Well here goes nothing:
Ulrich did dent feel like himself lately, in fact he had felt like this for quite some time now, ever since Yumi had left on a vacation to Japan with her family. So was William. Ulrich had been actually hanging out with William recently, for now they had more in common than ever. To quote Ulrich directly "life drones on at a dead slow pace". Xana hadn't attacked for almost a year, and with Yumi gone Ulrich was beginning to miss the excitement. But not as much as he missed Yumi. His grades had plummeted to an all time low and he often skipped class to go sit in his favorite tree and write in his journal.
As the time passed the seasons changed, and with the changing seasons, the semester had gone and passed. Ulrich remembered receiving hectic phone calls from his parents. The first call was pleading him to bring up his grades, and they got continually stranger until the last one announced his parents divorce and his dad was moving back to Germany. He hadn't cried, he had known that they weren't necessarily happy since his brother had passed away, and they had moved from Germany to France. This just seemed like the necessary last peace of the family puzzle, finally ending his parent's pain. Now all he had to do was survive his mom had told him his grades did dent matter anymore, as long as he was happy, he could get serious again later. "As long as you're ok with this dear, what ever it takes to get through this" were her exact words.
As the semester reached an end the largest news of the day was the same as at the end of every semester. Who would be leaving Kadic and most of all who would be coming / joining. at first no one really paid much attention to who would be arriving, but soon Thayer were rumors spreading, strange rumors, rumors of alien girls coming to the school...who know marital arts and in the news papers they talked of huge hair related fashion disasters with one of the foreign exchange students.
Usually Ulrich pays little if any attention to rumors and the composition of which they dared call the school paper. But due to the un-ceasing boredom which had swept Kadic that was the most positive news Ulrich had herd in the long time, which maid him strangely interested. And it did dent help that he and William were both feeling a little feminine withdrawal.
Ulrich had a song stuck in his head, but not just any old song. he had forgotten the words, he wasn't even sure he had ever known them but the song was something that seemed to fit the moment very nicely.( if you have ever herd the song "ram on" that is the song I'm getting at). The song was inspiring, every time he hummed it silently in his head he felt an amazing aura of peace come over him like a warm quilt.

ram on...give your heart to somebody...soon...right away...right away

William on the other hand was not doing so well, he had the lonely bug bad and at that point would take just about any girl who came his way.

"The winds of change ore upon us, as the turning tides turn to stone. life moves forth at a glacial speed while time duth slow to a drone" Ulrich wrote in his journal. As he did every day since Yumi left he wrote as if he was writing to Yumi, his plan was to send her his journal by mail, to tell her of his love for her. That way he thought he would not have to be there when she rejected him, but if she did like him she could rite him back. He closed the book with a sigh standing up and brushing a few leaves from his pants. His hed bumped in to something, he jumped a little looking up in to the branches of the tree, and Thayer was a rope hanging which seemed to beckon him to climb up. He put his journal down gently, grasping the rope firmly, he began to pull himself up, suddenly there was a loud frantic screech and a book and pencil dropped to the ground before him. He looked up once more, daunted by a large plaid figure coming closer and closer from over hed...

Ulrich woke up to find that he had somehow ended up in his room. he looked around, the lights were dimmed and odd was fast asleep on his bed across the room. He looked at his alarm clock...it said three in the morning. He began to sit up when the bed squeaked.
"Well look who's awake" said odd opening his eyes.
"I have to go get my journal!" Ulrich sounded frantic.
"hold up there tiger, I got it for you" odd still sounded a little groggy, he climbed out of bed reaching over to the desk he picked up a book and handed it to Ulrich, then immediately returning to bed. Ulrich took hold of the book.
"This isn't my journal" Ulrich sounded frantic, yet intrigued. "this is the book that fell in front of me" he opened the cover, flipping through the pages he couldn't read a word of It." this is in gibberish "he exclaimed, a bit disappointed...

here we go again she thought as she packed basket after basket with cloths, shoes, and books. Stacking them rite outside her dorm door. my brother will be here any minute , and then its good bye gifted and creative academy and hello Kadic, France and emersion training. She couldn't help but feel a little bad about leaving, this time more than the usual move she maid every 6 months ever since she was 10. This time it was different, she was leaving behind her home country and almost everything she stood for. She was moving to France. That's where her brother's job was moving him too and since he had legal custody of her and all, it was only natural for them to want to live in the same country.
She was finally finished packing. She looked back at the empty white walls; wiping a tear from her eye she shut the door behind her for the last time. Taking out her journal she rote: "its all moving so quickly, my life is passing before my eyes, why cant time just slow down so I can stop and think!" she quickly sketched a picture of her favorite tree; she could see it from her window. She loved sitting up in trees to collect her thoughts, they seemed like the connection between the ground and the sky. Suddenly her brother appeared from around the corner
"ready?" he asked her. She nodded, grabbing her journal.

