Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto.
~
You know, back in the old world, I guess I always had felt a little different.
When I was a little kid, I used to sit on the white steps in front of my house on the west coast of Florida, and feel the sprinkle of rain on a warm afternoon, and feel the ocean breeze travel through my hair, and see the bright green trees and grass become alive in the wind, waving at me. I would feel so inexplicably connected to the waves of the sea crashing onto the shore, to the orange and yellow flames of a blazing bonfire illuminating the night, to the streaks of white clouds strewn across the sky in shades of pink, purple, blue...that I would wonder...maybe I was meant for something else.
My life in one word? Dissociating. I had grown up in a wealthy family, sheltered from any broader perspective of life. A privileged life, but one I didn't ask for all the same. Did I realize I was lucky? Yes. But was I unhappy? Yes.
Friends came with the network, but I didn't really prefer their forced company. A small, private school kept me within the lines, surrounded me with other kids just like me. Boring, colorless, repetitive. Like the rest of my life.
And then one day it just happened...when I was only thirteen. Without rhyme, without reason, I fell from my world.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I had woken up for school, rushing because I was late, throwing on the same boring school uniform consisting of white tights, a white, button-down cotton blouse, and a navy suede skirt. I didn't have time, so I ran a comb through my medium-length brown-highlighted-blonde hair and put a little mascara on my brown eyes' lashes.
I then ate the same boring breakfast: grapefruit and vanilla Greek yogurt. My driver honked the horn, and I ran out the door to get in the car. We stopped to pick up my two best friends along the way. Just like every other day.
"Your outfit is on fleek," Marissa told me when she climbed into the backseat next to me. She had striking features – long legs, dark brown hair in a short stylish cut, distinct freckles, and red lips. I had known her for years so I was used to her model-like beauty by now.
"Thanks, it's Chanel," I replied robotically, like I had said this script a thousand times. Maybe because I had.
"Can you tell I got my eyebrows threaded yesterday?" Marissa told me, leaning in close so I could get a good look.
I literally sighed out loud, already 100% done with today.
Then we got to my other friend's house. "Ehmagod, Megan, your dress is mega foxy," gushed Becca when she saw me. "Ha ha, get it? Mega foxy? Your name is Megan!"
"Funniest thing I've heard all day," I replied sarcastically, but neither of them caught it.
"It's Chanel," Marissa eagerly replied for me.
"Of course," Becca said, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears. Becca had bright blue eyes and a fair complexion, a perfect Barbie doll.
When I got to school, Tiffany Pearson was waiting by my locker. She was a popular eighth grade girl, long straight black hair and dimples. She's going to ask me to her party tonight. This life was too predictable.
"Hey, Meg," Tiffany said, shortening my name as if giving me some buddy-buddy nickname. Did she think we were there? This was one of the only times we've spoken.
"Oh, hi, Tiff," I said, not even gauging her reaction and opened my locker, starting to pull out books I'd need for the first half of the school day. I think the reason people at school thought I was so cool was that I acted so nonchalant, but the truth was, I really didn't care.
She briefly paused, startled at the greeting. Then she rushed on, "Anyway, I'm here to ask you to my party tonight. You can bring Becca, she's a babe...but not Marissa." She wrinkled her nose.
Marissa had just started dating Tiffany's ex-boyfriend two weeks ago, Bryan James. Guess Tiff was bitter. But I'm not going to play her game. If she thought I was going to leave out one of my best friends, then she had a big storm comin'.
"If Marissa isn't invited, I won't be there," I said, closing my locker firmly. "We come in a pack. You know, BFFs? Besties for life?" I had to refrain myself from rolling my eyes, but I had to speak her language.
The thing is, even though Marissa and Becca weren't exactly my soul sisters, if I was going to be loyal to someone in this dumb life, it was going to be them. In the first grade, when Tyra Pamela told me that my shoes were stinky and ugly, Becca told everyone that Tyra peed her bed every night to make me feel better. Two years ago, on a school field trip to St. Augustine, I ripped my shorts and Marissa had run to the nearest shop to buy me a new skirt to wear, totally breaking the rules. As naïve and shallow as they were, they were still my people.
I could tell Tiffany was thinking about it. If I was going, a lot of people would want to go. But she really hated Marissa for dating Bryan a month after they broke up. Tough call. I glanced at the clock, making it clear I wasn't about to wait all day.
"If it's an issue, it's totally fine," I assured her, starting to walk away. "I'm late for math."
"Bring her," Tiffany told my back, two seconds later. "I'll see you tonight!"
"See ya," I called breezily over my shoulder. Win. I just got invited to an eighth grade, and I made Tiffany Pearson also invite her worst enemy at the same time. The small joys from this life came from the small wins of justice.
Becca and Marissa were thrilled when I told them in gym that day. We had been playing volleyball. "Bryan is gonna be so excited!" Marissa exclaimed, running to grab her phone from her bag from the bleachers to text him that she had been invited.
"How'd you swing Marissa being invited?" Becca asked me, dodging a flying volleyball from the other side of the net. "I heard Tiffany's out for blood."
