The main female protagonist, Adrianna, is based off of me. Some, but not all, of the family/social/life events that occur in this story actually happened.
Haunted by Taylor Swift
"Adrianna, catch!" a girl with short brown hair yelled.
The girl named Adrianna turned at the sound of her best friend's voice just in time to see a roll of tape hurling towards her face. "Eek!" Adrianna squealed as she threw her hands up to cover her face. Luckily, the tape landed in her hands.
"Nice catch!" the girl who had thrown the tape said as she slowly descended the ladder she was on.
"Yeesh, you could give me a little warning next time, Nikki Roth," Adrianna glared as she readjusted her glasses.
"I did, Anna Sun. I said to catch," the girl named Nicole said.
"Yeah, but you know I barely have any hand-eye coordination. I need a better warning than 'Catch!' next time," Adrianna said, wiping strands of her raven-colored hair out of her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Next time, I'll give you a ten minute warning prior to throwing something at you," the brown-haired girl said.
"That's all I ask," Adrianna smiled. She placed the roll of tape back into a large cardboard box, and then she straightened up to look at the progress of decorations. "Hey, you know, everything looks great."
"That's because I am just so artistically talented," Nicole grinned, her light blue eyes gleaming mischievously at her best friend.
"Right," Adrianna replied sarcastically. "And the fact that there are twenty other kids helping out has nothing to do with it."
"Of course not," Nicole said as she watched the other students finish putting up decorations for the school's Jazz Festival. "Thanks for your help, by the way."
"No problem," Adrianna shrugged as she fixed her hair as more strands began to fall from her messy bun.
The Richardson High's annual Jazz Festival was scheduled to take place in only two days, so the school jazz band was decorating the auditorium for the performance. The theme was Winter Wonderland; it was to put everyone in the holiday spirits.
As a junior, Nicole was in her third year of jazz band. Adrianna didn't play an instrument, but she always volunteered to help out the band whenever she could to support her best friend.
"Well, I think that's enough work for tonight," Nicole said as she stretched her arms above her head.
"Yup," Adrianna nodded. "Do you need a ride?"
"Nah, my mom's coming at eight. And it is…" Nikki pulled out her cell phone to check the time. "7:57…" Her eyes glanced nervously up to stare at her friend. "Run?"
"Like there's no tomorrow," the raven-haired girl answered.
"See ya, Anna!" the now frantic girl hugged her friend before grabbing her bag, jumping off the stage, and running out of the auditorium.
"Bye, Nikki!" the other girl called after her best friend.
"I'm coming, Mommy!" the brown-haired girl yelled at the top of her lungs, praying that she would make it on time to her mother's car and not have to face the wrath of her impatient mom.
Adrianna laughed at her friend's expense. One thing she and Nikki had in common were strict parents. But Nikki was more of the laid back type. When her parents wanted something, she did her best to obey them. But when they got upset with her, she would always just shrug. It never bothered her when they were angry; she just made sure to stay away from them.
Adrianna, on the other hand, tried to do everything she could to keep her parents from getting angry. It was not a pretty sight when the Sun family was fighting. On really bad occasions, Adrianna had started crying in the middle of the fight, and her father would just continue yelling in her face.
The girl suddenly shook her head to get rid of these thoughts. She really didn't want to think of the bad times with her family. As far as she knew, they were happy… for now, at least. Eventually, her father would find something to nag her about. And then there would be another fight.
Adrianna sighed as she grabbed her purse. The decorations were pretty much done, and many of the other students were getting ready to leave. She descended the stairs of the stage and walked passed her fellow classmates. She waved to each of them, giving smiles here and there.
Just as she neared the doors that led into the hallway, she heard an unfamiliar voice calling her name. She turned to see a senior running up to her. After closer inspection, she recognized that he was in the jazz band, along with Nicole. His name was Jon Clayton.
She waited for the older boy to come over to her. The boy breathed in deeply as he caught his breath from running after her. "I need to give you something."
Give her something? She had never talked to this kid in her life. What could he possibly have to give her? "Um… what is it?" she asked cautiously.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He held it up for her to take, and she gently took it into her hands. She slowly opened it and read what was on it.
It was an email address. But not just any email. The person it belonged to had his name in the address, and she had sworn to herself that she would never ever think about that guy again.
Her eyes looked up to see Jon staring at her intently. "Where… where did you get this?" Adrianna said, finding it suddenly hard to breathe.
