Bottom of Form 2

I watched in silence as a small group of kids played around with a ball in the path that people used to walk to and from buildings and places. The group consisted of 3 boys and 1 girl. One boy whispered something to the other. Laughing, he tossed the ball.

"Go get it!"

He yelled at the girl. With a smile and an "ok", she was off.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Kids were so cruel to one another. My eyes went wide as my ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a horse running full speed in the direction I was in.

'Either I've been found out….'

My thoughts stopped there. The little girl…. She was in the way of the horse. If she didn't move, she was going to be trampled. I looked at her as she smiled and bent over to get the ball. I didn't have time to be concerned with me. Pulling on my cloak, I rushed out into the path. I glanced to the right and saw the horse. It was carrying a man and a carriage. Quickly grabbing the girl, I jumped with her out of harms' way. I heard the horse and carriage screech to a stop and a man yell.

"You insolent child!"

He screamed.

"Go, quickly now, you don't want to get caught."

I told her. She nodded at me, trying to see my face. I moved my head down, further concealing my face from sight. Gently, I patted her in the other direction and she ran off. I turned around to block the girl from view as she made her escape.

"How dare you show such disrespect to the great pharaoh?"

He continued to rant. I smirked to myself.

"Do you not know who I am."

The man laughed to himself.

"You are a bug whose name is not worth knowing."

I chuckled under my breath and grabbed the top of my hood and was about to speak my name when suddenly, everything seemed to mute itself.

'What's going on.'

I could see myself from two different prospective: the me in the cloak looking at me in my normal everyday clothing and me in my normal everyday clothing looking at me in the cloak. Hand still on my hood, I looked at my other self and I was making the same motion, as if looking in some messed up mirror.

"Are you me?"

I asked to be sure. I, the other me that is, nodded. I could only see the bottom half of my face.

"Why….?"

As I was about to ask another question, another voice made itself known.

"Oreenta…."

I heard someone say.

'Who…?'

"Wake up…"

'Wake up?'

"Come on, you don't want to be late for school again do you?

I slowly opened my eyes to be greeted with fresh sunlight.

"Sun of a-"

I shouted, turning over and hiding my face in the pillow.

"Come out, get up!"

Mom continued to shout.

"Ugh! Fine, I'm up! Go away!"

I told her. She laughed. For her, this was my way of saying 'good morning mother, thanks for waking me up, I love you'.

"Okay! I made bacon and eggs, hurry down!"

At the start of the word 'bacon', I was in the shower, by then end of it, I was dressed.

"I'll be down in just a sec!"

Quickly, I threw my stuff into my backpack. Grabbing my mp3 and phone, I shoved them into my pocket and ran downstairs where my mom was already waiting for me.

"That's a new record!"

She shouted, popping her pointer finger up in the air.

"Thanks mom!"

A huge smile made its' way onto my face as I looked at my mother. There were only three people I ever really smiled for: my mom, my homeroom teacher Ms. Harson, and Jaymie, my best friend.

"Here you go sweetie."

My mom said as she sat me at the table with a plate full of bacon and only two eggs, scrambled, of course. I quickly downed the eggs and took my time enjoying the bacon; the hot, piggy goodness filing my stomach.

"I also made you lunch: salad, just like you like it."

I stopped with a piece of bacon halfway into my mouth. My mom looked down at me with a smile.

"Something wrong dear?"

"What's going on?"

I asked her. She seemed to hesitate for a minute.

"W-what do you mean?"

She questioned. I sighed.

"You rarely do stuff like this, mom. What's going on; really? You can tell me."

She smiled a little wider, this time, it seemed a bit forced. She opened her mouth to speak when someone else cut her off.

"Oreenta! Are you ready to go yet?"

Jaymie called out. My mom trusted Jaymie enough to the point where she gave her a spare key to the house. Jaymie was also listen second on all the emergency numbers; she wasn't just like family, she was family.

"Hey, we're in the kitchen!"

I shouted to her, finishing off the piece of bacon in my hand. Jaymie happily ran into the room. I smiled at the sight of her. Jaymie was always the apple of my eyes; I counted on her for everything and anything.

"Hello Mrs. Miritayo, Oreenta, you ready to go yet?"

"Jaymie!"

I called; she looked down at me.

"Eat!"

I told her like a child as I held up a piece of bacon.

"Haha~ you're so cute!"

She said, throwing her arms around me. I blushed slightly. Jaymie always treated me like a child…. It was to be expected though, she is two years older than me. She moved over to the bacon and, without letting go of me, ate it out of my hand.

"Aw, haha, you two are so adorable."

Jaymie laughed.

"Well, are you ready?"

She asked once more. I grabbed the last piece of bacon and stood up.

"Yup! Thanks mom, love you!"

I grabbed my lunch and kissed my mom once before grabbing Jaymie's hand and running out of the house. Jaymie yelled her goodbye to my mom as she followed me out the door. I let go of her hand halfway down the street and we began walking side by side.

"So what's up today, Oreenta?"

She asked as she lay her head against my shoulder.

"Hm…? Nothing much. I had a strange dream last night…. It left me somewhat thinking. I feel like something's going to happen soon, but I just don't know where, when, why or how…."

I closed my eyes and looked down. Deep in thought, I began thinking again about the me in my dreams.

'I've had that dream four times already….'I

"You curious?"

My eyes snapped open at the voice I just heard. I looked at Jaymie.

