It was during a chilling October morning when I saw him walking out from the classroom and into the Dale Harris school grounds. His gray eyes gleamed with a fear I have never seen before. In a quick instant,what started like a quick conversation turned into a promise.

"Please, don't tell anyone." He said, and I guess I took his plea to heart because today I ended up here. I ended up in the airport.

Chapter one: Fight or Flight

I found myself alone, holding a cup of cold "hot chocolate." As I stare at the bitter, brown liquid, the world around me doesn't seem to stop and in fact it moves faster than what I once imagined— people walk down the hallways so desperately, talking fast words in the phone, unaware of their surroundings. A man wearing what looked to be an expensive black jacket almost runs into me even though I had been sitting in the same place for almost fifteen minutes. Immediately, he looked down at me, his cell phone hanging from his right hand, and walked away adjusting his watch. He didn't even care to apologize. Oh, but what can I expect? That's the reason why I decided to use the last of my spare change to buy this so-called hot chocolate. When I walked into the coffee stand, the cashier, a woman with straight long hair combed in a low ponytail, squinted and raised her eyebrows as soon as I placed my order. She then took a black marker and wrote my name (wrongly) in the cup. I might not know much of body language, but I couldn't help feeling she was judging me. Like, who orders a hot beverage in a beautiful March morning? Granted, there is a fresh breeze walking swiftly from the open window, but still, it is not that cold. All I wanted to say to her was that yes, I am aware that hot chocolate is not a spring-like type of beverage, the kind you order when the sun shines high above your head, but instead I just grabbed my order and walked back to the terminal. I bet she doesn't know that whenever I feel anxious, the only thing that calms my nerves is a hot beverage. I am terrified with the prospect of a new life, but who wouldn't be nervous to start over in a place that you have only seen in TV shows? Obviously, I am not the one beating the odds.

I grab my suitcase from its handle, turning my hand as red as its color, as I finally gain the courage to throw my cold beverage and move on—slowly—towards the exit door, where the air of an urbanized Japan was waiting for me. Here, as I walk through the Kansai International Airport, I began to comprehend the impact of the decision I had made during that Christmas Eve. This year will be anything but easy.

"…Your uncle is a very respectable man." Mom assured me after our annual family Christmas party at my grandma's house. I remember it was a tranquil night because all I could hear was the sound of the faucet's water overshadowing the loud snores of my grandpa, who slept profoundly in the living room without worrying about anything else. I bet it must be very nice to sleep that way.

"Yeah, right! Sure he is." My dad interrupted as a faint smile appeared across his face. He walked towards the table and poured himself a second serving of my mom's legendary eggnog. I limited myself to stare at them, never complaining or refusing the possibility of going to live with my uncle, who I have not seen since I was six years old. My decision didn't come because I have this enormous sense of adventure and exploration; on the contrary, I like when things are constant and smooth like water in a morning pool; however, I felt like I didn't have the right to argue, so I just went with it. I only asked for his name because I had forgotten that I had an uncle from my mom's side of the family, but instead of getting a straightforward answer, all I got was an ambiguous sentence that went almost like a riddle.

"Well," my mom began to say as she paused from her cleaning, her green eyes fixed on me. "He hates his real name, so he might tell you his name is Bob or maybe not. Last time I spoke to him, he claimed that was his name, but he is as unpredictable as the weather, so he might change and tell you his name is Hugo…who knows! At the end, you just can call him Uncle."

It was with this memory running through my head that I heard a familiar ringtone coming from my handbag. I moved my camera and took out my cell phone. There, in its tiny, bluish screen, a digital envelope was waiting for my response. I unlocked my phone and touched the screen, right in the middle of that image unaware that I had just released the Kraken.

"Riana, this is your Uncle Bill. :D Welcome to Japan!

See, I know I promised that I would pick you up,

but I am working in something very important right now…

So, do you think you could meet me at the following address? ;)

Thank you and see you soon. :)"

And right after the last smiley face, he added a quick and weird address in addition of two more happy faces. Ok, what's up with all these smiley faces? I honestly don't find this situation funny. Come on! I can't feel happy when I am left alone in a country I have never been before! Plus, he got my name wrong. What a joy! Wait, Breathe, take a deep breath. Calm down, I need to calm down. Ok, all I need to do is remember the reasons why I am here, ready to take the consequences of my sacrifice. I have to remember my mom's words before I left home.

"Oh, sweetie," she said between sobs as we hugged before I boarded the plane that took me here. "If you improve your grades and become the amazing student you used to be; then, you can finish your studies here, near home."

This came as a surprise; however, I have to stick to that promise because if I do not, I will lose faith and faith is all I have left. I do not want to stay here, in the airport all day, so, in an abrupt take of bravery, I decided to venture myself in this quest. I walked out the terminal and began to revaluate my next step.

"Ok, my mom is always saying that the bus is the best way of transportation, but which one should I take?" I whispered to myself as I spotted to a map nearby, the kind college campuses have all around in case new students get lost in their way to class. I narrowed my eyes and tried to read the tiny English subtitles under the Japanese kanji, but after realizing this was useless (because I didn't have the slightest idea of where the street or even a bathroom was located), I decided to step away. That's when, out of the blue, I saw a tall young man. He stood silently right in front of a limousine that he parked near the airport's main exit door. Now, I do not intend to label anyone or anything, but his bright blond hair and big, green eyes made me assumed that he was (perhaps) a foreigner just like me, so what do I have to lose? He might be the safest person to approach. Nervously, I began to give small steps towards the limousine, moving my entire luggage along, making sure to avoid any obstacle that came my way. No, what am I thinking? I can't just approach a stranger…what if he doesn't want to help me? Or what if asking makes me appear rude? On the other hand, what if I misjudged him and he only speaks Japanese? The way I pronounce things makes it hard to communicate sometimes…This is a new country, so I don't know nothing about their social code…well, maybe I do know a little, but still…what am I doing? I decided to turn around and just look back at the map when the young man's attention was soon diverted towards me. Suddenly, his eyes were meeting mine. It's too late now; he knows I intended to talk to him.

"Uh, hi… Uh, I am new here, so I was just wondering if you know what bus should I take to arrive here?" I asked shyly, handing him my cell phone, right on the message my Uncle had sent me. Duh! I am such a dummy. I should've asked first if he spoke English.

Dummy. Dummy. DUUUUUUMYYYY!
The man's stern expression change and in its place, a smile took reign of his entire face. He nodded while giving me back my phone.

"Oh, I sure know where this is. Look, take the bus that will take you to Nishi Umeda, then you take the subway to Namba and walk until you see Dōtonbori street. The place must be close to a shrimp store."

"Thank you," I smiled in relief. "You have been of a lot help." I said as I picked my luggage from the ground and began to make my way towards the crowded streets of a rushing city. Maybe, things are going to turn into my favor now. Maybe, from now on, things will change for me.

"You welcome!" The man yelled, "You should be there in no time, maybe at noon!"

I checked my watch and notice it was barely ten in the morning. Yes, I should be in my new home very soon.