"He works at my parents' restaurant. He wants to get in contact with you," Jon said.
"Why go through such great lengths all of a sudden now, huh?" Adrianna said, her voice rising a bit. "He knows where I live. Why doesn't he want to see me in person? Is he too much of a coward to see me after nearly ten years?"
"He wants to talk-" Joe started to say, but the girl cut him off.
"I appreciate that you're trying to help him out," Adrianna said, letting her voice lower a bit. "But just stop. He's not worth it."
"Adrianna… he's your brother," Jon whispered.
"Technically, he's my half-brother. And I don't consider him that anymore either," Adrianna countered. "As far as I'm concerned, he chose not to be the older brother, like he was supposed to be. So tell him to forget it."
Before Jon could say anything more, the distraught girl had turned on her heel and stormed away. She marched herself down to her locker, grabbed her backpack of books, and headed off towards the student parking lot.
As she neared the school exit, she realized that she was still clutching the piece of paper in her hands. She quickly tore it up and tossed the pieces into the nearest garbage can.
"Jeffrey Sun… you stupid coward… just go back to doing your drugs and leave me alone…" Adrianna thought angrily as she glared at the trash can before turning away.
Normally, this would be the type of situation where the seventeen-year-old would allow the tears to spill. Times of emotional distress tended to override Adrianna's senses a lot of times. However, she gave up crying for her half-sibling a long time ago.
If only she had been smarter as a seven-year-old. If only she knew the things she knew now. If only her father had told her then to never trust him. Jeffrey was his son, after all. Why hadn't he bothered to tell her that his son was a stupid dropout who got hooked on drugs at her current age and was still living with his mom at the age of twenty-six?
Why hadn't Daddy told her then?
"Because Daddy was ashamed of what his son had become…" a little voice echoed in Adrianna's head. "And you were too young to understand these things anyway…"
The girl sighed as she shook her head to get rid of these thoughts. She had enough things going on in her life. The last thing she needed was more stress, especially from a jerk like… him.
She turned to leave the school. She walked outside to be met with cold air and a nippy breeze. Yup, November was in full swing, and December was only a week away. Adrianna clutched her coat tighter to her body to keep warm. She walked down the path towards the parking lot. Farther down lot, she could see her red Subaru parked down yonder. It looked so lonely.
Adrianna smiled at that thought. She should have moved her car closer to the building after school, when everyone had left. Then she wouldn't be forced to walk alone down to the end of the parking lot in twenty degree weather.
"Stupid New Jersey…" the girl mumbled as a strong wind blew against her.
Jeez, she couldn't wait to get home. She would have a light dinner. And then she would have a steaming cup of hot chocolate as she lounged around in her room. She couldn't wait to relax for the rest of this Friday night. And maybe, just maybe, her new Naruto manga volume would have arrived in the mail today.
Adrianna laughed at herself. She thought that everyday. Getting the new Naruto volume was always a highlight. She had a strange addiction to the manga. It was just so… good. She became an avid fan of the anime when she was in fifth grade. Then she started reading the manga when she was in sixth grade. She's been collecting the volumes ever since.
Unfortunately, her mother saw her watching a Naruto episode online once. She had gotten a long scolding on how her laptop is used for homework, not 'stupid shows and cartoons'. But Adrianna was so addicted to the series. So she ordered the volumes in the mail straight from Japan and then watched the shows late at night. And whenever she was able to, she read Naruto fanfictions on the computer.
Sometimes, she tried to talk to Nikki about Naruto. However, her best friend wasn't all that into it. Sure, she knew what went on in the anime and manga, but that was only because Adrianna would always talk about it when something intense or interesting happened in the real plot line or a cute fanfiction she had read. Nicole honestly thought her friend's interest in the Japanese series was weird, and she frequently told her so.
Yeah, she had an unhealthy obsession. But it was so worth it. And if Nicole could fantasize of marrying Edward Cullen when she was older, then Adrianna could have her addiction to Naruto.
After what seemed like years of walking, the girl had finally arrived at her car, which was parked near the wooded area of the school grounds. The woods gave her the creeps sometimes, especially at night. It just reminded her of a classic movie moment, where some weird creature would pop out and eat her.
Yes, she had weird thoughts like that.
The raven-haired girl threw her backpack onto the passenger seat and then ran over to the driver's side. Before hopping into the car, Adrianna glanced up at the dark sky. The full moon was illuminating the earth perfectly. The girl felt sense of calm come over her as she stared at its beauty.
