It was summer. June fifteenth, to be exact. And I'd just turned fifteen. Mom gave me fifteen roses for my birthday, along with a purple hairtie. She said it'd been hers before. A family heirloom or something. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, just took it for granted, like I did everything else.
Papa got me a new journal. Black, leather bound. Top of the line, very expensive. Again, I just took it for granted.
My parents had always spoiled me, and really, I was a good kid. I always did what I was told, my mom drilled manners in to me, and I was unfailingly polite. I just took things for granted. I always thought that whatever I needed would be there, or, if it wasn't, I could just ask for it and it would magically appear. And I never thought I'd be alone.
Fifteen days later, both my parents died in a car wreck. Mom was thirty-five, papa was thirty-seven.
It happened by the old road, the one that leads back in to the woods. The one mom told me never to go to. But now it's nearly the middle of July, five days after the funeral. I have no other living family, so I'm staying with a friend. She says that she wishes her parents would adopt me, that I could live with her and be her sister, but I know it'll never happen. The government will take me, put me in a foster home, probably far away from here.
I couldn't stand it, this helpless feeling. And this feeling of loss. I'd never had it before. Again, taking things for granted. The only things I had left were my clothes, and the last presents my parents had given me. I hadn't wanted anything else. It didn't seem important anymore, nothing did. I was listless, apathetic. At school, I'd walk the halls like a ghost. At first everybody was sympathetic, but now they avoided me. What did they know? How could they possibly understand how I felt?
But one day, everything changed.
I was walking. School had let out an hour ago, but I just kept walking. I didn't feel like going back to my friend's house for some reason. I guess I just needed some time alone, someplace where I could think, without distractions. I had on my school uniform, golden brown hair pulled back in to a ponytail, held with my mom's hairtie, and my diary was in my satchel along with my school books.
I didn't notice where my feet had taken me until I nearly tripped over one of the small shrines. My legs were long, gangly I thought, and too skinny. Still unweildy, and the rest of my body had yet to catch up. Mom had always told me that I looked just like her when she was my age. I wished I could believe her.
I caught my balance, then stopped and took a look around. The old road. It turned to dirt and headed up in to the woods from here. I turned my head to the right, and saw my old house. I quickly looked away. Too many memories. I was selfish, so selfish for not wanting to remember, to block it all out, but I didn't care. Make a wish and it'll all go away, right?
I turned to head back, but something made me stop. The wind, possibly, or just something in the back of my mind. I gripped my satchel tighter, then, in a moment of sheer defiance, I turned back around and marched up the road, disappearing in to the trees. What I was defying against, I didn't know.
After about a half hour of walking, I started to think it wasn't such a good idea after all. It was steadily growing dark, and probably would be in another fifteen minutes or so. But then I came across the statue, and the building. The statue creeped me out, and I edged around it carefully, then went in to the building.
It was dark, but I managed to pick my way through without tripping over anything. I came out in what looked to be an old waiting room of some sort, like for a train station or amusement park. It wasn't as dark as the tunnel, but what little light it had was fading fast with the setting of the sun. I walked over to the door leading outside, regardless of the light.
"Five minutes. I'll just look around for five minutes."
I said it outloud, to reassure myself. When I came outside, the sky looked like it was bleeding from the setting sun. There were grassy hills all around, and what looked to be an old town or something up ahead.
I walked forward, only pausing for a moment when I came to the rocks. It looked as if they had intended to put in a stream, but never did. I stumbled over them, slipping a bit in my school shoes, but managed to get across. I hopped up a few of the steps, then stopped, looking behind me. The last of the sun faded away, and what I saw next, I will never forget.
The water started rising. I thought someone had turned the water on, or that it had actually started to rain and I just hadn't noticed yet. But the water kept rising, covering the rocks. I lifted my gaze from the water, and lurched forward as the opposite bank seemed to yank back. What had been only about ten feet away was now at least a mile from me, and seperated by a large body of water that had not been there before.
I backed away, astonished and confused, and tripped over the steps, landing hard. My satchel flew out of my hand, landing on the grass some feet away, and I winced with pain. After a few seconds, I stood up, carefully, and turned to go get my satchel.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The voice startled me and I tripped again, only this time I didn't hit the ground. Strong hands supported me, caught around my waist. I heard a gasp behind me, and whoever it was quickly let me go. I stumbled a bit, but caught my balance, turning to see who had prevented another untimely fall.
It was a boy, no older than I, with black hair, fair skin, and piercing green eyes. He was gorgeous, and reminded me a bit of the most popular guy at school, although I hoped this one didn't turn out to be quite as snobby.
I managed up an embaressed smile, rubbing the back of my head. "Um, thanks for catching me." For the moment, I had completely forgotten my strange situation.
The boy narrowed his eyes at me, and my smile faded.
"You're a human," he spit out, as if it was a bad thing. I nodded dumbly, not noticing the look of pain that flashed across his face. "Tell me your name."
I just stood there, dumbfounded. Why did he look and sound so hostile? Had I done something wrong? Trespassed?
