a Miss Hitomi Kanzaki.
!$^!$#*#^&#%^@^$!#%!#%$#^!
As Hitomi was just about to eat lunch, the phone rang.
"Good afternoon, Kanzaki Hitomi speaking."
"Miss Kanzaki, will you accept a call from the western coast of the United States?"
"Yes," Hitomi said confused.
"One moment please," was replied. Hitomi was obviously speaking to an operator. After a few minutes, there was a click and a feminine voice started to speak.
"This is Miss Hitomi Kanzaki right?" the voice said.
"Yes," Hitomi replied. She was definitely speaking with someone from the U.S.
"I'm Lianne Kazawaski. From the information that we have gathered, a few years back a Miss Ceciline Zannen came to live with you for almost a year as an exchange student. Is this correct?"
"Yes," Hitomi replied. Something nagged in the back of her mind. "Did something happen to Ceciline?"
There was a brief pause on the other end before the voice spoke again.
"She and her daughter were in an accident. Ceciline didn't survive. This afternoon, her daughter, Riis, just came out of a coma."
"What's going to happen to Riis?" Hitomi asked.
"Since her nuclear family is dead, and her extended family is incompetent, we would usually put a child in this situation in a foster home. But in Ceciline's will, she named you as Riis' guardian if anything happened to her."
Feelings erupted in her. Then she felt a tugging in the back of her mind. Van, she thought.
"Miss Kanzaki?"
"Oh, um.Yes?" Hitomi stuttered.
"Will you accept the guardian of this child?" Lianne asked her.
"I will," Hitomi replied.
Hitomi gave Lianne her e-mail address so they could keep in touch and the phone conversation was ended. Hitomi sat on the floor and tried hard not to drown in threatening tears.
Hitomi, what's wrong? A distraught voice asked her.
Van! She had completely forgotten about Van. Since her return to Earth, she and Van had kept a strong connection: She with one of his feathers and he with her pendant. They had eventually been able to talk mind to mind after a few weeks.
Van, do you remember that girl Ceciline that stayed with me for a while years ago.
@^$@$%@$#^@$^@$#%
Riis opened her eyes and looked at the door of her room. Minutes later a doctor and a woman dressed in a suit entered her room. The doctor looked at her bandages, removing some while changing others. When he was satisfied, he gave her a few shots and left, leaving her alone with the lady in the suit.
"Hello Riis, I'm Lianne Kazawaski," the lady said in introduction. Riis gave a nod of her head showing acknowledgement. The lady, Lianne Kaza- whatchamajigger, obviously had something important to tell her. She pulled a chair next to her hospital bed, sat down, and looked into her eyes. Riis held Lianne's gaze until, fidgeting, Lianne continued.
"I won't beat around the bush with you and try to soften the reality of your position. I don't think you would appreciate it if I did that. So I'll be blunt with you: in your position, you would be placed in a foster home, probably wouldn't be adopted for one reason or another, and leave the foster system bitter, anti-social, and problematic. Looking through various documents, mainly your mothers' will, she specifically stated that if a situation like this occurred, instead of you going into the foster system, you would go and live with her best friend."
"You make this sound like I'm side-stepping hell to go to something almost as bad," Riis said.
"Riis, this friend of your mother's lives in Japan," Lianne said. Riis froze. "I don't know how her friend, Hitomi Kanzaki, acts, what her lifestyle is, her history, we know almost next to nothing."
Riis was stunned. Japan. Hitomi Kanzaki. Her mother had told her stories about that year of her life, and the.adventures she and Hitomi had had.
"I've been in contact with her for a few days now and I think that this will be better for you than living in the foster system."
"Can I bring the puppy my mother gave me a few months ago?" Riis asked pleadingly.
"He's already been deported," Lianne replied. She smiled when she noticed Riis' doofy grin. Riis started when Lianne cleared her throat.
