I was in a place but I wasn't sure where. It was dark and I could just make out the barely visible outline of two figures that seemed to be looking at me from afar. I tried to walk closer but every step I took forward made me move two steps back.
I was scared. It seemed like I was me but wasn’t at the same time. I ran forward in a desperate attempt to reach the dark figures which were giving off a sense of safety and warmth.
My hand reached out as I got closer, like a scared child’s. A smile spread over my face as I started to feel safe and secure.
My eyes closed but when I opened them again I felt restrained and all I could see were blinding bright lights. Screams and the sound of a busy road met my ears in an almost painful way.
I looked around frantically as my eyes adjusted to the light. There was a window to my right and I could see the reflection of my face, apart from it wasn’t my face. I guess it used to be saying that it was the face of me when I was a young child but it wasn’t as it was meant to be.
No I don’t mean the fact that I had blood dripping from my head, I was fifteen now not a child. Wait why was there blood coming from my head.
As I looked closer I saw that I even had my old heart shaped locket which I never used to take off. That had been lost a long time ago.
I turned to my left and was shocked to see my best friend from years ago Kazuo Kiriyama also in his child form. He looked like he was knocked out and his clothes were stained a crimson red.
My eyes widened as realization hit me on what was going on.
That was when I awoke with a start. I looked around to see that I was on the school bus for the end of compulsory studies school trip.
I sat properly back in my seat with a sigh, it was just a dream.
“Hey Rin are you ok.” I look beside me to see Noriko Nakagawa a girl from my class. She had mid length black hair and was also one of the most cheerful outgoing people in the class. To be honest I was surprised that she was talking to a self confessed loner like me.
“Yeah fine, bad dream.” I said shrugging it off.
I looked around trying to rid my mind of the nightmare which had interupted my dream. That was when I saw dark emotionless eyes staring at me from a seat in front of me on the other side of the bus.
Kazuo Kiriyama, my childhood best friend. He turned back around in his seat so that I could no longer see his face, just his brown messy hair.
He knew exactly what I was dreaming about, the crash that ended up changing both of our lives for the worst.
When we were children our parents were friends, that’s how we got to know each other. One day when my parents were taking us away for the weekend we got into a car crash. Both my parents died that day and it has haunted me ever since.
I didn’t know the rest of my family and none of them ever said that they would look after me. That’s why I live in an orphanage.
Kiriyama didn’t die but got some serious brain damage causing him to lose almost all his emotions. I still wish that had been me.
Kiriyama was the smartest and nicest person I knew, people say that he has the mind of a genius and that’s why they feel bad about him losing his emotions, because it means he loses interest in things quickly. Those people call it wasted potential.
I wish that it had been me because like I said, he was one of the nicest people I had ever known. Now he just sits there like a hollow shell.
There’s no point in talking to him because he barely responds. Most people in the class think that he’s mute because they have never heard him speak. I guess that it’s just because he never has anything worth saying.
I sighed and looked back out the window to see cars speeding by.
Something hits my head making me turn around. “Sorry.” Says a boy called Keita Iijima. To be honest I barely know him, the only thing I know is that he laughs at the most inappropriate times and is friends with another guy in our class called Shinji Mimura.
Mimura has short hair and quite a mature face. He plays basketball and is the first-string shooting guard. His nickname is “The Third Man” but not many people call him that to his face.
Once again I started to zone out until a girl shouts out “Shuya, Noriko made cookies for you.” I looked back to the side of me and saw an Noriko looking embarrassed whilst her friend – a girl I don’t know – gave Nanahara who was sitting on the right side of the bus next to us a small bag of cookies.
I didn’t really know Shuya Nanahara. I knew about him, I knew that he had a hard time growing up with his mum leaving and his dad hanging himself. Him and his best friend Yoshitoki Kuninobu also known as Nobu, both live in the same orphanage as me.
There both quite nice guys who people find hard to not get along with. Nanahara used to be a popular guy who played sports like basketball with Mimura but when his dad died he gave up on sports.
He ended up meeting Nobu in the orphanage and they had an instant friendship. Nobu helped him through a lot and even started teaching him how to play the electric guitar even though there is a ban on the rock genre now.
“Thanks Noriko these are so good, did you really make them yourself.” Nobu said munching away on the cookies before Nanahara could have a taste.
“Yeah I did, Shuya why don’t you try one.” Noriko said putting her attention back onto Nanahara.
Before he could respond Noriko’s friend took out a camera and told them to get into the shot.
“One two three.” The cameras light flashed as it took the picture. It was one of those cameras that printed the picture out instantly and you just had to wait for it to become clear.
“Pictures done.” The same girl says giving it to Noriko.
“Hey, my heads not in the shot.” Cried out Nobu when he got the picture. I think almost everyone in the bus could hear him shouting over everyone else.
I couldn’t help but smile as I saw them bickering.
I look back to Kiriyama once more to see him looking at me again and my smile soon fades before he turnes back around in his seat.
“Noriko you’ll take another picture with me right.” Nobu says almost pleading.
Once again my smile returns when I look back at the scene.
Nobu had a massive crush on Noriko and he made it so obvious but Noriko didn’t seem to see it.
I remember the year before at the orphanage when it was summer. Nanahara and Nobu were sitting by a small lake. Nanahara was strumming his guitar and Nobu was sitting next to him talking. I was reading under the shade of a tree near them.
I overheard them talking and heard Nobu ask Nanahara “Do you have a crush on anyone.”
“No.” Nanahara replied cautiously “Do you.”
“Yeah”
“Well who is it then.”
“Nakagawa.”
“Which one there are two in our class, is it Yuka.”
“No I’m not into fat chicks like you.” Nobu said with a laugh.
“Kazumi is not fat, just a little plump.” Nanahara said.
Kazumi was a girl in Nanahara’s music club. She was in the year above and last year when Nanahara confessed he liked her he was turned down because she said that she already had a boyfriend. Not long after, she moved to a music school with her new boyfriend and Nanahara was heartbroken but I think he got over it.
“So it’s Noriko.” Nanahara asked.
“Yeah.” Nobu said in almost a dreamy like way.
Ever since then Nobu has been getting more obvious but I already think that Noriko has eyes for someone else.
I looked back out the windows still with a small smile on my face and I saw men in army uniforms at the side of the roads. ‘That’s odd’ I thought looking towards the front of the bus.
We were coming up to a dark tunnel and everyone seemed to go silent once we entered until a couple of people started the noise back up again.
After a little while I felt my eyes starting to close ‘Wow the day must have really caught up to me’ I thought as I succumbed to sleep.
( So what did you think of the first chapter. Please vote and/or comment. Don't worry you wont have to remember all of the names, I know it can be a little scary :P)