Adrianna quickly pulled out a notebook and pen from her purse, and she began to write down quick, random phrases.
On this dark November night…
Where the cold air nips at my nose…
You shed such a beautiful light…
Your beauty is that of a white rose.
After reading her words a couple times, Adrianna shrugged. It wasn't one of her best, but it wasn't one of her worst either. Poetry was a hobby of hers, and nature was a big inspiration for her writing. She often came up with little names for things of nature. In her eyes, the moon was like a white rose. The meaning of a white rose was purity, and as far as Adrianna was concerned, the moon was as pure as anyone could get, especially when it was full, and it casted its glow amongst the world.
Adrianna gently placed her notepad and pen back into her purse. She opened the car door and was just about to jump inside and blast the heat up when she heard barking in the distance. She turned around in the direction of the barking.
It was coming from inside the woods. Adrianna cautiously approached the border that separated the trees from the parking lot. There was definitely a dog somewhere in there.
The girl instantly gulped. Sure, she wanted to help the poor creature. She loved animals, and it sounded so sad and distressed. But… was it really a smart idea to go wandering around in the woods at night? No, it wasn't.
The barking continued.
The raven-haired girl sighed as she slowly entered the woods. She carefully maneuvered away from the branches and plants to keep away from bugs or poison ivy. The barking grew louder with each step, and Adrianna let her ears lead the way.
After slowly walking around a few moments longer, the seventeen-year-old finally found what she was looking for. There was a large white dog, sitting down in the center of the woods. Adrianna cocked her head to the side, thinking how familiar the dog seemed.
Her eyes slowly began to drift around as the dog turned to look at her. Adrianna then noticed that the dog was sitting next to a fallen body. She instantly took in a sharp inhale of breath. Was the body alive?
She slowly relaxed when she saw the chest rise and lower as oxygen was slowly filling the lungs. Cautiously, the teenager made her way over to the unconscious body. The dog crouched and growled at her.
"Shh, it's alright," Adrianna whispered, holding her hands out in front of her. "I just want to take a look. You can trust me." She held her hand out to the dog's nose, and he quickly sniffed it. After the canine's careful analysis, he slowly eased out of his defensive position.
The girl slowly walked over to the body. The shadows from the night sky and trees covered the person's appearance, but Adrianna could tell it was a guy. She gently nudged the man's shoulder, trying to wake him.
"Hello… can you hear me?" she softly said. After a couple more nudges of the shoulder, she felt the body stir.
The guy slowly lifted his hand to clutch his head. Adrianna looked on, still unable to make out his face in the darkness.
Just then, clouds that had been blocking out the moon's light began to move away. The illumination of the full moon broke through the treetops of the forest, and the girl could finally see the person's face. She gasped.
He looked just like… just like…
Kiba Inuzuka.
The Kiba Inuzuka.
From the Naruto Shippuuden series.
Her anime crush.
Adrianna started to hyperventilate. She looked up to see the dog staring at his master, and it almost looked like the dog was smiling. He looked just like Akamaru. The Akamaru.
The guy attempted to sit up, but his head began throbbing, and he fell back to the ground. "Jeez! That stupid rock hit me good!"
It couldn't be him. Kiba Inuzuka wasn't real. No matter how much Adrianna wished he was, he just wasn't. He was a fictional character. He was a character from Masashi Kishimoto's imagination. He wasn't real.
It was then that the boy realized that Adrianna was there, gaping at him like a fish. "Oh… hi," the boy said.
The girl couldn't even speak.
"Hello?" the boy asked.
He had to be a cosplay character. Yeah, that was it. He was just dressed as Kiba for some kind of anime convention. There was no way he was the real Kiba Inuzuka.
"Are you mute?" the guy asked, now a little worried.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Adrianna's head. There was a way to prove that he was a fake Kiba. His tattoos. The entire Inuzuka clan had two fang-like tattoos on their cheeks. People who dressed up as Kiba either put on face paint or stickers or taped paper to their cheeks.
The girl proceeded to pull out her water bottle and a tissue from her purse. She poured some water onto the tissue, letting the Kleenex soak up the liquid. The boy looked at her in confusion, wondering what she was doing. To his surprise, she starting wiping the wet tissue on his cheeks.
After a few moments of rubbing, Adrianna became more frantic. The red wasn't coming off his face. The tissue was only wiping off dirt and smudge, but the fang-like signatures remained where they were.
