Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around the room. It was so different. How I longed fro my old bed, and my old way of life. I longed for my home once more, and yet this was now my home, this new place, new town, new country. New everything. It was all so different. France was such a beautiful country, with its friendly people, and its kind atmosphere. The small village in which I had lived had seemed bright and beautiful to me, and the people wonderful and colourful. I had held them so close to me. And then I had had to leave.



Had to travel halfway across the world. To here. To this place. Japan. So different. I was now living in a large house in the middle of Domino City, and large town, in which I new no one, well, other than my brother, a 19 year-old student. We looked nothing alike. He was tall, verging on 6 foot 5, and slim, with shortish dirty blonde/light brown hair, and deep green eyes. He had always looked out for me in France, until he had moved away, when he was 17, to study in Japan. And then I had come to, to live with him.



I remembered the night before, when I had arrived. He hadn't been there to pick me up from the airport, so I'd caught a taxi, which then got lost. When I eventually found the house, it was raining. The large wet sort that sunk into my clothes leaving me drenched. I hadn't seen my brother in two years, and when I stood on the doorstep, waiting for him to answer the bell. I stood, with my clothes clinging to my thin frame. My hair was wet, and stuck to my clothes, framing my figure even more, with the black jeans and black hair contrasting heavily with what had been pale blue t-shirt, that had now turned a sort of see-through colour. My pale blue eyes were tired and all I wanted to do was sleep.



When Marc eventually answered the door, he nearly jumped out of his skin. He barely recognised me, as I had grown nearly a foot, and was now verging on 5 foot 11. He gave me a quick hug and paid the taxi driver, before helping me to lug my stuff up the stairs and into a large easterly facing room that was to be my bedroom. It had a large bed in it, which had obviously been hurriedly made, as all it had on it was a simple white duvet, and a few pillows thrown into it.



“I haven't had a chance to do anything since I moved in,” he explained, “Maybe that can be your project, redoing the place.”



I could barely nod, and he left me to unpack, and settle in. I did this quickly, and soon rolled up into a ball on the bed, letting the waves of sleep overcome me.



When the previous night had worked its way through my mind, I thought to the coming day, thinking that I was indeed going to be sent to school, and thinking right. I changed quickly into a long flowing skirt, made in a cream material, and adding to it a thin beige jumper, finishing off the look with a thick plait that soon began to unravel. I walked softly down the stairs, and after experimenting, I found a rather messy kitchen, in which my brother was sitting, shovelling cereal into his mouth, reading the paper.



“Morning,” he acknowledged my presence, and as I greeted him back, with a quick kiss on each cheek I commented on ho smart and different he looked in a suit. He smiled, and when I sat down, soon brought about the subject of school with me. “I know you've only just got here, and all, but it is important, and I do need to get it sorted. I have had you enrolled in the local high school, and if its ok with you, you can start today.” He raised his eyebrows at me, questioning.



I nodded my aquiest. He smiled, “Great then, I'll take you just now, and speak to the head. You'll need to get a uniform some time, but not just yet.”



I was a bit bemused, and simply sat there, so he sighed and got up, before walking out of the room, and then walking back in again, “Oh yeah, you'll need a bag, and some pens and stuff, can you get that sorted out?”



I cocked an ear towards him and nodded slightly. He hesitated slightly, and was about to leave, when I started to talk, “Has my horse come yet?”



“Yes.”



“Ok.”


He hesitated once more, and walked slowly over to me, embracing me quickly, “I'm glad you're here.”



And a silent teardrop rolled down my cheek.



***



Half an hour later we were sitting in the car, a smart dark blue BMW sports, soft-top, and listening quite loudly to Japanese radio. I pulled down the visor in front of me, and took a pencil out of my bag. Noticing Marc looking at me out of the corner of the eye, I peered deep into the mirror on the visor, and started to outline my eyes with the pencil, my kohl eyeliner.



“Don't put too much on,” he instructed me.



“Why not?”



“Just…because….I don't know.”



