Chapter One: Settling In
*~~=~~*
Julia Chang quickly spun ducked under her opponent's kick and brushed up with a vertical kick. She managed to hit her foe's stomach and watched as he flipped backwards rapidly. His body hit the floor with a thud and he remained grounded, breathing heavily.
"The winner is Julia Chang!" A loud voice boomed.
Julia smiled and executed a backward flip, finishing her pose with two hands on her hips. She smiled sweetly and posed.
Julia walked out of the arena, taking off her Native American band around her head. Her mother had disappeared and she had entered the Third King of the Iron Fist Tournament in hopes of finding Heihachi Mishima and her beloved mother, Michelle Chang. Now she was one step closer. She walked down the corridor, distracted as she remembered her mother and the memories they shared. Michelle Chang had taken her in when she was a baby, left alone in the sunny desert of Arizona. She had raised her with love, affection, and determination, training Julia in the art of self-defense. Now Julia was 18 and studying to be an archaeologist. People of her tribe had said that despite not being a blood relative of Michelle, she had certainly inherited her adopted mother's beauty. She was a gorgeous young woman with chestnut brown hair, which was almost always tied away from her face. Today, they were done in two petite braids with a Native American ribbon woven in and out. Her eyes, almost always twinkling, were a light brown shade and her lips were always a cheery shade of pink. She sported a very unique look, wearing a short, frayed, denim skirt, baggy knee-high socks, exotic leather boots, a green cropped-top with an open leather cropped vest, matching leather wrist guards, and a silver band around her upper right arm. The band she had just taken off had two feathers planted on it, one red and one white with black tips. Modest as she was, she never had to wear anything particularly special to look beautiful. Despite her looks, much to the disappointment of many young men, she had really thought about the opposite sex. She was much to busy protecting the wild animals that roamed or excavating ruins in her native land. Julia let out a sigh as she thought about her mother's last words. "What lies before us or behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us." She had said right before taking off. Julia was sure her mother's whereabouts where known by Heihachi. The tribe had warned her about the fearsome "God of Fighting" and the consequences of the victims, yet Julia forged on in hopes of finding her mother. She had trained twice as hard, strengthening her arm and leg muscles and trained on her own, developing new techniques. Now she had entered the tournament...a late entry, but a formidable opponent. Fueled by the love for her mother and her strong desire to be champion.
Julia felt herself being pushed back slightly. "Ow..."
"Ditto." A young, Chinese girl said. Evidently, Julia had hit the girl while lost in her thoughts.
"Sorry...." Julia murmured. "I wasn't paying attention."
The girl giggled. "It's cool." She smiled warmly. "My name's Ling Xiaoyu. Who're you?"
"Julia Chang."
"Pleased to meet you!" Xiaoyu exclaimed. Xiaoyu was a 16-year old, perky, teenage girl. Her hair was done in two pigtails on either side of her head. She was wearing a flamboyant red Chinese-style silk pantsuit with a light pink shirt inside. Around her waist was a brightly colored yellow bow. She had a very lively face and a cute disposition. She wore relatively thin, bright red wrist guards, which looked more like thick, red, bracelets.
"So why're you in the tournament?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia hesitated. "I want to find my mother, Michelle Chang."
"Oh, I see. I think I've heard of her...wasn't she in the previous tournaments?"
"Yeah." Julia replied. "What about you? What're your reasons?"
"Well..." Xiaoyu replied coyly, "I want to build the biggest and most stupendous amusement park in the world!" She blushed. "I know it sounds dumb, but it's always been my dream to build my own amusement park and only the Mishima's have enough money to make one." Xiaoyu paused for a while. "Besides, I'm especially interested in teasing Jin."
"Jin?" Julia asked.
"He's Heihachi's grandson...kind of mysterious too. He's kind of handsome too, but I enjoy poking him and messing up his hair." Xiaoyu replied sheepishly. "He goes to my school."
"Oh." Julia responded. "Wait, Heihachi's grandson?"
"Yup!" Xiaoyu did a little skip-hop. "The son of Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama. It's kind of interesting really."
Julia closed her eyes. "Jun...that name sounds so familiar."
"It should! She was in the second tournament, with your mom!"
