Chapter 1

The trees turned to green blurs before Kita's sleepy eyes. She had been riding on the train for what seemed like forever, and she had watched as the tall buildings of the city had given way to flat grasslands that had then been overrun by dense forests. She was tired of sitting on the train, not knowing exactly where she was headed, with no one to talk to, and nothing to keep her attention except for the tattered letter in her hand. She had read it and reread it more times than she could count, and the folds in the paper were worn and the paper itself felt more like a cloth than paper. Tired of the endless blur of green outside her window, Kita unfolded the letter again.

Dear Kita,

I am sorry to hear of the death of your parents, this must have come as a shock to everyone in your family, including myself. My name is Funaho Li, I am a friend of your mother's. When we were young I promised her that I would take care of the things important to her should anything happen to her, just as she promised to do the same for me. News of her death reached me not too long ago, you must understand that I live in a relatively isolated town, we do not receive news too quickly. As soon as I received the news, I wrote to your present guardian right away. I have informed your family of your mother's wishes to have me look after her loved ones when she passed away, and because your beloved father is deceased as well, that leaves only you for me to look after. I have sent a train ticket with this letter for you to come live with me in my home in LakeFort, I will have a ride sent to the train station to collect you and your things when the train arrives. I look forward to seeing you when you arrive.

Sincerely,

Funaho Li

Kita folded the letter and turned back to the window. Rain had started to fall, turning her blurred green scenery to a hazy grey. The girl rested her head on the window and let her heavy eyelids close over her eyes. The past few months had been weary for her, she had been bouncing around from house to house of her relatives, none had seemed too keen on letting her permanently stay there. She supposed it was a good thing as well as a bad thing her mother's friend had sent notice. She now had a permanent home to look forward to, but this woman lived supposedly in the middle of nowhere, where she knew her relatives would never come to visit her. She opened her eyes one last time to glance at the time on her watch before letting herself drift into much needed sleep.