I shrugged, and continued, before moving through my bag and gradually putting on a little of a pale coloured eye shadow and mascara that doubled the length of my already long eyelashes. I put on a little bit of lip-gloss, and replaced all the things in my bag, before turning to Marc. “When can we go and see my horse?”



“Tonight?”



“Ok. And how do I get home from school?”



“I'll pick you up, if you don't mind waiting outside for me for a bit. My uni is just down the road.”



“Ok.” Before I knew it we had pulled up at a big building. School. I climbed out of the car, at the same time as Marc climbed out of the other side. He looked incredibly smart for a student, in stonewash blue jeans, with a green and yellow t-shirt and a jacket. All the girls around started to look at him, and `casually' pose. I smirked, and we walked towards where the reception was, according to the signposts. As we walked we conversed in French, bewildering everyone around us, even though we were simply talking gibberish. We had done it since we were little, apart from then we had lived in France, and rather than jabbering in French we would jabber in Japanese, and really unnerve people. It could be quite funny.



By the time we reached the reception, we were both laughing quite hard, however the sight of the principal's door soon made me stop. I looked at it nervously, and we entered, entering something new and scary.



***



I emerged from the principal's office just after first bell, and studying my timetable and the map given to me, I made my way to my first lesson, music. As I knocked on the door and entered the classroom, I blushed heavily, being not one of the most confident people in the world. I took a seat quickly, and when the teacher had passed me several books I was going to need, and introduced herself, I began to take notes, as the other kids were doing. As my curly writing began to fill the page, my mind began to wander, and only snapped back when the teacher asked me something. To my horror, without realising, I quickly answered first in French, then English, and then Japanese. I hated the thick French accent that sounded, and quickly reprimanded myself, before tuning into Japanese mode. No more French for me.



The morning passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I made my way down the corridors and towards the canteen, receiving odd looks as I went, due to my colouring that was slightly Mediterranean, but mostly very French with oriental eyes, and hair. Also the fact that I was the new girl, and not wearing school uniform.



I walked through the cafeteria with my tray, and found an empty table to sit at. I pulled a book out my bag, in French of course, and slowly began to pick at my food, wishing for a plate of steaming Ratatouille and instead finding a plate of mouldy looking pasta. I lost myself in my book, `Un long dimanche de fiançailles', and didn't even notice the other people sit at my table. They were the same age as me, and soon began talking, distracting me from my book, so I quickly finished my meal, before walking away, clearly stating the fact that they had disturbed me. I found my homeroom, and sat down in that, reading and waiting for the rest o my class to appear.



The class had filled by the time the bell rang yet again, and I put my book away and waited for the teacher, who soon appeared, commencing the start of the afternoon.



The day had seemed to drag slowly past, and I was glad of the end of it, when I strode what I hope was confidently out of the school, and stood at the gates waiting for my brother. The whole school emptied, until it was just me standing outside of it. Then I heard a group of voices, and nine people, from my own homeroom appeared, chatting happily. They were the ones who had interrupted me at lunch. One of them, a very short guy, with spiky multicoloured hair walked over to me, and asked me if I was ok.



“Yes, thank you, I am waiting for my brother.”



“You're new here, aren't you?” asked one of the girls. She was fairly tall, and had tanned skin. “My name's Kaede, and this is,” she began indicating and pointing, but before she could do so, she was stopped, and everyone began to interrupt her, trying to introduce themselves. I stood there, blank faced, until I was directly addressed, again by Kaede, “so, did you get all that?”



I didn't say anything. She sighed, “Ok, so I'm Kaede,” I nodded, “And this is Yuula,” she pointed to a girl of medium height, with long blonde hair, and a slight tan. “This is Sakura,” another tanned girl with medium length brown hair, “Tea,” short brown hair, female, “Honda and Joey,” both tall, one with a random quiff, the other with messy blonde hair, “Yugi,” weird very short guy with multi-coloured hair, “Duke,” since when did guys where make-up?! “and Ryou,” A fairly tall guy with whitish messy hair.



“Um, hi?!”



They stared at me expectantly.



“I'm Ana-Gaelle Osculaix.”



They stared blankly.

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