"Tadaima" Rena's mom, Eva said, opening the front door. Eva took off her
shoes and put on the slippers she wore around the house.
"Okaerinasai" Rena said in the traditional Japanese greeting, without looking up from her book. It was about Japanese magical creatures. She flipped through, looking for an entry, pushing her long blonde-brown hair out of her eyes and behind her ears. Eva crossed the room and pulled the book from her hands. "Have you done your homework?" she questioned. Rena shook her head. "Oh well, make sure to do it later. Anyway, I got a new job!"
Rena sighed. "Here I was getting comfortable. Where do we go next?" Rena's mom was a diplomat, so they had to move often. Her father studied magical creatures in their natural habitats, so he traveled, too. Rena was only 13, and had already been to eight different countries. She was in Japan for her second time, her first being when she was 3 and old enough to travel from America.
"It's Britain. The job might take anywhere from one to three years, and maybe more. I've already enrolled you in one of the schools. It's called Hogwarts, and the headmaster said you would be Sorted in private. I didn't understand that fully, but you will be a third year and only first years get sorted." Eva took a deep breath, and Rena took this as a chance to talk.
"So I guess they're doing me a favor, saving me the embarrassment. Do you think I'll be able to take Tia?" Rena asked, hopeful. Her mother frowned. Tia, whose real name was Tiamat, was a small flying lizard native to Japan. Rena discovered the species when she was exploring some caves near the seashore, and walked in on some hatching. Three of the hatchlings came to her for food instead of their flock, so Rena fed them. The little lizards stayed with her, and soon became part of the family.
Eva thought. "Maybe you could take Soru. She is the littlest, and the green color makes her less noticeable. I guess I could send Tia and Bahamut over later, once everyone meets Soru." Tia was very noticeable, being bright gold, but Bahamut was silver, and also the only male.
Rena nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Oh, a few days. I did most of the paperwork last week. Only you need to choose the subjects you want to take."
"And you didn't tell me? Oh well, I know how it is. I'm a mage! I'll look over the list tonight," she said, thinking about new subjects. Mage was another word for wizards-in-training. "I should be able to leave at a moment's notice!" Rena said sarcastically. Changing the subject, she added, "What will Dad do?"
Eva shrugged. "I think he doesn't want to leave your colony of lizards. You've made quite a discovery, you know. Kaze's with him now, trying to get him to leave her sisters alone and come home for dinner. Which reminds me, I need to cook something." Eva gave Rena her book back, which Rena had been eying the whole conversation, and left to make some food.
Rena stood up, stretched, and walked to her room after picking up her book. She opened up the door and sauntered in, opening up her small closet to get out her suitcase. Rena lived in an apartment inside the Japanese Ministry of Magic. Houses were very hard to find, and cost a lot of money, so Rena and her family had to do with an apartment.
Not that she was complaining, of course. Japanese people were very quiet and polite, so she didn't have to worry about loud neighbors. She didn't have much space, but then again, she didn't have many things. She dragged out her suitcase and put it down next to the bed (a squishy mat), and began throwing her clothes in. Bahamut, silver scales flashing, flew in and perched on her shoulder. He began whistling in her ear, a tune that meant hunger. Living six years with the lizards meant that Rena knew most of the songs and what they meant. If they sang one she didn't know, she could usually figure it out.
She placed her hand on his small head. He looked like a small dragon, and was only about a foot high, his tail adding another foot. Rena hummed a soothing song, telling him that food was on the way. She also whistled for Tiamat and Kaze to come, and heard the flutter of their wings in a few moments. Rena smiled when Kaze came in. "Get fed up with Dad?" she asked. Kaze, the most easygoing, only twitched her tail.
"I want to tell you all that we are moving once more," Rena told them. She found that they were very intelligent, and even though they couldn't talk, they could understand. Rena had taught them English and Japanese, since they were born there. "I'll have a new school, and Mom says that only Kaze can come to my classes at first. After a few months, the rest of you can come and confuse my life."
The lizards whistled understanding, and Rena resumed her packing. She had finished clothes when her father, Chris, came in, and her mother called her for dinner. Rena ran to the table, her lizards flitting in behind her. Eva had cooked a shrimp stir-fry, which was Rena's favorite. Even though Rena was an American by birth, she felt like she was Japanese. She was fluent in seven different languages, but she never could tell if Japanese was her first language or not. She loved Japanese food, though.
Rena sat down in her usual seat along the four-sided table, the lizards landing on the side opposite. They had their own little bowls, since they ate with the family. Rena ate quickly, then returned to her room to prepare for the trip.