As she drove down the highway she looked up at her brother. He began to make conversation, just to pass the time
"well, i have news" he began. She shuddered. This meant one of two things. Either he had bought her a new journal, or he had gotten news from mom.
"Just give it so me straight" she said, trying to sound like an old mystery movie and lighten the moment. Her brother laughed a little and said
"I got news from mom" she held her breath
"well...what's she up to?"
"she. Got another boyfriend"
"ok, cool... I'm glad to see she is getting her life back on track."
"I'm glad to see you feel that way" he sighed with relief. "Well...I was thinking maybe we could go shopping in Paris on the way to Kadic, how bout it?"
"well, I have never been fond of shopping, but it is Paris...why not?"
"cool!" he loved shopping; it was hard to tell that they shared any D.N.A. at all. He was big in to fashion, 38 years old and had a job which called for allot of travel and moving often. That's the reason she had been in boarding school since she was 10. She on the other hand was an artistic hippy type child who had never cut her hair in her life and had recently taken to mural painting, over her previous oil on canvass. Then again they did not share as much D.N.A. as most, they only shared a mother, and they had different fathers. She had never met her father; apparently he lived in Germany the last time they herd from him. But other than that they did dent know anything about him.
Just then she noticed she was biting her nails, she did dent know if it was from boredom or fear, maybe a combination of the two. She sat on her hands, but soon found that that was a tremendously claustrophobic position, ripping them out from beneath her, she cracked the window a bit letting in a cool stream of air, not to mention the smell of exhaust. She coughed closing the window; she leaned on the edge of the door and fell asleep in a sun beam. She woke up looking out the window at the stars; she saw a red blinking light. Then it began to get closer it came closer again blinking on and off. Soon it filed the sky. It had a dot in the middle with two rings surrounding three short lines on the bottom and one on top.
Soon she fell back asleep though.

The next day well...let's just say they are on a plane.

Wow that was a weird dreams I had she thought. it had a flashing light in the sky.
her brother turned to face her...
"you know, when we get to Paris we could stop for a couple of hours and go shopping?"
"you know I don't like shopping" she looked confused
"well...I am not really asking you I am telling you we are going to go shopping." he laughed. She couldn't help but laugh too.
"You know very well you need clothes for school." he said sternly
"I always have my old school uniforms" she shrugged.
"oh...like wearing a plaid dress collard shirt and nee socks will make you popular?"
"well..."she stuttered" how am I suppose to know what's cool, do you know how long it's been since I have even gotten to chose what I wear? I think I may have forgotten how." they both laughed
"don't worry he assured her, all you will have to do is sit in the dressing room and I will throw the cloths over the door. She nodded slowly rolling her eyes.
Just then the seat belt sign came on. They both buckled up. In less than half an hour they were on the ground and exiting the plane. After they had picked up Thayer luggage they walked over to the help desk.
There they called a taxi and were off to the hotel. But they did dent stay but long enough to drop off Thayer luggage before they were off to the largest mall in Paris...

She was sitting in the dressing rooms at a store for juniors. She looked at herself in the mirror studying her facial features she tried to reassure herself that she really did dent look that bad 'maybe some of my brothers vanity is wearing off on me she thought' shaking her hed. Just then her brother walked in with at least 20 items. He pushed her in to the dressing rooms. One by one she came out showing him each outfit separately.
"man do I look like a dweeb" she muttered looking in the mirror at her scantily clothed reflection." look at me, this shirt is too small, my belly shows!" she looked over her brother was laughing his hed off" laugh it up, you chose the shirt" she was getting annoyed. Most of the shirts he had picked had been like that.
"No not that" he said through the laughter' it is suppose to look like that. Her face got red
"you're kidding" she was shocked. "That is so weird; they are supposed to be that way? Is this a joke"? He just laughed harder picking up the pile of cloths they had accumulated he led her out of the dressing rooms he placed the pile on the counter.
"We will take them all", he told the lady at the register in French.
"Did you tell her to reshelf them" she asked her brother.
"No" he said. She was confused. As they left the first store she asked
"why did you bye the cloths?"
"I think you will warm up to them once we get to Kadic" he had a sly look in his eyes.
"What ever" she said pulling him in to a bookstore. he grabbed her braid" what are you doing?" they bath said at the same time.
Than they turned and both burst out laughing." I give up" she said through the giggles, "ok where do you want to go?"
"that shoe store over there", he pointed. Then he looked down at her shoes suggestively