"Did you just say something?"

"Huh? No, why?"

She shook her head. I looked back down.

"Never mind…."

"Hey."

I looked up at her.

"Just know that, if anything were to happen, I'll be right here at your side to help you take it on."

I always looked to see what Jaymie was wearing. It was rare that she wore the same thing twice in the same month. Today she had on a light blue skirt with a white button up blouse and a light blue tie to match the skirt. She wore socks that reached up to her knees that, too, matched her skirt. Her shoes were slip on black shoes. That's right, Jaymie was an Otaku, she loved to dress up like a Japanese school girl. She always looked so adorable.

I smiled softly and wrapped my arm around her. Sure, she was a few years older than me, but I was still taller and more mature. People often said that I often acted like an older sister than a younger one.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. We already knew all there was to know about the other so we didn't have anything to talk about at the current moment. Every week, Oreenta and I went to school and back home without saying anything so that every Sunday, we would meet up at our favorite ice-cream parlor, eat sundaes as a joke, and talk about everything that had happened.

We came upon the school and, just as I thought I was going to have the best day ever, it quickly turned to the worst. At our school, there were stairs that led into the walkway students used to get to and from classes and where some entered school. On the railing sat the biggest bitch the world had to know: Becky Roberts.

"Hey, look what that cat dragged in."

Becky said, turning her head so that her bleached blonde extensions flew in the air.

"And look what the nerd ordered."

One of her "friends" stated. If it was just me they were talking about, I wouldn't have minded, but when they bought Jaymie into it, I was ready to fight.

"You wanna try speaking without teeth in that ugly little head of yours?"

I questioned, my hand clenched and ready to make contact.

"Oreenta, no, stop, don't listen to them."

Jaymie said, stepping in front of me.

"Hey Jaymie, you go a little something in your hair."

Becky said, sticking a piece of gum in her hair.

"Ah!"

She screamed as she attempted to pull it out. Becky and her friends began laughing.

"Hey Becky!"

I called. She stopped laughing at looked at me.

"What do you-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, I had her on the ground with the contents of my lunch bag in her hair.

"You have something in your hair."

I firmly stated as I sat on top her.

"Bitch…."

I mumbled as I stood and grabbed Jaymie's hand.

"Come on Jaymie, I'll get it out."

I told her as we walked in the school. She sniffled as she had already begun to cry. We entered the nearest bathroom. I pulled out a small container from what was left in my lunch bag.

"What's that?"

"Salad dressing. It has oil in it which we can use to get the gum out."

I stated. Jaymie sniffled a little more and nodded. Locking the bathroom door, I instructed Jaymie to take her shirt off. The oil would stain her clothes. She did as told. She crouched down as I held her hair into the sink. Slowly, I poured some of the oily liquid onto the wad of gum. It took a few minutes, but I finally freed her hair from the disgusting wad of gum. I pulled another container from my back pack.

"It's a good thing I always carry around a bottle of shampoo."

I joked. Jaymie laughed. It was always good to hear her laughter. I washed her hair out and then used the hand dryer to blow dry the small patch of hair. When it was just a little damp, I turned it off.

"Good as new!"

I stated happily.

"Thanks so much Oreenta!"

Jaymie wrapped her arms around me.

"Anytime!"

I replied as she let go. We left the bathroom just as the first bell had rung.

"I've gotta go. I'll see you later!"

She said as she took off down the hallway. I waved after her for a moment before turning and heading to my class.

"Good morning Ms. Harson!"

I greeted my teacher as I entered.

"Hello dear, can you lend me a hand?"

She asked as I walked over to my desk.

"Of course!"

I was always there to help Ms. Harson out. She was one of the very few people that talked to me like a regular person.

"What do you need?"

She was confined to a wheelchair since birth. Her husband passed on a few years back, leaving her alone. When I had first heard of this, I went to her home to pay my respect and give my regards. After seeing how much help she needed, I began to visit more often to help her clean and take care of things. Ms. Harson always re-paid me with kindness and some occasional homemade cookies.

"Please draw and label this diagram."

I nodded and did as I was asked. I liked Ms. Harson, she was very lively for a woman of 64 years old.

"All done!"

I told her as I set the chalk down.

"Thank you dear."

She spoke with her tired old smile. Her smile never ceased to amaze me, it always made her look that much younger. I smiled back and returned to my desk; by now the class was full.

Ms. Harson continued to go through today's lesson of dissecting a frog.

Sure, I was a senior in high school, but I was also only 15 years old. The state required me to go back and review the major science, math, English, and history courses before taking the final test. I had already taken all the other courses. I just needed to finish my science and history courses. I still needed another 7 months until it was over and done with.

"I've already prepared the groups in which you will be assigned. Each group has been chosen at random."

Ms. Harson then proceeded to put us in groups of two.

"Becky and Natasha, and Oreenta and Ryan."

I groaned and slammed my head on my desk. I could feel several glares on my back. Ryan was the school's King; he was the one almost every girl wanted to be with and the one that almost every girl has slept with; he's Becky's play toy while also being one of her minions. Worst of all, he was the one I hated second most, next to Becky at number one.

"Please follow me as we head over to the science lab."

She stated, slowly pushing herself. I stood with my stuff in hand.

"Do you need help Ms. Harson?"

She smiled her smile once again. That was her reply saying "I'm sorry, will you kindly help me". I had known her long enough to understand it. My smile was "of course, anytime".

