Read this and give me feedback. 'Tis a first draft, so it's not perfect. It's also not very long. razz
Quote:
Chapter 1
"How could you understand?!"
Kasami bolted up the stairs and into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. He didn't want his mother following him. She didn't understand anything about him, and he doubted she ever would or could.
She wasn't like him! Why did she try to connect with him? She wasn't even his real mother! He had never known his mom, but he often heard Kia talk highly of her. She was a wonderful friend who simply couldn't have taken care of him. He often asked why, but Kia always avoided the question somehow. She never even tried to answer. Why couldn't he know?
He'd never known his father, either. Kia had explained, more or less, that she didn't even know who his father was. Miku hadn't ever mentioned him to her, nor had she even tried to introduce them. But he must have been a good guy, because Miku had run off with him, leaving Kasami behind...
Kasami's fist slammed down onto the soft pillow on his bed. There were too many questions he had about his parents! He didn't know who they were, where they were, or anything! Kia was no help, either! Why couldn't he know?!
Tears ran down his face and into the pillow soft pillow his face was buried in. There was nothing he could do to find out anything about his parents, either! Why did he always seem to get the short end of the stick? Was there some deity out there, someone controlling the events in his life, that was laughing right now? Laughing at his frustration, his misfortune, everything he had come to accept as his life? He thought there had to be.
A knock on the door, followed by, "Kasami, are you alright?"
"No!" He threw his pillow against the door. Why couldn't Kia understand that he just wanted to be alone?
"What's wrong? Is it school again?"
Kasami groaned. School had always been a problem in his life. Once his baseball cap had fallen off his head when some kid had bumped into him in the hallway, and his life hadn't been the same since. The other kids had taken one look at his exposed head and froze. It wasn't natural, but that didn't mean he was a monster, did it? Couldn't it just be some strange birth defect?
But he knew better than that. The brownish-orange and black-tipped fox ears he had growing on his head wasn't natural at all. His orange cat tail wasn't either, but no one at school knew about that, because he always had it hidden within his pants.
One of the tough kids had walked right up to Kasami at that moment, seemingly unafraid. He laughed to his trailing buddies, then turned to face Kasami.
"Ha! Thought you had us fooled, huh? You actually thought everyone would believe that you had real fox ears? Ha!" The kid, Kasami thought his name might have been Sai, had laughed in his face, then turned to the on-looking crowd of wide-eyed students. "I'll prove it! They're fake!" Sai had turned back to Kasami and, without hesitation, pulled at the furry ears on his head. Kasami noted that the tug was quite hard, and that it hurt a little, but the ears remained in place. They hadn't budged. Suddenly afraid, Sai slowly backed away, tripped on one of his buddies, and fell to the ground. He got up, turned around, and ran with the rest of the crowd.
That had been back in sixth grade. Now, Kasami was 15 and a new freshman at Lohks High School. Since that incident, he had been avoided by his peers. No one wanted to get near the fox-kid. He could eat them!
Rumors soon spread that his mother had been a fox, and his father a crazy old man. Kasami knew they weren't true, but they still hurt all the same. He might not have known his parents, but he knew they were more respectable than that!
To make it worse, Kasami's best and only friend had moved away just last summer. Rai's father had to move to somewhere in Europe for his job, which Kasami could never keep track of. He was unsure as to what the oh-so-mysterious job Rai always seemed to mention was!
Kasami had been all alone since. Well, except for Kia, who was now banging on the door rather furiously.
"Kasami! Don't do this! Please! Let me in, and tell me what's wrong!" Her voice was pleading. She may not have been his real mother, but she still worried about him just the same.
He stood and walked to the door, pausing to wipe his face on his sleeve. He didn't want her knowing he had been crying. That would make him look weak.
He opened the door and was instantly squeezed by a relieved-looking Kia. She backed away a little later, and seemed to study him.
"You've been crying again," she noted.
Suddenly embarrassed, Kasami turned so that his back faced her. "It's nothing," he mumbled. "Just school."
It was true, school bothered him, especially since Rai had moved away. This time, they had ganged up on him, expecting to beat him and steal his belongings. However, they weren't expecting him to be able to run away so fast. It was inhuman. Yet another reason for his peers to be afraid and push him away. Great. Yet he knew that wasn't all there was to his tears.
"Kia..." his voice wavered just a bit. Straightening up, he turned back to face her. "What exactly was it that my parents had to do that meant they couldn't take care of me? Where did they go? And don't give me excuses!" He felt he was on the verge of tears again, but he couldn't cry. Not now. He needed answers!
"Umm..." Kia dropped her gaze and bit into her nail. "Isn't it about time for supper?" She turned to walk into the kitchen.
Kasami felt the anger swelling within him. Every time! He could never get answers from her! And why not? Wasn't it his business to know? Not again! He needed these answers, and he needed them now!
"Kia! Wait!" She turned to face him. "I want to know why I can't know."
"I...I...promised....promised I wouldn't say anything! Not even to you! Please....please, understand that I can't!"
Kasami was taken aback by this. He hadn't been expecting this answer at all. Who made her promise all this? Why? He thought he wouldn't pressure her any further, although he would have given almost anything to find out. She seemed to be having a hard enough time saying as much as she did.
More frustrated than ever, he nodded his head. Kia looked relieved and disappeared into the kitchen to cook supper.
Yet Kasami knew he wouldn't be sticking around for whatever she cooked, which was bound to be good, but he had an appointment to keep.
