AN: ok, this chapter doesn't have much action, but I'll get there in the
next chapter, or the chapter after that, eventually. Please just keep
reading! Again, read and review, and my e-mail is graceofmercury@yahoo.com.
Please send comments to that address! Also, I will get back to the scouts
back in Japan eventually.
Ami stared out of the plane's window nervously; despite her defiant, brazen words to her "friends" and her persuasion of her mother to let her go to America, Ami was so nervous she thought she might puke. Despite how many times they had ignored her, stereotyped her, unknowingly hurt her, the scouts were the only friends she had ever had.
Ami had read the letter from her host a dozen times. She was fluent in English, but still wasn't sure how her host family would react to her. They were a rather elderly couple, with their own children off to college already, although they wrote that they had one staying with them and commuting to college. She stared down at the now rather worn photograph of the couple. Their benevolent, smiling faces smiled up at her. Ami smiled suddenly to herself, reassured.
"Please buckle your seatbelts; we will be landing shortly." The voice of the stewardess came over the intercom. Ami buckled up and stared out over the ocean for one last time; she felt calm again. After all, water was her element, even if the sea was more Michiru's element than hers.
Ami clutched her suitcase's handle until her knuckles were even whiter than her usual pale shade. She finally spotted two people waving frantically. Wait, there was a blond head behind them, also craning his neck. Ami's brow furrowed, then smoothed. She'd learn who it was when she met them.
"Hi, Ami Mizuno, right? We're the Millers, John and Erin." stated the man, gesturing to himself and his wife. "And this scamp, get over here! You need to greet the pretty girl, you knave!" John hauled a tall, blond boy over, who grinned at Ami. "This scamp is our son, Zach. He's going to the local college, but stays with us for now."
Ami made a small bow, then uttered softly, "I am very pleased to meet all of you. Thank you very much for having me." Zach grinned once more, and both Erin and John chuckled. "No need to be so formal, Ami, you're family now!" Ami looked up, and when she saw the sincerity in each of their faces, she rewarded them with a dazzling smile of her own.
Ami obviously had no idea what a real smile did to her face; it turned a merely pretty, slightly shy girl into a beautiful girl who could have had an army at her feet. John and Erin were a bit startled at the transformation, but Zach was blown away at her beauty.
"Thank you, I think I will have a great time here. " Ami smiled, her eyes twinkling. Noticing Zach's obviously stunned expression, she smiled even more flirtatiously, winking at him. Zach looked like he had just been socked in the stomach. Ami giggled, noticing his drool.
It was her first day at the college prep school. Ami clutched her books to her chest like they were her lifesavers. She made her way down the hall, and nobody noticed the unassuming blue-haired genius. Ami made it through the first few periods of the school day by sheer force of will; normally, at school in Japan, she was able to get lost in the intellectual puzzles of her entire AP course schedule. Now, though, she was so nervous that she couldn't concentrate on anything at.
When she finally made it out into the hall, Ami leaned against a nearby window in an attempt to rally herself.
"Ami, listen up and listen good! You are NOT going to be the shy, sweet, retiring little girl anymore, you hear me? You are going to be the person you always wanted to be! You finally have the opportunity to break loose of all those stereotypes, so that's exactly what you're going to do!"
Despite her brave resolves, Ami was overwhelmed when she entered the cafeteria; the noise and bustle almost choked her. She got her tray and then boldly went up and tapped a girl on the shoulder. She turned around, and Ami's heart almost came out of it's constant position in her throat. The girl's features were open, honest and friendly, though, so Ami swallowed and said,
"Hi! My name is Ami Mizuno. I'm new here; I'm an exchange student from Japan, and I was wondering if I could sit with your lunch group." Ami heard herself speaking boldly, and was a bit startled at her own daring. The girl smiled in return, and said,
"Hi! My name is Ashley, and of course you can eat with me and my friends. We'd be glad to have you. And-"
Ami cut her off with a wicked twinkle in her eye; "Yes, I obviously speak fluent English, America is a nice place, and I like here very much." Ashley blinked, a bit startled, then threw her head back and laughed.
"You obviously have know found out what it's like to be a new person in a strange country. I moved here two years ago from New York, and I got the exact same questions; 'Do you like California? How is the weather compared to there? You don't have an accent; why is that?'" Ashley rolled her eyes as she mimicked those inquisitive outsiders while Ami smiled in sympathy. "Well, since you beat me to the punch, I suppose I need to introduce you to the rest of my friends. Right this way," Ashley said, mock bowing. Ami assumed a grand air, her nose stuck in the air. "Thank you, Ashley" Ami said in her snottiest tone. Ashley snickered, and the two girls went to a table in the corner both giggling.
