January 7th, 1998

It was sunrise in the city, most people would be waking up by now, some like Jess hadn't slept at all.

It was rather cold at night, something she hadn't prepared for, how could she forget her jacket was beyond her.

She found shelter in an allayway, about 15 blocks from the apartments. She would continue in the morning, when it was easier to see. It was a mistake, trying to walk while in need of sleep was horrible.

But she had to continue, she didn't want others to report a child wandering the streets by itself. She had enough problems to deal with already.

After 30 minutes of walking, she decided to rest on a nearby bench, in an unpleasent location though. It was right next to the road, one that was very busy. Cars sped past her as she sat, and some people stared at her, making her grab her switchblade from her case and sticking it in her pocket of her jeans. After about 5 minutes, she thought she had overstayed her welcome on the bench and carried on.

She made it far, walking for an hour. She had passed numerous buisness, most of which were either bakeries or little shops with some food in them. She grew hungry, but she had to save her money, it was all she had.

It was about noon when her hunger became to much, and she had to eat to continue on. She looked around, only to spot a ramen resturant. It seemed to be either owned by someone from Japan or it was just for decor, but the name of it was both in Japanese and English. She smiled at it, remembering her now lost dream of visiting the country.

She stepped inside the resturant, it looked nice. A nearby worker noticed her, walking over to her. They were male, lokking to be about in their late 20s, with short spikey brown hair, and brown eyes. His face reminded her of Markus, always looking tired and annoyed of everything around him.

"Welcome to Ramen Tatsu-ya! Please follow me to a booth." He said, he had a mild Japanese accent. She followed him to a booth in the corner of the shop, right next to a window looking out into the city. She sat down and placed her case under the table. The worker left, only to return with a menu in his hands.

"Here you go, when you are ready, just wave." He said as he left again. She wasn't going to be picky, that would cost her alot, so she decided on the cheapest ramen they surved. She saw the man talking with an older man, probably the chef. He spoke in a foreign language, probably Japanese. He looked her way, and she waved for him to take her order.

He walked towards her, the chef watching him. "Are you ready to order?" He asked, holding a notebook to write it down. She nodded.

"I'll take just plain ramen." Jess said, and the worker wrote it down.

"Anything else?" He looked up from his writing and asked.

"Nope." He nodded, and headed off towards the chef, ripping the paper off and handing it to him.

She stared out the window as she waited , watching cars speed by and people walk with their friends. Oh how she envied people with friends, for she had none. Kids would call her a weirdo or freak because of the things she liked, music, art, movies, you name it. On this side of town kids left home all the time to eat in resturants by themselves, so no one would ask her the dreaded question.

After about 4 minutes, the worker came back, carrying a bowl of ramen and some chopsticks, but also a fork and spoon for those who don't prefer to use the chopsticks.

"Here you go, enjoy." The man said as he left once more. Once he left she dug in, using a fork to do so. It was really good ramen, even if it was just plain. She ate quite fast, she was starving. Once she finished, the worker came back.

"Have you enjoyed your meal?" He asked.

"Yes, it was very good." That made the man smile.

"The chef is my father, he will be happy to hear this about his ramen." He said, smiling down at Jess. "Well, are you ready to pay?" He asked. "Your total charge is $4.30. You can leave your money on the table or give it to me now, if you like."

She pulled her case up, opening it and handing him $5.00. "Here, keep the change." She said with a smile. The man took it.

"Thank you, and see you again soon!" The man said as she got took her case and left.

She sighed as she closed the door and headed off to continue her walk. She would remember this place, for it was the only place where someone was nice to her in a long, long time.

She heard gunshots in the distance and sped up her walking pace.