Chapter 2 Welcome to Amity Park

It was almost evening by the time the Fauxs made it to Amity Park. Both had taken turns in driving, but Ari had hardly said a word the entire trip, spending most of her time reading, listening to the radio, or watching some movies she had on her portable DVD player. Except the one time they stopped to eat at a Nasty Burger in Davenport, Iowa, it was almost nine hours of deafening silence. It was a bit unnerving to her mom, but she didn't know what else to do. If her daughter was going to use her usual strategy of steaming angrily in the silent treatment, she would just have to wait it out. Eventually, Ari would just give up and move on.

"Cheer up, Inari. You'll love Amity Park! There are stores and malls for you to shop in, movie theaters and video arcades to play in, and plenty people for you to get to know. It'll be much better than quiet old Eerie, Indiana."

"I liked quiet, old Eerie, Indiana. It's where all my friends were...," Ari mumbled so quietly, her mother couldn't hear her; didn't matter much. Even when she did talk, her mom never listened. She still couldn't believe she had to move, and in the middle of her senior year of high school. Who would want to make friends with the quiet new girl who had no friends? It was hard enough for her to make new friends as it is. She got abnormally shy around people that she didn't know, specifically with people her own age, and even when she did manage to befriend someone, it was hard maintaining the friendships she already had because she lived so far on the outskirts of the small town where most of the teens hung out.

"Ah, here we are. Home sweet home," her mom said, relieved that they had finally made it, trying to perk up her daughter's foul mood. Pulling up in front of the brick house, with the moving van pulling up from behind them, they parked and achingly got out of the car.

"Whooo boy, I am stiff!" her mom said as she stretched her arms and legs out, feeling her neck pop slightly as she turned towards the movers. "Just set out the green duct tape boxes for us, boys. We can handle taking those in."

Without hesitation, the movers began unloading the few boxes that couldn't fit into their car onto the sidewalk as Ari and her mom began unloading some of their belongings. Shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets, she followed after her mom as she rang the doorbell. They stood there for about five seconds before they were greeted by a middle aged woman sporting a short brown ponytail, loose tank top, yoga pants, and a mp3 player.

"Hey strangers! Welcome home!" cheered her aunt Ayame as she pulled both of them into tight hugs before letting them inside. If the look wasn't obvious enough, the smell of sweat betrayed her to having just comeback from a workout. "Sorry about the smell. Just got off the treadmill. So, how was the trip?"

"Not too bad. The traffic was fairly good to us in Illinois and Iowa, since we managed to drive around Chicago. But when we got to Minneapolis, it got a bit more hectic."

"Ah, I was worried the construction there might be a problem. They're still trying to fix up all the lanes so that more tourists can visit and..." Ayame continued prattling on with her small talk, updating her mother on all the little happenings while Ari started to tune them out again. She looked around at the living room of what would be here new dwelling. They had redone the wallpaper the last time she had been here, which was about four years ago, and the kitchen was completely remodeled. The dishes now had a wall of cabinets to be stored in rather than a cupboard. The only thing that looked the same there was the fridge: covered head-to-toe in magnets, pictures, schedules, and report cards. While they began talking, Ari began bringing in her boxes.

"...and when the kids start school, I know they'll get along- you can put those in the guest bedroom on the left, Inari," Ayame said, interrupting midsentence to instruct her niece before returning to her conversation. "She has been so excited to hear that her cousin has been coming to stay with her, she wouldn't sit still! She thinks of Inari as big sister."

After moving most of her stuff into her bedroom, her back was a bit sore and her arms felt weak from all the heavy lifting. It was the room she spent most of her time in when staying over. It had dark blue walls and hardwood floors like the hallway. The only difference was that the hallway had portraits of the family nailed on the wall. The bed had wire polls for the front of the bed and no headboard, leaving the back of the wall to prop up the many mismatched pillows and quilts laid on the bed. It took up most of the room, except for the wooden wardrobe at also acted as a vanity and the desk in the corner next to the closet. It was smaller than her old room, but it would do.