As they left the mall, she looked around. They were each carrying at least 10 bags filled with cloths shoes expensive hair care products and make up. She felt a little stunned. 'So this is what a shopping spree is like ' she thought to herself 'wow'. It felt good, like refreshing and exiting. She began to skip her brother looked over at her and smiled.
"I'm glad you had fun" he told her, speeding up to keep up with her skipping. She shrugged smiling.

Once they were back at the hotel room they ordered room service... pizza.
She spread her purchases out on the floor. She was having second thoughts about all of then, wondering if people would think she was girly, or vain. she put everything away and sat down to eat.
"Do you think that the kids at Kadic really dress like that?" she asked him.
"They dress how ever they want to." he replied. She looked worried
"why don't I just leave that stuff at your apartment and wear it during the holidays?"
"not so fast" he replied "how about you bring your old and new cloths to school?"
"well...ok...but I don't think normal people look like that" she pictured the kids at her old school. Wearing Thayer uniforms. Girls only having 3 hairstyle choices. She then looked over at her brother.
"Do you still have the things the school sent us?" she asked.
"okay...sure" he got up and walked over to the suit cases. After rummaging for a while he pulled out a large orange envelope, walking over and handing it too her. She reached inside pulling out at least a dozen booklets. She then found the one she was looking for. Then the envelope slid off on to the Flore. Another booklet fell out she picked it up reading the cover out loud "it says yearbook" her brother said. She opened it, it only showed the students faces, but she was amazed. Compared to the kids at her old school all the kids looked like models.

The next morning they both checked out of the hotel and got on a bus to the small town of Kadic France. Hay were both silent the whole time just enjoying the scenery. As soon as they got there they haled a taxi to the school. it felt weird driving on the opposite side of the road, like they were going to crash any second, and by the time they arrived(more like survived) she was about ready to throw up. She stepped out of the car as her brother tipped the driver; she looked up at the campus. it had tall brick buildings surrounded by trees. Nothing special about it that she could see.
"Well...well, well" she said to herself as she stepped through the gates.
"What did you say?" asked her brother
"nothing" she was embarrassed at saying that out loud. she nervously fingered her hair, it was down past her bottom since she chose not to cut it the other option being receiving a bad haircut from the school or a worse haircut from her old room mate Manda. She looked down at her old school uniform and canvass tennis shoes, kicking up dust. They walked across the playground to the main building, where the secretary led them both to her new room.
The secretary was talking to her brother, who was translating it to her.
"We usually have students share rooms, but we decided to give you your own room" he translated.
"Why?" she asked. He than turning and asking the secretary.
"Because...you don't speak French, they decided that it would save confusion" he translated. She nodded suspiciously.
Then they reached a room, the lady plunged the key in to the lock turning the knob she opened the door and they all stepped inside. Inside were all her things which had been mailed here and arrived the day before. There were two doors to her rite. She turned the closest knob which led to the closet. The second door was locked. She looked around walking over sitting on the bed which was just a bare mattress and box spring.
"Why don't you go explore the campus? I will un-pack you here" said her brother.
"Ok" she always loved the first day of school...before it became work and before it became home.

The grabbed her bag and walked out as briskly as possible stopping around the corner to dig her ipod. She put the ear buds in her ears and pressed play.

