D. Gray-man © Katsura Hoshino. Vocaloid © Crypton Inc.

Dear journal,

I've never been on a plane before, so this is a first. I just wish this trip was on better terms. It was literally only hours ago that my life was just fine. Now look at me. I'm sitting on a private plane to some hidden island near England. That place will be my new home – or so Ray says. Ray is this beautiful girl, sleeping in the aisle across from me. She's an Exorcist. She's the reason I'm in this mess.

...It started out as a great summer afternoon, when I woke up at one. Mom never minded how late I slept in during summer, so when I came out of my room, she welcomed me with a smile. "Well, it's about time, young man!" she exclaimed, making my little sister giggle. Mom stood from the couch and came to give me a hug. Ever since I turned sixteen three days ago, she'd been acting really weird. She actually burst out crying when we were in the bookstore as I picked out a new manga.

Now she's made sure that she hugs me and kisses me when I wake up and before I went to sleep, before and after I went anywhere. It was starting to get on my nerves, but I didn't tell her so.

Mom hugged me tight, kissing my bedhead hair. "Ooh!" she exclaimed, stepping back. "Justin, you stink, honey. When are you gonna take a shower?"

I grinned. "I will after a swim, yeah?" I said, scratching the back of my neck. She reluctantly agreed, then went back to the living room to finish watching her show. My little sister waved to me from her place on the floor, playing with her dolls. I gave her a half-wave and went to the freezer to get some breakfast.

What can I say about my life? My mom's name is Crystal. She's incredibly nice and beautiful. Then there's my little sister, Kayla. She's in elementary, and the most adorable thing since Pikachu. Then there's my dad, David. Don't really give a shit about him. Let's just say he isn't the most approving person in the world, always trying to force things on me. Not to mention, he hates the fact that I prefer anime girls over real girls.

Despite my distaste for him, my life isn't all too bad, if I do say so myself. My three best friends – Tyler, Adam, and Oliver – are always there to make things interesting. We were part of the anime club at school; I was the president. Together, the four of us never went bored. Every year we went to anime conventions as various characters. There was actually another convention coming up soon, so we were currently trying to get our costumes together. This year, we were going to be Vocaloids and sign up for the talent show at the convention. I was to be Kaito, Tyler was going to be Len, Adam was Gakupo, and Oliver was Kiyoteru – though, we joked that he should just go as Vocaloid Oliver as a joke.

I swam most of the afternoon, going over the song we were going to sing in my head, "Your Highness, My Princess." My solo parts were especially easy to memorize. Just as I got to the chorus for the third time, Kayla ran outside in her bathing suit and jumped in, nearly killing me in the process. Coming up to the surface, I laughed. "Hey there, Vampira! Careful!"

Kayla just laughed that sweet laugh of hers. I loved her more than the world. The both of us looked a hell of a lot like our mom. We were both unreasonably pale despite how often we were outside, jet black hair, and bright brown eyes. And if you're wondering – yes, I do get stopped on the street by random girls wanting to know if I'm a vampire. It gets really annoying really fast.

After two more hours of swimming, Mom brought out lunch and Kayla and I ate it up like we were starved. It was getting late already. I would miss everything if I kept waking up so late. Kayla and I sat beside one another, wrapped in our towels, eating the best sandwiches in the world. Mom sat outside with us, too. But she kept looking at the clock like she was waiting for a demon to bust in at any moment or something.

I tried to ignore it until it was five o'clock and as I was about to get in the water again, she spoke up and suggested I take a shower now. "Aw, c'mon, Mom," I whined. "Can't I swim a little longer?"

She stood and shook her head. "Nu-uh. I want both of you out, okay?"

I tsked my tongue and rolled my eyes. Why this all of the sudden? She normally let me swim as long as I wanted. Still, I wasn't one to disrespect my own mother, so I listened to what she said and went inside. Our home had three bathrooms in two stories. One was connected to my parents' room, one was next to my room upstairs, and one was next to the study downstairs. Mom took Kayla to the one downstairs, so I hopped up the stairs. The water was warm and welcome. I almost wanted to stay in there forever. And when I finally went downstairs, I wished I did stay there.

When I got out of the shower, I dressed in my pajamas again since I didn't plan on going anywhere else. Slipping on the loose indigo T-shirt, I decided that a movie and some popcorn sounded nice. An action movie sounded like the perfect movie, too! I combed out my long-ish black hair and then messed it up just the way I liked it. Just as I was looking through my DVD collection, I heard the doorbell ring.

My mom's hurried footsteps across the tiled kitchen let me know that she got it. But soon after, she called me downstairs. Sighing, I tossed the case on my bed and went downstairs. What I found was my mom standing next to this beautiful girl. She looked to be around my age, most likely older. Her skin was the color of mocha, her eyes like chocolate, and her hair, pulled back in a thick ponytail, was as black as mine was. She wore a long, black coat with red trimmings, tight white jeans, and long black boots. Black gloves stopped at the knuckles of her dainty hands.

Suspicious as to why this cosplayer-esque girl was in my house, I continued down the stairs cautiously. "Who's this, Mom?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mom was close to tears. She went over to the couch and patted the seat beside her. I watched the new girl as I sat beside my mother. The girl was patient and silent, crossing her arms, watching me right back. "Justin…" my mom started carefully, "this is Ray. She's – an Exorcist."

My eyes widened. "Oh, God, Kayla isn't possessed is she?" I asked, heart already beginning to race.

My mom raised a hand. "No, no, not that kind of Exorcist." She searched around for what to say. "Have you ever seen that anime D. Gray-man?" I bit my lip in thought. D. Gray-man, yeah, I'd heard of it before. I would see cosplayers from that show at conventions every year. I never got around to watching it, though. So I reluctantly told my mom what I knew. She swallowed hard. "Well…I've been reading it for some time now."

