"Hey --, whatcha doing?" The little girl asked. Her friend, a boy about her age, was sitting on the floor with his kneed pulled up to his chin, apparently thinking. There was a box sitting in front of him.
The boy looked kind of strange, but cute. His hair was black and messy, sticking out in different ways, his clothes included a white t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. He never really liked to wear shoes, or socks, just walking bare-footed around inside.
She walked over and sat next to him. He slightly turned his head and shifted his blue eyes to look over at her, then looked back to the box. "I'm solving a puzzle, would you like to help?" His tone didn't change much, like if he was bored.
"Sure! Thanks --!"
"Of course." The two children spent the next hour finding the right pieces and placing them in their rightful spots until the picture was complete. It was a winter scene, much like the one currently outside. The first snow of the season.
Forgetting about the puzzle, the girl jumped up, slightly startling the boy. "Hey, let's go outside now! We can play in the snow, and make snow angels, and build a snow man!" She jumped up and down excitedly and grabbed the little boy's hand, dragging him along with her towards the door.
"I-I don't want to go outside." He said quietly.
"Why not? We can have lots of fun! Please?"
"My parents and I used to do that the beginning of every winter, making a snowman, and snow angels. It reminds me of them." He slouched over some and looked at the floor, slightly shuffling his feet.
Her spirits dropped, remembering that she used to do those things with her parents too. But then another thought came. "Hey --, let's make a promise. I promise that I'll be your family from now on, and that I'll never leave you, ever, and that I'll always be here to help if you need me."
-- looked up, his eyes wide with curiosity. He lifted his hand to his face and placed a finger on his lip, thinking. "You would really do that?"
"Of course! What else are friends for?"
The boy smiled. "Alright, I promise too."
"So what are we waiting for? Let's go outside! I can't wait to play in the snow!"
"Katie, wake up! We're going to be late!" Mr. Jones yelled up the stairs.
"Mmph, in a minute Daddy." She replied groggily, tossing over onto her side. That dream she just had, the little boy was so familiar, but what was his name? She couldn't remember.
I guess it was just too long ago. That place, I remember it though. Wammy's House, that's where Dr. Jones adopted me from. Perhaps if I contact them, they'll be able to tell me who that boy and girl are. Someone must know...
"C'mon kiddo, we've got to leave in an hour, and I know you well enough to know that you still haven't gotten out of bed yet. Don't make me get Ryan over here again! I've done it before, and I won't hesitate to do it again!" Oh boy, here come the threats. Better get up now, he usually follows through with them.
Oh, Ryan? He's my best friend, and also one of my dad's students. What my dad meant by "getting Ryan over here again" is that the last time he did that, Ryan grabbed my mattress and pulled it up and outwards, sending me tumbling onto the floor half dazed. As funny as that sounds, it actually hurts, and is very embarrassing.
And yeah, as dorky as it sounds, my dad is a professor at Brown University as a history teacher. But he's really good at what he does, which is more than what you think. Sometimes he is sent off on expeditions to recover ancient artifacts in foreign countries. And sometimes I get to tag along, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Except when there are people chasing after us cause they want the artifact too, then things get rough. And kidnappers, they aren't as nice as they look on T.V., which I found out the hard way.
Getting up, I headed over to the bathroom to hurry through my daily routine. If what Dad said was true, then I had very little time to get ready for my day out. Today was the last day the carnival was open, and I promised him that she would go with him since we hadn't gotten to spend a lot of time together lately. Work, plus a job, plus volunteering at the hospital equals not enough spare time. And it doesn't help that he teaches and brings work home with him to grade papers and essays.
"Hmm, which outfit should I choose today?" I wondered aloud. "Something simple since I'm just going with my dad." After a couple of minutes, I decided on a pair of blue jeans with a belt, an off-white spaghetti-strap shirt with black lace, and a thin tan shirt over it. I swept up my long, dark brown hair into a messy pony tail and walked out the door to the top of the stairs.
Now came the fun part of getting down the stair. After I moved in, I discovered that the banisters were perfect for sliding on. All you had to do was position yourself right and push off while being careful not to fall off.
"Weeeeee!" Haha, damn I could be childish sometimes, but It was fun to just let go. Though, I don't suggest doing it in public, people tend to look at you like a freak.
"Good morning Daddy." I said as I walked into the kitchen. He was sitting at the table, his feet propped up an top of it, a coffee cup in one hand and a newspaper in the other. Typical.
