Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Months of moving and we finally found somewhere to call home. My parents considered this a place to start over and forget the past behind us, but there were too many things to forget from our home. As my parents unpacked downstairs, I looked around upstairs. My sister would have liked this place if we were younger. I could think of all the places I could hide and wouldn't be found for hours.
I was suppose to be starting a new school. A place called Kisaragi. I was told it was a good school, but appearances aren't everything. I walked downstairs to find my parents still packing. For once, they weren't fighting about something.
Mom noticed me first. " How is everything?"
" Better than I imagined. How did you find this place?"
" A coworker of mine just to live in this city. It's better than Kishi definitely."
I nodded. That much I could agree on. Dad took a slip from his pocket and handed it to me. It was from the school. " Checked it out beforehand. Say you can come and find your class tomorrow."
" You're not taking me?" I asked. Both of them shook their heads. Shouldn't have asked in the first place. They wouldn't have taken me there. " I guess I can find the school on my own. I just hope there are good people there than in Kishi."
" They are better people," Mom insisted. She turned to Dad. " Haru, why don't you go and check out the neighborhood? I heard they are cheerful when new people come here."
" Then they haven't met you," I muttered under my breath. I think Dad heard me, but Mom pushed me out before he could get involved.
My parents weren't the best around. Sure, they feed me and clothed me, but there was more to it than just that. As I continued walking, I ended up somewhere in town. There were a lot of people around. There was no way for me to find my way back now. The only option was to sit in one place and wait until the crowd disappeared. That was the only way I found myself in the park. The kids looked so carefree as they played with each other.
I sat down on the bench and watched a couple of kids run around, playing tag. They must have gone to the elementary that was near here.
" Why are you just sitting here?" someone behind me asked.
I quickly rose from the bench and looked to see them. It was a girl around my age. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail along with a red ribbon holding it back. Besides her wearing yellow, her eyes is what popped out, for they were a light brown. " Are you new around here?"
" New? I guess that's the word."
" What is your name then? I haven't seen you around here before?"
" Isn't common curacy to introduce yourself first?"
She frowned. " You were just watching the kids. That's strange around here you know. Anyway, my name is Anna Mochida. I guess you're going to Kisaragi if you're new around here."
I nodded. " Haru Hayashi."
" I only have one thing to tell you about Kisaragi."
" And what is that?"
" We don't give up on anything. Once you're in, you have to give it your all." Before I could respond, Anna grabbed my hand and dragged me over to a woman and a girl who I guessed was her daughter.
" Anna, why are you dragging someone here?" the woman asked. She too young to be having a child. She had the same brown hair as Anna, but she had light blue eyes. The same as her daughter as well.
" She's going to Kisaragi," Anna explained. She turned to face me." This is my Aunt Yuka and my cousin, Lenora."
I quickly bowed my head. " Haru Hayashi."
" You don't have to bow your head," Yuka said.
" She's funny," Lenora told Anna. Her cousin shushed her.
" I suppose it's okay if I know someone before I start on my first day. By then, I won't be shaking."
" I have other friends you might like," she said. She looked over at her aunt. " Maybe she'll like Ruka and Ryu. They're always fun to be around."
" I sure hope so."
I looked around the park. I had noticed the sun was going down. " I have to get back home," I said. " My parents would likely be excepting me."
" All right then," Anna said. " Are you starting at the school tomorrow? If so, I would like to introduce you to my friends."
I nodded. That girl was more cheerful than the others I have met in the past. Maybe there was something about her that was different. She continued to wave to me, even after I couldn't see her anymore.
~
I ended up finding my way back after asking for some directions. Like before, the door was open but I was welcomed back with a vase flying towards my head. I moved before any damage could be done. " Uh...I'm back," I said, closing the door. My parents didn't hear me as they continued to argue about something. I just hoped no one in the neighborhood heard them.
I walked up the stairs, trying to ignore the hateful words they said to each other. It wasn't always like this. It was better when my sister was still alive. When I opened the door to my bedroom, I found the bracelet on the dresser. The last thing she had ever given me. I guess Mom had put it there when I forgot about it. As the fighting continued, I put the bracelet on and examined it, making sure there was nothing wrong with it. Even when she was dead, she knew how to make me feel better.
Climbing into the bed, I tried to ignore the fighting. That last thing I remembered was something hitting the wall and Mom screaming.