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Hi. If anyone's wondering why this has no Bleach characters, this fanfic is mainly about the life of my OC before she met the Bleach characters. I highly recommend reading this fanfic if you've read my other fanfic, Anomaly. It will help clear up a lot of things that you may not understand in Anomaly. Please review. I really want to know what you guys think about my OC, and the story in general. By the way, Einstein and Ace will most likely make an appearance in Anomaly, and maybe Mirabelle, Kevin, and Michael will too.

I sat down on my bed staring at my notebook. It had been returned to its place sometime in the night. I'd checked my room as soon as I woke up, when I came home from school, before bed, and any other possible time George might've had access to my room.

Setting the notebook down on my bed, I glanced at my phone.

It was Thanksgiving.

My mom and George were too busy frantically preparing the house for our guests to pay any attention to me as I walked out the front door. I had recently developed a habit for leaving out my window which led to the fire escape, and they were more than aware of it.

I had time to spare before my step cousins came and I chose to use that time to review my plan. Unfortunately, I had decided not to do what I had originally planned because it might have been a bit too cruel. So, I settled for reviewing what I had learned about them.

They lived in the Hamptons and were pretty rich. The boy's names were Kevin and Michael, and the girl's name was Mirabelle. Their father was some political figure, but I didn't know what their mother-George's sister- did for a living. I'd heard George say that my step cousins went to some elite boarding school in England, so they might have a slight accent.

I heard a dog barking and turned around to see Ace struggling to keep his grip on Terminator's leash. Term kept barking, wagging his tail frantically, and pulled Ace in my direction.

I lifted my hand to wave to Ace and braced myself for Term's own happy-go-lucky greeting.

When he came he said, "Hey. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Same to you. And Term," I replied as I scratched Terminator behind his ears. "How's Einstein?" I asked.

"He's good. I think he's a bit obsessed with the whole turkey thing."

The corners of my mouth tugged upward in a smile. "My rich step cousins are coming over. I'm not going to hurt them like I originally planned to, unless they deserve it, of course."

"I'm glad you decided to spare them."

I frown. "I'm still not happy about meeting them. George is like the plague. No matter how hard you try to get rid of it, or keep it in a controlled environment, it always pops up somewhere else."

"It's amazing how easily you compare the people you loath to a disease that killed thousands, if not more," he joked.

"Where are you taking Term?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Just around. I figured he'd be happy if I took him for a walk, so I did."

I glanced at the time on my phone. "Shit, I've got to make a fake impression. I need to go. See you," I said.

He nodded and continued walking Terminator.

All of a sudden, I remember something. My back stiffened in panic. I'd left my notebook on my bed. What if George took it again? I needed to write in it soon, before I forgot a detail or two.

I ran all the way back to my house, and into my room. My notebook was just as I had left it. I hadn't checked to see if anything was missing from my notebook yet, but I couldn't do that right now. I had to get ready. Quickly, I took a shower and got dressed in the expensive dress George had bought me. I pulled on black over-the-knee socks and slipped on a pair of black flats with a bows.

There was one thing left to do. My hair. I stared at my reflection, scowling. My hair was messy and strands of it hung down in my face. Grabbing a brush I seldom use, I brushed my hair and braided into a fishtail.

Some strands of hair still hung around my face, but I didn't pin them back. I thought it looked…cute.

Cringing, I straightened invisible creases in my dress and once I was satisfied with my appearance, I grudgingly made my way down to the kitchen to help with final preparations.

At twelve o' clock, a knock came from the door. Excitement bubbled in the pit of my stomach. I take that back. I was nervous, not excited. Maybe I had tried too hard with my appearance. Maybe when George had taken my notebook, he had planned my demise before he returned it.

I shook my head of those thoughts and leaned against a wall.

George opened the door and they came in.

A man around 6'0 walked in, followed by his wife who had only a slight resemblance to George. Three kids (my age) came in. One of the boys were tall and significantly skinnier than the other. He had dirty blond hair. The other boy was shorter, and plumper. He had dull brown hair and was crossing his arms as if he was holier-than-thou.

I decided I would keep a close eye on him.