"Was that you I heard just a minute ago?" He looked over his newspaper, one eyebrow raised.
"Uh, yeah, it was. What? Don't give me that look." Might as well ignore him. I walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a bowl, and then dug through the drawer for a spoon. Cereal was usually my preferred breakfast food, as you can tell. And of course, like any normal person, I always coated it with a layer of sugar. I sat down at the table and picked up the box of cereal that was already there and poured it into the bowl, along with milk and my beloved sugar.
"Hurry up and eat, we need to leave in a few minutes." He said nonchalantly, still engrossed in his newspaper. I don't get why he's bothering to read it, it's the same news everyday: 'Kira Strikes Again, # of people Killed By An "Accidental" Heart Attack.' This guy seriously needs to get his head, and ego checked. These people may be criminals and deserved to be punished, but not like this. It isn't right.
"Okay Dad, just give me a second." I hurriedly ate the cereal, not quite full, but whatever. We needed to leave. He stood up and tossed the paper onto the table and looked at me smiling. I'm judging by the way he's acting that he has missed these father-daughter outings, and I have to admit, I did too. I was always daddy's little girl.
We walked out the door and to the truck. It was an old red F150, not exactly something that blended well in the city, but oh well, we liked it. And it still ran...most of the time.
At The Carnival
Looking left and right, there were people everywhere. Well it was to be expected, today was the last day after all, and school was starting up again in a week, so students were enjoying what they had left of their freedom here. The carnival was the perfect place, after all, to hear the laughter of happy people and the music of the merry-go-round, smell the freshly popped popcorn and sugary cotton candy, and play the cheesy little games at the stands found everywhere and feel the thrill of the rides.
"Come on Dad, let's go on the ferris wheel, then we can get some cotton candy!" I grabbed his hand and pulled him along behind me. This was going to be one fun day.
Throughout the entire time my dad and I spent at the carnival, I think we rode every single ride at least once, and I think I sampled every single sweet they had to offer. It was good! But now the sugar is wearing off and my energy is swiftly moving downhill.
I sighed quietly, too exhausted to exert any more energy. We spent the entire day waiting through the long lines, but each and every one of them was worth it. The rides were awesome, and the food even better. All in all I think we spent about...oh...about 10 hours at the carnival altogether. But being exhausted was worth it since this was the end of the summer. Soon the warm weather would be gone and I would have to go back to college. But first things first, sleep, and lots of it.
We finally arrived back at the house. Dad and I trudged through the dark and found the doorknob and fumbled with the keys to unlock it. One inside, we turned on the hall lights and each found our way to our rooms.
"G'night Daddy." I said.
He yawned. "Goodnight sweetie."
The little girl was sitting all by herself on the window seat across the room, crying. The little boy was curious as to what had made his friend cry, so he slowly walked over to her, bent over slightly. He climbed up onto the seat across from her and sat back in his strange position, and looked over at her, but she was avoiding eye contact with him, sniffling.
, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" His voice was still a monotone, but his eyes showed genuine worry and concern.
She sniffled some more and slightly looked over at him, but quickly averted her gaze back out the window to the winter scenery. "I-I had another nightmare. They keep coming back." Her arms wrapped themselves around her legs and hugged them to her chest, slowly rocking herself back and forth.
"What kind of nightmares? What happens?"
"Well," Her voice began to quaver. "It's about the day my parents died. I see us, driving in the car on my 6th birthday, and then we're going by another car, except it's a lot older and dirty looking. Then all I see and hear are flashes of my parents being shot by the people in the other car, but it's so horrible." She broke down crying, burying her face in her knees, ashamed.
The boy got back up and moved next to her, placing a hand on her knee. She looked up and their eyes met. He gave her a cute little smile. "It's okay. Everyone has bad memories, and it takes awhile for anyone to get over tragedies like that. But you should always know that your parents loved you, and that their love still lives as long as you do. And I am always here, remember that."
"Good morning class. Please turn to page 250 in your books and we shall begin learning about the ancient Egyptians." The entire class eagerly got out their books and flipped to the right page. Monday mornings usually were the worst, but not in Dr. Jones' class. He always was able to make things interesting, whether it was bringing in some cool artifact or telling of one of his expeditions, all his classes loved him. Especially me, but that's just because he's my dad.