I pushed Ms. Harson out of the classroom and locked the door once everyone was out. I then walked her and I to the lab. Leaving her at the front desk, I walked to the table Ryan had already picked out. After a few more minutes of instruction, we were left to do what we were supposed to do. Frogs and utensils had already been prepared.

"So, Oreenta, I've never noticed how cute you were."

'And now it begins….'

"Shut up Ryan; just do what I tell you and we won't have any problems."

I told him as I threw an apron at him.

"Come on, babe, don't be like that."

He spoke as he reached over to touch me. I grabbed a scalpel and had it at his neck in a matter of seconds.

"Don't touch me."

He stilled for a moment before his hand retreated. I brought the scalpel back to me and set it on the table. After going through the lab rules and making sure I was properly dressed and what not, I began.

"Listen Ryan,"

I looked to Ryan who was flirting with some girls.

"Hey!"

He jumped at the sound of my voice.

"Oh…. What?"

He asked; with his elbow on the table and head in hand, he looked at me with his flashy blue eyes.

"Can I help you?"

He asked, flipping his shoulder length brown hair. This is how he worked; in every class, this was how he got the girls to bend to his will.

"Yeah, make yourself useful."

Ryan clicked his tongue and stood up.

"So what do you want me to do, little miss prissy pants?"

I handed him a paper and pen.

"The easiest task in the world: mark off the organs and pieces I tell you to. Can you do that?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah sure thing."

He said, waving at some girls across the room. I sighed and began.

"Heart…. Liver…. Small intestine…."

I spoke each name as I cautiously pulled each piece out and set them into a small plastic container. Five minutes or this and I was at a loss for what else to look for. I looked over to the paper where Ryan was supposed to be writing down everything I had said. I felt something snap.

"You idiot; God, you're so fucking useless!"

Ryan jumped up and looked at me, obviously pissed by my screaming.

"You you calling useless you fucking retard? What the hell's your problem?"

"You're my problem you dib stick! You can't even listen to the simplest of instructions!"

"What was that?"

As he shouted, Ryan slammed his fist on the table, hitting the container full of the frogs' insides. Flying up, the container fell on top of my head and the gooey insides lodged themselves in my hair. My face flushed as everyone except Ms. Harson began laughing at me.

"She's such a loser!"

One girl said.

"I know right? Geez, LAME!"

Another commented.

"Haha, you're so stupid!"

Ryan laughed. I clenched my fist, gritted my teeth and punched Ryan across the face. The room fell silent as he landed on the floor. Ignoring everyone, I stomped out of the classroom and down the hall to the nearest bathroom.

"Ugh; this smells horrible!"

I shouted as I attempted to pull the organs out of my hair.

"Oreenta?"

Jaymie's voice rang throughout the empty bathroom. I turned around to see her standing halfway behind the door.

"Jaymie?"

I asked, somewhat surprised to see her. She smiled and walked in.

"Let me help."

As Jaymie cleaned out my hair, I told her about what happened in the lab with Ryan and the other kids.

"I don't get it! Why do people have to be so-so….! Urgh!"

Jaymie laughed at me as I muttered to myself.

"Haha, I'm just glad I happened to be passing by!"

I stopped my pouting for a moment to look up at Jaymie. Her smiling face never ceased to make me happy. With Jaymie here, I was the happiest person in the world.

"Thanks Jaymie, I'm glad that you were here."

I smiled my smiled for her as she patted my hair down.

"There! Now you're all better!"

Jaymie and I laughed; Dear God, thank you for blessing me with such a wonderful person.

After leaving the bathroom, Jaymie and I went our separate ways back to class.

"Ah, Oreenta, you're back!"

Ms. Harson greeted.

"I'm very sorry this happened in your class, Ms. Harson."

I wasn't going to apologize for what I did, only that it had to happen in her class. She smiled up at me.

"No worries darling. Ah, yes, but the office called; apparently your mom came to pick you up, something about this being an important day."

"Hm…? I don't know what it would be, but I'd better now make her wait any longer."

I stated with a smile.

"Here dear, the key to the classroom."

"I'll leave it on your desk."

I took the key and left the lab. After retrieving my things from the classroom, I made my way to the office.

"Hello there Ms. Oreenta,"

The secretary greeted. I was friends with almost everyone in the off. Almost. Becky's mom, the principal's current girlfriend, was always out to get me, just like her daughter; so as fate would have it, the principal was too.

"You're mom said she'd be waiting outside for you; you've already been signed out so please, feel free to go."

"Thank you Ms. Liz."

I waved goodbye to her as I ran out of the school. My mom stood by her blue mini-van with a cigarette in hand.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be smoking!"

I told her, taking the health hazard from her and crushing it on the floor.

"Aw, come on! We agreed, one a day!"

"Only when I'm not around."

I sighed. She laughed.

"Okay, okay, you win. C'mon, let's go."

Getting into the passenger seat, I was greeted by a rush of cool air coming from the vents.

'Ah…. That feels lovely….'

"So why's today a "special" day?"

I asked my mom as we backed out of the parking lot. For a moment, she was quiet.

"C'mon mom, tell me."

I looked at her as she seemed to throw all her concentration into driving. Minutes passed and mom hadn't spoken. I could tell by the look on her face that she was deep in thought about what she wanted to say. My interest peaked a bit as my mom pulled into an ice cream parlor.