The girl, Mirabelle, was of average height, but she was wearing stiletto heels, a short light pink skirt, and a tucked in white shirt with ruffles on the chest. She wore a gold necklace with her name on it and held a pink clutch bag. Her hair was a curly yellow-blonde that reached down to her chin. She had light blue eyes.

I then noticed the suitcases.

George had forgotten one major detail.

There were going to be staying here for longer than a day.

All of a sudden, my mom turned around and called for me.

Mirabelle, Kevin, and Michael all turned to look at me. I realized I had chosen a bad spot because from where they were standing, they wouldn't be able to see my face; the sun cast a shadow over me.

I walked away from my place beside the wall, and came to stand next to my mother. I did not smile, I did not frown. Feigning patience, I waited for them to react first, but after a moment I realized I was supposed to introduce myself. So, I forced myself to smile sweetly and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Kairi. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

I then extended my hand, but I could see a flash of hesitation on their faces. Reluctantly, Mirabelle carefully took my hand and shook it.

Starting to get pissed off, I dropped my hand to my side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Michael staring at my legs. I resisted the urge to ask him if he liked what he saw and a smile tugged at my lips. I wasn't shy, but I'd punch the bloody brain out of him if he took it a step too far.

After a few more minutes of greetings and brief catching ups, we moved to the living room to talk.

I said, "Hey George, they're sleeping over with us, right? Where'll they sleep?" I tilted my head cockily and stared him in the eye. Pretending not to notice, he said, "Mirabelle will be sleeping in your room with you. The boys will sleep in the one of the guest rooms, and my sister and her husband will sleep at a hotel."

Glowering, I sat down in an armchair next to Mirabelle. I noticed she looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"Hey, do you want to put your stuff down? No one's going to take it," I say, in a disinterested tone.

"No, I'm fine," she replied, lifting her chin up slightly. I scowled and noticed that she did have a slight English accent.

"Kairi, dear. Why don't you take your cousins to the park? Maybe introduce them to your friends if they're there," Mom said.

She gave a look that said not to argue, and even though I could've easily disobeyed her, I didn't. So, Mirabelle, Kevin, Michael, and I went to the park.

"Here it is," I say.

Mirabelle turns to me with a bitchy glint in her eye. I could tell things were about to go south.

"You're mom said something about meeting your friends. Lots of people are out today. Why don't you go find them so we can talk to them?" She smiled.

"The boys can go run around a bit. God knows Michael needs it."

Resisting the urge to scowl, I said, "They're probably busy celebrating with their families. Let's not bother them."

I know I had lied straight through my teeth, but I didn't want to admit I had no friends my age. Ace was my only friend, but he was a guy.

"You're lying," she said with a smirk.

Kevin and Michael "oohed."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"How smart are you, Mirabelle?"

She raised a perfect eyebrow at me. "The best in the grade."

I smirked back at her, but quickly forced my face into a passive expression.

"Don't try to change the subject, Kairi," she smiled even brighter than before. "When we came here, I saw a school barbeque and I'm sure it's still going on. I'm sure your friends are there."

"What do you want from me, Mirabelle?"

Kevin and Michael were watching us intently, as if we were two characters in a suspense film.

"Just to meet your friends."

"I already told you. They're probably busy."

She shrugs. "Fine. If you say so."

Not too long later, we headed back home for Thanksgiving dinner. I let them walk ahead of me and I glared at Mirabelle's back.

She has no idea what she's messing with.

It was dark out now, and the guests were unpacking their things. I sat in the armchair reading a book when I remembered.

Mirabelle was in my room. My notebook was on my bed.

You're on a roll today, Kairi.

I ran through the hallway and slammed open my door to see Mirabelle sitting on my bed flipping through the pages of my notebook.

Her head jerked up when she saw me and to my surprise, she smirked.

"Genius, huh?"

"Put it down, Mirabelle. How much did you read?"

She shrugged and handed me the notebook.

She wasn't far in at all, but I couldn't be sure if she flipped around in it. It was bad enough George had read it, but now her?

I grit my teeth. I knew I was slacking lately, but it was all in preparation for today. But now, I'd have to control myself for however long they're staying.

"How long are you staying here?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Uncle George didn't tell you? We'll be here for the next two weeks. Mother and Father are leaving for Venice, Italy sometime in the next few days, and they might extend their stay if they like it there."

