There are many things I don't understand. For instance, why my mother died, and my father disappeared, why I had to live with my abusive uncle, and why I had to move far away from my home to Japan, where I don't even know how to speak, let alone understand Japanese. It took a while, but after about a year, I could speak and understand the language fluently. See, I am American. About two years ago, my mother died of a mysterious disease. After another year, my father disappeared from society, leaving me in care of my uncle, Isshin.
My name is Rebecca, or Kura Kimura. My birthday is in February, although, I've never had a real birthday celebration. I have many secrets that no one knows, my parents didn't even, and I am hoping I never have to tell anybody. I will be attending Azumano Middle School; I'm only 14 after all. I've always been shy, too, so this does not help. I'm hoping, though, that this experience will help me understand at least some of the things in my life… so why not give it a try?
My alarm clock rang in my ear, signaling 6:30. I hit it with my fist and got up, placing the school uniform on my bed while I went to the bathroom. I came out after doing the usual morning stuff.
A loud voice bellowed from downstairs. "KURA KIMURA! GET YOUR FAT ASS UP BEFORE I COME UP THERE AND GET IT UP FOR YOU!" I sighed and grabbed my bag, heading downstairs and out the door, without and breakfast, lunch, or money. Welcome to my life.
I was forced to walk to school, and entered the doors of Azumano Middle at around 7:30. Everyone was in their groups talking, some of them stopped as I walked by, making me even more conscious and nervous. I have never been good around crowds. I just tried to ignore them and walked to the principal's office.
The principal gave me my schedule and told me to head off to my first class, math. I walked in and everyone looked at me. I handed the teacher my note from the office, and he nodded. In a soft voice he spoke. "Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"
I was shocked. Nobody has ever asked me to speak, and when I have spoken, I've been beaten, so therefore, I didn't speak very often. I managed quickly to get out my name, though it didn't really seem to be that loud. "Kura Kimura".
"Well, Kura, you may sit next to Daisuke and Satoshi in the middle of the room, they should be able to help get you caught up." I nodded and quickly made my way down the isle with my head down.
I sat quietly for the rest of class, taking in the information Daisuke and Satoshi shared with me, nodding only every so often. Soon, class was over, and I gathered all of my things and headed to my next class.
I went to every class, encountering basically the same thing every time, and finally it was time for lunch. Once again, I sighed deeply. I was very hungry, but my uncle still neglected to feed me. I walked into the lunch room and spotted an empty table in the back. I quickly walked over to it and sat down, laying my head down, flinching a little.
Last night I accidentally dropped a dish I was washing, and my uncle slammed my head into the cabinet in punishment. I should have known better then to drop things. I deserve the punishment I get, at least, that's what I've been told. If I wasn't so clumsy, I wouldn't receive the punishments, but, I am, so I do
About fifteen minutes later, I feel a light tap on my shoulder. Flinching, I snapped my head up to come face to face with Satoshi, the guy from my math class. He nodded towards the seat across from me. "Is anyone sitting there?" I just shook my head, and watched as he sat down. "Do you have anything to eat?" He asked me. I shook my head, why was he asking?
"You're pretty skinny, do you eat a lot?" As I stared in bewilderment at this blue haired boy, I shook my head, I was still afraid to speak. Then, to my absolute astonishment, I was handed a piece of bread. "Here, you need to eat something." I just nodded and stuffed it into my mouth. Finally, the sweet taste of food has reached me again.
I let out a week smile in which he returned. I wished this day would last forever, but I knew later tonight I would have to go home. The only thought that remained in my head all day was that I hoped tomorrow would be just as great.