Chapter two: An eye for obscure details.

Chapter two: An eye for obscure details.

The sun flickered as she walked, the beams of light flashed in between the thick knoll of trees. Her dark brown eyes were never fixated in a single direction, they took in branches and leaves; they saw ant hills mounding on the edge of the curb, the patterns in the clouds, and all the while her hands were adjusting her navy skirt, and her white button up T-shirt. A neck tie was wrapped around her neck, and she began to adjust it when she suddenly paused in midstride. Just across the street was her destination. The newly built Saxon High School. Though it had been built about three years ago, it was a lovely addition to the city, as it was known for adopting a different school system compared to most schools in America, the white brick building looked nothing like the dismal brown of Patterson from which she had transferred. Behind those evenly section windows, and polished glass doors was an entirely different set of names and faces she would have the pleasure of enduring over an uncertain amount of time. She had already begun the year at Patterson, and that had abruptly ended after her parents made a sudden change in the home they would be living in. The girl sighed and adjusted her grip on her school bag. The time had come.
With one final adjustment of her hair ties, she walked through the main gate and into the courtyard, all the while focused on the structure before her. It was a lovely school ground; there were picnic benches set under tall leafy trees, and even a tiny fountain bubbled in the center where other kids were racing off to class. The school itself was more of a blocky structure, towering up three floors, with a clock tower set at the pinnacle. She could help but smile to herself in an exasperated way. It looks like it was designed right out of a Japanese manga… She thought as she pressed forward. It differently was different from the relaxed and almost ghetto school she had originally enrolled in. Here they had school uniforms, a special class structure and various other implements to try and copy other school systems that were used around the world. She even had to submit an application, and with her rather outstanding grades, the school accepted her with open arms, and at this particular school she would be at the bottom of the ladder, as it only accepted students grades ten through twelve.

This wasn't the first time that Michi had transferred to a new school. With her family always moving between countries and areas, it was hard to stay at a single place, and yet for some reason she was nervous this time around. Just inside the building she already felt her heart racing with questions. What was the student body like? Were they delinquents, or were they snobby and highly educated, or perhaps a mixture of the two? She navigated her way through the building, finding her way towards homeroom, and the start of a brand new year all over again…

A few minutes later, Michi found herself in front of the classroom. This is almost ridiculous, did the supervisor of this school design this system after an anime he watched? "Alright class, this is Kasahara Michi, or that is what we would say if we were from her country of Japan. So instead of calling her Kasahara, let's just call her Michi, oh right, why don't you introduce yourself." The teacher stated lazily gesturing towards the Japanese girl. Didn’t you just introduce me?! Well, okay here we go. "Hello everyone. My name is Michi, pleased to meet you." She gave a short bow, not knowing exactly what else to use to fill in the awkward gap from the dual introduction. "Alright take a seat back there or something." The teacher directed, continuing with his lazy mannerism, and she curtly made her way from the front of the room and taking a seat one row from the window, four seats back, in about five seconds. Right, so--
"Hello!" A voice called out from directly to her left, and as she turned she noticed a girl who was a bit taller than her, and had long wavy brown hair, and a pretty cute face. Of course there was no need to assess her attire as everyone was practically wearing the same thing as determined by the school dress code. "H-hello..." Michi replied a bit startled, unsure of what this girl was about. Usually it was her, as the transfer student, who had to make the first move to make new friends, though it usually wasn't too hard for a girl like her, there were usually many sympathizers for quiet slightly foreign students who were adapting to the system. Yet this girl seemed keen on striking up a conversation right here and now. "So you're from Japan?" The girl asked. "Uh, well in a manner of speaking I guess, I was born in the United States, but I have been traveling between the two over the years..." She had a feeling this would happen. Compared to the majority of the students here, she would stand out on the sole fact that she was Japanese, though in America the term for her kind was generalized as ”Asian”. She always wondered about it. So I could be Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean anything right? Imagine calling the people from Canada, American, to an ignorant foreigner like myself, there really is no difference! Yet I bet if I so openly called a Canadian, American, they would probably go out of their way to explain to me the finer differences. Well sorry, but we “Asians” are just far too reserved to go out correcting the world—
“Hey! What are you thinking about?” Norie interjected, patting her on the shoulder. She must have totally blanked out in mid thought and completely forgot where she had even gotten derailed. She now found herself aware, and staring directly at Norie’s face and quickly shot back to redeem herself.
"Ah well, just something random came to mind. So um, what's your name?" She tried to sound cheerful. "Everyone calls me Norie! Pleased to meet you!" She said extending her hand, and they shook hands. That is just how this girl, Norie is I suppose. Bright and outgoing, and immediately understanding the pressures of entering a high school as a somewhat foreigner, and extending friendship at the first chance...a truly classic scenario I think--
"Um, what are you thinking about this time?" Michi couldn't help but smile this time, she kept over thinking what was going on in front of her so that she ended up not focusing on anything at all. "Say if you aren't busy after class, want to come to my place?" Norie asked with a smile that could have made the sun jealous. So soon? I had only been talking with her for the past five minutes, and already she is offering invitations? Maybe I should accept, or whoops! She had spaced out yet again, three times in seven and a half minutes.
"Yeah, sure, I have some time I think." She stated, despite the fact that the workload would probably be doubled up on her, yet she didn’t want to deny what could potentially be, the best friend she would ever get at Saxon High.
"Perfect!" The other exclaimed, once more patting Michi on the shoulder, and so that it is how the day began…

