Chapter 1: The Surprise

Beep. Beep. Beep. My eyes blinked and quickly closed as the bright sun shined through the window into my bedroom. My alarm clock rang at full volume into my ears and I turned it off. I left the warmth of my bed and rubbed my eyes. I walked down the stairs with my bare feet touching the cold, wooden steps. Today was the day. I just knew it.

For months, I had been waiting to hear what colleges I applied to accepted me. There were some I applied to because my father wanted me to try, but there was only one school I had in mind. I wanted to study art, and to be an artist was my greatest dream. It was all I ever did with my spare time. I would paint all day and would fall asleep right at my easel. Art was a passion I had ever since my accidental trip to the Spirit World.

It had been nine years since I last saw the Spirit World. I was only ten at the time, and the life of spirits scarred me for life. I never knew what a spirit's life was like, barely believing in them at all around that age. I never knew I would know someday. It has been nine years since I last saw my friends – my true friends. The ones I left behind, like Lin and Kamajii. And, of course, there was Haku.

Haku had been the one who saved me from Yubaba when there was no one else to. He helped me save my parents, whom Yubaba turned into pigs because of her wretched rules and restrictions of humans and spirits. He was there for me – always. Before I left and returned to my parents, Haku told me we would meet again. I believe in him; I trusted him. And I made him promise. Nine years later, and not a word from him.

Did he remember me, or was I really some child he felt sorry for all those years ago? No, it couldn't be. He loved me and I loved him. But…did he love me the way I did? Did I love him the way I thought I did?

So many questions with no answers. But I managed to coexist in the Human World and live a somewhat normal life. I succeeded in school, made friends, and became very close with my parents. But something held me back from everyone. Something made me feel like I didn't belong. Or someone…

I tried forgetting Haku and pushed him out of my mind. It pained me to think we could ever see each other again. It wasn't possible. The Spirit Gate rarely opened, and the time I went through was pure luck, none of which was supposed to happen. Something made me go through. Someone wanted me to.

I opened the front door of our little, blue house on the corner and opened the mailbox. All I saw were overdue bills my parents hadn't paid for yet. Nothing else. No letters for me. I sighed and returned to my house. Things couldn't have gone worse for me. No Spirit World, no acceptance into college. I slumped myself on the couch and stared at the T.V.

Did they not send the letter? Was the letter lost somewhere in the post office? I wondered if I'd even get into college. My parents would be devastated if I wasn't accepted into the art school I had been dreaming about since I first started drawing.

My first drawings were of Haku, his green eyes dominating the picture. I drew him in his dragon form mostly, but other times I drew only the eyes, staring back in the way I remembered. I kept a sketchbook of everyone: Lin, Kamajii, No-Face, Boh, even Yubaba and Zeniba. They were always hard to tell apart, but I drew Yubaba with a crude facial expression and Zeniba was more compassionate and composed.

I had to keep my mind off college and my future. If I stressed myself with it, I would just feel even worse about it. I found it best to focus on other things, like my friends. My best friend, Emi, and I had a lot in common. We both wanted to take a year off school and wait to go to college. I was starting to wonder if that was a smart idea.

I called Emi and asked if she wanted to go shopping. "Sure!" She said, "I'll drive us."

"Thanks Emi, I need to take my mind off things."

"Like what?" Emi had always wanted to know everything that was going on, especially about me. But she was my best friend, and we never gossiped about each other. She was my best human friend.

"I'll tell you there." I replied. We both hung up and I changed out of my pajamas. Soon after the call, I heard a car honking and ran out the door. As I got into the car, she left the house and we arrived at the mall in no time.

"So what was it you want to get your mind off of?" Emi asked me as we entered our first store. I looked at her and sighed. I wanted to get my mind off college, and yet she was bringing it up. I was not in the mood to talk about it, but she would never rest until I told her the full story.

"I'm freaking out about college. I don't think anyone will take me. I've waited almost three months and I haven't heard anything from anyone." She patted my back and comforted me. Emi was a better friend than most. She was always there when I needed her.

"It's okay to be nervous," Emi assured me, "I still haven't got any letters from the colleges I've applied to. I'm sure they're just admiring how wonderful your application is." I laughed. Emi always knew how to brighten the mood. I thanked her for her support. After hours of shopping, we left the mall with our hands full of shopping bags. We got into Emi's car and she turned the radio louder than usual. She loved music more than anything, so we started dancing in the car.