Julia was silent. Xiaoyu continued. "It's really kind of romantic. Jun was supposedly able to help Kazuya suppress the devil side of him or something. In any case, he loved her. And they had a child...but Jun fell victim to..." she paused.
"To what?" Julia asked, then it hit her. "The God of Fighting?"
Xiaoyu nodded slowly. "I didn't want you to think about your...mother or anything."
Julia sighed. "I understand. I came to this tournament to find the truth, even if that means realizing my mother's...dead."
"No! NO, NO, NO!" Xiaoyu yelled, waving her hands. "Don't think that way! I'm sure she's alive, OK? Ah, I'm sorry!" She said meekly, bowing her head.
Julia smiled. "It's OK, Xiaoyu. I'm going to find my mother, that's all that matters to me."
Xiaoyu nodded. "So anyway, Kazuya and Jun had a child...but I wonder why his name is Jin KAZAMA and not MISHIMA, ya know?" She asked.
Julia shrugged. "Maybe he changed it."
"JIN!!!" Xiaoyu yelled across the hall, attracting the gaze of many dumbfounded people, including the Jin himself. Xiaoyu ran down the hall, leaving an extremely miffed Julia.
"Hey Jin!" She greeted with a smile.
"Hi." Jin replied stonily, obviously not enjoying the attention from the young girl.
True to her word she mussed his hair and giggled as Jin shot an irritable glance at her.
"You mind?" He asked, an angry expression on his face. He put his right hand through his hair and did the best job he could of rearranging it to it's normal condition. Xiaoyu giggled as Jin swiftly forged past her and up the corridor. Julia watched intently as the 19 year-old Jin Kazama made his way passed her. He definitely was handsome, but nothing incredibly special. He seemed a bit on the silent, serious side and by the looks of it, his face never seemed to look any different then the rigid, set look of determination. Julia also noticed that his chest was bare, exposing well-toned muscles and light, smooth, skin. He was wearing a long pair of black, drawstring pants with a fading, bright red flame running down the right side. His hands were bound in a black wrist guard surrounded by a red wristguard, which granted more protection due to its width, but less coverage so that some of the black was visible underneath. Similarly bound were his feet. Shiny, black, hair was slicked back with some stray strands hanging down his forehead. He had profoundly dark eyes which seemed to absorb you temporarily as Julia discovered when he made eye contact with her. It was only for a second, but at the moment, Julia felt a surge of curiosity, mystery, and determination. However, through those eyes which had witnessed so much horror, she also felt a sharp pang of fear.
"He's something, eh?" Xiaoyu's familiar voice asked.
"Yeah..." Julia whispered, then she looked to the floor to avoid blushing, quickly regaining composure and looking back up. "Why is HE in the tournament?"
Xiaoyu shrugged. "Who knows? I think it had something to do with finding pieces of his past, but that Jin Kazama is an enigma in the flesh."
"He's gone through a lot..." Julia replied distantly.
"Eh? How do you know? You didn't even know who he was until I came around."
"His eyes...I can see it..."
Xiaoyu cocked her head to one side. "See what?"
"Pain." Julia whispered, in a seemingly deep trance. She quickly snapped out of her haze. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to freak you out there."
Xiaoyu smiled. "You didn't freak me out. That Kazama DOES have eyes that seemed pained."
"Yeah...I guess." Julia replied.
"Hey, you just entered the tournament recently, right?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia nodded. "Yeah."
"What's your room number?"
Julia took out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket. "Room 404."
"Great, we're just three rooms down! If you need anything, you can just go down to room 407."
Julia grinned. "Got it." She looked up at the gloomy ceiling. "You mind showing me where the rooms are?"
"Right this way!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, walking with a bit more bounce in her step than that of a normal teenage girl.
"Thanks."
"No problem!"
The two walked down the candle-lit corridor and wooden floors. Everything was built in an old Japanese style. The wood was polished and shined weekly and the blurry reflection of the candlelight could be seen on the floor. In fact, the entire corridor lacked a single electric lamp...the whole way down was lit by candles within rice paper lanterns.
"Creepy, huh?" Xiaoyu asked.
"I guess..."
"Where are you from anyway?"
"Arizona. I live with a tribe of Native Americans."
"Wow!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, her voice echoing down the hall. "Do you live in teepees?"