"Hey Cuz!" waved her cousin Hanako, who was about a foot shorter and six years younger than Inari, and had medium, brown hair and grey eyes.

"Hey Hanako, it's good to see you," Ari grinned politefully. Personally, she didn't know her cousin all that well, since they would only visit during the holidays. But she didn't completely dislike the company either.

"It's Hannah now, actually," she corrected. "I got my name changed."

"Oh, did you now? Why's that?"

"I got tired of people saying it wrong or that it was weird," the twelve year old shrugged. "Mom's cool with it."

This made Ari frown slightly. Since she and her family were of Japanese descent, they had names that most people didn't encounter every day in the United States, so most people called them by their nicknames instead. Her uncle Kenji was Ken, aunt Ayame was Aya, mom was Kim instead of Kimiko, and she herself was Ari instead of Inari. Some part of herself resented the fact they had to feel like they had to change their names to fit in, especially since someone as young as Hanako had already been feeling the pressure. But she couldn't help where she lived, just like she couldn't help what culture she came from.

"...So where's Uncle Ken?" Ari asked, hoping to change the subject to something more pleasant.

"Dad? I think he's still in the basement. I'll go get him!"

"Oh, no, that's fine. I was just wondering where he was, though honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. Wonder what he's working on now?"

"Probably some other midlife crisis," Hannah said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh god, what has he moved onto this time? Wasn't he brewing his own wine the last time I was here?"

"Oh no, he had to stop that after mom complained about the smell; fermented fruits are disgusting! I think he's working on another bookshelf for the game room. You know him and his home improvements."

"Yep. 'Why pay fifty bucks for a guy to come and build a bookshelf? I can build it myself in half the time,'" Ari mimicked her uncle's voice with a bravado swagger, exaggerating his frugality and stubborn pride.

"Ha! You sound just like him! You do really good impressions, Ari," Hannah laughed, her contagious grin spreading now on Inari's face, making the latter feel happy for the first time that day. Hannah always had a way of bringing her out of a foul mood.

"Well, I have a lot of practice in front of the mirror. Speaking of which, I still have to unpack, so do you mind if I finish that up first? Then we can make fun of Uncle Kenji some more."

"Sure thing!" Hannah ran to the doorway before turning to look back at her cousin. "By the way, I think it's really cool that you're staying here, Ari. We're going to have so much fun, it will be like the sleepovers we used to do as kids."

"You still got the inflatable mattress?"

"Of course."

"Then it's a date," Ari smiled, humoring her cousin as she sped off towards parts unknown. Her fabricated grin fell as she returned back to her boxes. Her mood had been lifted some, but she was still melancholy from the move. She tried not to think too much about it as her heart tightened like a boa constrictor when her thoughts returned to the memories of her home, still freshly etched in her mind. Some part of her was still in denial, making her believe that she was just here for another holiday visit, and that helped with some of the hurt, but the other part of her knew this wasn't true, and that she'd have to get over it eventually. She had had an entire month to sulk about it before the house got sold.

Guess that means that I'll have to put my own personal touch in here before I'll really accept it as home... She unwrapped the last of the bubble wrap on her glass and jewel flower collection and started placing and arranging it on her windowsill. She loved flowers and pretty much nature overall. She used to have a flower and vegetable garden back home, but now that she was in Amity Park, her backyard was nothing more than concrete and dust; city blocks didn't make for good compost and flower fields. Maybe she could get a flower box over her windowsill and grow zinnias and marigolds? Until then, her glass garden was all that she had.

"Hey, don't forget, you've got school tomorrow," advised her mom, who had decided to appear in her doorway like a lingering specter. "So make sure you've got your outfit all laid out and try not to stay up too late tonight, honey." Ari's eyes widened slightly before she nodded shortly at her mother, keeping her lips pressed together. They both stood there at a standstill, not sure what the other was going to do until her mother resigned with a sigh and left. A look of panic crossed Ari's face the instant she was gone.