"Girls, this is Ami Mizuno. She's an exchange student from Japan; she speaks fluent English, thinks America is a nice place, and likes it very much." said Ashley, a wicked sparkle in her eye. Ami stifled a smile as the other girls exchanged non-plussed looks. "Now, this girl here is pretty darn sharp, so you guys better not think you're in for a teddy bear here or anything." Ashley drawled exaggeratedly.
"Darn it! And I felt like picking on somebody too!" One of the dark-haired girls grumbled sarcastically.
"Anyway," said Ashley, pointedly ignoring the other girl, "You all should remember you manners, if you have any, and introduce yourselves."
"Hi, I'm Emily."
"I'm Mary."
"I'm Ruby."
"And I'm Jenna."
"Hi. I'm glad to meet you." Ami said.
"We are too!" chorused the other girls. Mary and Ruby scooted over to make some room for Ami, and pretty soon Ami was chatting with the five girls like they were all old friends. Ami felt so free; nobody here had any stereotypes or set ideas of who she was; nobody looked at her strangely if she laughed too loud, or made rude comments, or was sarcastic or let a few explexitives drop. Nobody thought she was being totally out of character if she expressed interest in boys, or if she made some daring, insinuating observations about the guys on the football teams. Ami felt giddy, almost as if she had drunk a bottle of champagne. She felt light as a feather, almost as if chains had been removed that she hadn't even been aware of. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the scouts and her life in Japan lingered, but she pushed them away and lived for the moment.
Ashley and Ami were walking down the corridor towards their respective classes. Although they had only met an hour before, Ami already felt close to Ashley and could tell that the feeling was reciprocated. Ami liked the other girls well enough, but there was a strong kindness about Ashley that Ami was especially drawn to. They were chatting and gossiping when three shadows fell across them, blocking their path.
"So. You're the new girl. Think you're smart, huh?" sneered one of the girls at Ami. She was tall and heavily made up.
"Karina, we don't want any trouble." Ashley said quietly, but one could hear the steel in her voice.
"Yeah, I'll bet you don't, with a wimp like that at your side." Ami felt an unfamiliar rush of anger; she had been treated like this before, but had always been defensive and turned her feelings inward, rather than outward. Before she could react, though, Ashley stepped in front of Ami, saying "Karina, Ami hasn't done anything to you and if you don't leave her alone, we might have some - trouble." Ashley paused slightly before the last word, then smiled coldly. The other girl girl sneered again, and then all three brushed passed Ami and Ashley.
Ami stuttered, a bit startled, "Thank you for standing up for me. Nobody's, nobody's ever done that before for me." Ashley raised an eyebrow, saying, "There's no need to thank me. Friends stand up for each other, and friends do things for each other without any thought of thanks or reward in return. That's the way that friendship works." Ami blushed, a bit, at the gently worded reprimand, and a bit bashful but extremely pleased to already have been considered a friend. Hastily changing the subject, she asked, "So who's that girl? Seems like she's got a major problem.
Ashley sighed, then said, "That's Karina. She's supposedly popular, but I really feel sorry for her. She comes from a broken family, and her mom's an alcoholic. Also-" here, her voice dropped, and she leaned over closer to Ami, who bent her head to listen better. "I think her boyfriend's abusive; she sometimes comes in with bruises that even her makeup can't hide. So, I think she tries to vent her problems by being belligerent to everybody else." Ashley shook her head. Ami mulled this over on the way of class. She also thought a bit about Ashley's few and succinct words on the nature of friendship; sure, she supposed that she considered Serena her friend and all, but when she defended Serena, Ami always saw her duty as a job and goal to be accomplished. Ami was also somewhat confused about Karina; whenever she had fought youma in Japan, good and bad were clearly designated; the youma were bad, and had to be annihilated at any cost. And yet, and yet- Ami paused here, hesitant. She remembered the sneers from the youma, and the sneer on Karina's face seemed to be an exact copy. But, Ami thought she could detect a hint of desparation, pleading, insecurity beneath Karina's sneer. Could it be, thought Ami suddenly, that the youma had feelings beneath that mask of a sneer? It certainly seemed that Karina did, and Ami suddenly remembered her own experience with masks. It seemed that back in Japan, Ami was always behind a mask of a shy, sweet girl, whose only real asset was her intellect. And yet, Ami KNEW she, herself, was more than that. Why, she had come to America so she could break out of that mask! Could it be that both the youma and Karina were more than their masks revealed? Ami shook her head; it was becoming dizzy with all this heavy thinking. Ami entered her next class; American history.
