To all my loyal and supportive fans out there, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I couldn't have done it without y'all! The encouraging reviews have kept my interest from flagging, and helping me realize people actually read my stuff and are WAITING for the next chapter! I apologize for it not coming out sooner, but between the Sorato crap happening and my computer freaking out on me every time I wrote this, it just was difficult to do. But remember, I will always finish my story no matter how long it takes, so have faith! ::Taigurl bursts into a Kleenex moment as Firenzie placidly hands her a tissue box:: *blows nose*
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Let It Snow: Part 3
Kari Yagami snickered hysterically as she e-mailed Mimi the picture. Realizing she had to stop before her parents woke up, she made an attempt to control her laughter, which only resulted in a snort. It wasn't just the picture that caused such commotion, but the plan she and Mimi were about to carry out. Printing up a whole batch of the previously mentioned file, Kari calmed herself down with a few breathing exercises and tip-toed back to her room.
From there, she quietly unzipped Tai's book-bag, and stuck the three inch sticker on the cover of every book in there. Then with more giggles, she opened up his drawer and put one on all of his jumbled up clothes-even his underwear! She made sure to use up every single one on all of his stuff, but there was one leftover. Kari bounced it on the tip of her finger as she contemplated where to put it. Straining her eyes in the dark, she spied the bunk. Aha! She got an idea.
Softly the young girl moved to her brother's bed. She sucked in her stomach and held her breath as she prepared to place the sticker, and did some quick calculating. Right above Taichi's head was where the sticker was to be placed. She leaned over and…..
ZZZZZZZZRRZZZZZRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZR
Kari bumped her head on the bottom of her bed from shock at the loud sound emitted from Tai. She scrunched up her eyes and opened her mouth as she crammed her fingers in her ears.
ZZZZZZZZZZRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZRRZZZZZRZZRZ
Tai's young sister felt the wood floor furiously, and snatched two stray socks that had fallen. ::Please let these not be Tai's…:: she prayed ferverently as she crammed them in her ears.
zzzzzzrrrrrrzzrzzzzzzrrr
Well….the noise was reduced somewhat. Once more she positioned herself, and slapped the sticker where Tai would be sure to see it first thing in the morning. Then with her fingers, she rubbed it vigorously to make sure it wouldn't come off. Exploding with giggles, she ran up the ladder to her bed and threw down the socks before laughing into her pillow.
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Mimi waited impatiently before her blaring computer screen as she clicked the 'refresh' button repeatedly. A box popped up displaying the long awaited 'you have one new message' signal, which she eagerly clicked. Her eyes quickly scanned the hastily typed note, then she opened the attached file and laughed. ::The picture turned out better than I thought!:: Mimi joyfully exclaimed in her head. Reproducing multiple copies of it, she girl slipped on her coat and snatched up the freshly printed stickers which she then transferred into to her old brown cowgirl bag. Mimi hadn't bothered changing into her nightclothes. She simply lay under her covers until the right time.
Quickly sneaking out the door of her home, Mimi could not believe she was actually doing this--that Kari had actually talked her into it! ::Well…it was partly your idea too…:: she reminded herself. Thoughts started creeping into her mind…about what could happen to young girls who roamed the city at night. ::It's too late to turn back now…I have to keep my half of the deal…:: she shoved the thoughts out of her mind, pulled her coat tighter around her, and continued her trek. Before she knew it, she was on the street where Sora's apartment building resided, and climbed up the long flight.
"Okay…cross your fingers and say a prayer for luck," Mimi said in a low voice as she tried the handle on Sora's door. whisper
Jiggle. JIGGLE. JIGGLE.
"Darn it!" Mimi fiercely cried in a soft tone as she yanked the metal bar down. "It's locked!" She turned around and was about to leave, when a glimmer caught her eye through the door. She raised her brow questionably, and saw it was the sliding lock. "Perhaps there's a chance I might…." Mimi hastily searched her pockets for a hairpin…barrette…anything. "Yes-s!" She whispered jubilantly. "My trusty credit card! Thank--you--Daddy!" She quietly sang out as she kissed it happily. Sliding it through the crack, she wiggled and rattled the thin piece of plastic until the sound the had been waiting for greeted her ears.