"What are we doing here?"

I looked to my mom who was smiling. For the first time today, I noticed just how tired my mom looked.

"Come on, you can have whatever you want."

My mom and I got our ice cream to stay; in other words we ate there at the parlor. As we waited, I attempted to speak to my mom again.

"So mom-"

She raised her hand, cutting me off.

"Wait for the ice cream."

I closed my mouth and sighed as I leaned back into the cushions on the booth.

"Here you go ma'am. Do you need anything else?"

The kind waiter asked as he set my Chocolate Mint Truffle ice cream and my mom's Sundae down. Shaking her head, my mom replied with a silent "no thank you" and the waiter was gone. My mouth watered, but I wasn't just yet ready to eat it. I looked to my mom, awaiting her words.

"Well don't just sit there; it'll melt!"

I sighed, and leaned forward, grabbing a spoonful of ice cream.

"So now will you tell me?"

I asked as I took up the ice cream in my mouth. My mom cleared her throat and began speaking.

"I need to talk to you about your father."

My movements stopped all together; I couldn't think. A few moments passed until it fully sunk in.

"Why're you talking about him now?"

I asked, trying not to get mad as I grabbed another spoonful worth of the cold desert.

"He's here, well, at the house."

I stopped again, spoon halfway to my mouth. Placing it back in the bowl, I moved closer and looked directly into her eyes. She avoided eye contact by closing her eyes.

"It's time you learned the truth."

"You mean how he left when I was only 6 and never gave a damn to call?"

The words I said came out calmer than I felt.

"I knew this wouldn't be easy."

She sighed.

"But you have to know now; the truth."

I leaned back and closed my eyes, attempting to further calm myself.

"I'm listening."

"Do you recall the corporation your father used to run in Japan? The one you would play hide and seek at when you were younger?"

I nodded softly as the memory of my trying to find or hide from my mom.

'Such bittersweet times….'

"You're dad, one day, was going over there to finalize some changes, but there was a mix up at the airport and he got on the wrong plane. He winded up in a foreign country where he was misled by a group of men who kidnapped him and used him for drug smuggling with promises that if he did not comply, he would be killed and his family hunted down like dogs. A few months ago, however, for whatever reason they had, they came to the states. They needed to get some supplies from a hardware store, but their English was poor so they had your father do it. He found a police man and took the risk of talking to him to save himself and you and I from whatever they had in mind. After rescuing him and taking the men into custody, the police sent him home."

By now, I was looking at my mom. I had a hard time believing this.

"I know it's hard to believe. I've known about it for a long time now, but I kept it secret from you because I was afraid you'd worry. He called me, that night when I told you he had left forever. That was when I found out. I was sent letters from the people that had him saying they knew where we were and were watching us, that's why we moved so many times. We were constantly watched, but a few months ago, the letters suddenly stopped. Then your father called, and today, he came home."

I looked at my ice cream as it melted down. I didn't understand, let alone did I know what to say.

"Come on Oreenta, don't you want to see your father?"

When I looked at my mother, she was crying; with a smile on her face, my mom sat there crying. I looked down.

"Okay mom…. We'll go see him."

I grabbed my ice cream, not wanting to talk anymore.

The ride home was long and quiet; neither one of us said anything. I looked out the window while listening to my mp3 the entire time. I liked music, it kept me from thinking too much.

My mom and I pulled into the driveway. I turned off my music and threw my Mp3 into my backpack. With my hand on the car door, I hesitated.

"Come on sweetie,"

I looked to my mother to find her smiling once more.

"Let's do this one step at a time."

I took a deep breath and, with a big burst of confidence, I opened the car door, quickly got out with by back pack in hand, marched to the front door and went inside. Once inside, my confidence faded and my knees got weak. I dropped my back pack and looked from my spot in the foyer to the living room.

"Come on dear."

My mom walked in behind me and put her hand on my back, leading me the rest of the way into the house. We walked into the living room and there, in the recliner, sat him, my father.

"Oreenta…."

He spoke as though he were surprised to see me. His voice rang through my head bringing back old memories from a time I had longed to forget.

"You…. You've grown up so much."

He smiled. As I looked at him, I realized how much he the same and, at the same time, different he looked. His hair was longer but it was still the same black shade as always. The eyes that were once gleaming with life seemed to have been through a lot and looked as though they were trying to find their way out of the dark. His skin looked lighter than I remembered, proving that he hadn't seen sunlight for quite some time. But the one thing I noticed that I really wish I hadn't was his smile. It was the same from all of my memories with him. The good times we shared when I'd go on a piggyback around town or simply when I would fall and he would smile to distract me from the pain. Those memories brought back tears; tears I was not yet ready to face.

"….Yeah."

I didn't know exactly what to say. My dad's smile dropped for a moment.

"You do recognize me don't you?"

He asked. I nodded my head slowly.

"Come one, give him a hug."

My mom pushed me forward. I stumbled and my dad caught me.

"Careful."

He spoke. I looked up at my dad as he smiled down at me.

"Dad…"

I whispered and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. It felt awkward, hugging him that is.

"It's alright, dad's here."

My parents and I stayed in the living room for a few hours. I listened to the two talk with my head back and eyes closed. Slowly, I felt myself drifting into sleep.

Dream ~ ~

I was once again looking to the me in the cloak.

"W-why now?"