Kasami bolted up the stairs and into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. He didn't want his mother following him. She didn't understand anything about him, and he doubted she ever would or could.
She wasn't like him! Why did she try to connect with him? She wasn't even his real mother! He had never known his mom, but he often heard Kia talk highly of her. She was a wonderful friend who simply couldn't have taken care of him. He often asked why, but Kia always avoided the question somehow. She never even tried to answer. Why couldn't he know?
He'd never known his father, either. Kia had explained, more or less, that she didn't even know who his father was. Miku hadn't ever mentioned him to her, nor had she even tried to introduce them. But he must have been a good guy, because Miku had run off with him, leaving Kasami behind...
Kasami's fist slammed down onto the soft pillow on his bed. There were too many questions he had about his parents! He didn't know who they were, where they were, or anything! Kia was no help, either! Why couldn't he know?!
Tears ran down his face and into the pillow soft pillow his face was buried in. There was nothing he could do to find out anything about his parents, either! Why did he always seem to get the short end of the stick? Was there some deity out there, someone controlling the events in his life, that was laughing right now? Laughing at his frustration, his misfortune, everything he had come to accept as his life? He thought there had to be.
A knock on the door, followed by, "Kasami, are you alright?"
"No!" He threw his pillow against the door. Why couldn't Kia understand that he just wanted to be alone?
"What's wrong? Is it school again?"
Kasami groaned. School had always been a problem in his life. Once his baseball cap had fallen off his head when some kid had bumped into him in the hallway, and his life hadn't been the same since. The other kids had taken one look at his exposed head and froze. It wasn't natural, but that didn't mean he was a monster, did it? Couldn't it just be some strange birth defect?
But he knew better than that. The brownish-orange and black-tipped fox ears he had growing on his head wasn't natural at all. His orange cat tail wasn't either, but no one at school knew about that, because he always had it hidden within his pants.
One of the tough kids had walked right up to Kasami at that moment, seemingly unafraid. He laughed to his trailing buddies, then turned to face Kasami.
"Ha! Thought you had us fooled, huh? You actually thought everyone would believe that you had real fox ears? Ha!" The kid, Kasami thought his name might have been Sai, had laughed in his face, then turned to the on-looking crowd of wide-eyed students. "I'll prove it! They're fake!" Sai had turned back to Kasami and, without hesitation, pulled at the furry ears on his head. Kasami noted that the tug was quite hard, and that it hurt a little, but the ears remained in place. They hadn't budged. Suddenly afraid, Sai slowly backed away, tripped on one of his buddies, and fell to the ground. He got up, turned around, and ran with the rest of the crowd.
That had been back in sixth grade. Now, Kasami was 15 and a new freshman at Lohks High School. Since that incident, he had been avoided by his peers. No one wanted to get near the fox-kid. He could eat them!
Rumors soon spread that his mother had been a fox, and his father a crazy old man. Kasami knew they weren't true, but they still hurt all the same. He might not have known his parents, but he knew they were more respectable than that!
To make it worse, Kasami's best and only friend had moved away just last summer. Rai's father had to move to somewhere in Europe for his job, which Kasami could never keep track of. He was unsure as to what the oh-so-mysterious job Rai always seemed to mention was!
Kasami had been all alone since. Well, except for Kia, who was now banging on the door rather furiously.
"Kasami! Don't do this! Please! Let me in, and tell me what's wrong!" Her voice was pleading. She may not have been his real mother, but she still worried about him just the same.
He stood and walked to the door, pausing to wipe his face on his sleeve. He didn't want her knowing he had been crying. That would make him look weak.
He opened the door and was instantly squeezed by a relieved-looking Kia. She backed away a little later, and seemed to study him.
"You've been crying again," she noted.
Suddenly embarrassed, Kasami turned so that his back faced her. "It's nothing," he mumbled. "Just school."
It was true, school bothered him, especially since Rai had moved away. This time, they had ganged up on him, expecting to beat him and steal his belongings. However, they weren't expecting him to be able to run away so fast. It was inhuman. Yet another reason for his peers to be afraid and push him away. Great. Yet he knew that wasn't all there was to his tears.
"Kia..." his voice wavered just a bit. Straightening up, he turned back to face her. "What exactly was it that my parents had to do that meant they couldn't take care of me? Where did they go? And don't give me excuses!" He felt he was on the verge of tears again, but he couldn't cry. Not now. He needed answers!
"Umm..." Kia dropped her gaze and bit into her nail. "Isn't it about time for supper?" She turned to walk into the kitchen.
Kasami felt the anger swelling within him. Every time! He could never get answers from her! And why not? Wasn't it his business to know? Not again! He needed these answers, and he needed them now!
"Kia! Wait!" She turned to face him. "I want to know why I can't know."
"I...I...promised....promised I wouldn't say anything! Not even to you! Please....please, understand that I can't!"
Kasami was taken aback by this. He hadn't been expecting this answer at all. Who made her promise all this? Why? He thought he wouldn't pressure her any further, although he would have given almost anything to find out. She seemed to be having a hard enough time saying as much as she did.
More frustrated than ever, he nodded his head. Kia looked relieved and disappeared into the kitchen to cook supper.
Yet Kasami knew he wouldn't be sticking around for whatever she cooked, which was bound to be good, but he had an appointment to keep.
Feedback, comments, suggestions, questions, etc. 3nodding