I stopped to wonder what the hell anime had to do with this girl in our house.

"And I know it sounds…crazy…but, Justin…this girl is an Exorcist just like in that show."

My eyes widened in surprise. She was kidding, right? I had never seen D. Gray-man before, but it was just an anime, for Christ's sake. I smiled skeptically. "Yeah, okay, Mom," I said. "Thanks for trying to mess with me by making my dreams come true, but you chose the wrong anime. I don't even know D. Gray-man."

"She isn't kidding." The girl finally spoke up. I turned my attention to her as she crossed from the kitchen to the living room. "If you haven't read D. Gray-man already, then you have a lot of studying to do, kid, because everything about it is true. And you're an Exorcist, too."

I scoffed. "You're crazy, lady," I said coldly. "If this is some TV show, then you can stop now, okay? 'Cause I don't believe you."

With the simple flex of her wrist, a long, thin, pointed sword shot out of her gloves in a green glowing flash. I nearly jumped out of my skin! Was she going to kill me? Ray lifted her arm and showed me the blade. "Does this look like it's a joke?" she asked sharply.

Mom wasn't even fazed. She placed her hand on my shoulder and frowned. "I've known this for a while now, Justin. What she says is true." I slowly looked at her, taking in everything she said. "Those swords I bought you when you were thirteen. The night we bought them, Ray came to me and told me that you were an Exorcist, that those swords were your-your Innocence – your weapon."

I didn't say anything for a long time. After five minutes, I exhaled shakily and leaned on my hand. "So what does this mean then?" I asked, growing irritated.

"It means that you need to come with me," Ray said. "To the Black Order in the United Kingdom."

I stood from the couch. "No," I said sternly. "You're crazy if you think that I'm leaving with you. Mom, are you serious about this?"

"What can I do, Justin?" Mom snapped, starting to cry. "She showed us proof of Innocence. Look at her blades!"

"That just means that she's crazy!" I barked. "Those are switchblades, Mom. Not 'Innocence' or whatever you wanna call it."

"I can show you that these are anti-Akuma weapons, Justin," Ray said calmly.

"Yeah, and how?" I turned to her…just in time to run into her blade.

I stood there in shock. Staring down at the long blade going through my stomach. But…it didn't hurt. It actually didn't feel like anything. Unknowingly trembling, I touched the sword. It was real; I could touch it and everything. But it didn't cut me. Ray pulled it out of me from the side. As it glowed green once more, they disappeared. I touched my stomach, feeling around for a wound, but found none.

"You see?" she said. "My Innocence didn't affect you because you aren't an Akuma; it only affects them."

My mind was going a thousand miles an hour. So many things going through my head, so much to take in. I sank into the couch and tangled my fingers in my hair. "This is unreal," I croaked. "I can't be an-an Exorcist. I can't go to England. What about you, Mom? And Kayla? I can't just leave you two."

Mom pulled me against her in an embrace. "Kayla and I will be fine, sweetheart," she said brokenly. "But the world needs Exorcists like you. You can keep everyone safe from the Akuma on the rise."

"Why haven't I heard of these 'Akuma'?" I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. "If this is all true, then-"

"Akuma haven't made their move yet," explained Ray. "But since we now know that Innocence has been revived since the End of Days War, the Black Order was formed again to stay on their toes. Who knows when they will attack? We need to be ready."

I clutched on to my mother's shirt. "Then you can come get me when that happens, because I don't want to leave my family!"

Just before Mom could say anything, Kayla stepped downstairs. She was staring at the oddly-dressed girl in our living room, holding on to her stuffed duck. "You're leaving us, Justin?" she asked, frowning. It broke my heart to see her so sad. I stood and strode over to her. Lifted her off her feet and held her close.

"No," I said, "Brother's not going anywhere. Maybe one day, but not today."

Ray glared at me. "Think about what you're saying, Justin," she said. "You'd rather wait until the last minute when the Akuma attack you – which they will? What will you do if your sister or mother gets killed in the process? And all because you want to be a child and refuse your destiny as an Exorcist."

"Shut up," I growled.

She smirked. "But you know what I'm saying is true."

I didn't know what to say. The whole house was silent as I tried to take all the information in. What Ray said was true. I started to think of giant kishin-like creatures breaking into our home, killing my family, looking for me.

I swallowed hard and looked to my mom. Gritting my teeth, I cursed and said, "Alright. I'll go with you, Ray."

So now, here I am. On a private plane to England. After a prolonged good-bye, I packed a few things, the swords that ruined my life, and then Ray led me to a limo waiting outside out house. Before I could get in, Mom ran outside with Kayla at her heels. In her hands, she held a small, but thick leather-bound book. She told me it was a journal to remember her by; that I could write all my troubles in it. In a whisper only I could hear, she said that she wanted it back when it was all full, and then she'd send me a new one.

I'll never let this thing go.

The long, black limo was quiet all the way to the airport. I'd only been in a limo once, when I was a little kid and won a trip to an amusement park. Gee, back then I was so excited to get into a random limo taking me away.

There was an old man waiting for us at the airport. He wore a suit, was tall with gray hair, glasses, and tan skin. He introduced himself as Bookman, and sat in the seat behind me. Every time I turned around to check on him, he was still awake, just watching me like a freak.

To break the awkward silence, I just asked him who was driving the plane. To which he answered that it was a "Finder." Whatever that is. I don't really feel like asking questions.

The plane is coming down on an island right now. It's pretty big; don't know how anyone can miss it. It seems like half of the island is cut off by a giant ass forest.

…