Stepping to the beat of the music she walked through the endless corridors of the dorm making sure not to look to happy or pleasant. Or new. She passed by hundreds of doors it seemed like before she came to the stairs. Climbing down the stares she passed a girl with pink hair talking with a boy whose hair was lemon yellow with a lilac blotch in the center. 'it looks like his hair was on fire" she could not help but give them a long stare, trying not to seem out write shocked, but it did dent work. The boy could tell she was new. She just new it.
I must be on the boys Flore now, she thought. it had the distinctly ripe odor of sweaty gym socks and ax cologne. She choked a little bit but couldn't help but think it was funny that so many of the boys here wore cologne that the whole Flore reeked of it. Maybe Manda was rite she thought; maybe all French boys are romantic.
Just then she herds someone's mobile ring behind her. She turned to see a tall girl with black hair and a hed band standing ageist the wall. She could tell this was bad news, the walked briskly out the front of the building, breathing hard. She walked out to the playground. It was baron. Then she spied a lone soccer ball rolling across the field. She was tempted to go and get it, but she then saw someone was already on it. A boy clad entirely in green ran over to the ball, he was at least 300 yards away and had yet to notice her so she maid a run for it back in to a wooded aria. She climbed up in to a large oak tree. Balancing her self on a branch she flipped her copper braid down, as so it hung out if the tree at around eyelevel for any passers by. Then she pulled out her journal and began to rite about what had happened. But soon the warm breeze lulled her to sleep.

When she awoke there was that boy sitting beneath the tree that had been journaling as was she, before he had fallen asleep with the blue green book across his lap. From what she could tell he had yet to acknowledge her presence, so she took advantage of the situation. doing her best to keep quiet she began to sketch his portrait on a blank page of her book, once that was completed she realized she was unable to get down without waking him, so she waited eventually falling back asleep.

alone atlast:

The next morning she awoke in her room. She reached up to scratch her hed but instead was met by a sharp stabbing pain in her hed. She quickly pulled her hand away approaching more slowly this time, she toughed her hed lightly. There was a large protrusion above her rite temple. She began to get out of bed to look in the mirror, when she looked down to see her brother sleeping on the Flore. She looked at the clock. It was nine in the morning. She shook him lightly nudging him with her foot. He squirmed, opening his eyes, and then falling back asleep.
"Wake up!" she was getting annoyed with this.
"Sh...nuf..." he mumbled standing up rubbing his eyes and stretching his spine." what, morning already?"
"like you don't know what I'm talking about?" she pointed to the bump on her hed.
"Ya...you may want to put ice on that" he said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes.
"Just tell me what happened!"
"well...I don't know. Around dusk a young boy with really odd hair found you and another boy both unconscious and bleeding under a large oak tree near the perimeter of the playground." he looked nervous." I carried you upstairs, the boy too and put you two in bed while the boy with the odd hair style got the nurse. So you tell me what happened?" he cocked his hip slightly to one side.
"How am I suppose to know?" she practically screamed "one minute I was in the tree and the next I am up here the next day!" she sat back down on the bed, holding her stuffed toy bear.
"well, here you are and that's all that matters" he gave her a light hug." well I have to get back to Paris. You have my mobile number rite?" she nodded, and he nodded back "okay" he grabbed his bag and walked out the door.
She sighed looking around the room. He had done a descent job unpacking her stuff.
Suddenly he came back in "I almost forgot" he handed her a blue green journal. Then he left again as fast as he had come.