I asked the me in the cloak. This time was different than the last; I couldn't see out of my other self's eyes and I couldn't feel what was going on in her, well my, mind. It was almost like a stranger.

"…Be cautious of what is to come during future events."

The voice that came out sounded different and somewhat cold.

"What do you…?"

She shook her head.

"You will understand, but for now, they are calling."

I closed my eyes and listened; my mom was calling my name. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the living room. For a moment, I couldn't move.

"Oreenta?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yes mom?"

I asked, moving my head to see her. She smiled at me.

"There's something we need to talk to you about."

I sat up straight and looked at my mother, waiting for her to continue.

"You see, for fear that there may be people out there looking for your father, the government has advised us to flee the country. Before coming here, your dad received some airline tickets. We leave tomorrow morning at 7."

I looked at my mom in disbelief.

"W-what do you…?

The words didn't process in my mind.

"No…. No! I'm not leaving."

"We don't have a choice…."

My mom looked down.

"I'm not going!"

I shouted jumping up.

"You have to!"

My dad retorted, jumping up after me.

"You- UGH!"

I screamed and took off in a dead sprint out the front door and down the street.

'How could they just expect me to leave? That's just…. I need to talk to someone…. Jaymie…'

With tears in my eyes, I headed towards the school. It was about lunch time so I knew where to find her.

I ran onto school grounds. Kids flooded the hallways and lawn of the school. I looked left and right, trying to find her. As I was turning my head to look forward, a blur of blue caught my attention. I stopped for a moment and looked again. Sure enough, Jaymie was there, walking with some of her friends.

"Jaymie!"

She turned around as I called her name. Smiling, she waved at me.

"Oh God, not the freak."

I heard one of her friends say.

"Come on Jaymie, let's go!"

Another begged. Jaymie shook her head.

"Oreenta's my best friend. I'm going to eat lunch with her today."

I heard her loud and clear. They left her side once I got there. I stood, hunched over and trying to catch my breath.

"Hey, are you alright?"

She asked. I nodded.

"I need to talk to you."

"Sure but where-"

"Let's go!"

I grabbed her hand and ran into the forest behind our school. This was where I usually hid out during lunch. We stopped a few yards in.

"It's so pretty here!"

Jaymie exclaimed. I always ate lunch by myself in the forest. Sometimes I would ask Jaymie to join me, and every time she did, she made the same comment.

I plopped myself on the ground and sighed, trying to catch my breath. I heard Jaymie giggle and watched her as she sat next to me, pulling out her lunch.

"You want some?"

She asked, handing me a muffin. I smiled and took it from her.

"Thanks."

We stayed in silence for a while as I ate my muffin and she her lunch.

"There's something I need to talk to you about…"

I told her when I was done.

"What's that?"

She questioned. I sat up. Taking in a deep breath, I explained to her what happened with my father. She listened in silence until the very end.

"Well this is good news, Oreenta; why do you look so down?"

"My parents are afraid of someone trying to come after us so we have to leave the country…."

Jaymie didn't speak.

"My flight takes off tomorrow morning at 6."

I didn't look at Jaymie as spoke. My eyes were closed but I could almost see Jaymie as she wrapped her arm around me. Opening my eyes, I looked up at her. Tears were streaming down her face and she sniffled.

"It's okay Jaymie…"

I returned the hug and patted her back.

"I don't want you to go!"

She managed out. I held her for a while as she cried. When she finally calmed down, she looked at me again.

"If it means you'll be safe, I'll deal with it."

I smiled down at her.

"Hey, we'll always be best friends won't we? Every Sunday, I'll but a Sundae or I'll make one, and I'll call you, around the same time we always go out."

Jaymie smiled and a few more tears fell.

"That's a promise right?"

I nodded. The school bell rang and Jaymie frowned.

"I should get going."

I stood and helped her up.

"I'll come see you before you leave."

She promised. I walked her back to the school and said good bye one last time. When I walked around to the front of the school, I saw my mom's familiar mini-van waiting for me with my father inside.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

He smiled at me. I didn't speak as I climbed into the car.

"Here; you're mom told me this was your favorite."

He handed me a cup. Inside the cup was my most favorite thing to drink: a strawberry smoothie. I sat in silence, sipping my smoothie, enjoying every last drop.

"So you're still friends with Jaymie huh?"

"….Yeah, she's my only friend…."

I looked at the floor. My dad didn't say anything more; he probably realized how much I really didn't want to talk.

"We're back."

My dad announced when we got home.

"That was quick."

My mom came into the living room just as I was about to go upstairs, backpack in hand.

"Oreenta, I know you really don't want to go, but it's necessary that you do."

I nodded once at my mom before proceeding upstairs. Once in my mom, I lay starring at the ceiling.

'Jaymie…. I really wish I could stay...'

I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep.

Dream~ ~

I looked around trying to find some source of light, but to no avail.

"Where is she?"

Someone shouted in the dark.

"I don't know!"

Another person replied. I could hear the rush of footsteps.

"They'll be gone soon…."

Someone, a man, whispered to me.

'Who?'

"I'm glad I get to see you yet again."

I can hear a smile in his voice. I felt myself smile as well.

End Dream~ ~

I awoke in somewhat of a daze. I felt as though the dreams I had been having were trying to tell me something important, but I had no idea what it could be. I looked out my window; night had fallen.

"Oreenta, are you awake?"