Julia chuckled. "No, we're not that far behind. We have cars, schools, everything. We all just happen to live in adobe houses in a concentrated area. Many of the people there are full Native American. My mother happens to be half."
"And what nationality are you?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia stopped walking. "I...I don't know." She said suddenly. "I was...Michelle adopted me."
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Xiaoyu exclaimed sincerely.
"It's fine...I mean, Michelle was...IS all the mother I could ever ask for. She took care of me, she fed me, and even fed up with me when I was a rebellious teenager." Julia began walking again, looking down at the grown.
"You must love her very much," Xiaoyu whispered, "to be willing to fight this whole tournament for her."
Julia looked up distantly. "I do." She replied.
Xiaoyu quickly changed the subject as she announced, "Here's your room!"
Julia looked at the dark, wooden door.
"As you know, your luggage has been delivered straight to your room so all you have to do is unpack and unwind. There's a meal schedule listed right on the desk and everything. There's a phone, computer, towels, and basic essentials. You're free to spice up your room in any way. You can put up posters, charms, whatever as long as you don't nail them up...they charge you for damages." Xiaoyu paused, "That should be it."
Julia smiled. "Thanks again, for everything...I mean. It's nice to get all that stuff about mom off my shoulders once in a while."
Xiaoyu grinned. "Looks like I didn't do too much damage after all."
Julia nodded and closed the door, grateful that she had found someone to confide in. Her brown suitcase was set on one of the beds and she began to unpack her clothes into the drawer. She began to reminisce again while she set her additional toiletries and sighed as she pulled out a Native American dream catcher. The outer ring had a shaped stick covered with soft, brown, leather. White string was strung within the ring in an elegant web-like pattern. The center held a circular piece of genuine turquoise. Dangling from the bottom were two thing strips of leather with three smaller turquoise beads and feathers affixed to each strip. Despite the simplicity of the dream catcher, it held many memories for Julia as it was a handmade gift from Michelle. According to Michelle, Julia had received it three days after living with her adopted mother. Julia sighed, remembering how everyday, it was always hanging above her...capturing the bad dreams and constraining them in the center piece. It also brought back memories from her days with Michelle. All the myths her mother had told her to help her get to sleep, the happiness she felt when Michelle praised her, the discipline she received when she didn't follow instructions, and the agony of waiting on the parched, red, cliffs for her mother's return. Julia wiped away the tear that was forming in her right eye and tied the dream catcher in a sturdy, but loose, knot. Finally, she set her archaeology books on the desk and plopped in the cushioned chair. She grabbed the white card on the table and checked everything. Breakfast would begin at eight o'clock in the morning and last until ten o'clock for those who wanted to get more sleep, would be served at noon and end at one o'clock, finally, dinner started at 6 o'clock and lasted until 9 o'clock due to the fact that people tended to eat dinners at different times. On the back of the card was the contact information. Julia set the card down and looked at the digital clock atop the clothes drawer. The illuminated letters read 7:03 PM. She began to read "Incan Pottery" when she heard a knock on the door.
"Julia, it's me!" A lively voice called behind the door.
Julia opened the door and saw the familiar face of Ling Xiaoyu, this time clothed in a red, simple Chinese-style collared shirt with cylindrical wooden buttons which extended to her waist along with pink, loose-fitting pants. "Hi, Xiaoyu."
"I'm on my way over to the dining hall right now, did you want to come?"
Julia shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not all that hungry right now. Maybe I'll join up with you later."
"Okay!" Xiaoyu exclaimed. "The dining hall's down that way," she pointed down a corridor to Julia's right, "and on the left side. You can't miss it!"
"Thanks." Julia replied.
"See ya!" Xiaoyu exclaimed happily as she waved to Julia.
Julia shut her door again and began reading again.
Julia inserted a bookmark into her book and set it down on the table. The clock read 8:15 PM. She quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans and a matching blue clue crop-top. She hurriedly took the key to her room and ran outside, following the directions Xiaoyu had given her. She saw the words "DINING HALL" engraved on a plaque to her left and opened the corresponding door. Although Julia hadn't come too late, she noticed that not many people were eating at this time. Immediately, she regretted declining Xioayu's invitation for she now had to sit alone. She got in the line and took whatever looked pleasing: a salad with honey mustard dressing and a fried chicken breast. She sighed as she noticed most people were already in groups...and that the vast majority of people in the dining hall were men. She eyed every table while walking slowly past the groups. One conversation was particularly interesting.