"I love this song!" Emi said and started singing the words very off-pitched. I started laughing and sang the song in the same off-pitched tone. I never sang well, even if my mother told me I sang better than the celebrities on the radio. I knew she was being nice, but I honestly couldn't compare to them. Emi turned her eyes to the radio and increased the volume, and that was when it happened.

"Emi, watch out!" I shrieked. She made a hard left and we crashed into a couple trashcans on the side of the road. Although we weren't hurt, the car was busted up in the front. There was a cut on my left hand, but it would heal.

"What was that thing?" Emi asked me. I opened my door to see what we had hit, praying it wasn't a person. I closed the door and saw a bird with long, beautiful wings lying on the ground. I covered my eyes, assuming the worst. Then, the bird's wings started to move and it's head popped up. It looked directly at me. It stared right into my eyes, and I back at him. The bird was familiar; I knew that bird. Only one bird in the entire universe, both human and spirit, had a head that looked its master.

"Yu-bird…" I whispered. She squawked at me and flew away. Emi exited the car and shook my arm, shocked at what she had just seen, as well as myself.

"Chihiro! What was that? It looked like it had a head! Like, a human's head!" Emi screamed at me. She was in shock, and I had to make her forget. She didn't know about the Spirit World, and I intended to keep it a secret. I looked back at her like she was crazy.

"Come on, Emi, a bird with a human's head? Get real." She shrugged and entered the car. I stayed out, unable to comprehend what had just happened. What was Yu-bird doing in the Human World? Was it a message? Was Yubaba looking for me? That was the only reason. Yu-bird only lived in the Spirit World, and she knew the difference between a human and a spirit.

I entered the car and we drove back to my house. I apologized to Emi for the car damages, but she told me it was no big deal. I offered to pay, but she declined. I entered my house as she pulled out of the driveway. After the long day, I just sat on the couch and immediately fell asleep. I couldn't get the thought of Yu-bird out of my mind. I began dreaming about her, like I was supposed to follow her. Was I? Yu-bird squawked at me. Maybe she was telling me something. Only spirits were able to understand animals, and I was no spirit. I never was and never would be. That was another flaw with my feelings for Haku.

Spirit could only be in love with other spirits and vice versa with humans. Everyone hated a human and a spirit, and it wasn't even possible for them to be together. I read a book about it, how humans were punished for falling in love with a spirit. It seemed cruel and unnecessary. Love should be free.

Hours later, my parents walked in and saw me sleeping. My mom touched my shoulder and I woke up immediately. They both had big smiles on their face.

"Chihiro," she started, "Your father and I have a surprise for you." I smiled at the sound of that. Maybe some family time would help to forget about Yu-bird and Haku, now that I had brought them up again. Every day something would remind me of him, so some quality time with my parents was the perfect distraction.

"But first," my dad said, "you need to put this blindfold on." I stared at them in a puzzled way. What was secretive that they had to blindfold me for?

"Trust me Chihiro, it's a special surprise." I smiled and put the blindfold on. They led me to the car and put the seatbelt on me, since I couldn't see it myself. It seemed like a short drive, but I stayed quiet the whole way. When the car stopped, I had to ask.

"Can you please tell me where we are going?" I begged them to tell me. My mom exited the car, unbuckled my seatbelt and escorted me out of the car. I didn't know what it was for. My birthday had been a couple of months ago and they already gave me a gift.

"I'll give you hints along the way." She said. I sniffed the warm, summer air. I was going to miss it in the fall, but enjoyed it while it lasted. We started walking into what I believed was a long hallway. It seemed so familiar, though, even though I couldn't see a thing.

"Remember when we first moved here, Chihiro?" My dad asked me. I nodded. I remembered the first day like it was yesterday, but my parents could barely recall anything. Mostly because they were pigs. That was one memory I would never forget, no matter how hard I tried.

"And do you remember that field we went through, and I thought we should have had a picnic?" I nodded again, confused about why they were bringing this up. Unless...

"Well, today we are making that true." My dad removed the blindfold and I saw everything. The grass, the headstones, and the Aburaya. We were at the entrance of the Spirit World.

Anabelle ;)