"Tell me your name!" he snapped, and I took a step back, my voice trembling when I spoke.
"S-Sen. M-my name is Sen."
Papa got me a new journal. Black, leather bound. Top of the line, very expensive. Again, I just took it for granted.
My parents had always spoiled me, and really, I was a good kid. I always did what I was told, my mom drilled manners in to me, and I was unfailingly polite. I just took things for granted. I always thought that whatever I needed would be there, or, if it wasn't, I could just ask for it and it would magically appear. And I never thought I'd be alone.
Fifteen days later, both my parents died in a car wreck. Mom was thirty-five, papa was thirty-seven.
It happened by the old road, the one that leads back in to the woods. The one mom told me never to go to. But now it's nearly the middle of July, five days after the funeral. I have no other living family, so I'm staying with a friend. She says that she wishes her parents would adopt me, that I could live with her and be her sister, but I know it'll never happen. The government will take me, put me in a foster home, probably far away from here.
I couldn't stand it, this helpless feeling. And this feeling of loss. I'd never had it before. Again, taking things for granted. The only things I had left were my clothes, and the last presents my parents had given me. I hadn't wanted anything else. It didn't seem important anymore, nothing did. I was listless, apathetic. At school, I'd walk the halls like a ghost. At first everybody was sympathetic, but now they avoided me. What did they know? How could they possibly understand how I felt?
But one day, everything changed.
I was walking. School had let out an hour ago, but I just kept walking. I didn't feel like going back to my friend's house for some reason. I guess I just needed some time alone, someplace where I could think, without distractions. I had on my school uniform, golden brown hair pulled back in to a ponytail, held with my mom's hairtie, and my diary was in my satchel along with my school books.
I didn't notice where my feet had taken me until I nearly tripped over one of the small shrines. My legs were long, gangly I thought, and too skinny. Still unweildy, and the rest of my body had yet to catch up. Mom had always told me that I looked just like her when she was my age. I wished I could believe her.
I caught my balance, then stopped and took a look around. The old road. It turned to dirt and headed up in to the woods from here. I turned my head to the right, and saw my old house. I quickly looked away. Too many memories. I was selfish, so selfish for not wanting to remember, to block it all out, but I didn't care. Make a wish and it'll all go away, right?
I turned to head back, but something made me stop. The wind, possibly, or just something in the back of my mind. I gripped my satchel tighter, then, in a moment of sheer defiance, I turned back around and marched up the road, disappearing in to the trees. What I was defying against, I didn't know.
After about a half hour of walking, I started to think it wasn't such a good idea after all. It was steadily growing dark, and probably would be in another fifteen minutes or so. But then I came across the statue, and the building. The statue creeped me out, and I edged around it carefully, then went in to the building.
It was dark, but I managed to pick my way through without tripping over anything. I came out in what looked to be an old waiting room of some sort, like for a train station or amusement park. It wasn't as dark as the tunnel, but what little light it had was fading fast with the setting of the sun. I walked over to the door leading outside, regardless of the light.
"Five minutes. I'll just look around for five minutes."
I said it outloud, to reassure myself. When I came outside, the sky looked like it was bleeding from the setting sun. There were grassy hills all around, and what looked to be an old town or something up ahead.
I walked forward, only pausing for a moment when I came to the rocks. It looked as if they had intended to put in a stream, but never did. I stumbled over them, slipping a bit in my school shoes, but managed to get across. I hopped up a few of the steps, then stopped, looking behind me. The last of the sun faded away, and what I saw next, I will never forget.
The water started rising. I thought someone had turned the water on, or that it had actually started to rain and I just hadn't noticed yet. But the water kept rising, covering the rocks. I lifted my gaze from the water, and lurched forward as the opposite bank seemed to yank back. What had been only about ten feet away was now at least a mile from me, and seperated by a large body of water that had not been there before.
I backed away, astonished and confused, and tripped over the steps, landing hard. My satchel flew out of my hand, landing on the grass some feet away, and I winced with pain. After a few seconds, I stood up, carefully, and turned to go get my satchel.
"Hey, are you alright?"
The voice startled me and I tripped again, only this time I didn't hit the ground. Strong hands supported me, caught around my waist. I heard a gasp behind me, and whoever it was quickly let me go. I stumbled a bit, but caught my balance, turning to see who had prevented another untimely fall.
It was a boy, no older than I, with black hair, fair skin, and piercing green eyes. He was gorgeous, and reminded me a bit of the most popular guy at school, although I hoped this one didn't turn out to be quite as snobby.
I managed up an embaressed smile, rubbing the back of my head. "Um, thanks for catching me." For the moment, I had completely forgotten my strange situation.
The boy narrowed his eyes at me, and my smile faded.
"You're a human," he spit out, as if it was a bad thing. I nodded dumbly, not noticing the look of pain that flashed across his face. "Tell me your name."
I just stood there, dumbfounded. Why did he look and sound so hostile? Had I done something wrong? Trespassed?
"Tell me your name!" he snapped, and I took a step back, my voice trembling when I spoke.
"S-Sen. M-my name is Sen."