Dreaming Alone
-Chapter 1-
Dreams On A Parchment

"Hey Julia!" Michelle beamed. Her tawny face came into view with her rosy heart shaped lips. Everything about Michelle suggested happiness, when she smiled so did you. She was holding a small marble coloured navy blue book. "Look what I've found!"

"Hey! No fair! Give me that please!!" Julia whined a bit put off. She also resembled Michelle but her whole world just revolved around her, her father wasn't exactly really close but they had a 'special' father-daughter relationship.

"Oh, not yet Jewels," Michelle excitedly chirped while leafing through the pages, "There are some tasty things written here!"

Julia put her hands on her hips and scowled. In her irritation, she re-adjusted her head-band which held an intricate pattern on it and some beautiful peacock feathers.
"It's my diary, my innermost thoughts and feelings!" Julia pleaded.

"Look, you can tell me!" Michelle replied with a huge grin on her face. "When a girl gets bigger, her mom doesn't be her mom but turns more into a friend."

"....Fine," Julia gave in with a soft sigh.

"Yes!" Michelle smiled, she had won over her daughter...again.

"But I will read it!" Julia said gripping to the diary.

"...Fine," Michelle pouted, then brightened up. "But don't miss out the good bits!"

Julia sighed, and began. "Never have I felt such a sensation in 17 or 18 years, an unseen stranger has walked into my life. When I'm angry with him, he showers me with flowers and gifts and when I'm happy the whole world seems to go by so quickly, the only thing I want to do is let the world go by in his embrace safe from all harm..."

"WOW!" Michelle exclaimed, "Nice, so who's the guy?"

"Mom, he's an unseen stranger!" Julia replied.

"Oh wow, you mean there isn't any guy?" Michelle's smile faded, "Oh well, you can never find a boy as good as that nowadays, Oh Julia, you are so naive, haven't even met the guy and starting to dream."

Michelle smiled to herself while she tried to tidy the already tidied room.

Julia who was looking at the sunrise also smiled, "He may be unseen, but I know he is out there...somewhere..."

They both weren't looking at each other but they both knew what the other was thinking, they continued this moment for 2 or 3 minutes until Julia heard her fathers voice, it was more excited than Julia had ever heard it.

"Michelle! Julia! Come on, come here, I want to show you something!" Michelle's husband beckoned them over.

When they got down he was admiring a...letter. He was admiring every inch of it. He saw the two girls walk in and his normally tight face now seemed more softer, like a little child who has just got their first bike and triumphed in staying up.

"Look Michelle, it's a letter from KOREA, can you smell it? Ah, my home, my country!" He smiled cradling the envelope.

Julia and Michelle exchanged a smile at their Korean father, who was originally brought up in Korea and it was his real home to him. Julia took the letter from his grasp and started reading it.

"Dear Yuushi,
We hope you're enjoying the lands of Arizona- of course, why wouldn't you be? It is the USA and you haven't seemed to want to come in 18 years. But in all of your Western airs, we hope you haven't forgotten the little Easterners that reside where you first opened your eyes- and where the sun really rises.
You will be happy to know that the plans for Hwoarang and Julia's wedding....?"

Julia froze, she dropped the letter and ran towards her room, with a simpering glance from her mother.

"Did you see that?" Yuushi grinned triumphantly. "The daughter still gets shy around her father about her own wedding! Oh we have raised her so well. The promise I made to my friend 15 years ago about giving my daughter's hand in marriage has still been kept! Traditions don't die out!"

He was whirling Michelle around the room until she lightly pushed him away, she didn't want to favour him so she finally began.

"Maybe, we should ask Julia, I mean 15 years is still a long time, she was only 3 at the time! Maybe we..." Michelle was cut off.

"Look, I'm sure she'll accept. She has never denied any order we have given her. Michelle...she loves us and she knows that we are doing things for her own interest. Speak to her, then you will know." He smiled encouragingly.
"I mean we're her parents, not tyrants!"

Michelle ran upto Julia's room, where she found Julia tearing page by page of her diary, bidding silent goodbyes as they flew by the wind.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I wasn't allowed to dream," Julia murmured sadly as she heard Michelle slip into her room.

"No my child, you can dream as much as you like...just don't hope on it coming true," Michelle embraced her upset daughter. "Who knows, maybe Hwoarang might be your dream?"

There lay mother and daughter embraced.