Life 3: Akimora Arival

Shadow walked slowly down a dark street. Everything was quiet. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Her golden eyes glowed in the dim light of the street posts. Her shadow crept along behind her, dancing in the darkness. Her silver bangs covered her eyes and she kept her head down. It must have been at least 4 o'clock in the morning. She had no idea where she was going. As long as she was moving, she'd end up somewhere. Shadow stopped suddenly and looked up at the dark sky. Millions of sparkling lights crossed the endless night. She closed her eyes and sighed. Her head was spinning and her mind flooded with memories. Her feet started moving again and soon she heard the faint sound of water. Shadow opened her eyes and saw that up ahead was a park.

A faint smile crossed her lips.

She slowly walked over to the fountain and ran her pale fingers through the cool water. Shivers crept up her spine. She looked up and saw the trees that, once filled with pink and red petals, were now withered and dead. The harsh, cold wind blew through the dead branches and nipped at Shadow's flesh. She held herself as the wind whipped around her. When it died, she looked around and saw that the once still waters of the fountain seamed uneasy. Shadow narrowed her eyes and continued to walk through the park. The shadows of the trees looked like claws reaching out to grab her. Still, she walked on. She could now see her breath and she held onto herself as the night grew colder. Soon her skin started to feel numb and her vision started to blur. Shadow blinked a few times and stopped. She looked around again and sighed.

"I should probably...start heading back now," she thought, closing her eyes, "before I freeze to death."

The white light poured into the one-room apartment and Shadow blinked slowly. She let out a soft moan and sat up. She gently rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock to the right of her bed; 7:37AM, Friday. Shadow sighed and threw off the covers. She had on a black tank top and skin tight shorts. Her golden eyes were now black as sin and empty. She walked over to the window and opened it, letting the cool breeze of morning into her room. Her silver blue hair blew lightly as she turned away. She grabbed a black long sleaved shit and a pair of black pants. Shadow draped the shirt over head and slipped the on pants in a matter on minutes. She picked up a silver brush off the desk in the corner of the room and brushed through her tangled hair. Her eyes fixed on the photo and she paused. She placed the brush down and stared at the photo for a moment longer before walking away. Shadow slipped on her black shoes and picked up her gray messanger bag. She slowly walked to the front door and opened it. The brightness of the hallway forced her to shield her eyes.

Once they adjusted, she lowered her hand and walked out of the apartment and closed the door. As she locked it, an old woman came walking twords her. She smiled and stopped a few feet away. Her gray hair was in a bun on top of her head and she wore a blue kimono with red flowers printed on it. On her feet were wooden sandals. She was small in stature and her face was wrinkled. Shadow turned to her, a blank expression on her face. After a few moments she smiled and bowed. The old woman did the same.

"Good morning, Shadow. Off to school?" she asked. Shadow nodded.

"Yes, Ms. Mitsuki. It's my first day."

"Really? What school are you going to be attending?"

Shadow closed her eyes for a moment. "I believe it's called...Akimora High." She opened her eyes and saw that the old woman was still smiling. Shadow smiled too.

"Well, you had better be going now Shadow. You'll be late," Mitsuki said quietly. Shadow bowed and continued to walk down the hall.

"Good luck, dear!" called the old woman as Shadow made her way down the stairs.

"Thank you," she called over her shoulder.

Down stairs, Shadow slowly walked through the lobby as a young man around twenty years old walked up to her. He had short black hair and wore a dark blue tee-shirt, black jeans, and shoes. It appeared as if he worked in the apartment building.

"Ah, Shadow. Good morning," he said. Shadow stopped and bowed.

"Good morning, Mr. Amori," she said.

"Going to school I guess?" he asked. Shadow nodded. "Well good luck."

Shadow nodded again as Amori waved and got back to work. She sighed and walked outside. The cool wind wrapped around her as she walked down the sidewalk. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of her friends.

The people who she hadn't seen in three years. She knew that in they were all going to Akimora and that she'd see them around sometime. She just didn't know if they'd want to see her after she left so suddenly. She hadn't heard from them since she left either. Shadow's eyes closed.

"Not that I really expected to hear from them..." she thought, "I left so suddenly...and didn't bother to keep in touch. Oh well..." She opened her eyes again. "Maybe they weren't able to find me. Or maybe they didn't even try...just like me." She stopped and looked at the dark blue sky, covered in whispy white clouds. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she continued to walk twords the school.

After about ten minutes, Shadow found herself infront of a large gate. She looked to the left and saw a bronze plate that had the words "Akimora High School" ingraved in it. She smiled slightly and looked at the small watch on her wrist; 8:22. Shadow sighed.

"If I hurry, I'll make it just in time," she said to herself. She looked up at the large white building infront of her. It was hard to believe that it was really a school at all. She sighed again and slowly walked through the gates and onto the school grounds.