Ran's POV:
Moca and I went to a quiet place in the park. I was nervously waiting for her to speak. I don't know what she wants to talk about. Maybe she does recognize me.
"Ran, you're familiar." Moca stated.
I froze in place. She does know. She knows me. If she tells the others, I'm done for. I just want to start over. I really want to be normal. Is that too much to ask?
"So are you." I replied. I don't see any point in hiding. If she knows, she knows. Nothing I say or do will change that.
"You were there at the weird gathering thing last year, right?" Moca asked.
So that's where I know her from. For my 5th birthday I was taken to a little playdate type thing. I guess I must've spent time with Moca there.
I nodded, "Yeah..."
"So... what happened since then? How'd you get all the way over here?" Moca asked.
I gulped. How am I supposed to lie? What am I supposed to say? There's not much I could say that she'd believe. Maybe I should just admit the truth.
"I..." I couldn't find my voice, "I... I..."
"You've been lying to us this whole time, haven't you?" Moca questioned, though her tone was a lot lighter than I expected. She didn't seem very mad about it.
I don't think anything I do is going to change this. I've been caught. I guess I wasn't a very good liar. Everyone seems to be able to tell I'm lying.
"I..." I could feel tears forming in my eyes.
"Just tell me the truth." Moca requested.
"I... I can't..." I was trying desperately to hold back my tears.
"You can. There's no reason you should be afraid to tell me the truth." Moca pouted.
"I don't want people to know the truth..." I whispered.
"I'll keep it a secret then~" Moca promised.
"U-um... I... I'm an orphan..." I stammered quietly.
"How long?" Moca asked.
Oh yeah... technically I'm an orphan now just cause no one knows about my parents. She might've thought that I had parents when we first met.
"I was brought to the orphanage before I was a year old." I mumbled.
"Oh... why don't you want other people to know that?"
"I just... because of how long I was there for..."
"How'd you get in the woods?" Moca asked.
"The orphanage caught on fire... I managed to get out..." I started to fiddle with my hands.
"Oh... you're from that orphanage."
"You swear you won't tell anyone?" I asked.
"I promise~" Moca hummed.
"Moca... do you think my... my parents are still alive?" I hesitantly asked.
Moca shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe. Why do you care? Weren't you taken from them?"
Right. She doesn't know how I was found. Guess I better clear that up.
"I wasn't. I was found abandoned. No one knows where my parents are or who they are." I said.
"Well, unless they found anything suspicious around you, then I think they are alive. Maybe they just lost you? Or someone maybe stole you?" Moca offered.
"I don't have any faith that they're alive... they should've found me by now." I started crying.
"Ran~" Moca hugged me.
"I'm sorry..."
"What're you saying sorry for?"
"Everything..." I whispered.
"There's nothing to be sorry for~" Moca said.
"Sometimes I wish I would've just died in the fire..." I sighed.
"Don't say that." Moca whacked me across the back of my head.
I yelped, "Hey!"
"I'm not going to sit here and listen to you say things like that." Moca huffed.
"Moca..." I mumbled.
"Even if you never find your parents, that doesn't mean anything. You can be whatever you want." Moca looked up at the sky.
"But how am I supposed to be anything? Who wants me?"
"I'm sure you'll be able to do something. Stop acting like your past is going to stop you forever. It won't." Moca crossed her arms and glared at me.
"It feels like it will... I couldn't even get adopted in six years... I'm just going to fail at everything..." I mumbled as I stared down at the ground.
"Well, it's a good thing you have Moca on your side now~. Moca's gonna make sure that Ran doesn't fail." Moca hummed.
I blinked at her. Why is she talking like that? It's very strange, that's for sure. I've never seen someone refer to themselves by name like that. I guess it's just a unique thing about her.
"Ran~ Let me see you smile for once. All you ever do is frown." Moca poked my cheek as she puffed her cheeks out.
"Why should I smile?" I asked.
"Because I'm here~" Moca teased.
I smiled slightly and shook my head at her, "Jeez, you're weird."
Moca pretended like she had been shot in the heart, "Ouch. You've killed poor Moca with your words."
I chuckled. Moca smiled and stood up. I hesitantly stood up as well. I guess talking to her helped a lot. I feel better.
"I'm ready to go eat." Moca said.
"Okay..." I nodded.
We went back to where the others were waiting. Himari immediately started asking us what we had been talking about. Moca kept dancing around the questions, which made Himari angrier.
They all seem like they're really close friends. I hope that I'll be able to get close to them as well. I think they might be just the group of people I need in my life.
After a while longer of bickering, we all went home. We walked with each other until we got to a house. Tomoe and I were soon all alone.
"What did Moca want to talk to you about?" Tomoe asked me.
"She knew me. We had met last year." I said quietly.
"Does she know the truth?"
"She does now. I'm not very good at keeping up a lie, am I?" I sighed.
"I think you are. You just... want people to find out the truth. I know you don't believe that, but I think it's true. You want to be reassured that you're not what you're mind makes you out to be." Tomoe said.
"You think so?" I wasn't really believing her.
Tomoe nodded, "Yeah. I think you just want to be told you're not strange. You just want to fit in, right?"
I nodded. That's all I've ever wanted. I just want to be a normal kid. To have a normal life. If only I had a family of my own...
Sure, I might call Tomoe's parents mom and dad, but I don't exactly see them that way. I want a family of my own. Not just a family that got stuck with me.
"Hey, Tomoe? If mom and dad didn't let me stay, where would I have even gone?" I asked.
"Probably to another family. After all, the orphanage is gone. They'd have found someone to adopt you if they couldn't take you in." Tomoe replied.
"Is this town close? Does everyone know each other?" I asked.
"No. Not really. Some people know everyone, but some don't care enough to. I know a lot of people. They like me and Ako a lot." Tomoe said.
"Will they like me?"
"I'm sure they will."