"Look at that Kazama, sitting all by himself." A young woman whispered. She was a brunette with a very odd-looking sleeveless red dress with a slit running up her side along with matching red high heels.
"He'd better be, after all...who would want the son of the devil to sit next to them?" A dark-skinned Brazilian man replied.
Julia frowned and continued to walk forward until she noticed she had gone all the way to the back of the dining hall. There she saw Jin Kazama, eating alone, as the brunette had said. He was still wearing his drawstring pants, but his wrist guards and foot guards were gone and his face held signs of perspiration.
Julia cleared her throat. Jin looked up at her, eyed her with alert eyes and continued eating his food as if nothing had happened.
"Mind if I sit here?" She asked.
Jin shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Julia gently set her plate on the table and sat adjacent to him. She slowly began to eat in silence, as did Jin.
"So why are you in the tournament?" She asked, in hopes of starting a conversation.
"That none of your business." He promptly replied.
"No...I guess it's not." Julia replied. "Where are you from?"
Jin avoided making eye contact with her. "I don't see why you would need to know, but Japan."
Julia continued to eat. "Um...I'm from Arizona."
"I didn't ask."
"Are you always in such a rotten mood?"
Jin glared fiercely at her. "Are you always so nosy?"
"It's called trying to make conversation." Julia replied.
"I'm not in the mood." Jin shot back, gathering his tray and getting ready to leave the table.
"Nor will you ever." Julia mumbled.
"You want to talk?" Jin asked, his voice rising. He slammed his tray on the table, causing people to look over in their direction. "TALK!" He yelled.
Julia picked up her tray and left silently, depositing her unfinished food into the trashcan and setting her tray on the tray deposit. Pretending to be oblivious to the eyes that were on both her and Jin, she walked calmly out of the dining hall and into the hallway. She swiftly walked in the direction of her room, despite the fact that she was still hungry.
*~~=~~*
Julia Chang quickly spun ducked under her opponent's kick and brushed up with a vertical kick. She managed to hit her foe's stomach and watched as he flipped backwards rapidly. His body hit the floor with a thud and he remained grounded, breathing heavily.
"The winner is Julia Chang!" A loud voice boomed.
Julia smiled and executed a backward flip, finishing her pose with two hands on her hips. She smiled sweetly and posed.
Julia walked out of the arena, taking off her Native American band around her head. Her mother had disappeared and she had entered the Third King of the Iron Fist Tournament in hopes of finding Heihachi Mishima and her beloved mother, Michelle Chang. Now she was one step closer. She walked down the corridor, distracted as she remembered her mother and the memories they shared. Michelle Chang had taken her in when she was a baby, left alone in the sunny desert of Arizona. She had raised her with love, affection, and determination, training Julia in the art of self-defense. Now Julia was 18 and studying to be an archaeologist. People of her tribe had said that despite not being a blood relative of Michelle, she had certainly inherited her adopted mother's beauty. She was a gorgeous young woman with chestnut brown hair, which was almost always tied away from her face. Today, they were done in two petite braids with a Native American ribbon woven in and out. Her eyes, almost always twinkling, were a light brown shade and her lips were always a cheery shade of pink. She sported a very unique look, wearing a short, frayed, denim skirt, baggy knee-high socks, exotic leather boots, a green cropped-top with an open leather cropped vest, matching leather wrist guards, and a silver band around her upper right arm. The band she had just taken off had two feathers planted on it, one red and one white with black tips. Modest as she was, she never had to wear anything particularly special to look beautiful. Despite her looks, much to the disappointment of many young men, she had really thought about the opposite sex. She was much to busy protecting the wild animals that roamed or excavating ruins in her native land. Julia let out a sigh as she thought about her mother's last words. "What lies before us or behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us." She had said right before taking off. Julia was sure her mother's whereabouts where known by Heihachi. The tribe had warned her about the fearsome "God of Fighting" and the consequences of the victims, yet Julia forged on in hopes of finding her mother. She had trained twice as hard, strengthening her arm and leg muscles and trained on her own, developing new techniques. Now she had entered the tournament...a late entry, but a formidable opponent. Fueled by the love for her mother and her strong desire to be champion.
