Behind The Mask
The rain poured as Kisa Rokino walked home after school, the city streets were crowded with people racing to dry shelters. Fumes from cars trapped in an afternoon traffic jam filled the air.
Kisa kept her head low as she walked along, her face hidden by her short silver hair. Her school uniform was already soaked and was starting to stick to her skin. She lifted her school bag enough to see water dripping out of the bottom. She knew that when she got home she would have to dry everything out.
After about a ten minute walk, Kisa arrived at a row of small apartments. Hers was the first one on the left. She walked up to the door, pulled out her key, and let herself in. The house was empty as usual.
Kisa walked over to the kitchen table and dumped out her bag. When she realized none of her things were in danger of being ruined she walked to the fridge to find something to eat. She didn't find anything that appealed to her so she closed the door and turned to look out the kitchen window.
She stared across the street to where her father's car used to be parked. Kisa had always been close to her father because her mother was always working, but two years before, on a rainy day her father had been killed in a car accident. The rain always reminded her of her father and this day was no different. As always Kisa was forced to remember that fateful day.
Usually when it rained Kisa's father would pick her up from school. Kisa figured he must have forgotten so she raced home through the pouring rain. When she arrived home she found the front door locked which was very unusual. Kisa fished out her key and quickly unlocked the door.
"Dad, I'm home." She called into the dark house. But no one was there. She thought it was really strange because her father didn't work and he was almost always there when she got home.
Kisa turned on a few lights and walked into the kitchen. She looked out the window and realized her father's car was gone. She turned around and found a note on the table that was from her father. He said he needed to run some errands and that he'd be back in a few hours. He also apologized for not picking her up. Kisa grabbed a snack and got started on her homework.
A few hours later the phone rang. Kisa looked up and realized it was dark outside. Her father had still not returned and she was starting to worry. The phone rang again and Kisa jumped up to answer it.
Her mother was sobbing as she tried to explain to Kisa what had happened. Her father was driving too fast and he hydroplaned into a telephone pole. He was killed on impact.
Ever since then Kisa's mother worked twice as many hours so she was never home. Kisa lived alone; her mother gave her about $50 a week to live on. Their only communication was the occasional note her mother left on the table.
Kisa watched as the rain splattered on the window and ran down. She turned and looked back to the contents of her bag. Everything seemed to be drying nicely so she decided to go to bed.
The next morning Kisa got up early and carefully placed everything back into her bag. After a quick shower she was out the door and on her way to school. The rain had stopped sometime during the night but water still laid everywhere. The sky was gray and seemed to be threatening to produce more rain. The sidewalks were filled with people slowly making their way to work.
Today was no different than any other day but Kisa felt as if she was being watched. She kept glancing up at the faces of the people she passed but no one seemed to be paying her any mind. She shrugged off the feeling and continued the walk to school.
When the final bell rang Kisa was glad to leave. Half way through the day the sun had come out. It was Friday and the weekend looked like it would be nice. She didn't have anything planned but the sun always put her in a good mood.
As she walked through a crowded part of the city she again felt like someone was watching her. She glanced to her right and realized she was right outside the bakery.
She had forgotten it was there and she stopped to look into the window at all the treats inside. Her father used to take her there all the time when she was little. She smiled and turned to walk away. Kisa froze in her tracks and the smile fell from her face.
Standing directly in her path was a boy. He was dressed in all black and his hair was so light it looked white. He was just a few inches taller than her but the strangest thing about him was that his eyes were covered in black bandages.
