Chapter one: The Friendship Letter
"Hey, Michelle! Wait up!" Nina Williams called to her best friend. Michelle Chang looked over her shoulder at Nina, tossing her brown ponytail aside.
"Yeah?" she asked Nina, who was running up beside her.
"We have to write a story tomorrow about where we came from," Nina said.
"I'm no good at stories!" Michelle exclaimed.
"Oh, come on!" Nina said, "You aren't the only five year old who can't write a story. That new girl, Jun Kazama, or what ever her name is isn't very good either."
"Oh, I know, but..."
"No buts Michelle! You can do it! I know you can!" Nina's blue eyes locked into Michelle's brown ones.
"I'm being serious Michelle," Nina told her, "You can do it."
"Yeah! You can do it!" a squeaky voice imitated. The girls spun around to see Marshal Law laughing at them with Paul Phoenix.
"Law! Paul! I'm ... I'm telling!" Nina cried, running to Mrs Mishma. Law looked at Michelle.
"You want to play tag with us?" Law asked, "Lei can't play because he got in trouble."
"Sure!" she cried, joining them.
"You're it!" Paul said, tagging her.
After playtime, Mrs Mishma led all the little kindy kids inside the classroom.
"Get out your story writing books please." She asked the class. Michelle groaned. Lei WuLung's hand shot up.
" Now what?" Mrs Mishma asked Lei.
"Are we going out for sport this afternoon?" he asked.
"Only if you do as you're told," was his reply, and then she continued, "I want you to write where you came from before coming to New York."
"Miss," Paul asked, "What if you were born in New York?"
"Then write that."
While the class was working, Mr Mishma, (The principal) walked in.
"Hi there!" he said to the class.
"Good afternoon Mr Mishma, and how do you do." They chorused.
"Now, Mrs Mishma said that you were writing stories today, so I said, can the children read them to me, and she said yes. Paul can start and we'll go around the room. Okay?'
The children nodded, and Paul began.
"My name is Paul Phoenix and I lived in New York."
"My name is Sam King and I lived in Mexico."
"My name is Nina Williams and I lived in Ireland."
"My name is Marshall Law and I lived in California."
"My name is Yoshimitsu Ninjitsu and I don't know where I lived."
"Ditto," said Kunimitsu.
"My name is Jun Kazama and I came from Japan."
"I'm Michelle Chang, and I came from South America."
"I'm Lei WuLung and I'm Chinese, and I get into trouble a lot."
Mr Mishma laughed.
"Well, see you." He left.
"Bye! Have a good day!"
Many years passed and before they knew it, they were saying goodbye and going off to separate High Schools.
"Nina, this is for you," Michelle said, handing her an envelope, "Open it when you turn 21. Okay?" Nina nodded, misty-eyed.
"Michelle! Time to go!" Mr Chang called her. Michelle and Nina hugged for the last time, and then they were off.
"Remember," Michelle said before she left, "We were meant to be."
Nina counted the days till her 21st birthday (remembering the envelope that Michelle had given her) and when it finally came, she tore it open.
Dear Nina, (It read)
By the time you will read this, you will be 21 and an official adult. I hope you haven't become snobby wherever u are, but I'll be missing you like crazy! I'll be living in South America, in my grandma's house. I hope you've been well. I'm moving back to South America to live with my grandma, so my grandma's phone number is NK 1414 so call me on the day u open
this. I'll miss you, but you'd betta call me!
I hope you're well.
All the best,
Michelle Chang
Nina picked up the phone to make a call, but before she could dial, the doorbell rang.
"Hey, Michelle! Wait up!" Nina Williams called to her best friend. Michelle Chang looked over her shoulder at Nina, tossing her brown ponytail aside.
"Yeah?" she asked Nina, who was running up beside her.
"We have to write a story tomorrow about where we came from," Nina said.
"I'm no good at stories!" Michelle exclaimed.
"Oh, come on!" Nina said, "You aren't the only five year old who can't write a story. That new girl, Jun Kazama, or what ever her name is isn't very good either."
"Oh, I know, but..."
"No buts Michelle! You can do it! I know you can!" Nina's blue eyes locked into Michelle's brown ones.
"I'm being serious Michelle," Nina told her, "You can do it."
"Yeah! You can do it!" a squeaky voice imitated. The girls spun around to see Marshal Law laughing at them with Paul Phoenix.
"Law! Paul! I'm ... I'm telling!" Nina cried, running to Mrs Mishma. Law looked at Michelle.
"You want to play tag with us?" Law asked, "Lei can't play because he got in trouble."
"Sure!" she cried, joining them.
"You're it!" Paul said, tagging her.
After playtime, Mrs Mishma led all the little kindy kids inside the classroom.
"Get out your story writing books please." She asked the class. Michelle groaned. Lei WuLung's hand shot up.
" Now what?" Mrs Mishma asked Lei.
"Are we going out for sport this afternoon?" he asked.
"Only if you do as you're told," was his reply, and then she continued, "I want you to write where you came from before coming to New York."
"Miss," Paul asked, "What if you were born in New York?"
"Then write that."
While the class was working, Mr Mishma, (The principal) walked in.
"Hi there!" he said to the class.
"Good afternoon Mr Mishma, and how do you do." They chorused.
"Now, Mrs Mishma said that you were writing stories today, so I said, can the children read them to me, and she said yes. Paul can start and we'll go around the room. Okay?'
The children nodded, and Paul began.
"My name is Paul Phoenix and I lived in New York."
"My name is Sam King and I lived in Mexico."
"My name is Nina Williams and I lived in Ireland."
"My name is Marshall Law and I lived in California."
"My name is Yoshimitsu Ninjitsu and I don't know where I lived."
"Ditto," said Kunimitsu.
"My name is Jun Kazama and I came from Japan."
"I'm Michelle Chang, and I came from South America."
"I'm Lei WuLung and I'm Chinese, and I get into trouble a lot."
Mr Mishma laughed.
"Well, see you." He left.
"Bye! Have a good day!"
Many years passed and before they knew it, they were saying goodbye and going off to separate High Schools.
"Nina, this is for you," Michelle said, handing her an envelope, "Open it when you turn 21. Okay?" Nina nodded, misty-eyed.
"Michelle! Time to go!" Mr Chang called her. Michelle and Nina hugged for the last time, and then they were off.
"Remember," Michelle said before she left, "We were meant to be."
Nina counted the days till her 21st birthday (remembering the envelope that Michelle had given her) and when it finally came, she tore it open.
Dear Nina, (It read)
By the time you will read this, you will be 21 and an official adult. I hope you haven't become snobby wherever u are, but I'll be missing you like crazy! I'll be living in South America, in my grandma's house. I hope you've been well. I'm moving back to South America to live with my grandma, so my grandma's phone number is NK 1414 so call me on the day u open
this. I'll miss you, but you'd betta call me!
I hope you're well.
All the best,
Michelle Chang
Nina picked up the phone to make a call, but before she could dial, the doorbell rang.