Pop.
Slowly and carefully she tried the handle again, and this time it gave no resistance. ::Please let there not be a-::
Creeeeeeeeeeeak.
Mimi flinched at the noise, and decided to open the door with one full swing, reducing the noise heard, but letting in the cold. ::Yikes-I'm surprised no one is awake--the Takenouchi's must sleep like logs!:: Quickly closing the door, Mimi allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark before daring to proceed any further. Once she was accustomed to the setting around her, she slowly crept down the hall to Sora's room and pushed the door open with her toe. Mimi held her breath and kept a watchful eye on her target as she began to apply the staple of her practical joke. Then she let out a tiny wicked cackle.
"I've always wanted to do that," she giggled.
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Long after midnight, Mimi stepped out of the apartment with a yawn and sleepily closed Sora's door. Soon though, a burst of cold air revived her and the sense of accomplishment she had achieved. Mimi skipped a bit out of excitement and the need to get warm as she took a shorter route on a different road to her home. ::Let's see…I cut through the alleyway between the third and fourth building, then go half a block down and turn right, then take another right,:: she recalled, reaching this point. ::Or was it a left? It might have been…:: Some parts of the city looked familiar, but others did not. How could she be absolutely sure she was going the right way? After all, it had been three years since she last lived here, and three years can bring about a lot of change…
::I'm not lost, I'm not lost…:: the girl told herself. 45 minutes slowly ticked by, and fear's roots were implanting themselves at alarming rates. Her heart beat uncontrollably at the thought of how vulnerable she was out here… Mimi paused for a moment as she tried to collect her thoughts, and she perceived music far off in the distance. Listening carefully, she followed the noise in hope, until she came to a brightly lit part of town. ::Where is this? I have never been here before…::
Flashy, sporadic neon lights blinded her and sound blasted out of seedy buildings. The charred smell of smoke and alcohol was infused into the thick, choking, atmosphere which clogged one's lungs and stupefied the mind. Gaudy people strutting down the noisy asphalted lanes stepped on and over drunken men laying in the littered streets. Trash rambled and somersaulted away from the cold breeze which swept through the site like a dark knight on his horse.
Mimi wrapped her knee-length coat about her a bit more tightly as she walked in patterns of light and dark, avoiding vomit piles and anyone who came near her. She realized she had gone too far and had now entered 'the bad part of town'. Her spirit was trembling in fright though she tried to walk with a sure step and appear unafraid. Some of the girls there looked so young--::How could they do this to themselves?:: she cried inwardly. Mimi's sweet innocence and naiveté had no place in this dirty, unrealistic world of sin.
Moving quickly, the joints began to lessen and with each step Mimi felt reassured. But the hair on her neck was prickling and she knew it couldn't mean something good. With hasty glances over the shoulder, Mimi saw a man--following her. Following her. Following her…
"If it's money you want, I don't have any!" she panicked, breaking out into a run. In frantic desperation, Mimi darted into a dark alleyway, tripping over empty bottles and her tall boots in the mire. She ran her hand along the cutting bricks to stabilize herself, sounds of anguish escaping her lips. Panting heavily, she hid behind the shadows of a dumpster waiting for the terrible moment when the man would come. But he never did.
::No one was really after me…it's okay now…:: she told herself, but it really wasn't. Mimi was as lost as ever and had no hope of getting back anytime soon. Tears warmed her cold cheeks as they slid slowly down her face and into a slimy puddle. It seemed as though the whole city was against her, playing a cruel game of Mimi in the Labyrinth. Exhausted, Mimi sat down on an empty crate to try and think rationally--something she had never been good at doing.
"Don't cry…" she whispered, shuddering a bit to choke back a sob. "Crying is of no use to you. You're a stronger Mimi now, remember?" tears gathered on the tips of her long lashes and she snuffled mournfully as a few more splashed her muddy platforms. Angrily she wiped her eyes and buried a bubble gum pink head into her weary arms, weeping without restraint. She felt as small as the ten year old girl in her memory once did. "Oh Palmon, I wish you were here," she sniffed.
A cigarette flew out of a window and smoldered on the wet ground besides her foot. Mimi's teary eyes looked up, and was surprised to see a window slid all the way open on a cold night like this. A shrill commanding voice reached her ears. It sounded so familiar…but who was it? Searching every part of her memory, she soon had the answer, and was determined to find out more.
