OK! So sorry it's late and short. We're dealing with an audit here at work and I'm in the finance department so...totally uber-swamped. :D But I wanted to get you guys something at least. ^-^ And thanks so much to everyone who is commenting and following this story. I had no idea I would see so much support here. Thank you all so very much and please keep up the comments!
There's lots more to come. I usually get to write on Fridays and Saturdays when the hubby is at work. Hope you like it. Finally our beloved Usagi meets her love. ^^
~Poet
Chapter 2 - An unusual Meeting:
"Sarah! Sarah you're late again! Get up already!" The voice pushed its way into the thick of a wonderful dream full of ice cream sundaes, cakes, and a table of all sorts of delectable goodies. "Mmmmmhmm I'll take another slice.", the blonde haired girl muttered in her sleep, snuggling deeper into her pillow which she began to nibble on. "Sarah, NOW!" The dream vanished with a poof, the delicious piece of cherry pie she was tasting turning to a bland cottony taste in her mouth as the young blonde's eyes popped open. "Blech!", she said, spitting out the corner of her pillow and rubbing her sleepy, fuzzy eyes. "And I was having such a good dream too.", she muttered as she began to dress. Lastly she hurriedly divided her hair on both sides and twisted it up into two buns with the remaining hair hanging down to her waist in two ponytails. Sometimes the other girls teased her about her hairstyle but it just seemed to be the only way that felt natural and comfortable. "Coming mama!", she called downstairs.
"Oh what am I going to do with you Sarah", her mother said, an exasperated and harried look on her face as she juggled a baby in one arm and made a vain attempt to restrain a rambunctious five year old boy with the other. "You'd better hurry or the water rations office will close and we'll have to wait a whole week. And don't be late to school again either. If I get one more note from your teacher you're seriously grounded and I'm not kidding."
It was fairly mundane and sheltered living in the middle of the more well-off central district close to the government center. Sarah's mother ran a nursery out of her home to get by which often left Sarah responsible for chores outside the house since her mother had her hands full. And she was late. At this rate she'd barely make the water rations office. Sarah's pulse began to race as she slipped into her shoes and ran out the door, scooping up the plastic water jugs and her knapsack on one sweep. "OK mom, I'll hurry!", she called as the door closed behind her.
Breathless, Sarah ran as fast as her feet would carry her as it slowly dawned on her that she had left her lunch on the counter. "Oh no, and I'm so hungry too!", the young girl whined aloud just as her toe caught in a crack in the sidewalk. Everything flew out of her hands as she pin wheeled, trying to catch her balance.
Matai walked briskly down Main Street towards the heart of Central District, a packet of papers held securely in the crook of his arm, his serious blue eyes focused on his destination, n office about a mile up the road. He was on an errand for Kiral's father, but his mind kept slipping away into thoughts of the dream he had had last night. He had been running after something, something so dangerous it made his blood run cold to think of it. But always he was too far behind. And at the end there had been a girl with tears in her eyes. She cried out to him but he couldn't hear what she was saying. Then there had been a bright flash and he had awoken in his room covered in sweat.
For such a long time now Matai could feel wrongness as if something was seriously amiss but he couldn't put his finger on it. He had a good life with the Nazari family. They treated him well and he yearned to make them proud of him. But sometimes there was just this pit in his stomach. And then the dreams had started. "Am I going crazy?", he wondered to himself, running a hand through his raven black hair just as a gust of wind whooshed by, taking one of the papers in his arm along for the ride.
Quickly snapped alert from his thoughts he stooped down to catch the page before it could get lost, and was struck in the head by a flying plastic jug out of nowhere. Surprised and a bit annoyed, he stood, rubbing his sore temple and squinting into the sunlight, only to see a young girl with blonde hair rubbing her knee with tears in her eyes, papers and all splayed messily about on the ground. "Hey, watch it bun head!", he called out, picking the empty plastic jug up from where it fell.
Tears spilled from Sarah's eyes as she muttered "owww", and rubbed her scraped knee. She was tired, and hungry, and wouldn't get anything to eat until dinner because she had forgotten her lunch. And she was late and if she didn't make it mom would be so disappointed in her. Sarah just wanted to curl up and cry, and it was only 9 in the morning. This day was looking to be horrible already. A voice called out to her. "Watch it bun-head" and she looked up to see a boy with black hair and clear blue eyes holding her water jug and standing over her. Bun-head indeed! Sarah looked up and with all the dignity of a teenager gave him the best tongue-out raspberry she could. "I'm not a bun head, and you should have been watching out too you know!" Anger reddened her cheeks, but he only laughed and held out his hand.
This girl was something else. Her feisty anger, even as ridiculous as she looked on the ground brought a smile to his lips. "Here, let me help you up.", he offered reaching out his hand. She hesitated a second and then took his hand. The minute their hands touched it felt as if an electrical spark shot through his body, and Matai's eyes widened a bit in surprise. He had never felt such a strange sensation before. He pulled her to her feet and helped gather her things. On one of the papers he noticed her name – Sarah Townsend. "Sarah huh?", he said, trying out the name. "Be more careful OK? You wouldn't want to pull that stunt with a full jug.", he said teasingly as he stepped away, heading back in the direction of the office he had come to see. But he turned back once, eyes fixed on the girl's swaying blonde hair as she too went on her way, leaving him to his own thoughts and unanswered questions.
Sarah gave him one final show of her tongue at the last comment and brushed stray hair haughtily from her eyes. That guy had some nerve easing her. It wasn't her fault the sidewalk was crooked after all. But before he turned the corner she found her eyes fixed on him. Maybe, just maybe, he was a little cute after all even for a pain in the butt know-it-all. A smile crept across her lips, until she remembered that she was even later now and Sarah took off running once again.