"Kya dear, it's time to get up!" yelled a middle aged woman from the bottom of a staircase. Kya groaned and sat up in her bed. She swung her legs to the side of the bed and rubbed her eyes. Standing, she glanced over her shoulder at the glass doors that led to the balcony.
The day before, she had unpacked all of her clothes. Now, her closet and dresser were full. Kya pulled out a black skirt that went to her ankles and a black long-sleeved shirt. After putting them on, she walked to the bathroom across the hall.
She brushed her hair out and tied it back into a braid. Grabbing apiece of thick, black ribbon, she tied it around her neck to hide a thin scar that looked like it was made by a sharp blade. She grabbed another ribbon, a red one, and tied it around her upper right arm.
Kya walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mother was standing in front of the stove, cooking breakfast. Her father was sitting at the table, tinkering with some machine. She grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the door.
"Kya, aren't you going to eat breakfast?" asked her father.
"I have my breakfast," said Kya and she walked out the door. Looking down the street, she saw a strange house with a neon sign of the front and a strange machine thing on the roof. She took a bite of toast and began her walk to school.
She wasn't looking forward to school, especially since it was her first day. Munching on her toast, she remembered the friend she left behind because of the move.
Kya smirked. Her friend had no idea about her…uniqueness. No one did. Kya would disappear for a little while, then reappear, beaten and bloody. Her friend always asked where she had gone, but she never got an answer.
Her parents were concerned about her. Every day, she would have a new scar or bruise. She would come home late and her grades were dropping. They always told Kya that she could talk to them because they went through the same thing. She always laughed; she wasn't going through anything natural, but supernatural.
She was a human-ghost hybrid, or, as other ghosts put it, a halfa. Her parents would never understand because they were ghost hunters. Her friend did believe in the paranormal, but if she found out, Kya didn't know what would happen. Her friend was strange, but she didn't think she could handle it.
Looking up, Kya realized that she made it to her new school. 'Casper High, huh? Ironic,' thought Kya as she walked through the doors. She then walked into the office to the secretary.
"You must be Kya Niwa. Welcome to Casper High. Here is your schedule, locker number, and locker combination. Have a nice day," said the woman. Kya took the papers and left the office.
Kya walked down the halls, getting strange looks from the other students. There were the normal groups of people; the populars, the jocks, the nerds, the Goths, and so on. Ignoring them all, she walked up to her locker and put in the combination. She tried to open it, but it didn't budge. Hearing snickers behind her; she glared at her locker and tried again. It still didn't open and the snickers grew louder.
Kya was about to turn and see who was snickering and find out what their problem was when a fist slammed into her locker. She yelped and spun around to see a boy with black hair and blue eyes standing there; the locker opening.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. This locker doesn't open unless you hit it. I think they refuse to fix it so they can hassle the new kids," he said.
"Uh…thanks, I guess," said Kya.
"I'm Danny Fenton by the way," said the boy.
"Kya Niwa," said Kya.
"Do you have your schedule?" asked Danny.
"Yes, I do. My first class is biology," said Kya.
"Mine too. Do you want to walk with me?" asked Danny.
"Sure," said Kya and Danny led her down the hallway.
"Danny!" called a feminine voice.
"Hey Sam, Tucker," said Danny, greeting his two friends who were walking towards them.
"Who's your friend?" asked Tucker.
"This is Kya Niwa. Kya, meet my two best friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley," said Danny.
"That's TF as in—," started Tucker.
"Don't finish that sentence," interrupted Kya.
"Tucker, do you have to hit on every girl you meet?" asked Sam.
"No, just the cute ones," said Tucker.
"That would be a compliment if it didn't come from you," said Kya and Danny and Sam laughed. Kya looked at the clock. "Class is going to start soon."
"Right, this way," said Danny and the four walked down the hallway.
"So, Kya, why are you wearing long-sleeves? It's warm outside," said Sam.
"That, I plan to keep to myself, if you don't mind," said Kya in a quiet, polite voice.
"What classes do you have?" asked Danny changing the subject. Kya pulled out her schedule.
"Biology, history, P.E., L.A., math, and choir," said Kya.