The tears were banished from her and Mimi stood up, a plan already forming in her mind. ::I know it's just a crazy hunch, but wouldn't all this be worth it if I were right? No, you can't do this again…look what following a sound got you into last time! But maybe being brave does have its rewards…:: With a deep breath of newfound resolution, she stacked a few more crates; her heart thumping wildly and mittened hands tingling with the chill of excitement.
Eyeing a skinny metal ladder in the dimness, Mimi judged it would be too difficult to climb with her shoes, so taking a risk, she jerked off her boots and lay them on a box with her leather bag and gloves. Using the crates to boost her up, she was able to grab onto the bottom rung and pull up from there. Her chilled fingers and toes paid the price for the feat she was about to undertake.
She said goodbye to her brand new pair of black tights, and scaled the ancient ladder anyway. Quickly but carefully she came up, encouraged by the voice becoming louder as she continued. Finally Mimi was level with the open window, and glad it was too dark to see down for it was a long fall. Snatches of talk reached her ears. It appeared to be she had just arrived at the beginning of a conversation.
"You better be right about this whole 'energy mine' or I am really gonna kick your ass for the trouble I'm going through!"
"God I'm FREEZING in here! Damn window is stuck in this cheap dump!"
Mimi cringed at the crude words that spewed out of this girl's mouth. What could possibly be rocking her boat at this hour of night? She could smell the smoke of another cigarette, which threatened to make her cough.
"Yes you idiot, I am SURE no one is out there!" she stuck a blond head out the window to take a peek anyways. Mimi held her breath and was absolutely still. Rini blew a puff of smoke right in her face. As soon as she was back inside Mimi coughed.
"It's just some smashed fool out there, Bino! God, I swear…"
"The next time you call me at three A.M., I'm turning you in! I don't care that you're in a time zone fifty kajillion miles away! It's not convenient for ME! GET IT?!"
A cold wind blew through the alley, blocking out whatever else Rini said. Mimi wrapped her arms around the tiny ladder and stood on top of a foot to keep it warm. She was so tired…
"…destroying it now. Don't worry, no one will ever find out," a lighter flicked on and a small sheet slowly burning, floated to the ground. Mimi watched it descend like a falling leaf and grabbed for it in vain, but it slipped beyond her reach. Craning her body to see where it would land, she let one arm go and watched as the paper stuck to the side of the wet dumpster, which suffocated the flame.
Another sharp current of air startled Mimi and she gasped in fright, quickly clinging to her life support with both arms and moved to switch feet. But it was tricky to do it right in such a small space with slippery stockings. She put her foot down on the rung below.
Mimi's eyes bulged and she bit her lip in pain to keep from crying out. A twisted piece of rust dug into the tender arch of her foot. She lifted her foot and tried hopping down the ladder but began to slip three quarters of the way.
"Oh shoooot!" Mimi's hushed cry came as she slid and fell onto the crates, which toppled over and left her sprawling on the dirty, wet street. As soon as she concluded her foot was alright, she yanked on her boots.
"Ya DAMN DRUNK!" Rini shouted, throwing a sake bottle out the window.
Mimi dodged as it shattered to pieces, then grabbed her stuff when the silence returned. She was about to leave when she remembered the paper affixed to the rubbish collector. Putting aside her personal disgust for filth, Mimi slid her hand along the backside until she felt the soaked rag. Then she left and walked out onto the street.
Standing under a lamplight, the small sheet was carefully spread across her palm and Mimi discovered an address on one side.
"Maraba, Brazil…? What's in Brazil?" murmured Mimi.
The flame had burned off the zip-code and the water ran some letters, but it was still fairly legible. She turned it over and came across directions. Mimi recognized them right away. They told how to get to the Masuko Center, where Matt often held his concerts.
Just then Mimi had an idea. ::If I follow these instructions, I can get to 13th Street, and from there I can find my way home!::
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Tai's sleepy eyes focused on the first thing he saw every morning; the underside of the bunk above. Same thing right? --or not.
"Oh shhh--" Taichi caught his language and bolted up, banging his head against his sister's bed.