…And then, the first day of class had come to close. The workload that was coming down on her was like a freighter bearing down upon a helpless squirrel on a highway; loud, ferocious and overall a very stressful situation. Yet her somewhat positive attitude and willingness to work from behind on her studies earned her a good standing with the majority of her instructors. She even managed to meet with most of the students in her class;[She had memorized all of their first names just during lunch hour which brought about even more curious students who were quick to claim that she was a genius(or just an Asian) which bothered her.] It was a class of twenty four, there were 11 girls, and 13 boys, the majority of them were Caucasian; there were a few African Americans, and yet she remained as the sole "Asian" representative, though she didn't mind too much. It had brought a lot of attention, at least for a while, and there were a lot of pointless questions. Such as: “in Japan does one often…”
"Hey, are you phasing out on me again?" Norie asked playfully tapping Michi in the side and she let out a yelp, and shook her head smiling. "Ha, right I should really stop doing that. Anyway, do you live far away?" She asked, readjusting her bag, and thinking back on the tiring day, and how good it felt to finally stretch out her legs. "You see these woods? It wraps all around the school, and even behind it. Now if you look straight ahead of yourself, you can see a little path right? I live just through there, it's really convenient!" Norie’s response was, as usual, overly jubilant.
"Ah yes, I suppose it is..." Though I bet it is scary at night. I'm glad I live past the forest...

“The real reason I was so interested in you Michi is because I have an adopted sister who is just a few years younger than us. Her name is Maki, and I’m sure she’d love to visit with someone like you!” Norie explained as they walked down through the leaf ridden path. If anyone else had said it, it may have sounded like she was using Michi for some strange cultural relation, but Norie’s overly positive approach made it impossible to think that she had any ill intentions.“Oh, so she’s Japanese too?” Michi asked as they walked through the forest. “Yeah, it’s a really wild story how she ended up here, but I think I’ll let her tell you some time so it’s not all indirect.”

They arrived at the small white house from the backyard, and even though it was generally awkward entering someone’s home for the first time, Michi didn’t feel the least bit nervous as she followed her new friend through the glass sliding door and into the hard floored kitchen. She hoped in the back of her mind, that they didn’t have some overly cultured house where they did bowing, and spoke Japanese, and had a kotatsu or something. Seeing how similar the school here is to a manga, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were very cultured kinds of people here, though this is America shouldn’t they act more like their own culture instead of emulating others?
“Ha, what are you thinking about Michi?” Norie asked slapping her on the shoulder. “I’d like you meet my younger sister, Maki. Hey Maki this is Michi, a new girl who just transferred into my school!” She said excitedly, and the younger sister who was sitting at the kitchen table, looking down at a notebook turned around slightly and looked up at Michi for a good long minute. Oh no, I hope it isn’t one of those scenarios where the girl thinks I’m being Japanese to her because she’s Japanese and I’m Japanese, but has she ever been to Japan? Does she know the customs; does she get the same questions that I get at school?
“Yeah she’s a bit scatterbrained sometimes, but you know she seems like a nice person, aren’t ya Michi?” Norie asked, who had moved next to her sister and was snuggling her despite the obvious retaliation. “Ah, well it’s nice to meet you Maki, what are you doing there anyway?” Michi asked moving forward, and the girl held up the notebook, maintaining a sort of blank stare on her face. “It’s a map.” She said quietly and indeed it was, but it was a map of no place Michi had heard of, though as she scanned the piece of lined paper, and all of the darkened penciled in lines, and the crazy made up names etched on the surfaces she was impressed. “That’s very detailed, how long have you been working on it?” She asked, and the girl smiled slightly. “Oh I’m always making up worlds like this…I don’t know if this one will last very much longer.” I wonder why she is staying home today? The only middle school I know of is the one next to Patterson High, I wonder if she is sick?. “Yeah, Maki has some great talent when it comes to making things up, but it gets a little problematic when it comes to telling the truth…” Norie said and Maki seemed to grimace a bit at the comment. Michi took note of it. “I-is, everything okay?” She asked and Norie stood up smiling, that’s not a real smile, “It’s nothing to be worried about, Maki hasn’t been feeling well so I convinced my parents to let her stay home for the day…” That’s an interesting way to put it, wait, I shouldn’t be prying I just met them! “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude or anything…” She said bowing her head. “Aha, don’t worry about it Michi-San!” San?! Why are you starting to use Japanese suffixes? “Ah, right, you don’t need to be like that, I was born in the States you know…” She said trying to wave it off. “Oh? But you’ve spent a lot of time in Japan right?” Norie asked, and Michi shrugged. “I guess I mean a couple of years…”