"As soon as the doctors clear you, you'll head across the other 'pond'," Lianne said.
Riis was still smiling when Lianne left.
Tragedy and Hope
The smell of anesthetics and cleaning supplies filed her nose She didn't want to open her eyes. She knew it would be too bright. But, oh, her nose tickled and burned, provoking tears to her eyes. She couldn't hold it in any more. She sneezed.
~~!$!%#!%##
A nurse walking down the hall heard a scream of sorts emit from a room. Startled, she hurried to it as fast as she could. When she opened the door, she saw a girl with watering eyes rubbing her nose. The nurse took her profile and skimmed through it. What had been an exuberant mood sobered quickly.
Being a nurse can be so depressing, she thought to herself with a sigh. The girl's profile was surprising all in itself. She was pulled out of her thoughts with the eerie feeling of being watched. Upon looking up, the eyes of the patient in the bed bored into hers as if reading her soul. They had the most peculiar colouring. For the most part, they were a startling green, but the pupil was ringed with a grey that was almost silver and the outside of the iris was ringed in a light sienna. Her gaze was unnerving.
"Good afternoon, Riis," the nurse said.
"Hello," Riis said cautiously.
The nurse frowned mentally. She's acting like she's trying to disappear. She's going to be difficult. "I'm Nurse Joy," the nurse replied instead. "Do you need anything or can I answer any questions you might have?"
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. The nurse was expecting something like a request for food, a computer, water, or something other than the question the girl finally asked.
"What is to become of me?"
A sad look came to the nurses' face.
"I'm not sure. On our records, you have no known relatives other than your mother," Nurse Joy said replied softy. "Investigators found your mother's will yesterday morning and lawyers are looking at it now."
"Oh," was the reply from Riis.
"Is there anything else?" Nurse Joy asked.
"I am very hungry," Riis said meekly.
"I'll find your doctor. We'll see what we can do for ya 'bout that!" Nurse Joy replied as she turned and started to leave. Before the door had finished shutting, Nurse Joy heard the faintest, "thank you" from within. She smiled to herself. The girl couldn't look worse and she was worrying about formalities. Nurse Joy started her search for Riis' doctor.
!#%!#^!$^!#%$!$#!$#@$
Lawyers and state officials poured over documents and like pieces of paper.looking. They had been looking for somewhere to put the injured girl for weeks, almost months. So far, they had a very depressing family tree: father OD'd and died, dead grandparents on both sides from old age, and the rest of her relatives were either in rehab, drunk, in jail, or in like stages. No one other than her recently deceased mother had been able to care for the teen.
"At this rate we'll have to stick the girl in a foster home," a frustrated lawyer said.
"No we won't."
Everyone looked to the lawyer that had spoken. They gave her a look that as clear as day said, "Care to explain?"
"Looking through Ms. Zannen's will, she has a friend in Japan that is a sister of sorts," the lawyer explained. "Here is says, 'if anything is to happen to me that leaves Riis in search of a guardian, because of my incompetent family, my daughter is to go live with my dearest friend and sister in Japan, Hitomi Kanzaki, or rather with their correct grammar, Kanzaki Hitomi.'"
All the lawyers sighed. They could finally stop searching through endless papers. They had finally found a place to put the girl in.
"Then it's settled," another lawyer said. "Lianne, get in touch with Ms. Kanzaki and inform her of her new arrival."
"Sure, Mark," Lianne said.
"She'll need inoculations," another lawyer said.
"Lianne?"
"I'll handle this. You guys go and get something to eat," Lianne replied with a smile.
"'Kay! See you around," was voiced by the others as one by one they left leaving Lianne all by herself in the large conference room. Lianne looked at her watch. With a quick math calculation, she sighed, stood, and made her was to a phone in the corner. Opening a pamphlet of phone numbers, she dialed the operator and asked to be connected to a Miss Hitomi Kanzaki.
!$^!$#*#^&#%^@^$!#%!#%$#^!