"*He* saw it…" Kari mumbled in her sleep, rolling over and softly snoring again.
Taichi scrambled out of bed, and in the process got his foot entangled with the sheets causing him to stumble. He slowly passed his hand from his mouth to chin looking suspiciously at the bunk, then shook his head to clear the new day foggies. He staggered over to a white drawer murmuring,
"I knew I shouldn't have dreamed that last n--what the heck?!" The scene from last night dappled his clothing like chicken pox from the Twilight Zone. He slammed the drawer and his fingers singing, "Ai--this is not my day!"
He shook his wounded hand and sucked on the poor fingers before going back in there and ripping every impertinent little sticker right off and into the trash can. Tai stacked his text books up and found a clean white shirt and his green jacket. His tie lay in a drawer somewhere, but he hated wearing it, and never did; especially not on Saturdays.
His khaki pants were nowhere to be found, and he gave up, going to breakfast in half a uniform and Thomas the Tank Engine boxers (a gift from his mother--hey, they were on sale!). Kari appeared out of nowhere, looking perfectly dressed and ready to go. And not only that, she slept in late too! Taichi looked disgustedly at her as she held out his pants.
"Looking for something?"
"Yeah, thanks," he said grabbing them. Tai quickly changed and put on his shoes, then rejoined his mother and sister at the table.
"Oh honey, what is that on your pants?" Mrs. Yagami pointed out, squinting.
"What is what?" Taichi obliviously asked.
"On your butt--I think it's a thread, want me to cut it for you? Of course, I don't have my contacts in yet but it won't really matter since--"
"It's a large thread, mom--get the knife," Kari chimed in. Her brother slapped his behind and tried to locate what they were talking about. Another blasted sticker.
"It's okay, ev-er-y-thing is under control," he smiled, yanking the treachery off and running out the door with his book bag.
"But Tai! What about the thread?"
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Well there it is. SO ARE YOU PEOPLE HAPPY NOW?!NOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE IN PEACE?! ^.^ Okay, next questionnaire:
1. What was your favorite part of this chapter?
2. Um whatever else you want to say. Please remember to use a sharpened #2 pencil and write neatly in the blank provided.
Thank you! ^.^
P.S. for those of you who saw that plot summary thing I wrote, I accidentally forgot to delete it. It was supposed to be a surprise…ooops…
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Let It Snow: Part 3
Kari Yagami snickered hysterically as she e-mailed Mimi the picture. Realizing she had to stop before her parents woke up, she made an attempt to control her laughter, which only resulted in a snort. It wasn't just the picture that caused such commotion, but the plan she and Mimi were about to carry out. Printing up a whole batch of the previously mentioned file, Kari calmed herself down with a few breathing exercises and tip-toed back to her room.
From there, she quietly unzipped Tai's book-bag, and stuck the three inch sticker on the cover of every book in there. Then with more giggles, she opened up his drawer and put one on all of his jumbled up clothes-even his underwear! She made sure to use up every single one on all of his stuff, but there was one leftover. Kari bounced it on the tip of her finger as she contemplated where to put it. Straining her eyes in the dark, she spied the bunk. Aha! She got an idea.
Softly the young girl moved to her brother's bed. She sucked in her stomach and held her breath as she prepared to place the sticker, and did some quick calculating. Right above Taichi's head was where the sticker was to be placed. She leaned over and…..
ZZZZZZZZRRZZZZZRRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZZZZZR
Kari bumped her head on the bottom of her bed from shock at the loud sound emitted from Tai. She scrunched up her eyes and opened her mouth as she crammed her fingers in her ears.
ZZZZZZZZZZRRRRRRRZZZZZZZZRRZZZZZRZZRZ
Tai's young sister felt the wood floor furiously, and snatched two stray socks that had fallen. ::Please let these not be Tai's…:: she prayed ferverently as she crammed them in her ears.
zzzzzzrrrrrrzzrzzzzzzrrr
Well….the noise was reduced somewhat. Once more she positioned herself, and slapped the sticker where Tai would be sure to see it first thing in the morning. Then with her fingers, she rubbed it vigorously to make sure it wouldn't come off. Exploding with giggles, she ran up the ladder to her bed and threw down the socks before laughing into her pillow.
