"Is something wrong Chihiro?"
"No mom…I'm ok…" Chihiro half opened her eyes and rubbed the sand out of them. She looked at her mother and sighed. "Yes mom. I'm getting up now."
"You look a little sick this morning. Do you want to stay home from school today?"
"I've missed a couple days already mom. I can't really afford to miss much more. Besides, I'm fine. I'll just take a shower and freshen up. That's all I need."
"Well…if you say so…" Chihiro's mother frowned, somewhat confused. She didn't know if her daughter was sick or if she was just having a hard time at school. She didn't know what to do.
Chihiro liked it that way: keeping her mom confused. She didn't want her to find out about what had happened or that there even was a spirit world. She knew she'd be taken to a psychiatrist if her mom knew anything at all so she just kept it to herself. Of course it was hard what with the searing sudden pains in her back, but she endured.
With a fake smile plastered on her face…she endured.
After taking a shower and getting ready for school, Chihiro noticed a pop tart and energy bars on her bed.
"Hey mom, did you put this food on my bed?"
"What food?"
"Never mind…" Chihiro said loudly, as her mom was downstairs.
She looked at the food and frowned. She felt a disgusting taste in her mouth and remembered the child. She felt something in her back coming but she controlled herself and threw the pop tart and energy bar out the window.
"There…now that that's taken care of…" Chihiro grabbed her backpack and left for school.
Chihiro realized something from the spirit world had followed her and thought it could be Yubaba trying to scare her or something. She did not know what to do though. She knew she came into the spirit world for the first time with energy bars and a pop tart, something so miniscule and seemingly stupid, but she knew it meant something.
She recalled eating a couple crumbs and perhaps dropping half of her food along the path, but that was it. Her energy bars may have fell out of her pockets, but there was not much else to it. What could it mean?
"Yuugo! Where is your paperwork?" A tall man with an authoritative manner spoke to her.
"Right here sir, right here." Chihiro's mother got her papers together and handed them to her supervisor.
"Well looks like you did some good work today…" The man started to loosen up. "But you need to work more on those other files you've been neglecting to send in." He said as his manner went back.
Yuugo sighed and nodded. She was on the brink of getting fired. The only reason why she still had a job was because of her cousin who also worked in the company. It seemed too nepotistic for Yuugo but it was necessary.
Yuugo's family was supporting her and helping her every step of the way. She was without a proper college education, so that made it all the more harder for her to sustain any job.