Chapter 1: Friends

Finally, class ends and school is over for the day. ..All of the birthday gifts were nice, but I really just want to go home. Not only do I want to open all of them, but I want to see my mom and dad.

I walk down the hallways, multiple kids doing the same thing. I bump into one of my friends on the day there.

I look up and recognize him.

"Hey, you need to watch where you're going." The kid chuckles, looking at me. His name is Adrian and I've known him for a while. He's.. different. A little weird, if you can say that.

"Sorry, Adrian. ..At least school's over. Are you coming over tomorrow?" I ask him with an eager tone.

"Of course. Sorry I couldn't come over today. My parents are being a bunch of jerks. Like usual." He replies.

"...Right." I say, chuckling and starting to walk. Adrian follows along.

"So, are you gonna give me my present now?" I look over at Adrian and ask him.

"Uh, no. I want to see your reaction when I'm there, not when I'm not. I thought you knew me better." He replies, chuckling in the process and gently pushing my shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," I reply and sighed, taking out a phone and sticking a couple of earbuds into it and then putting it back into my pocket. I stick the earbuds in my ears and begin to listen to music as we walk.

We later see my parents in a car waiting for me. I take out my earbuds and walk over as they roll the window down. My dad looks out the window.

"Hey, guys." He says with a gentle tone. He looks at me and Adrian.

"Hi, dad!" I say with an eager tone. Finally, I can go home.

"Hello, Mr. Ikezawa," Adrian says. My dad chuckles at him and looks at me.

"Ready to go?" He asks, looking at me.

"Yep." I open the car door and get inside, putting my backpack down and closing the door. I roll the window down and look at Adrian as the car drives off. I wave at him and he waves back, yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in the process.

I start chuckling at him and rest my head back, putting it onto the seat and putting my earbuds in, closing my eyes and starting to fall asleep.

I'm awoken by my father's voice yelling at me.

"Hanako!"

I turn and look over at him.

"..There you are. You looked like a zombie. What were you dreaming about?" My dad chuckles at me.

..Truth is, I really can't remember. And when I do it's either about singing or Adrian.

"..I dunno." I grab my backpack and get out of the car, walking inside of the house. My mother looks over and greets me.

"Hey, honey!" She walks over and gives me a tight hug as if she's really, really happy to see me.

"Hi, mom. ..Don't you think that's a little tight?"

"Um.." My mother chuckles at my reply to her hug, letting go gently.

"You're growing up so fast, kiddo. You're 10 today!" She says in an eager tone, trying to get me excited for my birthday.. ..I presume, anyway.

My dad chuckles and takes me out of the awkward conversation by walking over and giving my mom a hug. I slip away and sit at the table, opening my backpack and taking out around 10 presents.

"Your friends give you a lot?" My father asks me, looking over at me.

"Oh, yeah. Everybody. ..Adrian didn't want too because he said he wanted to wait until he could see me opening it."

"Of course. That kid is really stubborn."

"Well, yes, he is, but he's one of my good friends."

"I suppose." My father says, ending the conversation and walking away.

My mother turns the oven on to cook dinner and goes by the fireplace, setting a few pieces of wood in it and lighting it, walking away not long afterward.

She always was really into cooking. ..I am too but I'm not very good at it.

She comes back with a cake and sets it on top of the living room table, in front of the fireplace. She gestures to me to grab the presents my friends gave me and walk over.

I do so and grab the presents, walking over to her where my dad walks over and sits next to me with 2 bags.

"..Am I being interrogated?"

My father chuckles. "No, no. Do you want to open your presents first or have a piece of cake?"

"I wanna open the presents."

My father nods and I start opening the presents my friends got me. They're little odds and ends, cooking books, other novels, a few gift cards, nothing that special. My dad grabs one of the bags he brought over and hands it to me.

"Huh?"

"Open it."

I nod softly and take it, pulling the stuffing out of the bag to see a computer and a new up-to-date phone.

"..Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, yes it is." My mother replies.

I squeal with joy and hug them both, immediately opening the computer's box. It's a small laptop that isn't of super-high quality, but it's acceptable. The phone is the newest release. ..Both of these are so, so so awesome.

"But wait; there's more." My father says, grabbing the other bag and handing it to me.

"There's always more." I chuckle and open the bag, seeing a complete cooking set with pans, professional books on it, multiple spices, recipes, so on and so on. A large grin enters my face and I immediately hug both of my parents.

"Thank you both so, so so much."

My mom and dad smile. "It was nothing." my dad replied.

"...How much did this cost, mom?"

"...Uh.."

Both of them chuckle nervously.

"Don't worry about that, sweetheart."

"If you say so. ..Can we eat the cake now?" I chuckle. Both of my parent's nod and my dad takes the cover off the cake with neat little decorations on it looking like me. Right before he puts the knife into it, he stops, sniffing.

"..Do you smell that?"

"..Smell what?"

I sniff and smell smoke.

"...Is that.. fire?"