Ami stared out of the plane's window nervously; despite her defiant, brazen words to her "friends" and her persuasion of her mother to let her go to America, Ami was so nervous she thought she might puke. Despite how many times they had ignored her, stereotyped her, unknowingly hurt her, the scouts were the only friends she had ever had.
Ami had read the letter from her host a dozen times. She was fluent in English, but still wasn't sure how her host family would react to her. They were a rather elderly couple, with their own children off to college already, although they wrote that they had one staying with them and commuting to college. She stared down at the now rather worn photograph of the couple. Their benevolent, smiling faces smiled up at her. Ami smiled suddenly to herself, reassured.
"Please buckle your seatbelts; we will be landing shortly." The voice of the stewardess came over the intercom. Ami buckled up and stared out over the ocean for one last time; she felt calm again. After all, water was her element, even if the sea was more Michiru's element than hers.
Ami clutched her suitcase's handle until her knuckles were even whiter than her usual pale shade. She finally spotted two people waving frantically. Wait, there was a blond head behind them, also craning his neck. Ami's brow furrowed, then smoothed. She'd learn who it was when she met them.
"Hi, Ami Mizuno, right? We're the Millers, John and Erin." stated the man, gesturing to himself and his wife. "And this scamp, get over here! You need to greet the pretty girl, you knave!" John hauled a tall, blond boy over, who grinned at Ami. "This scamp is our son, Zach. He's going to the local college, but stays with us for now."
Ami made a small bow, then uttered softly, "I am very pleased to meet all of you. Thank you very much for having me." Zach grinned once more, and both Erin and John chuckled. "No need to be so formal, Ami, you're family now!" Ami looked up, and when she saw the sincerity in each of their faces, she rewarded them with a dazzling smile of her own.
Ami obviously had no idea what a real smile did to her face; it turned a merely pretty, slightly shy girl into a beautiful girl who could have had an army at her feet. John and Erin were a bit startled at the transformation, but Zach was blown away at her beauty.
"Thank you, I think I will have a great time here. " Ami smiled, her eyes twinkling. Noticing Zach's obviously stunned expression, she smiled even more flirtatiously, winking at him. Zach looked like he had just been socked in the stomach. Ami giggled, noticing his drool.
It was her first day at the college prep school. Ami clutched her books to her chest like they were her lifesavers. She made her way down the hall, and nobody noticed the unassuming blue-haired genius. Ami made it through the first few periods of the school day by sheer force of will; normally, at school in Japan, she was able to get lost in the intellectual puzzles of her entire AP course schedule. Now, though, she was so nervous that she couldn't concentrate on anything at.
When she finally made it out into the hall, Ami leaned against a nearby window in an attempt to rally herself.
"Ami, listen up and listen good! You are NOT going to be the shy, sweet, retiring little girl anymore, you hear me? You are going to be the person you always wanted to be! You finally have the opportunity to break loose of all those stereotypes, so that's exactly what you're going to do!"
Despite her brave resolves, Ami was overwhelmed when she entered the cafeteria; the noise and bustle almost choked her. She got her tray and then boldly went up and tapped a girl on the shoulder. She turned around, and Ami's heart almost came out of it's constant position in her throat. The girl's features were open, honest and friendly, though, so Ami swallowed and said,
"Hi! My name is Ami Mizuno. I'm new here; I'm an exchange student from Japan, and I was wondering if I could sit with your lunch group." Ami heard herself speaking boldly, and was a bit startled at her own daring. The girl smiled in return, and said,
"Hi! My name is Ashley, and of course you can eat with me and my friends. We'd be glad to have you. And-"
Ami cut her off with a wicked twinkle in her eye; "Yes, I obviously speak fluent English, America is a nice place, and I like here very much." Ashley blinked, a bit startled, then threw her head back and laughed.
"You obviously have know found out what it's like to be a new person in a strange country. I moved here two years ago from New York, and I got the exact same questions; 'Do you like California? How is the weather compared to there? You don't have an accent; why is that?'" Ashley rolled her eyes as she mimicked those inquisitive outsiders while Ami smiled in sympathy. "Well, since you beat me to the punch, I suppose I need to introduce you to the rest of my friends. Right this way," Ashley said, mock bowing. Ami assumed a grand air, her nose stuck in the air. "Thank you, Ashley" Ami said in her snottiest tone. Ashley snickered, and the two girls went to a table in the corner both giggling.