“Hey, if you don’t mind I’d like to continue my project…” Maki interjected, sounding a bit sullen. “Oh right, Sorry Maki-come on Michi let’s explore my room!” Explore? Is it like some kind of cave?! The two girls surveyed the entire house, and ended up settling in the basement area on a couch. Michi was thinking of bringing up something about Maki, but decided against it. It seemed like the two sisters were getting along despite their difference of birth. The two girls ended up talking about things about things they had, their rooms, and the entire time Norie maintained absolute interest in whatever Michi had to say, making it extremely easy to like her even more. In thinking about this girl now, she just seems like a really positive person who is always looking out for those around her. She listens intently, and always…

“Hey Michi, you spaced out again didn’t you?” She asked placing her hand on her shoulder. “Oh, right! You always do that.” She noted the firm palm on her left. Yet she couldn’t believe how much she spaced out considering how much detail she usually picked up on when she walked down the street. She supposed that noticing things and not focusing on anything in particular were two separate things, maybe the two were related? “Well I hope you are enjoying yourself, I’d hate to be all in your face when you just arrived at this school…” Norie said, sounding surprisingly serious for a change, and Michi was startled by the sudden shift in tone. “Well being in my face is one thing, but I think I’m enjoying it just fine Norie. You don’t need to worry about me like that! I might space out a lot, but I’m used to switching schools, you just made it really easy for me is all.” She said and the other girl smiled. “Great! Then it’s official! We’re going to be good friends, you and I.” I think that was apparent the moment you said hello…but still it makes me happy to hear you say that…Norie.


After finishing up with Norie, Michi returned home. Like usual, her parents were both out, working. Her father worked for a cooperation which had subsidiaries in both Japan and America, and it was his job to make sure that things were running smoothly between them and the father company so to speak. Her mother was an employee of one of those companies, known in the States as ‘The Senba organization’, though it sounded more like a shady group of executives, strong arming their competitors, it was really a well known company that most of the general public knew about. They dealt mainly in chemicals, used for all kinds of purposes, and mainly sold out to other, smaller companies which used their products such as cleaner or detergents. Her mom worked sales, and her father was more of a translator and manager. That is how the two of them met, and that is why they constantly moved around.
Her parents loved her, she felt that anyway, but they were trying too hard, and this sudden move back to America last year after spending three straight in Japan had been confusing to her. They wanted her to excel in school, and thought that it would be best to have her high school education in America, and not in Japan. It turned out that after her first year of high school, her parents needed to move again, for some internal dispute among the company’s executives, and she then went from Patterson to Saxon.

Every home she moved into seemed to be just a place to sleep and eat; she had subconsciously learned not to let such things grow on her, as after time went by, it would just end up disappointing her when they moved. She was almost seventeen years old now, and she was hoping to even get a job of her own, but what would be the point in that? It was better to wait, and go to college, she reasoned, and live in a dorm and work and live there as much as possible, so she wouldn’t be in the constantly changing environment that her parents were in. It saddened her that she couldn’t spend more time with them, and that in order to be successful in the world she would have to break away and make it on her own.

