• “Dear Kimi,
    I only wish to tell you what will happen after you read this letter. As you may already know I have left for the dark shadows where the rest of us have succumbed to. The people you will be living with are here to protect you and your identity. I am positive that you have already followed the previous instructions that I have given you. Do not return to our old house. It is infested with trespassers who are trying to kill you and me. Please be nice to your cousin Michael. I know how much you two don’t get along, but I hope you two cooperate with Aunt Linda.
    Sincerely,
    Your father”
    I threw myself onto the white mattress bed that would soon be empty. My thoughts revolved on the fact that I was about to go incognito. Instead of spending my time at home with Father, I would have to give it all up for my boring Aunt and Cousin. A house near a fish market and a sand box was where I would stay, just what I wanted (not). We had already left my house, and we’re now in a cabin away from the premises of the previous home.
    “Hey! Hurry your a** up!” a semi low voice called from the upstairs bedroom.
    “Shut up Michael!” I shouted back. I tried imagining my summer vacation next to a fish market and a sand box. Not to mention having to spend it with a jerk who smelled like an old dirty gym sock 24/7.
    I slowly got off the mattress and crawled towards my bag. I sat there looking at my black and red bag that was currently holding my cell phone, iPod, a pin cushion, a plush toy, felt, a book, some pads for the b***h week and a small drawing pad with a pencil. After examining my half empty bag I picked up the items that were scattered across the floor. Now I had four pairs of undies and bras, three skirts, one pair of jeans and four black shirts.
    “Hey, are you done yet?!?!” Michael shouted from outside the door.
    “Could you just wait for one goddamned minute?” I yelled while zipping up the bag.
    I put my boots on, grabbed my dad’s letter and headed out the door.
    *
    Four hours of sitting in the back of a pickup truck doing absolutely nothing except staring at the passing trees. It’s so green… I want to go home. I continuously stared at the passing trees, hoping I could have time traveling powers and skip to the end, but where would the fun be in that.
    I started to look through my bag, searching for my iPod. A minute passes and I finally find the pink iPod tangled in my earphones. I untangled the mess and started to listen to my depressing, happy and…”catchy” songs.
    Hours passed and we all grew tired. I grew tired of Michael throwing pieces of metal at me, and he grew tired of me ignoring his pleading. Wow…I went through all 500 songs…that’s a record.
    “Hey…could you let me listen…please…I’m begging here…” he asked once more.
    “No,” I said…again.
    “Please?”
    “No,”
    “PLEASE?”
    “No.”
    HALT!
    The truck stopped and Michael almost fell out. I almost fell on him. Apparently we were at the town now, even though it was deserted…or at least I thought. They said that this little old town had about a population of 3000, it looks more like 300. The town had the bare necessities, three schools, Elementary, Middle and High School, Market, Mall and a park near the schools. My only hope was that I leave before the school year starts.
    “Okay kids, lets head to the market first and then the High School,” Aunt Linda called from the front.
    We followed her out of the truck and up the cement road. I spent almost six hours in with her today and I hadn’t noticed how short she looked. She wore a long khaki skirt, long sleeves and closed toe flat shoes. Not to mention her long black hair only made her look shorter. As we followed her, townsfolk stared at us as we walked towards the market. I thought more about their staring and I realized they were staring at me. I was tanner than the others or anybody that lived in this town. I guess I’m unusual.
    “Hey Mom, are we enlisting her at the high school?” Michael asked.
    “Yes. That is what her father wanted,” she answered.
    “WHAT! I don’t want to go there…that means…I have to…go…with…hi-…h-…h”
    “Michael,” she answered.
    “Right,” I said back.
    “Don’t worry. It won’t be that bad. I won’t acknowledge you,” he said, with a smirk.
    “Yea…perfect.”
    We finally got to the market and we bought a few…dozen supplies, mostly for Michael. A notebook and other school stuff. Michael got a bag of chips, soda, some balloons (I don’t like this) and I just grabbed some Kakimochi to eat. I was surprised to see they actually had the shoyu covered rice snack there for sale. We run up all of our…I don’t know what to call it…Merchandise.
    “Okay kids, come here,” Linda called.
    Both of us slowly walked towards her. She was tapping her foot impatiently. She looked like she was going to throw a tantrum.
    “Hurry up! We only have so much time,” she said.
    “Enough time for what?” I asked.
    “Before ‘They’ some out,” replied Linda. She seemed a bit nervous.
    “Who are the-“I was cut off.
    “Didn’t you know that this town is infested with vampires!” shouted Michael. He looked kind of crazy from my look.
    I gave him my what-are-you-talking-about-you-dimwit-look. But before I could reply Aunt Linda grabbed both of us and literally threw us into the back of the truck. She really started to look even more paranoid as the sun started to set. I really started thinking that this town was infested with vampires. Or maybe they were just crazy. In fact…maybe everyone in this town was crazy because there seemed to be less and less people as the sun went down.
    Linda started the truck. Michael looked at me. He gave a smirk that only showed me that he thinks he’s right. Well…maybe he is right, but I haven’t seen them yet so I still think this town is crazy.
    We drove down the road and on looking villagers stared at me. Every one of them looked as if they could pass themselves off to be vampires. They were all so pale and fragile looking. I ignored them and stared off into the dark forest. I was still listening to my iPod, but a song came on that I had never heard before. I looked at the bright screen and saw “Capriccio: Morning Butterfly- Johannes Brahms”. The sound of the piano was dark and eerie. It fitted the mood and imagery of the trees. I sighed. Maybe it was coincidence that the song was eerie, I was looking at a dark forest and that I’ve never heard that song before in my life. Yea…it was coincidental. I looked over to Michael. He was already passed out holding onto his belongings we bought from the market. I continued to look at all the green leaves.
    “Hello there, stranger,” said a mysterious voice.