"Girls, this is Ami Mizuno. She's an exchange student from Japan; she speaks fluent English, thinks America is a nice place, and likes it very much." said Ashley, a wicked sparkle in her eye. Ami stifled a smile as the other girls exchanged non-plussed looks. "Now, this girl here is pretty darn sharp, so you guys better not think you're in for a teddy bear here or anything." Ashley drawled exaggeratedly.
"Darn it! And I felt like picking on somebody too!" One of the dark-haired girls grumbled sarcastically.
"Anyway," said Ashley, pointedly ignoring the other girl, "You all should remember you manners, if you have any, and introduce yourselves."
"Hi, I'm Emily."
"I'm Mary."
"I'm Ruby."
"And I'm Jenna."
"Hi. I'm glad to meet you." Ami said.
"We are too!" chorused the other girls. Mary and Ruby scooted over to make some room for Ami, and pretty soon Ami was chatting with the five girls like they were all old friends. Ami felt so free; nobody here had any stereotypes or set ideas of who she was; nobody looked at her strangely if she laughed too loud, or made rude comments, or was sarcastic or let a few explexitives drop. Nobody thought she was being totally out of character if she expressed interest in boys, or if she made some daring, insinuating observations about the guys on the football teams. Ami felt giddy, almost as if she had drunk a bottle of champagne. She felt light as a feather, almost as if chains had been removed that she hadn't even been aware of. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the scouts and her life in Japan lingered, but she pushed them away and lived for the moment.
Ashley and Ami were walking down the corridor towards their respective classes. Although they had only met an hour before, Ami already felt close to Ashley and could tell that the feeling was reciprocated. Ami liked the other girls well enough, but there was a strong kindness about Ashley that Ami was especially drawn to. They were chatting and gossiping when three shadows fell across them, blocking their path.
"So. You're the new girl. Think you're smart, huh?" sneered one of the girls at Ami. She was tall and heavily made up.
"Karina, we don't want any trouble." Ashley said quietly, but one could hear the steel in her voice.
"Yeah, I'll bet you don't, with a wimp like that at your side." Ami felt an unfamiliar rush of anger; she had been treated like this before, but had always been defensive and turned her feelings inward, rather than outward. Before she could react, though, Ashley stepped in front of Ami, saying "Karina, Ami hasn't done anything to you and if you don't leave her alone, we might have some - trouble." Ashley paused slightly before the last word, then smiled coldly. The other girl girl sneered again, and then all three brushed passed Ami and Ashley.
Ami stuttered, a bit startled, "Thank you for standing up for me. Nobody's, nobody's ever done that before for me." Ashley raised an eyebrow, saying, "There's no need to thank me. Friends stand up for each other, and friends do things for each other without any thought of thanks or reward in return. That's the way that friendship works." Ami blushed, a bit, at the gently worded reprimand, and a bit bashful but extremely pleased to already have been considered a friend. Hastily changing the subject, she asked, "So who's that girl? Seems like she's got a major problem.
Ashley sighed, then said, "That's Karina. She's supposedly popular, but I really feel sorry for her. She comes from a broken family, and her mom's an alcoholic. Also-" here, her voice dropped, and she leaned over closer to Ami, who bent her head to listen better. "I think her boyfriend's abusive; she sometimes comes in with bruises that even her makeup can't hide. So, I think she tries to vent her problems by being belligerent to everybody else." Ashley shook her head. Ami mulled this over on the way of class. She also thought a bit about Ashley's few and succinct words on the nature of friendship; sure, she supposed that she considered Serena her friend and all, but when she defended Serena, Ami always saw her duty as a job and goal to be accomplished. Ami was also somewhat confused about Karina; whenever she had fought youma in Japan, good and bad were clearly designated; the youma were bad, and had to be annihilated at any cost. And yet, and yet- Ami paused here, hesitant. She remembered the sneers from the youma, and the sneer on Karina's face seemed to be an exact copy. But, Ami thought she could detect a hint of desparation, pleading, insecurity beneath Karina's sneer. Could it be, thought Ami suddenly, that the youma had feelings beneath that mask of a sneer? It certainly seemed that Karina did, and Ami suddenly remembered her own experience with masks. It seemed that back in Japan, Ami was always behind a mask of a shy, sweet girl, whose only real asset was her intellect. And yet, Ami KNEW she, herself, was more than that. Why, she had come to America so she could break out of that mask! Could it be that both the youma and Karina were more than their masks revealed? Ami shook her head; it was becoming dizzy with all this heavy thinking. Ami entered her next class; American history.