She had forgotten. She had been brooding so much on the fact that it was moving day, that she had forgotten that she would be starting at a new school the very next day. Anxiety butterflies began fluttering around in her stomach just thinking about it, her habit of nervous pacing and twirling of her hair acting up as she walked from one corner of her room to the other. She was too worked up now to think of anything else.

It was moving too fast. Everything was moving too fast! For once in her life, she wished that time was just slow down so that she could try and process all of this. She felt like curling into a ball. Grabbing her rabbit Junpei, she did so at the foot of her new bed and closed her eyes, trying to shut everything out and forget about it all.

I'll just take a quick cat nap for five minutes... she thought before she eventually dozed off peacefully, not waking up for the rest of the night.

Like most first days at school, it was pretty hectic. Students were bustling down the halls while Ari had to immediately to go to the front office and receive her schedule and locker number. She couldn't believe how many people there were. Her own high school and middle school combined had maybe about six-hundred kids, seven hundred kids tops. This school had over two thousand, and this was just the high school. The school was enormous and all the hallways looked the same, she had almost gotten lost multiple times, and the front office was right there when you entered the building. It was even worse this time around, since Ari was beginning her first day long after the school term had already started, near the end of September. This meant that on top of trying to catch up on the mounds of homework she'd already missed, she was going to have to learn stuff daily. This meant also that she would have to be tutored. So while other seniors were worrying about what college to apply to or who to take to the senior prom, she was stuck trying to get her work done.

Prior to all of the accumulating stress, Ari also had the privilege of being the hottest piece of news when she entered the bus with her little cousin Hannah, receiving the daunting stares from curious bystanders. Far out in the country as she lived, her mom or dad usually had to drive her to school, so it was the first time she had ever had to take the school bus that wasn't for some sort of game or school field trip. Never was she so grateful to get a license in her life, even better when she received her motorcycle license for her bike. It was like having freedom on wheels. A freedom she was now craving heavily after having to endure the horrible, crowded bus ride filled with curious stares, spitball wars, and large amounts of yelling and screaming that kids should not be capable of doing at six am in the morning. Ari vowed that, as soon as she had settled in, she was going to look into student parking. She didn't care if she had to beg her mom or aunt for a loan or an used car, she absolutely refused to have to endure another horrible bus ride.

"Looks like everything's in order," said the secretary before she handed Ari two slips of paper, one with her schedule, and the other with her locker number and combination. "One of our office workers will show you around and get you to your first class. We'll worry about assigning you a tutor a bit later, once you've settled in." She picked up the phone and talked about paperwork with the person on the other end before an African American boy with a red cap, glasses, and a yellow t-shirt walked in from the back.

"Ah, there you are, Foley. I'd like you to meet our newest transfer student, Inari Faux. You are to show her around and get her to her first class. I leave her in your capable hands."

"And who said office life would be boring?" he grinned before he fully put on the charm. "Why hello, beautiful~ My name is Tucker Foley, aka, the man of your dreams." His advances took Ari off guard and made her want to retreat even further behind her hair. "Hmm, the silent type eh? I like it."

He led them out of the office and through the many rows of lockers, explaining about where the cafeteria was and even handed her a personally made map to help her with her classes. Unfortunately, it also had his phone number on it. Couldn't say that he didn't give his best effort.

"So anyways, it says that your locker is... right around here. Locker 724...," he looked up before he realized which locker she had. "Locker 724!?"

"Ah, the cursed locker. Tough break, chickie," said a girl with chopped brown hair with a pink streak running through it. She was getting out a biology book out of the locker next to hers. "Looks like we'll be locker neighbors. The name's Katia. Katia Kramer. And you are...?"

"Busy. She has me as her personal escort for the day," Tucker interrupted proudly.

"My sympathies," Katia said in mock sorrow before waving at Ari. "See you around then, neighbor."

Ari looked at the combination and entered it in the tumbler before it clicked open. There were some rust spots and bits of cobweb inside, and the remnant of an old, broken mirror frame inside. Wasn't someone in charge of cleaning out lockers during the summer before they were ready for students?

