As she woke, Arisa fumbled bleary eyed for her alarm clock that was first on her hit list at the moment. She had been having a great dream! It had been so vivid, like a movie in her head. She was standing in a comfortable room with a man she had never seen before. He had been playing a beautiful and nostalgic song. She had somehow just known the words like a second nature.... She would write down the melody later.

She finally found the danged thing and hit the button with excessive force. She got up slowly, stretched her long arms and headed towards the bathroom where she proceeded to shower and dress. Then she combed through her now dry mid-back length mahogany hair and put it into it's usual ponytail. Her eyes were a sharp green and her skin, though pale and sort of placid, was fairly clear. She took a certain pride in the fact that she could actually be considered quite pretty, not like move star or model pretty but she wasn't all that bad. Too bad no one would look at her like that, not in this town. She took one last look at herself before heading downstairs and leaving.

Arisa walked to school as usual. She was a Sophomore in Axel High. Her mom was a single parent with drinking issues and her older brother was a bit of a delinquent. She loved school, unlike most, just because she could get away from those two. In this town, her mom was famous for being a world class... you know what..... and her brother didn't exactly have a great reputation either.....

Her best friend Hikomi, a fair deal shorter than Arisa with short black hair and brown eyes, met her down the block. "Did you get Mr. Sampson's homework finished?" Hikomi asked. Hikomi had transferred from Japan because of her dad's job.

"Yup. Why? You didn't?" Arisa sighed, Hikomi was a straight A student in everything but Math......

Hikomi's eyes downcast, "No. I just don't understand the whole X and Y thing! When will this ever be useful,?! I mean it's not like we're gonna go to the grocery store and try and find which is the better deal through this whole mathematical blah!" Arisa was used to Hikomi's rants. She just chuckled, patted her friend on the back and kept walking. "Oh yeah Ms. Straight A's-I'm-a-teachers-pet, laugh all you want!"

"Calm down Hikomi, you're getting a B, so what? I failed art......" They both snickered at the time Arisa had somehow managed to get herself a C in art... Arisa blamed her lack of peace and quiet......

Hikomi looked like she wanted to say more but they had arrived at the gates considering they each lived about a block or two away.

"Well, see you in band Arisa!" Hikomi yelled as she sped off towards her first period, gym. Arisa had Language arts.

Language arts was her favorite subject aside from band. They had a free day every Friday, which it so happened to be, so she took out a blank sheet of paper, set up her staff and set to work. Arisa had played the flute since she was 7, when she found the flute her father had left behind, and she was now around 16.

Her piece just flew from her hand, she wasn't really even thinking about it until she noticed she had a full page of sheet music sitting on her desk. She looked down at it and tried to put it to a melody. From the rough idea that gave her, it was pretty and yet sad in a way. She would play it when she had the chance. She failed to notice it was actually the melody from her dream.

Class was over and she headed over to her least favorite class, science. They were studying from books today and doing a written note session. The teacher, Mrs. Agnes, was lazy and undeserving of educating today's youth. Arisa hated her while almost everyone else loved her carefree, lazy in her opinion, attitude.

Other than Hikomi, Arisa didn't really have any friends. Most people avoided her like the plague. She could blame her mom and brother for that. She didn't know why really, but in a town full of goody-goodies, a few bad seeds in the family could get you sent to the bottom of the food chain.

After another uneventful 3 periods and lunch, it was finally 6th period and time for band. Their teacher, Mrs. Carina, was finishing her coffee as she opened the door.

Arisa opened her case and repressed a scream. Her flute wasn't there! In it's place was a silver ring with a weird glowing green cross on it..

She raised her hand. "Ms. Carina. I don't feel very good, May I go to the nurses office?"

She caught Hikomi's concerned look on her way out and just tried to look in pain. What the heck happened?! Had her brother done it? Sold her flute for more of his hobbies? Maybe her mom? But why would either bother replacing it with the rather expensive looking ring?

After the nurse took her temperature, it turned our Arisa really did have a fever. The nurse said she could stay in her office since school was almost over so Arisa took out a book and dove in. Reading was one of her hobbies. It took her out of this silly little Swedish town she barely remembered the name of.

The bell rang during an exciting part and Arisa was tentative to put it down. She packed up and left after saying thanks to the nurse. She pushed through the clumps of kids on their way out, eager to get home and question her family about her flute. Hikomi's expression stopped her in her tracks.

Hikomi looked angry and worried. When she saw Arisa, worried took over. "Are you okay? It's not like you to get sick and even when you're sick you try and fake your not until someone notices!"

"My head was pounding and I couldn't concentrate, what did you look so mad about a second ago?"

Hikomi pointed, "That." Arisa followed her point to a group of three in long cloaks and in the girls case, a skirt. They all stood out one way or another.

"Who are they?" She wondered, a long look passing over the cloaks and symbols on them.

"Excorcists, they are going to be attending classes at our school and trying to 'blend in'" She made a 'pft' sound, "Like they'll every blend in." Scorn decorated her voice. Hikomi apparently didn't believe...

"What do you have against them?" Arisa had never heard her friend so closed minded and scornful. Arisa respected the exorcists for what they did. If their cause was real..

"They fight for a fictional cause. Who can testify to ever seeing a real akuma?"

It finally clicked, "You're jealous aren't you?" Arisa teased.

Hikomi blushed and sputtered, "Maybe a little...." She admitted. The Japanese girl was always looking for adventure.... She hated the small town.

Arisa took one last look at the figures talking to the principal before heading home with Hikomi. She wondered what would bring three exorcists to their small, homely little town. Come to think of it, they all looked awfully young, didn't they? Arisa shuddered. They were no older than her or Hikomi yet they were off fighting these supposedly evil beings created from human souls? It made her sad, in a way. Even kids were fighting for this cause. She wasn't sure whether not she believed in akuma and what the exorcists did but she wouldn't scorn them for doing their job. She noticed she was lagging behind the smaller form of Hikomi and jogged and caught up with a short jog.