My mom knocked on the door.

"Yeah…"

"Come on, let's eat dinner."

I sighed as I stood and left the room. Walking downstairs, I was greeted by the mouth watering smell of spaghetti.

"Will you set the table, dear?"

I nodded and pulled out all the plates and utensils out of the cabinet and set them on the table, uncomfortably setting the table for 3.

Dinner was awkward. Nobody spoke; the only sound that was made was the "clinks" of forks hitting the plate.

After dinner, my mom handed me a suitcase where I was told to pack as much stuff in there as possible.

In my room, I sat for about an hour, just starring at the suitcase. With a big sigh, I got to work packing a few articles of clothing, health products, and a stuffed animal Jaymie had given me for me 5th birthday. I looked at it. The stuffed animal was that of a rat with a piece of cheese. I smiled as I looked at it. Something shined and caught my eye; around the rats next was a silver necklace. Taking the necklace off, I looked at it: a simple silver chain with a key attached. I thought back. Trying to remember what the key was to. Something clicked and I walked over to a chest that I had buried deep in my closet.

'I haven't been in there for years…. Should I?'

I dug through the chest and pulled out a small little box that had a key hole on the bottom of it. I stuck the key in and twisted. Silently, I listened to a small winding sound as the top part of the box slowly popped up to reveal a dial with 4 slots numbered 1-9. I thought for a moment and remembered my old code. I changed the first dial to 8, second dial to 6, third to 5 and the fourth, 6. Pushing the dials in, I listened once more to the winding of gears inside the box as the top lifted up the rest of the way. I know what most people would think, why go through all this trouble? But what they didn't know was the true meaning of what was hidden in this well made box.

'It's just as I remembered...'

I closed my eyes and remembered the time from so many years ago. At age 3, I was taught the game of duel monsters. At age 4, I became a prodigy. Finally, at age 5, I was dueling at a national level. That was until shortly after my 6th birthday. My father had left, well, gone missing apparently, and I quit. My mom could no longer financially support me through the tournaments and had obviously needed my support in going through the whole ordeal of losing my father. From then on, I dedicated myself to school and working hard to get a scholarship so that I would no longer have to burden my mother.

Shortly after we settled down in a nice town and I started school, kids began picking on me and criticizing me for my hair and the way I would dress. Some kids new about my father and always made fun of me for only having a mother. Some other kids knew about my dueling skills and never ceased to use it as material for their insults. Every friend I had made had turned against me, all except Jaymie.

The mere thought of playing a game of cards such as Duel Monsters had intrigued her from the start, as she put it. At first, when she asked me to teach her how to play the game, I assumed she was either pitying me, or trying to mock me and I ignored her.

One day, however, some kids from school got enraged with my ignoring their childish comments and were angry at the fact I was smarter than most of them. The kids teamed together and began physically bulling me. In the middle of it, Jaymie jumped in and stood over me, taking ever single blow that was meant for me.

"Stop it, what're you doing?"

I recalled shouting at her.

"I-I don't want to see you hurt! I want to be your friend!"

She shouted. I recalled how I felt at that moment; I was happy and at the same time, angry. How dare these guys hurt my friend?

I remember looking down at the ground, collecting my thoughts.

"Ah!"

Jaymie screamed as the boys knocked her to the ground. I looked at her, eyes wide as blood flowed from a small cut on her forehead and her lips, eyes and cheek began to swell. One of the kids moved forward, ready to kick at Jaymie. At that moment, I felt myself snapped, and with an uncontrollable anger, I jumped on the kid and furiously began to punch him. The others tried to pull me off, but I turned around and fought.

"You all... Get the hell out of here! Who the hell are you to make fun of us? You only find comfort in making other people seem smaller compared to you because of your underprivileged parents that have most likely been in and out of jail and have neglected and beat you in the past as well! So don't put your shit on us because we don't want it!"

I remember as the kids looked at me in shock. I was, for a moment, afraid of my own words and actions. The kids stepped away and looked at me for a moment longer before running in another direction.

After that incident, Jaymie and I had become inseparable. Many rumors had circulated that I was forcing her to be my friend, but Jaymie and I denied them all. I always told her that she didn't have to be there…. That may have been a lie on my part, for I needed her more than I even knew. But Jaymie would always smile, laugh and say,

"What are you talking about? You're my best friend! I need to be here; by your side is where I'm meant to be."

And after that, we'd sit and laugh and joke…. That was us then, but what would happen now? I didn't want to leave Jaymie…. When I opened my eyes, I was sitting on my bed, cards still in hand. Thanks to these, I had the most awesome friend in the world; how could I not take them with me? I set them back in the box and laid the box down in my suitcase, under the rest of my clothes.

After everything I needed was packed, I lay down for a good night's rest. I had to get up at 5 since my flight was to leave at 6 in the morning.

I sighed as I turned over and looked at the clock.

'Great…. It's already 12 and I still can't sleep…. Maybe if I think about something…..'

I thought about Jaymie again and when I taught her how to play duel monsters. It was about a week after the incident with the other kids. I had been sitting at my desk during lunch time, eating by myself as usual, when she walked up. Dressed in a blue sundress, Jaymie asked once more.

"Won't you please teach me? I'd really love to learn the game!"

I wanted to say no once more, but looking carefully, I could see the almost completely faded mark of a bruise.