Julia felt herself being pushed back slightly. "Ow..."
"Ditto." A young, Chinese girl said. Evidently, Julia had hit the girl while lost in her thoughts.
"Sorry...." Julia murmured. "I wasn't paying attention."
The girl giggled. "It's cool." She smiled warmly. "My name's Ling Xiaoyu. Who're you?"
"Julia Chang."
"Pleased to meet you!" Xiaoyu exclaimed. Xiaoyu was a 16-year old, perky, teenage girl. Her hair was done in two pigtails on either side of her head. She was wearing a flamboyant red Chinese-style silk pantsuit with a light pink shirt inside. Around her waist was a brightly colored yellow bow. She had a very lively face and a cute disposition. She wore relatively thin, bright red wrist guards, which looked more like thick, red, bracelets.
"So why're you in the tournament?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia hesitated. "I want to find my mother, Michelle Chang."
"Oh, I see. I think I've heard of her...wasn't she in the previous tournaments?"
"Yeah." Julia replied. "What about you? What're your reasons?"
"Well..." Xiaoyu replied coyly, "I want to build the biggest and most stupendous amusement park in the world!" She blushed. "I know it sounds dumb, but it's always been my dream to build my own amusement park and only the Mishima's have enough money to make one." Xiaoyu paused for a while. "Besides, I'm especially interested in teasing Jin."
"Jin?" Julia asked.
"He's Heihachi's grandson...kind of mysterious too. He's kind of handsome too, but I enjoy poking him and messing up his hair." Xiaoyu replied sheepishly. "He goes to my school."
"Oh." Julia responded. "Wait, Heihachi's grandson?"
"Yup!" Xiaoyu did a little skip-hop. "The son of Kazuya Mishima and Jun Kazama. It's kind of interesting really."
Julia closed her eyes. "Jun...that name sounds so familiar."
"It should! She was in the second tournament, with your mom!"
Julia was silent. Xiaoyu continued. "It's really kind of romantic. Jun was supposedly able to help Kazuya suppress the devil side of him or something. In any case, he loved her. And they had a child...but Jun fell victim to..." she paused.
"To what?" Julia asked, then it hit her. "The God of Fighting?"
Xiaoyu nodded slowly. "I didn't want you to think about your...mother or anything."
Julia sighed. "I understand. I came to this tournament to find the truth, even if that means realizing my mother's...dead."
"No! NO, NO, NO!" Xiaoyu yelled, waving her hands. "Don't think that way! I'm sure she's alive, OK? Ah, I'm sorry!" She said meekly, bowing her head.
Julia smiled. "It's OK, Xiaoyu. I'm going to find my mother, that's all that matters to me."
Xiaoyu nodded. "So anyway, Kazuya and Jun had a child...but I wonder why his name is Jin KAZAMA and not MISHIMA, ya know?" She asked.
Julia shrugged. "Maybe he changed it."
"JIN!!!" Xiaoyu yelled across the hall, attracting the gaze of many dumbfounded people, including the Jin himself. Xiaoyu ran down the hall, leaving an extremely miffed Julia.
"Hey Jin!" She greeted with a smile.
"Hi." Jin replied stonily, obviously not enjoying the attention from the young girl.
True to her word she mussed his hair and giggled as Jin shot an irritable glance at her.
"You mind?" He asked, an angry expression on his face. He put his right hand through his hair and did the best job he could of rearranging it to it's normal condition. Xiaoyu giggled as Jin swiftly forged past her and up the corridor. Julia watched intently as the 19 year-old Jin Kazama made his way passed her. He definitely was handsome, but nothing incredibly special. He seemed a bit on the silent, serious side and by the looks of it, his face never seemed to look any different then the rigid, set look of determination. Julia also noticed that his chest was bare, exposing well-toned muscles and light, smooth, skin. He was wearing a long pair of black, drawstring pants with a fading, bright red flame running down the right side. His hands were bound in a black wrist guard surrounded by a red wristguard, which granted more protection due to its width, but less coverage so that some of the black was visible underneath. Similarly bound were his feet. Shiny, black, hair was slicked back with some stray strands hanging down his forehead. He had profoundly dark eyes which seemed to absorb you temporarily as Julia discovered when he made eye contact with her. It was only for a second, but at the moment, Julia felt a surge of curiosity, mystery, and determination. However, through those eyes which had witnessed so much horror, she also felt a sharp pang of fear.