"I told her I wouldn't go if she didn't," I said, jumping up to spike a volleyball across the net.
It accidentally hit some girl in the face. I winced. "Sorry!" I called over. The girl waved a hand to signal she was okay.
"Let's keep our eye on her tonight," Becca said, looking unsettled. "I'm worried Tiffany's gonna seek revenge."
"Not on my watch," I said seriously, wiggling my eyebrows.
At lunch that day, I remember stopping by some kid's table. A kid I would never talk to. He wasn't popular. Not part of our world. He had on some sort of cartoon on his computer. People were fighting, dressed like ninjas. Fire was flying everywhere. The people were running all over some forest, jumping off trees, yelling, attacking each other.
My eyes burned into the laptop screen, unable to look away. What had come over me? I barely even watched TV, all of the lives and worlds and fantasies that could never be mine. But this, I couldn't look away from.
"Megan, come on!" Marissa called to me impatiently from the entrance to the cafeteria. The kid whose computer I was staring at turned around suddenly and gazed at me, bewildered. He looked almost scared, probably wondering why Megan Killian was looking at him or his computer.
"Um. What is that?" I asked before I could stop myself, ignoring Marissa, pointing at the screen.
"It's...called Naruto," he said slowly, eyes wide. "It's...it's an anime." He looked around, like he wanted to know if others were seeing this. "I have books, too, called manga."
"Nar-u-to," I sounded out. "Interesting. I don't like TV much, but I might like to read about this."
He quickly dove into his backpack and pulled out a paperback book. "Here, take this. It's the first one."
"That's nice of you," I said, taking the book. I studied the cover. A blonde kid in an orange jumpsuit (what a fashion faux-pas – I loved it immediately) with blue eyes and whiskers on his face glowered at me, his arm stretched out in a powerful position. "I'll give it back soon."
"Keep it," he said, smiling at me. "Really."
"Well, thanks," I said, surprised at his generosity. Most people that weren't in my immediate friend group thought I was mean or bitchy or intimidating. He had been really nice to me, for no reason at all. "It was nice to meet you...?"
"Martin," he said brightly.
I rejoined Marissa and Becca at the entrance to the cafeteria, who were staring at me like I was nuts. "Do you know him?" Becca asked, looking mortified. "What the hell was that?"
"Nothing," I said simply.
That night, Marissa and Becca came over without fail, without us having to make plans prior, and began getting ready for the party. "Bryan is so cute," Marissa said, putting on a pearl necklace. "Earlier, he said he was luckiest guy in the world."
I instinctively rolled my eyes. I hadn't started getting dressed. I just laid on my bed, staring out the window. "It's raining," I commented, watching the droplets fall onto the glass and stream down like tears.
I suddenly remembered my dream last night. It had been the strangest thing. There had been this...creature. Nothing like an animal I'd ever seen before. It had been huge, as big as a tank, maybe even larger, and it had fur the color of white snow. Behind it were five, long white tails. "You can't stay there much longer," it had told me. "You have to come back." And the last thing I remember before I woke up was this overwhelming feeling to go wherever this creature was from.
Becca squealed when there was a clap of thunder, disrupting my reverie. It poured even harder, fat raindrops splattering on the road.
"The rain will ruin my hair," Marissa complained.
"First world problems," I muttered under my breath.
Had that dream meant something?
"Do you think people will still show up?" Becca asked. "Because we don't want to be the only ones who go."
I was still staring at the storm raging outside. "Let's go play in the rain instead."
"Are you crazy?" Marissa said loudly.
"No, seriously, let's skip the party," I said, turning to look at them. "Let's just go outside and play in the rain. We'll have even more fun here. Who needs Tiffany Pearson?"
They thought about it. Then Marissa said, "Ehmagod, let's take the cutest pictures in the rain and post them to Instagram. We will be the talk of the school on Monday if we ditch the party and were the only seventh graders invited."
Becca squealed in agreement. "Totally genius!"
We ran outside, feeling the humid, warm weather of late April in Florida. The rain was coming down pretty hard, and it thundered again, roaring across the sky.
"Should we be out here?" Becca screamed after a few minutes of us running around in my driveway, screaming.
The sky was growing darker, and there was lightning that seemed to get closer each time it flashed.
"Let's just take our picture for Instagram and go back inside and watch a movie!" Marissa agreed.
"My case is waterproof," Becca said, pulling her phone out. "Come on, guys!"
She took a selfie, pouting her lips. Marissa ran over and they took a picture together, laughing.
"Megan, get over here!"
I stood rooted to the spot, staring up at the pitch-black sky save for the grey threateningly clouds that lingered above. My mind was somewhere else...I felt distant from this reality...I closed my eyes, soaking up the water and the moment.
Take me. Take me away. I'm ready.
"Megan, are you okay?"
Then, it happened. A bright flash of light. The smell of smoke...or steam. My body tingled. My vision blackened completely. The ground disappeared beneath my feet, and I was flying. My mind soared through universes of color, stars, and geometric patterns.
I fell far, far from my world.