He turned around and began writing some things on the board. I didn't bother to pay attention because I already knew all of this stuff. That's one of the benefit's of your dad being a teacher, you learn things before they are taught, and then you get to goof around in class. Well, as long as you don't get 'volunteered' for anything, that is.
Dr. Jones turned around and was about to say something, when all of a sudden he stopped. "Well," He began again. "It looks like we have a new student in our midst. And who might you be?"
All eyes turned their attention to the new guy, including myself. I almost choked on the gum I was chewing on when I saw him.
Could it be that this was just a coincidence? This guy, he looked so much like the boy in my dreams, but older. The black messy hair, panda-like blue eyes, baggy blue jeans, white long sleeved shirt, and the way he sat were all pretty much the same. Was it him? Did he recognize me? It was possible, since he was staring right at me.
His gaze turned to my dad. "My name is Ryuuzaki."
"Well Ryuzaki, welcome to Brown University." He directed his attention back to the class. "Now, the ancient Egyptians..." And let the lecture begin.
After the last class of the day, I stopped by my dad's office to tell him that I was going to town. But my plans changed when I spotted a figure leaning up against my car. It was the same guy that was in my history class this morning, Ryuuzaki I think he said his name was. I wonder what he wanted? Still, this feeling of familiarity won't leave me alone whenever I see his face.
"Excuse me, I need to get to my car." I said, hoping to stall confrontation until I could sort my thoughts out. He moved, stepping slightly to the right so I could stick my key in the lock.
His eyes bore a hole into my back, almost never blinking. What did he want? "Can I help you."
"Yes." Ryuuzaki finally spoke. "You can help me. Is it okay if we speak somewhere a little more private though? It would be best to keep our conversation away from open ears." His head tilted to the side a bid, and his thumb found its way to his mouth. For a moment I thought he would suck on it, but he only seemed to be lightly biting his nail, as if concentrating on some far away thought.
Ryuuzaki's stare made me a little anxious. "Um, sure, I guess. Get in." I opened my door and hit the button to unlock his. Still slouching, he walked over and got in, sitting in the seat with his knees pulled up to his chest. Another pang of recognition hit me. "Wh-where to?
"I believe there's a little café not too far from here. It would be the perfect spot to have a private conversation, not to mention get some cake. I'm starved."
I knew that place, Lacy's Sidewalk Café. It had the best hot chocolate and strawberry shortcake around. It took only a few minutes to get there, and the entire ride there was filled with an uncomfortable silence.
We walked into the café, where a waitress showed us to a small table in the corner and took our orders. I only had a cup of hot cocoa, while Ryuuzaki had some double chocolate cake. It arrived in no time. He dug in, while holding his fork quite strangely, I might add. He only held it between his thumb and pointer finger. Must be pretty difficult.
He paused eating his cake for a moment. "Do you remember who I am?" Ryuuzaki's eyes shone a bright blue, staring directly into mine. I felt like I was being put on the spot. Wasn't he Ryuuzaki, the new kid at school? No, something deep withing me said. Trust your memories.
"Have you ever been to Wammy's House in England, by any chance?" I was taking a giant leap here, but I had nothing to lose anyways. If my suspicions were correct...
"Yes, I have. How did you know?" His fork was partway in his mouth, and his head cocked to the side, curious. But it seemed to me that this was more like a test, and he knew how I knew.
I decided to answer anyways, playing along. "Because I used to live there until I was adopted by Dr. Jones, and you remind me of a boy I knew there. You two are almost exactly alike." Ryuuzaki's smile grew, and he finished the last bite of cake as I thought things out again. "Are you...you're that same boy, aren't you?"
"Well, I guess I underestimated you, you figured that out quicker than I thought you would. I didn't even have to give you any hints."
Woah. It was him, after all these years, I finally got to see him again, but I don't remember his name being Ryuuzaki. "Wait, wasn't your name--"
"Its best if you don't say it aloud, someone still might hear you. I took this name as a precaution."
"Oh, okay. Why are you here though? If you don't mind me asking. It's been so long since the last time I saw you, Ryuuzaki."
He sighed. "Because I need your help. I'm sure you're aware of the Kira case and how many criminals have already died. It is my intention to stop him, but I don't think I can take it on without a little help. I thought that you would be able to help me. You are quite intelligent, and judging by how quickly it took you to figure out who I was, you could help me put together the pieces to this puzzle and catch Kira. So, what do you say, will you help me?"