Chapter 2
After school let out at twelve o'clock (it was Saturday, so it was only a half-a-day), I decided to wander around town a bit. I had my school bag swung over my shoulder; it wasn't that heavy. I had textbooks but I kept them in my locker. No use lugging them around all day. I could hear rapid conversations in Japanese everywhere I went. I glanced at all the different people around me. Gothic Lolita, tanned girls, school girls…there were so many. Japanese music pounded from cafés and stereos that people carried around with them.
I placed a hand to my stomach as it growled. Was there any place around here to eat that wasn't overly expensive?
I came to a nice park and went inside. I sat down on a bench for a minute to catch my breath and to breathe in the sweet smells of nature. I laid my head down and closed my eyes. It was so nice there. But not as many places were as nice anymore. I had heard, since the year 2010, that the polar ice caps were slowly melting because of the increase in UV rays. That was mostly because of the greenhouse effect produced by our cars, factories, and other crap.
Come to think of it, I had seen pictures of Tokyo twenty years ago. It didn't look much different now than it did then. Sure the technology of the world was better, scientists were finding new ways to recycle and save the world, plus what once used to be third world countries twenty years ago were now second world countries. The only war that was going on was between North and South Korea, but they were pretty much keeping to themselves (or so I heard).
I heard something. I opened my eyes. A crowd of giggling school girls departed from a café. A pink café. I grimaced; I hated pink. I held my complaining stomach and shrugged. Just because it was pink didn't mean it had bad food.
I walked up to the café and opened the door. A few girls sat around at different tables and chatted amongst themselves. Soft pop music played in the background. I sat down at a free table and looked over the place once more. It didn't seem bad…yet.
A waiter came over to me once he was finished pouring drinks for a few other girls. He set down a menu in front of me and was off once again. I glanced at the menu; chocolate…chocolate…any chocolate? Ah, chocolate. They had so many desserts. I was drooling over the menu before I realized it and caught myself just in time. I had a BIG sweet tooth.
I looked over the lunch specials for Saturday and noticed that the name of the café was Café Mew Mew. How cutsie. As I tried to decide between cheese ravioli and a fancy looking sandwich, I watched the waiter (he was the only one there) zip back and forth from the kitchen and the table gracefully. It appeared he was experienced at what he was doing. Finally the waiter came over to me and held up a pad of paper and pen in each hand.
"What can I get you?"
"Cheese ravioli for me please. I'd also like some chocolate milk if you have any."
The waiter, Ren (as it said on his name tag), nodded and was off. Ren zipped around; it was then I noticed that he was wearing skates to get around the café so fast. I smirked to myself. He came up with my order within five minutes of taking in. I had to admit to myself that I was impressed. Ren's short black hair flew behind him as he left my table. That reminded me that my mother and father would no longer be paying me an allowance since I was fifteen. They expected me to get a job right away and earn enough money to pay the bills. I don't know why in the world they would care. They're too busy fighting their heads off.
I dug into my cheese ravioli hungrily and sipped at my chocolate milk. When I was finished, I ordered a slice of all chocolate cake (made with dark chocolate, my favorite). I went crazy inside as Ren skated over and set it on my table. I picked up my fork and took a bite of the cake. It was the most heavenly cake I had ever tasted. The chocolate rivaled Hershey's. I slowly ate my chocolate cake, savoring the taste. It had been months since I had last eaten chocolate.
When I was finished I slammed down some yen and departed from the café.
As the young girl walked from Café Mew Mew, a camera in the doorway watched her every move. It zoomed in on her and analyzed her appearance. The man leaned in to better look at the picture.
"Could this be her?" asked the man's son.
"It could." He inserted a black hair from the girl into a tube. The computer whirred. "I'm analyzing her DNA and…she's a match. It's her."
"When will you shoot the beam, Father?"
"In good time, son. We need to watch her first. It's been twenty years since I last found a match." Dr. Ryou Shirogane leaned forward to watch the girl. "And I won't give her up."
I locked myself up in my room that night. I could hear my parents having their things unpacked by our new staff. Mother was directing precisely (it had to be "precisely") where her things were to go. Father was taking care of things in his study downstairs. I lay on my bed and slipped my headphones over my ears. I turned on my mp3 player and listened to some J-pop I had bought from a music store earlier that day. I swung my legs back and forth in the air as I lay on my stomach.
I heard a low murmur through my music. I turned off my music and took off my headphones. Someone was knocking on my door. I set my mp3 down on my giant bed and strolled over to the door. I ran a hand through my mussed black curls, unlocked the door, and opened the door. There stood a young Japanese maid.