The boy's face was starting to hurt now. This chick was rubbing harder and fiercer now, and he was worried that she would break skin and rub off some layers of skin. He quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist, keeping her hand in place. "That hurts. Could you stop?" he asked in a stern voice.
Adrianna blanched. The red on his face didn't come off. It was really tattooed there. He really must be…
"No! He is not the real Kiba! This is not some crazy fanfiction story! He must be some kind of obsessed Naruto fan who got Inuzuka tattoos because he's that addicted to Naruto!" the girl yelled in her head.
"Uh… are you okay?" the boy asked, cautiously releasing her wrist. "You look kind of nervous."
"Who are you?" Adrianna suddenly asked.
"What?" the boy asked surprised.
"What is your name?" the girl asked urgently.
"Well, what's your name?" the boy countered.
Adrianna glared at him. "Just tell me your name! I asked you first!"
"First the worst," the boy retorted.
Seriously? Really? Adrianna was getting pretty annoyed now. "My name is Adrianna Sun. Now, who are you?"
"Kiba Inuzuka," he replied.
Her mouth fell open. He just said his name was…
"And if you'll excuse me, I have to find my teammates and that guy my team was after," Kiba said as he forced himself to stand up. "Where am I, anyway?"
Adrianna squinted at him in suspicion. "New Jersey."
"Never heard of it," Kiba said, shaking his head. However, the movement of his head made the throbbing return, and he had to lean against a tree to regain his balance.
"And… where are you from?" Adrianna asked.
"Konoha. It's in the Fire Country," Kiba said, massaging his temples.
Alright, this was enough. This kid was obviously smoking something, because he was definitely hallucinating. There was no way in this universe that he was Kiba Inuzuka, so he obviously belonged in some kind of mental institution.
"You're crazy," Adrianna said as she stood up and stormed off back to her car. "You obviously hit your head on something, because you're just insane."
"Actually, I did hit my head on something!" Kiba yelled in sudden remembrance. "That thief used some kind of jutsu, and a rock was hurled at my head before I was sucked into his portal thing."
"Yup, definitely delusional." Adrianna shook her head, not even looking back.
A loud barking made the girl stop in her tracks. She slowly turned to see the white dog looking up at his master in what appeared to be worry.
"What's wrong, Akamaru?" Kiba asked.
"He even named his dog after Akamaru…" If this were an anime or manga, Adrianna would have sweat-dropped.
The dog barked a couple more times, and Kiba looked shocked. Then his expression turned into one of suspicion as he looked up at Adrianna. "Where did you say this was?"
"New Jersey," the girl said in annoyance as she crossed her arms over her chest. "The Garden State… Trenton Makes, the World Takes… Jersey Shore… any of those names ringing a bell for you, Bingo?"
Kiba glared fiercely at her. "Akamaru says that we're not on our home continent, which means that the enemy that my team was after sent me to some kind of other dimension. Would you have any idea about that?"
"No," the raven-haired girl replied curtly.
Suddenly, the brown-haired boy was standing in front of her. He had her pinned against a tree, and he was holding her wrists tightly so she didn't try to slap him or something. The girl paled at his speed and the frightening glare he was sporting.
"You know something. I can smell it on you. Tell me everything you know," the Inuzuka growled ferociously.
"Get away from me!" she shrieked. Then she kicked him in that spot where the sun don't shine.
Kiba howled in pain as he clutched his manhood. He crumpled to the ground in a pathetic heap, and Adrianna made a break for it. After moments of weeping in pain, Kiba pulled himself up and bolted after the girl, his canine following closely as they made their way out of the forest.
Adrianna jumped in her car and started the engine in a hurry. She didn't even bother waiting for the car to warm up, even though she should have. But a crazy cosplay kid was after her, and she was not going to just sit around. Throwing the car into reverse, she quickly backed out of the parking spot. In the rearview mirror, she could see the maniac and his dog running up to the car. Quickly changing the gears, she drove off rapidly. Tossing all safety driver tips out of her mind, she joined the sea of traffic in a hurry, trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and him.
Kiba stood in the parking lot, dumbfounded. What the heck was that thing that that girl had gotten into? And there were a ton of them from the looks of it; all going in one way or another along the street.
Holding his head in pain, Kiba shook his head in disbelief. "Akamaru… where the hell are we?"
