The day I first met Marisa Kirisame was a sunny Sunday.

For reasons that are still unclear to me, she and her friend Reimu snuck into my house.

Apparently they were touring around Makai and Marisa, being herself, thought that jumping over the fence was a good idea.

Marisa's ideas are never good.

Then they went separate ways inside the mansion. Yumeko was worried, of course, and sent a couple of maids to try to stop them.

I had been home schooled since always so I knew no-one aside from Mother and Yumeko. The maids never talked to me.

And then…unexpectedly, I ran into Marisa.

She was about my age, with golden hair and equally golden eyes that shone with mischief, dressed as a classical witch, black hat and broom in hand too. I felt bewildered by her presence, being a stranger and all. I tried my best to scare her away with my wit and determined spirit but, as I came to realize soon after, you couldn't scare her. She simply reacted, laughing and throwing offensive comments like she didn't notice she was being mean. To be fair, she probably didn't. She's always been pretty careless. We fought, but she overpowered me and ran away laughing.

I sat slumped against the wall, still trying to process what had happened. There was a girl. I girl I didn't know. Roaming freely in my very own house. She won against me, easily enough. And I didn't even know her name.

Determined to get revenge and recover my pride I tried to follow her. I even carried my Grimoire with me. At that time I was pretty convinced I was some sort of magician and thought of that book as my ultimate weapon.

But even if I tried my hardest, Marisa still won. I don't know how, really. I attacked her viciously. I casted spells and threw punches. But she wouldn't let up.

Suddenly, other girl, dressed in white and red came running with a bunch of maids coming after her. Even Yumeko was there.

And then…Mother came and they escaped, quite spectacularly, not wanting to be scolded by her.

The mansion was a total mess and Mother took care of everything, as usual. The maids tidied the house and restored it to its utter and boring perfection. Life continued, with Mother occasionally chuckling at the memory of the two girls who fought her maids. She said it was cute.

I couldn't get over the fact that someone had won against me. I couldn't forget about the mysterious girl. And I kept wondering about all the other places I never knew that existed. Day after day I pondered on those things, wishing I could go there and see them with my own eyes. That I could see that girl again and ask her for a rematch. Maybe even become friends.

I stopped playing the magician. I stopped having tea parties with Yumeko.

Instead, I started drawing unstoppably. The mansion and the places I imagined. A pair of golden eyes and a victorious smile.

Daydreams…daydreams…

Mother looked worried.

"My darling doll, you are withering here"- she said lovingly stroking my flaxen hair- "I think it's time for you to meet kids your age, Alice, to have fun. I fear I have kept you by my side longer than I should have. For ten years you have been my little doll, my beloved daughter. Selfishly enough, I thought that I gave you everything you could want and need. But I can't give you friends rather than dolls and toys, my dear. And I can see, that's what you need right now"

My blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears, not quite understanding what Mother was planning but knowing deep in my heart she was saying goodbye.

"Mother…"- I started but she raised her hand, gently shutting me up

"Alice, I love you as much as a mother can, but I cannot replace the whole world. You need to experience it. I have seen your drawings, my doll, you long for something else. That something, you won't find it here but outside the walls of our home. I heard about a special place, called Gensokyo…I'm…I'm sending you there"

Mother's voice cracked a little as she said that. So it was truly goodbye then.

Gensokyo happened to be a boarding school, a bit far from my own hometown of Makai.

I was received by Principal Yakumo and her assistant, Ran. They led me to my new room, near the gardens.

I sat on my bed looking around the room. It was well lit and sun shone through the windows. It was cozy, with its cream colored walls and wooden furniture. It even had a shelf where I could put my books and dolls. I stared at the ceiling wondering how my life would be there. Mother said I could make friends here. Thinking about Mother made me homesick and I curled up in bed suddenly feeling really lonely.

"Yo!"- a voice said from the door

"GAH!"- I screamed, startled and then turning around, preparing to yell to the intruder when my mouth fell agape

There, standing, was no other than the girl I had been thinking of for the past months.

I blinked, unsure it was true.

But there she was. Her long golden hair was still there, but this time she was wearing a small braid on the right side. He clothes were different though, and it took me a moment to realize it was the school's uniform. Her eyes were giving me this strange, quizzical look.

"It's you!"- I cried, surprised

"Ummm…"- she scratched her head a little, still looking confused- "do I know you?"

"Sure you do!"- I answered both anger and happiness mixing inside me- "You broke into my house months ago!"

Instead of apologizing for that, which I was expecting, she hit her hand with her fist, smiling

"So that's why you seemed familiar!"-her smile reached her eyes in a pleasant way

"Hey! Are you not going to apologize…!" I started asking but she interrupted me

"Oh I haven't introduced myself!"

Her smile turned into a grin and she pointed proudly at herself

"My name is Marisa Kirisame and I am the most amazing super spectacular person in this whole school-ze!"

She sure was energetic. I didn't know how to respond to such a claim so I stayed silent.

"What's your name?"- she asked curiously

"Alice. Alice Margatroid"- I answered blushing slightly, feeling a little self-conscious. Marisa was truly overbearing.

"Alice…"- she said, rolling the letters on her tongue, thoughtfully- "Yeah, I like it! Alice, it has a nice ring to it"- she nodded to herself before offering me her hand

"Well, Alice, welcome to Gensokyo!"-she said

The moment she took my hand I felt something jolt inside me. Her hand was warm, soft. Her smile was kind. I liked it.

Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad staying in Gensokyo after all.

Had I known then what that meeting would mean to me in the future…I wouldn't have believed it.

But I didn't know it then, so I embraced the feeling of having a first friend without questioning.

And that was the second time I met Marisa Kirisame.