She turned on the TV, and it was kid show that she didn’t even care about. She went into the kitchen and began to prepare her supper when something caught her eye. It was something in the room she noticed, that she couldn’t exactly see, but she could feel it. She took a step out of the room, and then reentered it, examining every tiny detail. The cupboards, the counter top, the refrigerator, no it wasn’t over there, the floor, the table, the oven the stove, the microwave, the ceiling fan; her eyes examined each of them from where she was standing. Unconvinced that there was nothing out of place, she left the room and entered it once more, and this time her eyes focused on the ceiling alone. She scanned the entire kitchen area, turning around full circle. Then she walked over to the countertop next to the stove and leaned forward. Almost unnoticeable from where she was standing before was a sort of residue on the top of the counter. It was of a similar texture as the ceiling. She traced an invisible line from the countertop to the top, and noticed a very tiny incision that was made there. Carefully she dragged one of the chairs over and stepped on it, reaching up and finding a very strange device. What is this, a camera? She thought holding a very small pin in her hand, and she knew that normally, one would pin it to their chest as some sort of emblem, but it was actually in her ceiling, at an angle which would have an entire view of the room. It must have caught her attention as the pin did not match the same color as the ceiling, but was so tiny it would be hard to distinguish right away. Why are there cameras in my house? If this is something father is doing, I’m certain he would have told us, he knows how much I can pick up with my eyes…maybe, the dispute between the company policies? Are some agents at work here? She set the pin down on the table and continued to prepare dinner. She would have to show it to her father when he returned from work.

Evening came and gone, and neither of her parents had returned home yet. Still, Michi focused on her assignments, all the while the thought of camera tugged at her mind. Setting down her pencil for a moment, she began to think. She thought about today, her first day of class, and about Norie, and about Maki, and all of the other students she had met today, and of how nice it would be to be good friends with them, and the things she would do, and yet still it all came back to the camera she had discovered. If someone was watching her family, then that meant that they would know she dismantled the camera, and there might even be a second or third camera. That also meant someone had broken into her house. She could phone the police and have it investigated, but if it was something her father had designed, then it might incriminate him, and she couldn't take the risk just yet.

Be patient, wait in till he gets home... She tried to calm her racing mind. It was already growing late, and she looked at the clock on the wall. "It's almost eight..." She looked back down at her homework. I ought to work on this, while I still have time! Then her pocket vibrated. It was her cell phone, and she reached in and pulled it out. "Norie? Why is she calling now, maybe something important?" She had exchanged numbers with the girl during lunch. She opened the phone quickly. "Hello?" She asked. "Hey, Michi, did uh, you see Maki around your house? I can't seem to find her anywhere, and I thought she may have followed you home for some reason..." The girl sounded nervous on the other side of the phone, and Michi went to her front door and looked out. There was quite a distance before the street, and her yard was quite plain as they had only lived here for a few days now. "No, but if I see her, I'll let you know..." she replied, closing the door. "Alright, thanks, see you around!" She hanged up, and Michi looked at her house now with different eyes. It felt like a trap, and there was nowhere safe to go, what on earth was she going to do? Her mother was a slightly safer bet than her father. She couldn’t wait any longer. She dialed the number in her cell phone and waited.

How many other cameras are there in here? And what's up with Maki suddenly going missing? I don't understand, but for some reason, this night is making me feel uncomfortable. The phone rang, and rang, and then it picked up. "Michi? Is that you?" The voice on the end was definitely her mothers, but she sounded scared, something was really bothering her. "Mom? What's going on?" She asked and there was a strange pause. Is she crying? What could it be? "Something, has happened, Michi, sweetheart..."
"What? What has happened?" She was growing hysterical. The only thing her mind could jump to was that her father had died. There was very little on this earth that could shake her mother like that. "We can't find your father..." She froze in the middle of the room, what did that mean? She couldn't think. She wouldn't think about it. She was just hoping earlier that it would be nice to spend some time with them, knowing that in order to make it- he couldn't be gone, there is no way. Missing? Like kidnapped? "I-I'm coming home now, just stay there, don't go anywhere okay sweetie? I'll be there...just hang on..." She didn't want her mother to hang up, yet as the tone went dead she knew it was too late to protest. Everything seemed to grow dark as her phone slipped from her hand, and landed on the carpet soundlessly.

One day. It was just one moment, and suddenly, it went from a happy day full of sun, to a dark and unforgiving night, full of doubt.