Thinking it was the new journal she set it down by the edge of the bed. I will get around to righting in it later she thought. She began to explore opening drawers and organizing things her brother was too lazy to out in order. She opened the closet and gasped. He had only left her a week or sow's worth of uniforms and the rest were the new cloths. She clenched her fist seething with race.
"he tricked me" she gritted her teeth turning to talk to now one." I can't believe him!" she was trying to calm herself now. She put her hands out opening them in a no menacing manor." its ok" she kept telling herself" just call him and we will get this all straightened out" she sat down at the desk spinning around in the chair. The bump on her head began to throb but she just ignored it. She needed some fresh air. She opened the window and poked her hed out; her room overlooked the flat roof of the science building. Then she looked directly down. There was a fire escape rite below her. She put her feet out the window and stepped on to the grate. her bare feet squishing between the rods. A few kids walked past looking up at her. One waved. She waved back leaning over the edge she slipped catching herself far clear of any danger, the boy just laughed in a deep cracking voice. she waved and he waved again turning while walking away. She leaned on the guard rail with a sigh looking at the clouds drifting by.
About half and hour later she ducked back in to the building and went off to take a shower. By the time she got out the lunch bell rang and the kids were let out of Thayer classes. They had given her the day off because of her injury. The other boy too, which gave her a chance to learn her way around the aria. She followed everyone until she found where the cafeteria was and got in line for some food. When she got to the end she paid with her credit card and sat by herself at the back of the room. She dipped her fork in to the food hoisting it in to her mouth she braced herself for what ever unpleasant flavor it would be, but was surprised to notice that it actually tasted quite good. She chewed slowly glancing about the room. She couldn't help but stare at everyone. She had never seen so many people with dyed hair. at her old school they weren't aloud to dye Thayer hair or wear makeup or even Pearce Thayer ears, but Thayer were people here with pierced tongs.
suddenly there was a loud banging followed by repeated screeches." finally she thought, now it sounds like my old school" she got up throwing her half empty plate away on the way out. She began to follow the sound. it got closer and farther away then suddenly it stopped. She looked around. the hall was empty, she put her ear to the wall. What ever it was it was on the other side of the wall. Keeping close to the wall she followed the sound around and around the building peering in to each door. She eventually found many interesting rooms including the bathroom which she was careful to keep a mental note of its location. But soon gave up finding where the sound had come from.
Confused she walked outside breathing in the fresh air. She walked along the perimeter of the building her hed hung in deep contemplation. Just then a soccer ball flew past nearly missing her already injured hed and ricocheting of the cafeteria building, followed by quite a few very athletic boys all in cargo pants and most shirtless, all jogging babbling to each other in French. She followed them with her eyes wondering if she would be able to pull off such amassing feats of athleticism. Her muscles twitched to run and give it a try, but she just stuffed her hands in her pockets stepping in to the shadows behind the building. She jumped pulling herself up the fire escape climbing the 3 Flores to her dorm room window and climbed in. she felt too warm. The cloths she wore maid her feel weird but she shoved that to the back of her hed. she had nothing else she would rather be wearing so she sat down taking out a book she tried to read but her mind was just too muddled with excitement and confusion. She lay down staring up at the sealing fan and watched it turn for a while. Her skirt spread across the white carpet showing her bloomers. She was soon asleep.

(we are back to the day after Ulrich fell out of the tree at about 3pm rite after she fell asleep)

well you know the drill here goes nothing:

Ulrich had been bored all day. He gladly took the day off from school but was now beginning to regret it. Odd hadn't woken him up this morning, but the first bell over the intercom had. As soon as he listened, his hed started throbbing and it hadn't stopped since. He had been to the nurse's office for pain killers every 4 hours since then but doubted they were doing ay good. Instead he had been wrapped up in the journal he had found, he had been in and out of Jeremies room decoding it word by word on a software program. But he hadn't even looked through the whole thing yet. Every time he picked it up he got shivers. a guilty conscience, that the figure dressed in plaid would be wanting it back, and if they had his, what would they do with it. But that did dent change the fact that he was a teen age boy and a curious one at that, and he was determined to know who it belonged to.

This is what he had decoded so far: McClain cried when I told him I was moving. So did me. I said we would keep in touch. I think that was a lie. I have never kept in touch with someone from after a move before. Why should this be any different I am scared but exited at the same time. I have bit my fingernails to stubs just thinking about it. I miss McClain already.

Ulrich read the passage over and over to himself then aloud to a mirror trying to picture who wrote it. He finally, after much thought on the subject pictured it being a girl." I bet she has red hair" he thought looking out the window "and green eyes" he sighed." no, dark brown eyes with black hair. And she probably wears black". Before he knew it he had convinced himself that this girl was the girl of his dreams. An angelic delicate figure, clad in skimpy garments. Only this time it would be different he thought. And he was going to find her or die trying.

Later that day odd got back from class to find Ulrich perched upon the window sill gazing dazedly out the window.
"What'cha looking at?" he had asked walking over
"nothing'" he had replied still half asleep.
"Just tell me what's on your mind now because you know I'll find out one way or another"
"oh okay" Ulrich pouted." I was just wondering who that journal mine got swooped with. The girl passed out on top of me for Peat's sake." he grumbled.
"Well, do we know anything about her?" odd asked breaking down the problem.
"Well..."began Ulrich" she was wearing plaid, and the journal was in English"

"Dude, I have good news," odd said as they sat by the window in Thayer dorm.
"What now" Ulrich wasn't sure he could handle any more 'good news'.
"Our band is going to play at the upcoming dance" odd sounded really exited.
"I thought Aelita was going to DJ"
" she is, but only half the time, the other half we are going to play"
"but we only have one song"
"so, we'll have to rite a few more, big deal" odd pulled out his guitar, strumming a few cords
"odd"
"yes good buddy" he smiled intently.
"You're insane" and with that Ulrich walked out.