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Mimi waited impatiently before her blaring computer screen as she clicked the 'refresh' button repeatedly. A box popped up displaying the long awaited 'you have one new message' signal, which she eagerly clicked. Her eyes quickly scanned the hastily typed note, then she opened the attached file and laughed. ::The picture turned out better than I thought!:: Mimi joyfully exclaimed in her head. Reproducing multiple copies of it, she girl slipped on her coat and snatched up the freshly printed stickers which she then transferred into to her old brown cowgirl bag. Mimi hadn't bothered changing into her nightclothes. She simply lay under her covers until the right time.
Quickly sneaking out the door of her home, Mimi could not believe she was actually doing this--that Kari had actually talked her into it! ::Well…it was partly your idea too…:: she reminded herself. Thoughts started creeping into her mind…about what could happen to young girls who roamed the city at night. ::It's too late to turn back now…I have to keep my half of the deal…:: she shoved the thoughts out of her mind, pulled her coat tighter around her, and continued her trek. Before she knew it, she was on the street where Sora's apartment building resided, and climbed up the long flight.
"Okay…cross your fingers and say a prayer for luck," Mimi said in a low voice as she tried the handle on Sora's door. whisper
Jiggle. JIGGLE. JIGGLE.
"Darn it!" Mimi fiercely cried in a soft tone as she yanked the metal bar down. "It's locked!" She turned around and was about to leave, when a glimmer caught her eye through the door. She raised her brow questionably, and saw it was the sliding lock. "Perhaps there's a chance I might…." Mimi hastily searched her pockets for a hairpin…barrette…anything. "Yes-s!" She whispered jubilantly. "My trusty credit card! Thank--you--Daddy!" She quietly sang out as she kissed it happily. Sliding it through the crack, she wiggled and rattled the thin piece of plastic until the sound the had been waiting for greeted her ears.
Pop.
Slowly and carefully she tried the handle again, and this time it gave no resistance. ::Please let there not be a-::
Creeeeeeeeeeeak.
Mimi flinched at the noise, and decided to open the door with one full swing, reducing the noise heard, but letting in the cold. ::Yikes-I'm surprised no one is awake--the Takenouchi's must sleep like logs!:: Quickly closing the door, Mimi allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark before daring to proceed any further. Once she was accustomed to the setting around her, she slowly crept down the hall to Sora's room and pushed the door open with her toe. Mimi held her breath and kept a watchful eye on her target as she began to apply the staple of her practical joke. Then she let out a tiny wicked cackle.
"I've always wanted to do that," she giggled.
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Long after midnight, Mimi stepped out of the apartment with a yawn and sleepily closed Sora's door. Soon though, a burst of cold air revived her and the sense of accomplishment she had achieved. Mimi skipped a bit out of excitement and the need to get warm as she took a shorter route on a different road to her home. ::Let's see…I cut through the alleyway between the third and fourth building, then go half a block down and turn right, then take another right,:: she recalled, reaching this point. ::Or was it a left? It might have been…:: Some parts of the city looked familiar, but others did not. How could she be absolutely sure she was going the right way? After all, it had been three years since she last lived here, and three years can bring about a lot of change…
::I'm not lost, I'm not lost…:: the girl told herself. 45 minutes slowly ticked by, and fear's roots were implanting themselves at alarming rates. Her heart beat uncontrollably at the thought of how vulnerable she was out here… Mimi paused for a moment as she tried to collect her thoughts, and she perceived music far off in the distance. Listening carefully, she followed the noise in hope, until she came to a brightly lit part of town. ::Where is this? I have never been here before…::
Flashy, sporadic neon lights blinded her and sound blasted out of seedy buildings. The charred smell of smoke and alcohol was infused into the thick, choking, atmosphere which clogged one's lungs and stupefied the mind. Gaudy people strutting down the noisy asphalted lanes stepped on and over drunken men laying in the littered streets. Trash rambled and somersaulted away from the cold breeze which swept through the site like a dark knight on his horse.