"Hai?"
"Moushiwake-gozaimasen, Chi-sama. I need to clean your room."
"Ii-desu-yo. Come in."
I grabbed my mp3 off my bed and strolled over to my Microsoft NZ8 computer. It was the highest technology that Microsoft sold. At least my family was rich enough to afford only the best.
The maid sang under her breath what sounded like a traditional Japanese tune that I didn't know as she vacuumed my floor. Then she rearranged my bed and took my dirty clothes to be washed.
"Arigato," I said politely and with a smile.
She nodded and headed out the door.
If only there were anyone to talk to, I thought. Someone decent.
I turned off my light and slipped into a nightgown. I buried myself under my covers; the cold of winter seeped into my room despite the house's heating. I thought about Ren and Hohoemi. I shouldn't have left her like that. She deserved better. But I didn't care. Maybe Hohoemi could be a friend, a better part of me reasoned. She wanted to and it would be easy enough to talk to her. I closed my eyes and thought of nothing.
With empty thoughts I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. I always dreamt of nothing.
I opened my eyes Sunday morning to have sunlight peeking in through my shades. I closed my eyes and shifted over to my other side. I slept in that morning and when I woke up and went to the bathroom, my curled black hair was mussed. I ran a brush through the curls and wishfully hoped that it would straighten them out. No luck. They hung there in thick curls. I shrugged; I was too lazy to really care about preparing my hair, looking good, straightening it, or all of the above. Somehow between my parents' wealth and my laziness, I still managed to look good.
I lifted my shades and allowed the morning light to flood in. I disdainfully looked outside at the nice weather; I wished it were raining. Then it would better fit my mood. But, again, I failed to care. I knew that I would end up enjoying today.
I dressed in a lacy black skirt that reached my knees. I wore a filmy white blouse to top it off along with some of my favorite black gothic boots that I had bought in a mall back in the United States. I glanced in my bedroom mirror and gave a small smirk. I plucked a pin off of my dresser and pinned back some of my thick curls. My curls framed my pale face quite nicely; my green eyes seemed brighter that morning. Maybe it was because I had gotten a good sleep that night. I was nearly positive that it was that.
I swept down the staircase and into the dining room for breakfast. My mother and father were nowhere to be seen. The servants stood at attendance and smiled at me politely. Knowing my parents they were probably busied with their work. Who was I to complain? With a pang of loneliness I sat down at the table and I told one maid what I wanted for breakfast. Some fruit, toast buttered with margarine, and a cheese and bacon omelet. I ate my breakfast slowly when it was served to me fresh and hot. I swallowed the food lifelessly and tastelessly in my mouth.
Once I was finished I told the servants that I was going for a walk. They didn't question what I said and merely nodded at my request. I escaped my prison and walked faster and deeper into Tokyo. I explored the city. All the time I felt something watching me. Every time I glanced over my shoulder there wouldn't be anything there. I was taught to trust my instincts when I was trained in martial arts. This was definitely not nothing.
I found myself at the same café I had discovered the day before. I turned my head to the side and smiled. It was actually a welcome sight; the one thing that didn't change in my life. I entered the café; because it was late morning, there was hardly anybody there. The place was nearly empty. The waiter from before, Ren, glanced up at me and squinted.
"You're the girl from yesterday."
Very flattering, I thought.
I shrugged. "Ohayo-gozaimasu. My name is actually Chi, for your information."
He raised his eyebrows from behind the register.
"Are you serious?"
"As serious as global warming. My full name is Chi Bara."
Ren nodded in recognition. "I've heard of the name. The wealthy family from America, right?"
"Right."
"You don't look any different."
"My father is Japanese and my mother is American. My father chose the name for me because he believes that 'blood is thicker than water.'"
"Don't we all believe that? My name is Ren. Ren Shirogane. Nice to meet you."
"So you work here? Is this your father's café?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I wished more boys came here, but I should be glad we get any business as is."
I smirked and glanced around at the pink décor. "Well, with this style, all you're gonna get is girls."
Ren actually laughed. I couldn't help but laugh along with him. He was nice. Nicer than most guys I had met. As I talked more with him about the café, we sat down and talked together about him working there. Our topic of conversation shifted from our favorite foods to music. I kept myself withdrawn and let him do most of the talking. I liked learning about him; he was easy to talk to. I was hanging onto every word he said. Nobody came in while we talked, which was sheer luck.
All the while I talked with him, I felt my loneliness melt away.