Ulrich wasn't sure where he was going; he just had to get out. He wasn't paying attention and the next time he looked up he was at Yumi's house. He climbed the fence and in to Yumi's backyard sitting at a picnic table he looked around. They had some Japanese style garden elements and a balcony which doubled as a patio cover. He got up walking to Thayer sliding glass door he was surprised top find it was open. He stepped in, his heart pounding. All the rooms were dark. it was really creepy, suddenly he herd a noise, he darted back out the door closing it clearing the fence and running probably two blocks or so before he stopped to catch his breath.

(Back to my original character)

she awoke startled by the sound of a knock on the door. she opened it and gasped. Standing in the doorway was a girl with pink hair. she took a few steps back startled. The girl in the door put out her hand and she shook it. Then the visitor began to talk, she listened trying to look less confused but she had no idea what she was talking about. The visitor stepped back running her eyes up and down the new girl. The visitor looked shocked turning to leave she closed the door behind her.

here goes nothing: Aelita stared at the locked door in her room. She couldn't help but feel bad, she had dreamed ever since she found the door that whoever would room on the other side would be her best friend, maybe even join the group, but that was not the case. She had someone on the other side, but that someone was strange, and shy and new. Then she realized that that person really needed her help, and she intended to give it to her.
She walked over pushing her bed away from the door and taking a hair pin picked the lock, and opened the door. The girl was sitting on her bed.
"How are you?" asked Aelita with a smile and a wave.
The girl screamed "you again"
Aelita was stupefied, she and put on her beat smile and this girl still hadn't managed to get the idea.
"its ok, I'm not going to heart you..." she spoke softly and slowly. The new girl seemed to calm down. Aelita sat down beside her on the bed. "So what's your name?" the new girl looked confused
"I don't understand French..."she replied. Aelita was shocked.
"What..."
"I...don't speak French..."she said again.
"You don't speech or understand French?" Aelita confirmed. She nodded yes.
"Well I'm next door if you need me..."she pointed her thumb behind her towards the door. The new girl once again nodded yes, then Aelita left, still a little stunned.

(That evening back in Ulrich and Odds dorm after lights out.)

Ulrich awake to the sound of odd trying to suppress his laughter, he could hear it even with his earplugs on,
"what the heck is so funny?" he got out of bed and took his earplugs out. odd was sitting up with a flashlight and the red journal Ulrich spent all day trying to decode the first paragraph." can you read that gibberish?" he asked angry and surprised.
"Well..."
"either you can or you can't!"
" well...I can"
"you what!"
"I can read it okay!"
"well...what dose it say, or is that a secret too" they both laughed.
"Well let's start at the beginning..."

so what do you think of this chapter?

Ulrich lay in the middle of his dorm Flore looking up at the ceiling fan. he kept running the lines in the journal over in his hed. He pictured the sketches in his mind, there were sketches of birds and status but most were of boys one boy unparticular more than all the others. "McClain" he said the name over and over to himself. He was beginning to despise that name. The boyfriend of the journal owner. The boy was tall, taller than Ulrich with dark eyes and dark brown curly locks of hair witch framed his face. He pictured what he must have been like back in the United States where this new girl was from and he thought he must have been like William. Someone trying to weasel in between him and the girl of his dreams. But he couldn't have been farther from the truth. He had to find whoever had his journal. he had to send it to Yumi, before it got to close to the time she would be coming back for her to receive it in Japan.

(Ok I decided to switch to Yumis point of view; she is in Japan staying with her family at her grandparents' house)

Yumi was moping today, just trying to pass the time until she was able to return home.
"What's wrong child?" asked her grandmother looking up from the morning paper. Yumi was playing a board game with

Heroki and Thayer parents were out shopping.
"Well..."Yumi began.
"Oh...Ulrich I love you" Heroki mocked." I just wana..."
"shut up Heroki" her grandmother scolded" go somewhere else" Heroki left the room laughing." why don't you sit here and tell grandma about your problem?" she patted a spot on the couch beside her. Yumi sat down with a sigh of relief.
"Grand ma-ma you always understand" she thought "well there is this boy Ulrich..."