Tucker breathed a sigh of relief, remembering that the mirror had been broken beyond repair and wouldn't cause anyone any problems.

"With a lot of dusting and a bit of elbow grease, I'm sure it will it really shine," Tucker said before slamming her locker door shut. "Since we've found your locker, let's get you to your first class, and it looks like your first period is free period like mine. What a coincidence."

"N-Not... in-interested, please..." Ari mumbled, not really wanting this kind of attention, or really, any attention at all. She didn't want to have to be mean and reject him right out, but it was better now than later down the line.

"Ah, the lady speaks. And what a pretty voice she does have," he grinned, oblivious that she had turned down his offer.

"Tucker, you're not hitting on another student council member, are you?" She turned as saw the voice belonged to a boy with short black hair and blue eyes. Compared to her office escort, he seemed pretty average looking.

"No way. Since Dash has taken over as president, I'm staying as far away as I can from those jerks." He could remember all the times he had gotten bullied and stuffed into a locker, simply because he hit on the girl who was the school treasurer. Good thing his best friend was always there to get him out.

"So who's this?" his friend asked. "Are you the new exchange student?" She shook her head, keeping her eyes down at the floor. "Do you even speak English?"

She nodded her head, albeit, pouting at his assumption that, just because she looked Japanese automatically meant she was from Japan. "Then why don't you talk?"

"She's probably doesn't want to, Danny. Lay off," his Goth girl friend said after nudging her friend in the ribcage and introducing herself. "I'm Sam Manson, and my insensitive friend over here is Danny Fenton."

"...Inari Faux...but you c-can c-call me Ari," she stuttered as she shyly shook Sam's hand.

"This is her schedule," Tucker said as he handed the paper over to his friends without even asking Ari.

"You got third period gym too?" Sam exclaimed. "Man, I thought seniors didn't have to take gym."

"Wait! She's a senior?" Tucker exclaimed before looking back at Ari and asked, "You're a senior?" before she replied with a nod.

"You didn't know? It says so on her schedule, Tucker, didn't you think to check when you picked it up?" Danny remarked.

"I was a little distracted by Inari's charming presence."

"Oh, I'm sure you were," Sam rolled her eyes. "You react that way with every other girl in this school."

"Hey! At least I try to look for love."

"And it looks out for you, Tuck. Looking out for how to get far away from you as possible," she smirked before returning to their conversation. "Anyways, your next class should be in 12B, but we've got a little bit of a free time before then. Want to explore?"

"...S-Sure," Ari shrugged before she was quickly led to the courtyard outside.

"So uh, is this your first time here at Amity Park?" Danny asked as Ari continued to stare at her Birkenstocks.

"Sort of. I... just moved in... with my aunt," she murmured, really grateful her bangs hid her eyes so she didn't have to look them in the eye. Not wanting to dwell on her situation, she quickly changed the subject. "Wh-What exactly is th-there to d-do here?"

"Well, we have a slammin' arcade downtown, a movie theater, a park, and the Nasty Burger is a pretty awesome hangout. The mall's okay, but mostly, what we deal with here is-" Sam began before her friend Danny froze in place, his breathe becoming visible. Funny, Ari didn't think the AC was on that high. Suddenly, a woman with long black hair and exotic blue clothing appeared out of a veil of smoke. Her skin was an eerie green and her eyes were flaming red. Students who took sight of her fled in terror as she sent out a warped troll boy, who had wished for super strength.

"GHOSTS!" a jock yelled before fleeing.

"Bridge to Terabithia, run for your lives!" exclaimed a bald teacher, the female ghost laughing evilly as she swooped down on the crowd. Ari and company quickly dropped onto their stomachs, barely escaping the specter's grasp.

"Y-You h-have g-ghosts?!" Ari exclaimed as she ducked under her arms.

"Welcome to Amity Park..." Sam smiled weakly as Ari tried to stop hyperventilating.