Mimi wrapped her knee-length coat about her a bit more tightly as she walked in patterns of light and dark, avoiding vomit piles and anyone who came near her. She realized she had gone too far and had now entered 'the bad part of town'. Her spirit was trembling in fright though she tried to walk with a sure step and appear unafraid. Some of the girls there looked so young--::How could they do this to themselves?:: she cried inwardly. Mimi's sweet innocence and naiveté had no place in this dirty, unrealistic world of sin.
Moving quickly, the joints began to lessen and with each step Mimi felt reassured. But the hair on her neck was prickling and she knew it couldn't mean something good. With hasty glances over the shoulder, Mimi saw a man--following her. Following her. Following her…
"If it's money you want, I don't have any!" she panicked, breaking out into a run. In frantic desperation, Mimi darted into a dark alleyway, tripping over empty bottles and her tall boots in the mire. She ran her hand along the cutting bricks to stabilize herself, sounds of anguish escaping her lips. Panting heavily, she hid behind the shadows of a dumpster waiting for the terrible moment when the man would come. But he never did.
::No one was really after me…it's okay now…:: she told herself, but it really wasn't. Mimi was as lost as ever and had no hope of getting back anytime soon. Tears warmed her cold cheeks as they slid slowly down her face and into a slimy puddle. It seemed as though the whole city was against her, playing a cruel game of Mimi in the Labyrinth. Exhausted, Mimi sat down on an empty crate to try and think rationally--something she had never been good at doing.
"Don't cry…" she whispered, shuddering a bit to choke back a sob. "Crying is of no use to you. You're a stronger Mimi now, remember?" tears gathered on the tips of her long lashes and she snuffled mournfully as a few more splashed her muddy platforms. Angrily she wiped her eyes and buried a bubble gum pink head into her weary arms, weeping without restraint. She felt as small as the ten year old girl in her memory once did. "Oh Palmon, I wish you were here," she sniffed.
A cigarette flew out of a window and smoldered on the wet ground besides her foot. Mimi's teary eyes looked up, and was surprised to see a window slid all the way open on a cold night like this. A shrill commanding voice reached her ears. It sounded so familiar…but who was it? Searching every part of her memory, she soon had the answer, and was determined to find out more.
The tears were banished from her and Mimi stood up, a plan already forming in her mind. ::I know it's just a crazy hunch, but wouldn't all this be worth it if I were right? No, you can't do this again…look what following a sound got you into last time! But maybe being brave does have its rewards…:: With a deep breath of newfound resolution, she stacked a few more crates; her heart thumping wildly and mittened hands tingling with the chill of excitement.
Eyeing a skinny metal ladder in the dimness, Mimi judged it would be too difficult to climb with her shoes, so taking a risk, she jerked off her boots and lay them on a box with her leather bag and gloves. Using the crates to boost her up, she was able to grab onto the bottom rung and pull up from there. Her chilled fingers and toes paid the price for the feat she was about to undertake.
She said goodbye to her brand new pair of black tights, and scaled the ancient ladder anyway. Quickly but carefully she came up, encouraged by the voice becoming louder as she continued. Finally Mimi was level with the open window, and glad it was too dark to see down for it was a long fall. Snatches of talk reached her ears. It appeared to be she had just arrived at the beginning of a conversation.
"You better be right about this whole 'energy mine' or I am really gonna kick your ass for the trouble I'm going through!"
"God I'm FREEZING in here! Damn window is stuck in this cheap dump!"
Mimi cringed at the crude words that spewed out of this girl's mouth. What could possibly be rocking her boat at this hour of night? She could smell the smoke of another cigarette, which threatened to make her cough.
"Yes you idiot, I am SURE no one is out there!" she stuck a blond head out the window to take a peek anyways. Mimi held her breath and was absolutely still. Rini blew a puff of smoke right in her face. As soon as she was back inside Mimi coughed.
"It's just some smashed fool out there, Bino! God, I swear…"
"The next time you call me at three A.M., I'm turning you in! I don't care that you're in a time zone fifty kajillion miles away! It's not convenient for ME! GET IT?!"
A cold wind blew through the alley, blocking out whatever else Rini said. Mimi wrapped her arms around the tiny ladder and stood on top of a foot to keep it warm. She was so tired…
"…destroying it now. Don't worry, no one will ever find out," a lighter flicked on and a small sheet slowly burning, floated to the ground. Mimi watched it descend like a falling leaf and grabbed for it in vain, but it slipped beyond her reach. Craning her body to see where it would land, she let one arm go and watched as the paper stuck to the side of the wet dumpster, which suffocated the flame.