"Grandma-ma, where's Heroki?" Yumi mother yelled across the house.
"how am I supposed to know, keep track of your own kid..." she yelled back looking up from her newspaper." look here Yumi" she pointed to a picture in the sports section. There was a Japanese man in his early twenties hitting a home run. "They were tied and he hit this home run". Yumi pretended to be interested, as she popped another potato chip in her mouth." not that Ulrich fellow again" said her grandmother." you have gained at least 10 pounds moping around my house not to mention filled my couch full of crumbs, and that stops now. Go put on something comfortable and meet me in the back garden. Yumi nodded still half dazed. She got up and went to change. She put on some blue shorts and an orange top and walked out to the garden in her bare feet. "What's with you?" asked her grandmother "I thought you always wore black..."
"no one but you will see me...this is comfortable" Yumi was surprised her grandmother cared what she wore.
"But you look so beautiful and mysterious in black" Yumi just roiled her eyes. The small woman threw a punch at Yumi and Yumi blocked. Then Yumi threw a side kick. "Wow...who thought you to kick like that?" her grandmother stepped back blocking the kick.
"Ulrich..."Yumi blushed.
"He did dent teach you anything else "joked her grandmother. Hay both collapsed on the ground laughing holding Thayer sides.
"No, what?" Yumi was surprised.
"I was just fooling with you" her grandmother caught her breath." help me up" she said panting. Yumi rushed to her side, but before she could react her grandmother tripped her and had her in a hed lock.
They spared like this for quite some time before returning inside for some water,
"that was fun..." Yumi said catching her breath taking a glass out of the cabinet. She handed it to her grandma then got one out for herself. They both filled Thayer glasses with water and took big gulps letting water run down Thayer faces on to the tile Flore.
"You should go get in the bathtub..."her grandmother told her.
"Once I stop sweating" they both sat down at the dining room table with Thayer almost empty glasses still breathing hard. Yumi wiped the sweat and water from her face with her sleeve.
"Thanks" she said
"for what?" asked her grandmother. They both just looked at each other. She knew what for.
Just then Heroki walked in. "greetings alien scum!" he put up a hand with his fingers like Spock.
"We come in peace said her grandmother putting up the same sign. Yumi laughed a little taking a sip of her water.
"Well I'm going to go take that bath" she said, leaving before things got any weirder. She set her glass down beside the kitchen sink and walked toward the bathroom.

Yumi undressed slipping in to the warm water of the bath tub she rested her hed on the edge of the tub and closed her eyes, Thayer were no lights on in the room, a few bees wax candles were lit and rested on the edge of the tub. Yumi was enjoying the silence, but every thought she had, and every memory which crossed her mind reminded her of Ulrich. She missed him, and wasn't sure if she could keep her sanity without her friends, or something to live for. She wasn't sure he wanted her back though. My moodiness was a burden on the group she thought. She couldn't help but think about maybe staying here with her grandparents for ever. Somehow she thought Thayer must be a way to decide what would be the best for the group. But she was I no mood to decide any time soon.

When she had finished her bath she dressed in clean black cloths. And went down to the living room, she sat on the couch. She could feel the crumbs underneath her legs. That's grows, she thought, going to get the vacuum cleaner. But when she got back she found her grandmother sitting upon the couch.

"Vacuum later, we need to talk" her voice sounded raspy. Yumi put down the dust buster and sat down beside her grandma trying not to put her weight down on the crumbs. There was an uneasy silence.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" her voice shivered, expecting bad news.

"France" her grandma's eyes drifted off out the window.

"What about it" Yumi asked hesitantly, all her muscles tensing.

"Is it a nice place to live?"

"a wonder full place. All the people are nice and the weathers pleasant and …..Wait, why do you ask?"

"Well. I was wondering how much…well…" she pulled a small peace of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Yumi.

"Grandma, what's this…is…it" Yumi got up and screamed with joy hugging her grandmother.

"You leave in 10 days" her grandmother looked really happy.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Your welcome dear" by this time everyone who had been in the house had herd and had came in to see what was going on.

"What's all this?" asked Yumi mother.

"I'm going home!" Yumi put her hands in the air jumping up and down tears coming to her eyes.