Chapter 1
“It’ll be fun, Ryuu, don’t worry!” Albert, my stepfather, said rather cheerfully, his meaty arms clutching the steering wheel.
“Whatever,” I mumbled, sitting in the back seat with my arms crossed, staring out the window with a hopeless look.
“Ryuu, please just pretend to enjoy your stay here. I’m sorry that we have to stay here for two years, but this job is far too valuable to let it pass. You’ll get used to it, trust me,” my mom said encouragingly, peering back at me with her orange hair dangling downwards.
“If this job is so important, then couldn’t we have gotten a better place to stay? Like, I dunno, a place from this century?” I remarked snobbishly, irritated about having to stay at my grandparent’s old cottage. “I mean, there isn’t anything around that little village for maybe 50 miles. Couldn’t we have gotten something actually in the city?”
“Ryuurou Katoh, you know as well as I do that we can’t afford anything in the city. Besides, grandma and grandpa were generous enough to let us stay with them, so be grateful,” my mother snapped back at me, her green eyes shining as she spoke.
“Then why the hell did you have to bring him?” I shouted, thrusting my arm into a point at the blond haired, blue-eyed man, who was driving us to my soon-to-be personal hell.
“Ryuu!” my mother yelled at me warningly.
“What? Why the hell did you have to meet him, anyway? I hate him!”
“Ryuurou! That’s enough!” she yelled as a final warning to me. “Now, apologize to your sister for upsetting her,” she said, calmed down, pointing at my sister who was curled up into a ball and soaking her knees with tears, upset just like little children tend to get when their loved ones fight.
I grunted and turned my head back to the window, ignoring the inhabitants of the compact car as I watched civilization slowly disappear into paint-like lines of green and brown.
The rural colors began to become more vivid as we slowed down, turning into a driveway of an old, brown cottage - my Grandparent’s house. I sighed and stepped out of the car once it screeched to a halt, slamming the door rather harshly as I began walking up behind the others. They all seemed to ignore me after my little tantrum, except for my sister, who shadowed me the entire time. She never seemed to understand when people wanted to be left alone, nor would she except ‘no’ for an answer - the perfect traits for a future solicitor.
I was wearing the classical long-short-sleeved combo with jeans. It was comfortable, though slightly warmer than desired during the sunny summer days. Being in the middle of June, those summer days were here.
We stepped up to the door and gave three hardy knocks on what seemed to be a medieval-styled door-knocker. My Grandparents never quite could understand the use of ‘technology’. I guess being separated from the modern world since you were born could do that to you, especially at their age.
The door opened, revealing two people. One, my Grandma, was a sweet old lady, a little on the short side, but the same Caucasian skin that ran throughout my family, along with gray hair that had a slight brown tint to it. The other, my Grandpa, was beefy and large, having no hair to be colored, but the same skin as always. A permanent smile was etched on each of their faces, their missing teeth slightly muffling their welcome. “Is that you, deary?” my Grandma asked, walking over to my mom and giving her a big hug, although she only made it up to about her waist.
My mother smiled and wrapped her arms around my Grandma, saying, “Hey, ma. It’s good to see you.” She then turned to my Grandpa and gave the same greeting.
My Grandma turned to me and said, “My, how you’ve grown! Come give your grandma a hug.”
I wrapped my arms around her awkwardly, giving a fake smile. I never enjoyed hugging and kissing my family, ever. When we released, I stepped inside an looked around. There lay an amount of decorations that made it seem like one of those walk-in historical homes you would go see for a field trip - not a house you were to sleep in for the next year or two.
I sighed again and walked back to the car with my family once they were done with introductions. We grabbed our suitcases from out of the car, having my Grandparents lead us up to our rooms. My mom and Al, of course, had their own room. And, of course, me and my sister had to share a room. Even though she was only 10, she was quite bothersome to sleep with - another reason for me to hate it here.
I pulled a book out of my bag and plopped on my creaky old bed. It sounded as if it was about to break through the floor and into the kitchen. I ignored it, reading my book as the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains, bringing darkness into what I could see was the world. I skipped dinner that night - my appetite ruined from all the disappointment that was brought. I was thankful that my parents kept my sister busy, leaving me in peace.
They all went to bed earlier than normal, making me happy as I stepped out into the crisp night air of the forest that surrounded us, a single road leading to the city where my mom worked. I sighed and dug my face into my hands.
Suddenly, I heard a voice calling my name. I quickly looked up. It was Kiyoko, my sister. “What are you doing up, Kiyo?”
She giggled and said, “I wanted you to play with me in the woods, Ryuu.”
“But it’s the dead of night. The woods aren’t safe now.”
“We’ll be just fine,” she said, beginning to run towards it in a childlike manner.
“Kiyo, wait!” I yelled, standing up quickly.
She turned around in her run and called out, “C'mon, Ryuu. Let’s go have fun!”
I ran after her and called out, “No, Kiyo! It’s too dangerous!” I heard her giggle as I ran into the dark plain the branches from the trees created. “Kiyo! Get back here!” Although I would never admit it, I cared deeply about my sister. I would never let her come in harm’s way. Finally, I saw a shadow of her from the tunnel of light that spewed forth in front of me. I ran and ran to try an catch up to her, suddenly seeing the shadow disappear as I ran into the white light.
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P.S. Sorry about not continuing my other story. It's just been hard finishing that next chapter. I'll try my best, but don't expect much.