"Okaerinasai" Rena said in the traditional Japanese greeting, without looking up from her book. It was about Japanese magical creatures. She flipped through, looking for an entry, pushing her long blonde-brown hair out of her eyes and behind her ears. Eva crossed the room and pulled the book from her hands. "Have you done your homework?" she questioned. Rena shook her head. "Oh well, make sure to do it later. Anyway, I got a new job!"
Rena sighed. "Here I was getting comfortable. Where do we go next?" Rena's mom was a diplomat, so they had to move often. Her father studied magical creatures in their natural habitats, so he traveled, too. Rena was only 13, and had already been to eight different countries. She was in Japan for her second time, her first being when she was 3 and old enough to travel from America.
"It's Britain. The job might take anywhere from one to three years, and maybe more. I've already enrolled you in one of the schools. It's called Hogwarts, and the headmaster said you would be Sorted in private. I didn't understand that fully, but you will be a third year and only first years get sorted." Eva took a deep breath, and Rena took this as a chance to talk.
"So I guess they're doing me a favor, saving me the embarrassment. Do you think I'll be able to take Tia?" Rena asked, hopeful. Her mother frowned. Tia, whose real name was Tiamat, was a small flying lizard native to Japan. Rena discovered the species when she was exploring some caves near the seashore, and walked in on some hatching. Three of the hatchlings came to her for food instead of their flock, so Rena fed them. The little lizards stayed with her, and soon became part of the family.
Eva thought. "Maybe you could take Soru. She is the littlest, and the green color makes her less noticeable. I guess I could send Tia and Bahamut over later, once everyone meets Soru." Tia was very noticeable, being bright gold, but Bahamut was silver, and also the only male.
Rena nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Oh, a few days. I did most of the paperwork last week. Only you need to choose the subjects you want to take."
"And you didn't tell me? Oh well, I know how it is. I'm a mage! I'll look over the list tonight," she said, thinking about new subjects. Mage was another word for wizards-in-training. "I should be able to leave at a moment's notice!" Rena said sarcastically. Changing the subject, she added, "What will Dad do?"
Eva shrugged. "I think he doesn't want to leave your colony of lizards. You've made quite a discovery, you know. Kaze's with him now, trying to get him to leave her sisters alone and come home for dinner. Which reminds me, I need to cook something." Eva gave Rena her book back, which Rena had been eying the whole conversation, and left to make some food.
Rena stood up, stretched, and walked to her room after picking up her book. She opened up the door and sauntered in, opening up her small closet to get out her suitcase. Rena lived in an apartment inside the Japanese Ministry of Magic. Houses were very hard to find, and cost a lot of money, so Rena and her family had to do with an apartment.
Not that she was complaining, of course. Japanese people were very quiet and polite, so she didn't have to worry about loud neighbors. She didn't have much space, but then again, she didn't have many things. She dragged out her suitcase and put it down next to the bed (a squishy mat), and began throwing her clothes in. Bahamut, silver scales flashing, flew in and perched on her shoulder. He began whistling in her ear, a tune that meant hunger. Living six years with the lizards meant that Rena knew most of the songs and what they meant. If they sang one she didn't know, she could usually figure it out.
She placed her hand on his small head. He looked like a small dragon, and was only about a foot high, his tail adding another foot. Rena hummed a soothing song, telling him that food was on the way. She also whistled for Tiamat and Kaze to come, and heard the flutter of their wings in a few moments. Rena smiled when Kaze came in. "Get fed up with Dad?" she asked. Kaze, the most easygoing, only twitched her tail.
"I want to tell you all that we are moving once more," Rena told them. She found that they were very intelligent, and even though they couldn't talk, they could understand. Rena had taught them English and Japanese, since they were born there. "I'll have a new school, and Mom says that only Kaze can come to my classes at first. After a few months, the rest of you can come and confuse my life."
The lizards whistled understanding, and Rena resumed her packing. She had finished clothes when her father, Chris, came in, and her mother called her for dinner. Rena ran to the table, her lizards flitting in behind her. Eva had cooked a shrimp stir-fry, which was Rena's favorite. Even though Rena was an American by birth, she felt like she was Japanese. She was fluent in seven different languages, but she never could tell if Japanese was her first language or not. She loved Japanese food, though.
Rena sat down in her usual seat along the four-sided table, the lizards landing on the side opposite. They had their own little bowls, since they ate with the family. Rena ate quickly, then returned to her room to prepare for the trip.