"….Okay. But it will take some time, do you think you can, maybe, come over to my house?"

Blushing, I looked down. I had never invited anyone over before.

"Okay! After school, I'll walk with you!"

She chirped. I looked up at her and that was the first time I had seen any of the other kids smile at me like she had.

That very same day, as I was walking home, I stopped for a moment and waited. A few minutes had passed and Jaymie wasn't anywhere to be seen. I looked down, wanting to cry. She wasn't coming, I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Turning, I was about to continue walking when I heard someone shout behind me.

"Oreenta! Hey, wait up!"

I jerked around and saw Jaymie running towards me.

"Sorry, I had to call my mom and tell her I was going over to my friends house. Did you wait too long?"

I shook my head, still trying to figure out if this was reality or not. We walked together and, for the most part, I didn't speak. Jaymie talked and talked and talked about different things ranging from school to television shows.

"Hey Oreenta, what music do you like?"

"Huh?"

I didn't listen to music that often so I didn't know how to answer. She told me about the different kinds of music out there and I'll never forget that summer when she surprised me with an Mp3 loaded with music, the same Mp3 I had now.

My mom was surprised when I had brought Jaymie home. I introduced her as a classmate, but Jaymie laughed and said,

"I'm her friend!"

I remember the look of unspeakable happiness in my mother's eyes and her warm smile as she said,

"I'll go prepare some snacks for you two."

Jaymie and I had sat in my room. I told her about the different kinds of cards and how to summon, activate trap and magic cards. It took a while, but Jaymie got the hang of things and we began to play. Up until this day, Jaymie still hasn't defeated me, but she's still really good.

"Oreenta, you're too smart!"

She said to me a few days ago when we had last played.

"Haha, sorry Jaymie, I just really love this game."

I had laughed back.

Yawning, I realized how sleepy I was and, quietly, I feel asleep with a smile on my face.

I awoke at 5 in the morning to the screeching sound of my phone's alarm.

"Ssshhhh!"

I shushed my phone as I fumbled to turn off the alarm. I sighed and closed my eyes again, starting to fall back asleep when my phone began ringing.

"Yes mom?"

I asked, having set the specific ringtone of I'm Alive by Celine Dion for her.

"Don't go back to sleep. C'mon, we have to hurry."

My mom knew me all too well.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, did you call Jaymie?"

"Yeah, I spoke with her mom last night. She's going to come over in about 15 minutes so hurry up!"

"Okay, fine, I'm going, bye."

I went through my morning routine of taking a shower, getting dressed and fixed my hair. This morning, though, I put my hair up into a bun, not wanting to leave it down.

"Oreenta, Jaymie's here!"

My mother called up the stairs. Grabbing my suitcase, I ran down the stairs and into the living room.

"Hey Oreenta!"

Today, Jaymie had chosen to wear a black turtle neck and navy blue jeans.

"It's kind of chilly out so I bought you a sweater."

She handed me a bag and smiled.

"Are you ready to go?"

I looked at her for a long moment without speaking.

"Don't worry,"

Her smile and eyes fell a little, but I could still see the love in them.

"I'll always be with you."

She wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Carefully, I hugged her back.

"I'll call you ever Sunday, just like we promised."

I laughed to myself, of course she'd use that to cheer me up.

"Okay. Have enough fun here for the both of us. And if anyone messes with you, let me know and I'll come kick their ass."

I stated as we pulled apart. She laughed.

"Okay okay, be careful Jaymie."

I nodded.

The car ride to the airport was short, but tiring. When we arrived at the airport, both my mom and dad stepped out of the car to talk with a man that had been standing around. I got out to see what they were doing.

"Thank you very much Mr. Kaiba."

I heard my parents say. He nodded at them and looked at me.

"Is this her?"

I looked at the man who seemed to be referring to me.

"Yes; this is Oreenta."

"Here you go sweetie."

My mom handed me my backpack. I took it from her.

"What's going on?"

I asked.

"I'm sorry Oreenta, but we can't go with you. It seems, the man who had kidnapped you're father only knew he had a wife. We can't go, it's for your safety.

"Mom, this isn't funny."

"I know dear. This man here is named Seto Kaiba. He has agreed to take care of you. In exchange, your father gave up his company. Please sweetie, do as Mr. Kaiba asks."

The man known as Seto stood about a foot and a half taller than me. Two men in black suits and sunglasses walked over. I tensed up a bit; these men looked a bit intimidating.

"The plane is ready to go, sir."

He spoke. Seto nodded.

"Get her bags and bring her to the plane."

He turned and walked away.

"Goodbye Oreenta. We can't spend too much time here so we're leaving as well. We love you!"

My mom hugged me quickly and turned back around to the car.

My dad was handing my suitcase to one of the men in the suits.

"W-what's going on?"

I asked again. My mom looked back at me.

"I'm sorry Oreenta."

With that, she and my father got back into the car.

"Wait!"

I went to run back to the car when the other man grabbed my shoulder.

"I'm sorry miss, but we can't let you go."

"What do you-"

I heard the car turn on and begin to drive away. By the time I saw the car once more, it was leaving the airport.

"Right this way Ms. Miritayo."

The man turned me around. I couldn't think at the moment; my legs moved on their own. I didn't know what had just happened; it was all so fast, it felt like a blur. Things didn't hit me until we were already in the air. I looked down at my feet. I sighed.

'I should've seen this coming…. I've still got a lot to learn….'