As Hitomi was just about to eat lunch, the phone rang.
"Good afternoon, Kanzaki Hitomi speaking."
"Miss Kanzaki, will you accept a call from the western coast of the United States?"
"Yes," Hitomi said confused.
"One moment please," was replied. Hitomi was obviously speaking to an operator. After a few minutes, there was a click and a feminine voice started to speak.
"This is Miss Hitomi Kanzaki right?" the voice said.
"Yes," Hitomi replied. She was definitely speaking with someone from the U.S.
"I'm Lianne Kazawaski. From the information that we have gathered, a few years back a Miss Ceciline Zannen came to live with you for almost a year as an exchange student. Is this correct?"
"Yes," Hitomi replied. Something nagged in the back of her mind. "Did something happen to Ceciline?"
There was a brief pause on the other end before the voice spoke again.
"She and her daughter were in an accident. Ceciline didn't survive. This afternoon, her daughter, Riis, just came out of a coma."
"What's going to happen to Riis?" Hitomi asked.
"Since her nuclear family is dead, and her extended family is incompetent, we would usually put a child in this situation in a foster home. But in Ceciline's will, she named you as Riis' guardian if anything happened to her."
Feelings erupted in her. Then she felt a tugging in the back of her mind. Van, she thought.
"Miss Kanzaki?"
"Oh, um.Yes?" Hitomi stuttered.
"Will you accept the guardian of this child?" Lianne asked her.
"I will," Hitomi replied.
Hitomi gave Lianne her e-mail address so they could keep in touch and the phone conversation was ended. Hitomi sat on the floor and tried hard not to drown in threatening tears.
Hitomi, what's wrong? A distraught voice asked her.
Van! She had completely forgotten about Van. Since her return to Earth, she and Van had kept a strong connection: She with one of his feathers and he with her pendant. They had eventually been able to talk mind to mind after a few weeks.
Van, do you remember that girl Ceciline that stayed with me for a while years ago.
@^$@$%@$#^@$^@$#%
Riis opened her eyes and looked at the door of her room. Minutes later a doctor and a woman dressed in a suit entered her room. The doctor looked at her bandages, removing some while changing others. When he was satisfied, he gave her a few shots and left, leaving her alone with the lady in the suit.
"Hello Riis, I'm Lianne Kazawaski," the lady said in introduction. Riis gave a nod of her head showing acknowledgement. The lady, Lianne Kaza- whatchamajigger, obviously had something important to tell her. She pulled a chair next to her hospital bed, sat down, and looked into her eyes. Riis held Lianne's gaze until, fidgeting, Lianne continued.
"I won't beat around the bush with you and try to soften the reality of your position. I don't think you would appreciate it if I did that. So I'll be blunt with you: in your position, you would be placed in a foster home, probably wouldn't be adopted for one reason or another, and leave the foster system bitter, anti-social, and problematic. Looking through various documents, mainly your mothers' will, she specifically stated that if a situation like this occurred, instead of you going into the foster system, you would go and live with her best friend."
"You make this sound like I'm side-stepping hell to go to something almost as bad," Riis said.
"Riis, this friend of your mother's lives in Japan," Lianne said. Riis froze. "I don't know how her friend, Hitomi Kanzaki, acts, what her lifestyle is, her history, we know almost next to nothing."
Riis was stunned. Japan. Hitomi Kanzaki. Her mother had told her stories about that year of her life, and the.adventures she and Hitomi had had.
"I've been in contact with her for a few days now and I think that this will be better for you than living in the foster system."
"Can I bring the puppy my mother gave me a few months ago?" Riis asked pleadingly.
"He's already been deported," Lianne replied. She smiled when she noticed Riis' doofy grin. Riis started when Lianne cleared her throat.
"As soon as the doctors clear you, you'll head across the other 'pond'," Lianne said.
Riis was still smiling when Lianne left.