"You sing?" asked Tucker.
"Yes, but I've never been in choir. The only person who had ever heard me was my friend," said Kya.
"Are you that bad?" asked Tucker.
"Tucker! Don't be rude!" scolded Sam.
"No, I just don't like it when people hear me sing," said Kya.
"Are you shy?" asked Danny.
"You could say that," said Kya. Danny stopped and opened a door, leading them inside.
"Miss Niwa, I presume?" asked the teacher and Kya nodded. "Stay up here so I can introduce you to everyone." Students began to file into the class. Heading to their seats, they gave Kya looks from the corners of their eyes. Danny gave her a smile, which she returned, and sat in his seat near Sam and Tucker.
The bell rang and the teacher told the students to get into their seats. "We have a new student today. Her name is Kya Niwa and I hope you all will be kind and help her out," said the teacher.
"And I hope you will stop talking about me as if I'm not even here. I also hope you will open your eyes and realize that just because you ask them to, they won't help me," said Kya. "I've seen it happen many times." Walking past the teacher, she sat in a seat near Danny, Sam, and Tucker.
The teacher glared at Kya and she smirked, leaning back in her chair. "What? I'm an independent girl who speaks her mind, and I try to see the truth in things; not the little white lies that people tell themselves so they don't feel guilty about what they do," said Kya.
Sam smiled; her respect for the new girl rising. Danny was stunned that she talked back to the teacher on the first day of school. Tucker just laughed at the expression on the teacher's face.
"Mr. Foley, be quiet," said the teacher and she began to teach. During the class, Kya took notes, but she mostly stared out the window. When class was over, Danny, Sam, and Tucker waited for her in the hall.
"That was awesome!" said Tucker.
"What? That I talked back to the teacher or that I told the truth?" asked Kya and he looked confused.
"You are the first person who has told the truth to a teacher. You have gained my respect," said Sam.
"Thank you. The only things that I want to earn from people are respect and trust. I'm glad that I earned respect from you Sam," said Kya.
"Your next class is history, right?" asked Danny and Kya nodded. "We don't have history, so you're on your own. Your class is down that hall and to the right."
"Thanks. See you later?" asked Kya.
"In P.E.," said Tucker. Kya nodded and followed Danny's directions to her next class. History was one of her better subjects. It was an easy subject, but she thought that the teachers made it boring.
Sure enough, she almost fell asleep during the lecture. Kya sighed in relief when the bell rang. Grabbing her bag, she made her way to the gym for P.E. She went into the locker room and got a locker near Sam's.
"Hey, Sam, looks like you'll find out why I wear long-sleeves sooner than I wanted," said Kya.
"Hey. If you don't want anyone to know, you can get permission to wear long-sleeves and pants," said Sam.
"No, I'm not going to hide. I just don't like the questions people ask; they make me uncomfortable," said Kya.
"Hey, I'll be with you and so will Danny and Tucker. You're our friend and we'll stay with you," said Sam.
"Thanks, that's very sentimental," said Kya.
"What can I say? We're very protective of our friends," said Sam.
"Hurry up ladies! I want you out there in five minutes!" yelled the P.E. teacher.
Sighing, Kya pulled off her shirt. Sam gasped at the scars tracing over her torso. Kya pulled on the P.E. shirt and pulled off her skirt. Sam's eyes widened even more, for there were more scars on her legs. There were also bandages wrapping her left shin. Kya traced her hands over a star-shaped scar on her right thigh. She pulled on her shorts and put her shoes on. Reaching up, Kya pulled off the ribbon from around her neck, revealing a thin white scar going horizontally across her even paler neck.
"What happened to you? Sorry, you don't have to answer that," said Sam. Kya just smiled, listening to the whispers behind her.
"It's all right. It's in human nature to be curious about things that you don't see every day," said Kya and she began to whisper. "Just stop and listen. What do you hear?"
"All the other girls talking," said Sam as if her answer was obvious.
"Listen closer. Hear the whispers? I bet that before we leave the locker room, someone will come up to me and ask me about my scars," said Kya. She closed her locker, and she and Sam headed towards the door.