Another sharp current of air startled Mimi and she gasped in fright, quickly clinging to her life support with both arms and moved to switch feet. But it was tricky to do it right in such a small space with slippery stockings. She put her foot down on the rung below.
Mimi's eyes bulged and she bit her lip in pain to keep from crying out. A twisted piece of rust dug into the tender arch of her foot. She lifted her foot and tried hopping down the ladder but began to slip three quarters of the way.
"Oh shoooot!" Mimi's hushed cry came as she slid and fell onto the crates, which toppled over and left her sprawling on the dirty, wet street. As soon as she concluded her foot was alright, she yanked on her boots.
"Ya DAMN DRUNK!" Rini shouted, throwing a sake bottle out the window.
Mimi dodged as it shattered to pieces, then grabbed her stuff when the silence returned. She was about to leave when she remembered the paper affixed to the rubbish collector. Putting aside her personal disgust for filth, Mimi slid her hand along the backside until she felt the soaked rag. Then she left and walked out onto the street.
Standing under a lamplight, the small sheet was carefully spread across her palm and Mimi discovered an address on one side.
"Maraba, Brazil…? What's in Brazil?" murmured Mimi.
The flame had burned off the zip-code and the water ran some letters, but it was still fairly legible. She turned it over and came across directions. Mimi recognized them right away. They told how to get to the Masuko Center, where Matt often held his concerts.
Just then Mimi had an idea. ::If I follow these instructions, I can get to 13th Street, and from there I can find my way home!::
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Tai's sleepy eyes focused on the first thing he saw every morning; the underside of the bunk above. Same thing right? --or not.
"Oh shhh--" Taichi caught his language and bolted up, banging his head against his sister's bed.
"*He* saw it…" Kari mumbled in her sleep, rolling over and softly snoring again.
Taichi scrambled out of bed, and in the process got his foot entangled with the sheets causing him to stumble. He slowly passed his hand from his mouth to chin looking suspiciously at the bunk, then shook his head to clear the new day foggies. He staggered over to a white drawer murmuring,
"I knew I shouldn't have dreamed that last n--what the heck?!" The scene from last night dappled his clothing like chicken pox from the Twilight Zone. He slammed the drawer and his fingers singing, "Ai--this is not my day!"
He shook his wounded hand and sucked on the poor fingers before going back in there and ripping every impertinent little sticker right off and into the trash can. Tai stacked his text books up and found a clean white shirt and his green jacket. His tie lay in a drawer somewhere, but he hated wearing it, and never did; especially not on Saturdays.
His khaki pants were nowhere to be found, and he gave up, going to breakfast in half a uniform and Thomas the Tank Engine boxers (a gift from his mother--hey, they were on sale!). Kari appeared out of nowhere, looking perfectly dressed and ready to go. And not only that, she slept in late too! Taichi looked disgustedly at her as she held out his pants.
"Looking for something?"
"Yeah, thanks," he said grabbing them. Tai quickly changed and put on his shoes, then rejoined his mother and sister at the table.
"Oh honey, what is that on your pants?" Mrs. Yagami pointed out, squinting.
"What is what?" Taichi obliviously asked.
"On your butt--I think it's a thread, want me to cut it for you? Of course, I don't have my contacts in yet but it won't really matter since--"
"It's a large thread, mom--get the knife," Kari chimed in. Her brother slapped his behind and tried to locate what they were talking about. Another blasted sticker.
"It's okay, ev-er-y-thing is under control," he smiled, yanking the treachery off and running out the door with his book bag.
"But Tai! What about the thread?"
.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.\~^*^~/.
Well there it is. SO ARE YOU PEOPLE HAPPY NOW?!NOW CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE IN PEACE?! ^.^ Okay, next questionnaire:
1. What was your favorite part of this chapter?
2. Um whatever else you want to say. Please remember to use a sharpened #2 pencil and write neatly in the blank provided.
Thank you! ^.^
P.S. for those of you who saw that plot summary thing I wrote, I accidentally forgot to delete it. It was supposed to be a surprise…ooops…