"He's something, eh?" Xiaoyu's familiar voice asked.
"Yeah..." Julia whispered, then she looked to the floor to avoid blushing, quickly regaining composure and looking back up. "Why is HE in the tournament?"
Xiaoyu shrugged. "Who knows? I think it had something to do with finding pieces of his past, but that Jin Kazama is an enigma in the flesh."
"He's gone through a lot..." Julia replied distantly.
"Eh? How do you know? You didn't even know who he was until I came around."
"His eyes...I can see it..."
Xiaoyu cocked her head to one side. "See what?"
"Pain." Julia whispered, in a seemingly deep trance. She quickly snapped out of her haze. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to freak you out there."
Xiaoyu smiled. "You didn't freak me out. That Kazama DOES have eyes that seemed pained."
"Yeah...I guess." Julia replied.
"Hey, you just entered the tournament recently, right?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia nodded. "Yeah."
"What's your room number?"
Julia took out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket. "Room 404."
"Great, we're just three rooms down! If you need anything, you can just go down to room 407."
Julia grinned. "Got it." She looked up at the gloomy ceiling. "You mind showing me where the rooms are?"
"Right this way!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, walking with a bit more bounce in her step than that of a normal teenage girl.
"Thanks."
"No problem!"
The two walked down the candle-lit corridor and wooden floors. Everything was built in an old Japanese style. The wood was polished and shined weekly and the blurry reflection of the candlelight could be seen on the floor. In fact, the entire corridor lacked a single electric lamp...the whole way down was lit by candles within rice paper lanterns.
"Creepy, huh?" Xiaoyu asked.
"I guess..."
"Where are you from anyway?"
"Arizona. I live with a tribe of Native Americans."
"Wow!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, her voice echoing down the hall. "Do you live in teepees?"
Julia chuckled. "No, we're not that far behind. We have cars, schools, everything. We all just happen to live in adobe houses in a concentrated area. Many of the people there are full Native American. My mother happens to be half."
"And what nationality are you?" Xiaoyu asked.
Julia stopped walking. "I...I don't know." She said suddenly. "I was...Michelle adopted me."
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Xiaoyu exclaimed sincerely.
"It's fine...I mean, Michelle was...IS all the mother I could ever ask for. She took care of me, she fed me, and even fed up with me when I was a rebellious teenager." Julia began walking again, looking down at the grown.
"You must love her very much," Xiaoyu whispered, "to be willing to fight this whole tournament for her."
Julia looked up distantly. "I do." She replied.
Xiaoyu quickly changed the subject as she announced, "Here's your room!"
Julia looked at the dark, wooden door.
"As you know, your luggage has been delivered straight to your room so all you have to do is unpack and unwind. There's a meal schedule listed right on the desk and everything. There's a phone, computer, towels, and basic essentials. You're free to spice up your room in any way. You can put up posters, charms, whatever as long as you don't nail them up...they charge you for damages." Xiaoyu paused, "That should be it."
Julia smiled. "Thanks again, for everything...I mean. It's nice to get all that stuff about mom off my shoulders once in a while."
Xiaoyu grinned. "Looks like I didn't do too much damage after all."
