Bittersweet 16
On the day of her 16th birthday, Yumi Ishiyama would never have guessed what was to happen. It all started when her alarm clock failed to go off in the morning.
Yumi opened her dark eyes and scanned the room out of habit. Sunlight dappled the comforter of her bed, warming her legs and casting pleasant light all around the room. For a moment, Yumi was inclined to just bury her head back into the pillow and drift back into slumber. Instead, Yumi glanced at her clock. It winked back at her: "12:00." Yumi frowned, her brain still fuzzy with sleep. That couldn't be right. She checked her wristwatch instead. "7:46," it read. That was better. Something about this number bothered Yumi. She racked her sleep-befuddled brain for the source of her anxiety. There was nothing that she needed to do, except maybe work a little on her homework. She was getting so behind with all these XANA attacks… Homework. School!
Suddenly, Yumi was very much awake. She scrambled out of bed and raced to her dresser. Classes started at 8:00 a.m. sharp. She was so late! Yumi stripped off her nightshirt and threw on her favorite grey T-shirt with the words "Sarcastic? Me?" blazed on the front. She ran a comb hurriedly through her ebony hair.
Once she was downstairs, Yumi reached automatically for where the piece of toast should have been. Her hand met nothing but air. She looked over and realized that it was empty except for a note sitting on top of at couple of dollars for lunch. She picked up the note and read it quickly.
Yumi,
Left this morning at 5:00 for Hiroki's soccer tournament. Didn't want to wake you. We'll be gone until Sunday afternoon. Don't forget to buy lunch!
-Mom and Dad
P.S. Happy 16th birthday! We'll celebrate when we get back.
Yumi considered the note for a moment, then balled it up and tossed it in the trashcan. Her watch beeped. 7:55. Yumi swore under her breath, scooped up the money, and was out the door as quick as a flash.