Keiko
I'm late. Of course this is nothing unusual. But if I hurry I could still make the bus, Otherwise I'll be walking…Again. School is such a waste of time. I'd rather be on a mountain top, abseiling down a hundred-meter cliff with my BF Kimiko, talking about Kimiko I am so excited she'll be joining me soon at that hell hole I call school well… soon enough.
"Keiko!" Mums voice rings out from down stairs. "Ten minutes! Can you make it?"
My brother Rai surprises me at my bedroom door, leaning is back against the door frame, shaking his head and looking superior and smug as usual. He's fully dressed in his school uniform; back pack slung casually over one shoulder, towering over me. When did he grow so tall?
"Yeah sure" he says sarcastically, knowing perfectly well mum won't hear a word. "She'll make it mum."
He just wants to annoy me I take a slow calming breath.
I shove him backwards into the hallway and slam the door shut "I need a lock" I mutter walking over to my wardrobe and grabbing my school uniform in bits and pieces out of the wardrobe. Throwing everything on as fast as I can with my blue shirt half hanging out I brush my long blonde hair into a high ponytail.
When I open the door Rai's still standing their, startled I take a step backwards. Regaining my equilibrium, I push past him. "You need a life brother."
He follows me down the hallway. "I'd have a better one if you could take care of yourself for a change."
This comment has me spinning around. But I shouldn't be surprised really. For as long as I can remember Rai has taken the "big brother" role way too seriously. When we were young our father walked out on our family, and Rai decided to take on the parental role. I decide to ignore the comment and jump down the stairs two at a time, running straight into the kitchen.
"You don't have time for breakfast, I'll give you some money and you can pick something up at the school canteen. Something healthy," My muscles tighten and I give my brother the most evil look I can muster over my shoulder. I pick up the pairing knife off the counter and grab an apple from the fruit bowl, I go to cut it in half but Rai can't resist one more cautionary warning "Be careful of that knife it's new and really sharp you might cut yourself." I groan and spin around. "Yes Dad" The moment the word slips out of my mouth I wish I could take it back. Rai's bright green eyes become dark and distant, he gives me a hurt look and walks out. I sigh and go to cut the apple in half, still dazed the apple slips and the knife slices through the top of my finger.
Of course now that I really need him Rai's no where to be seen. I grab a paper towel and rap it tightly around my finger. The cut's deep I'll probably need stitches. "Heal you stupid finger! Heal heal!"
"What's wrong now?" Rai asks from the doorway, I quickly drop the paper towel and hold out my hand. "If you must know I cut my finger Okay?"
He comes over quickly grabbing my finger carefully viewing it from every possible angle and raises his eyebrows at me. "Is this some kind of joke?"
I snatch my finger back and lift it up in front of my face studying it from all angles "What the?" I whisper. There's no blood and more remarkably there's no cut nothing!
"You know sometimes I think you're as weird as Eden" This comment has my head snapping around. "You're not bringing Eden up again are you?" I ask. He does this all the time knowing full well how I've felt about his ex-best friend since we were young. Eden's in my history class and never once has he acknowledged my presence, I don't think he knows who I am at all!
A loud rumble outside has Rai tugging on my arm.
"Come on it's the bus"
Quickly I look for where I put the apple. I grab it off the chopping board and look for where I dropped my bag. I pick it up of the kitchen table and run outside. Just outside I glance at the half carved apple in my hands. What I see gives me a sudden start so much so that the apple flies out of my trembling hand. But even on the moist grass where it sits, I can still see the rich red blood stain on its skinny skin.
Blood.
My blood.
From the cut that doesn't exist.
Eden
Keiko Pedrosa is going to be my apprentice what lousy luck! It's not that I mind that she's a girl. It's just…When I imagined my apprentice, I imagined an eager young kid, who would listen in awe as I tell them about this amazing new world. But Keiko Pedrosa?
I walk into my history class quickly scouring the back row, checking for an empty seat. I chose history six months ago thinking I could breeze through the course, with my personal knowledge on the subject, but I never counted on Croc-face Culler taking the class. He's had it in for me for years. I don't know why I've never done anything to him, not that I recall. I only started calling him Croc-face after he put me in detention for a week for not having my shirt tucked in three times in a row. How pathetic! I was punished for growing too fast for my uniform. It's not my fault he has a massive jaw filled with huge white teeth.
The man just hates me.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a girl diving for the last empty seat in the back row. I take a quick look around and realize that the only other seats are right up under Carters nose or worse right next to Rai's girlfriend Natalie. The thought of these two scenarios has me pushing roughly past the girl making for the seat with my name on it. She falls to the side landing right on Chloe Smith's lap, just as I slam down on the seat claming ownership.
"Hey!" Chloe calls out while helping the girl up, giving me an irritated look. "What's with you today?"
"Sorry." I mutter. "I have to get the back seat Chloe. You know how carter hates me."
"That's because you're always ticking him off!" She snaps
"No way"
She gives me a little disbelieving laugh.
"Are you alright?" I ask the other girl, who's now standing and looking around for somewhere else to sit.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to knock you over like that," She nods and kind of gulps, her eyes flicking away across the room.
"Here" Chloe says to the girl, offering up her prime back row seat. Then looking at me she says. "I don't have the same hang-ups as you Eden; I think Mr. Carter's sexy."
I feel my jaw drop so low it's a wonder it doesn't hit the floor. I can't believe she just said that, Carter sexy? No way.
Chloe takes off and the girl sits in the seat across the aisle. Carter walks in and starts muttering something but I can't focus on the man, my minds doing a double take on the girl beside me. She's sitting examining a finger held up to her face like it's the first time she's ever see one. As she does this I recognize something familiar about her. She realizes I'm staring drops her finger and goes blood red in the face.
Apparently Carter's noticed my preoccupation too. He wonders down the centre isle stopping about half way. "Is there a particular reason your interest in the opposite sex is far more obvious this morning Mr. Roberts? Did you wake up and realize you're of the male persuasion?"
The class sniggers.
"No sir," I mutter, hoping to get him off my case. He looks at me like I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being and walks off. I sneak another look at the girl beside me, searching for that something that will trigger my memory of who she is. She notices and glances at me briefly before dropping her eyes to her desk. But that's all I need. Her eyes are big and a deep green just like Raimundo's.