Fuck.

I smiled. "Okay." I looked at the time on my phone. "It's seven. I'm going out," I said. I hadn't bothered changing out of my dress; I was too desperate to get out of the house and play a game of chess.

"I'm coming," Mirabelle said.

I hesitated. "You'll be bored."

"How do you know that?" she replied.

"I just do."

But she came with me anyway, to my displeasure.

She hadn't changed out of her clothes either, and I suspected she wore such expensive clothes on a daily basis.

"Where are we going?" She asked when we were outside.

"The park," I replied simply.

When we got there, Ace was playing against the man who had been the first to talk when we were in the middle of a game.

I smirked and walked to the crowd, but Mirabelle grabbed my arm.

"What?"

She pointed to the group of men surrounding Ace and the man.

"Why are we going there? You said we were going for a walk."

I shrugged. "I didn't lie. We did go for a walk. Up till here. Now I want to play chess. So I will."

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at me as if she was surprised I wasn't understanding something. "With poor strangers?"

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"The majority of men here are polite, intelligent, working-class men who have a passion for chess. Why shouldn't I play against them? Chess is a fascinating game."

She sighed exasperatedly. "Don't you get it? They're poor old men who need money. People like us, who are not poor, don't play around with poor people."

"Let's get something straight," I said. "These men are not hobos, so stop treating them like they are. Okay? And, these men, as I said before, are polite and intelligent. You're freakin' rich, and I may be too, but that doesn't have to do with anything. Why can't a play a friggin' game of chess?"

"Chess is for geeks and nerds! It's weird."

Resisting the urge to punch her, I said, "Using stereotypes is a sign of lower intelligence and lack of creativity. It's also insulting. If you say another bad thing about them or the game, I'll drag you back home, and come back to play a game myself."

She scowled at me. "Did you just call me stupid?"

Sick of her, and gaining the upper hand, I smirked. "Prove that you're not, and I'll take it back."

I turned away from her and walked through the crowd the watch the rest of the game.

Ace had just knocked the man's king down.

Cheers sounded throughout the crowd, and Ace's opponent congratulated him.

Ace spot me from the crowd. "Want to go next, Kairi?" he called out.

"Sure."

Mirabelle tugged at my sleeve and hissed, "No you're not. You are not going to leave me in this crowd alone!"

I shrugged her off, telling her to stay in the front of the crowd.

Ace got up and I took his seat. I would be playing black this time, just as I preferred.

The man said, "And to whom do I owe the pleasure of playing against?"

I extended my hand with a smile. "Kairi Romanique. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

He shook my hand. "Alexander Woodrow. I've heard many rumors about you, Missy." He shook his finger jokingly. "Ruthless and meticulous, they say. And now I have the honor of playing against you."

The crowd had quieted down a while ago, and I could see Mirabelle staring at me slack-jawed when he finished talking."

"The honor's all mine, sir."

We had playing for over an hour, and I was almost at checkmate. But, Mr. Woodrow was too. He was a good opponent, a very skilled one. I found out he had been playing since he was seven years old. He was rarely beaten, and no one but Ace had beaten him in years.

He was the best chess player in the Village.

After fifteen to twenty minutes, I said, "Checkmate," and knocked down his king.

Once again, the crowd erupted in cheers. I shook Mr. Woodrow's hand and bid him farewell, then left the park with a silent Mirabelle.

I opened the door to see Michael and Kevin waiting.

"Mirabelle?"

She stayed silent.

"Mirabelle, are you okay?" He and Michael glared at me.

"Where's mom and George?" I asked.

"They went with Mother and Father to see a movie. Where were you guys? And what the hell did you do to Mira?"

I glanced at Mirabelle. "She's fine, just a bit shocked. You guys catch up, I'm going to rest."

She walked over to them and started talking, and I saw that Michael wasn't listening. The pervert was staring at me again. I ignored him and walked to my room, shutting it behind me. Quickly, I changed out of the fancy dress, leaving on the socks. I changed into a loose navy blue tank top with a black knee-length sweater jacket and shorts. I took out my spare combat boots and put that on too.

Untangling my hair from the fishtail braid, I looked in the mirror. I looked like me again. Satisfied with my appearance, I exited my room through the fire escape window.