I didn't cry; I refused to. There was no reason to.

"Yes Mokuba, we're on our way. The girl's name is Oreenta Miritayo, you'll meet her when we get there. I'm sorry Mokuba, we have to cancel our planes for today. You want to invite them over?"

He was quiet for a moment. I heard him sigh.

"Alright but they better not be in my way. Okay. I'll let you know when we're going to land. Bye Mokuba."

He hung up the phone he was on. I decided to take this time to look over the man that was supposed to be my so called caretaker. That I already knew, he was about 6 ft 5 inches. I was 5 ft 6 ½ inches and he's about a foot taller.

I had to look over the back of my seat to get a better look of the man.

He had brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a purple and blue outfit. The purple part was a coat that covered the blue shirt and matching blue pants he was wearing.

"Attention passengers, we are now safely in the air. Please feel free to walk around."

The captain said. I took my seat belt off and walked towards the back where Kaiba was sitting. The two men that had been in the parking lot sat across the row from him, side by side. I saw that in their ears were ear buds. It must have been a private plane since there was only the four of us riding in it.

"Can I help you?"

Kaiba asked. I sat on my knees in the seat in front of him.

"I just wanted to talk, you know, get to know my "care taker" a little better."

He looked at me.

"Why would I want to talk to you? My job is not to take "care" of you, but to provide you with shelter. I'm nothing more than your land lord."

'Geez, someone needs an attitude adjustment.'

"So who's Mokuba?"

I changed the subject, curious about who he was talking to before.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"No, I just overheard your conversation from earlier."

He sighed.

"If you must know, Mokuba is my younger brother. He and I were supposed to go to an amusement park today, but I had to cancel on account of a certain brat I had to pick up."

He glared up at me.

"Tch, sorry Mr. Grouch, it's not like I asked for this."

"Oh and I did?"

His condescending attitude pissed me off.

"Get over yourself! You think you're so high and mighty, don't you? I bet your only friend is you're little brother. The people that follow you and pretend to be so kind are only that way because you have money and most likely power. You probably have a lot of enemies, that's what these guys are for. If you didn't have the money and power that you do have, you'd be left all alone."

Having said that, I turned around and headed back to my seat. Sitting down, I buckled myself back in and pulled out my backpack and grabbed my Mp3. With my head phones on and heavy metal blasting through them, I fell asleep against the cool window.

Dream~ ~ ~

Something soft was underneath me…. It was warm and comforting; it made me feel so safe. What could it be?

"Are you tired?"

A man?

"A little…."

"Sleep for now; I'm here for you."

Something wrapped around me…. Arms? By my guess, I was laying on this person I was talking to, and he apparently allowed me to.

"Are you sure?"

I couldn't see anything; I could only hear.

"Of course; I'm always going to be here."

"But, I'm afraid that, if I fall asleep, you won't be here when I wake up."

He chuckled.

"I cannot leave your side no matter how hard I try. I will always be here, so do not worry. Close your eyes and sleep for now."

I moved closer to the man. For some reason, I felt so close to him. I wanted to ask who, but I was too tired, and I fell asleep. As my eyes closed, they opened.

I took in a deep breath and looked around. I was still on the plane. My ear phones had fallen out and I could hear the world around me.

"We'll be there soon, Mokuba. About 10 minutes. You're already waiting? Okay, I'll see you then."

Kaiba was once again talking to his brother. I stretched in my seat and put my Mp3 back in my bag.

"Attention passengers, we are getting ready to descend. Please secure your valuables and buckle in. Thank you."

I buckled in and grabbed my backpack. Slowly, the plane went down; I had to close my eyes due to motion sickness. The plane landed and a few moments passed before the captain came back on.

"We have safely landed. Please exit on the right. Thank you for flying Kaiba Air."

'Conceded.'

I thought as I cautiously stood. My steps were wobbly and uncoordinated, but I managed to make it out of the plane.

"Big brother!"

Someone shouted. I looked around and saw a little kid about the age of 10 running out of a black limo and up to Seto.

"Hey Mokuba, did you miss me?"

He smiled for the first time since I had met him.

"You bet! Oh, is that her?"

The kid looked at me and I looked away; I was never able to look directly at a person I had just met.

"Hey there, my name is Mokuba! It's very nice to meet you!"

I looked down at the boy that was now standing in front of me.

"My name's Oreenta, nice to meet you too!"

This little boy's personality made me smile.

"Well what are we waiting for? Come on Oreenta!"

He smiled at me; grabbing my hand, he pulled me towards the limo that he came out of. The inside was the like a miniature room. It was square and had seats along the sides. There was also a mini fridge against in the center.

"Do you want something to drink?"

He asked as I sat on the farthest seat in the limo.

"Sure!"

He nodded and grabbed a soda from the fridge.

"Here ya' go!"

He handed it to me. I smiled at him.

"You and you're brother are totally different!"

I commented. He laughed.

"You noticed?"

I laughed as well.

"Would you two quiet down over there?"

Kaiba snapped as he sat down as far away from us as the limo allowed.

"C'mon Seto, be nice."

Seto and Mokuba looked at each other. Seto sighed and looked out the window.

"So Oreenta, what's America like?"

"Hot. Very, very hot."

Mokuba laughed again.

"At least keep it down."

Seto said again. Mokuba sighed.

'Geez, I hope he's not always like this.'