Julia nodded and closed the door, grateful that she had found someone to confide in. Her brown suitcase was set on one of the beds and she began to unpack her clothes into the drawer. She began to reminisce again while she set her additional toiletries and sighed as she pulled out a Native American dream catcher. The outer ring had a shaped stick covered with soft, brown, leather. White string was strung within the ring in an elegant web-like pattern. The center held a circular piece of genuine turquoise. Dangling from the bottom were two thing strips of leather with three smaller turquoise beads and feathers affixed to each strip. Despite the simplicity of the dream catcher, it held many memories for Julia as it was a handmade gift from Michelle. According to Michelle, Julia had received it three days after living with her adopted mother. Julia sighed, remembering how everyday, it was always hanging above her...capturing the bad dreams and constraining them in the center piece. It also brought back memories from her days with Michelle. All the myths her mother had told her to help her get to sleep, the happiness she felt when Michelle praised her, the discipline she received when she didn't follow instructions, and the agony of waiting on the parched, red, cliffs for her mother's return. Julia wiped away the tear that was forming in her right eye and tied the dream catcher in a sturdy, but loose, knot. Finally, she set her archaeology books on the desk and plopped in the cushioned chair. She grabbed the white card on the table and checked everything. Breakfast would begin at eight o'clock in the morning and last until ten o'clock for those who wanted to get more sleep, would be served at noon and end at one o'clock, finally, dinner started at 6 o'clock and lasted until 9 o'clock due to the fact that people tended to eat dinners at different times. On the back of the card was the contact information. Julia set the card down and looked at the digital clock atop the clothes drawer. The illuminated letters read 7:03 PM. She began to read "Incan Pottery" when she heard a knock on the door.
"Julia, it's me!" A lively voice called behind the door.
Julia opened the door and saw the familiar face of Ling Xiaoyu, this time clothed in a red, simple Chinese-style collared shirt with cylindrical wooden buttons which extended to her waist along with pink, loose-fitting pants. "Hi, Xiaoyu."
"I'm on my way over to the dining hall right now, did you want to come?"
Julia shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not all that hungry right now. Maybe I'll join up with you later."
"Okay!" Xiaoyu exclaimed. "The dining hall's down that way," she pointed down a corridor to Julia's right, "and on the left side. You can't miss it!"
"Thanks." Julia replied.
"See ya!" Xiaoyu exclaimed happily as she waved to Julia.
Julia shut her door again and began reading again.
Julia inserted a bookmark into her book and set it down on the table. The clock read 8:15 PM. She quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans and a matching blue clue crop-top. She hurriedly took the key to her room and ran outside, following the directions Xiaoyu had given her. She saw the words "DINING HALL" engraved on a plaque to her left and opened the corresponding door. Although Julia hadn't come too late, she noticed that not many people were eating at this time. Immediately, she regretted declining Xioayu's invitation for she now had to sit alone. She got in the line and took whatever looked pleasing: a salad with honey mustard dressing and a fried chicken breast. She sighed as she noticed most people were already in groups...and that the vast majority of people in the dining hall were men. She eyed every table while walking slowly past the groups. One conversation was particularly interesting.
"Look at that Kazama, sitting all by himself." A young woman whispered. She was a brunette with a very odd-looking sleeveless red dress with a slit running up her side along with matching red high heels.
"He'd better be, after all...who would want the son of the devil to sit next to them?" A dark-skinned Brazilian man replied.
Julia frowned and continued to walk forward until she noticed she had gone all the way to the back of the dining hall. There she saw Jin Kazama, eating alone, as the brunette had said. He was still wearing his drawstring pants, but his wrist guards and foot guards were gone and his face held signs of perspiration.
Julia cleared her throat. Jin looked up at her, eyed her with alert eyes and continued eating his food as if nothing had happened.
"Mind if I sit here?" She asked.
Jin shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Julia gently set her plate on the table and sat adjacent to him. She slowly began to eat in silence, as did Jin.
"So why are you in the tournament?" She asked, in hopes of starting a conversation.
"That none of your business." He promptly replied.
"No...I guess it's not." Julia replied. "Where are you from?"
Jin avoided making eye contact with her. "I don't see why you would need to know, but Japan."
Julia continued to eat. "Um...I'm from Arizona."
"I didn't ask."
"Are you always in such a rotten mood?"
Jin glared fiercely at her. "Are you always so nosy?"
"It's called trying to make conversation." Julia replied.
"I'm not in the mood." Jin shot back, gathering his tray and getting ready to leave the table.
"Nor will you ever." Julia mumbled.
"You want to talk?" Jin asked, his voice rising. He slammed his tray on the table, causing people to look over in their direction. "TALK!" He yelled.
Julia picked up her tray and left silently, depositing her unfinished food into the trashcan and setting her tray on the tray deposit. Pretending to be oblivious to the eyes that were on both her and Jin, she walked calmly out of the dining hall and into the hallway. She swiftly walked in the direction of her room, despite the fact that she was still hungry.