• I guess my brother had a good point about moving away from our old home. The death of our parents was hard to handle, and I don't think I could stand another second in that house. I'll miss my old friends back home, but I guess I have to move on now.

    Takumi is making me go to an all boys dormitory. He wants me to form a "good bond" with them so that if he dies, I might be able to stay with a close friend. In the past couple of months, our family members kept dying one by one of the strange "illness" that claimed the lives of our parents- the blood being drained from their bodies. 

    I sat in the passenger seat of the small car. Takumi was driving (he's 22- the older brother). I sat slouched there, watching the miserable gray clouds in the sky. I didn't mind the rain before, but my parents were announced dead on a rainy day, and that's all I think of when a thunderstorm hits. 

    My brother made a left turn, and the water from a puddle splashed against the car. I tightened my grip on my book-bag, and watched a streak of light across the sky. The roaring of thunder followed which made me jump a little. 

    I heard the wheels screech to a halt, and I looked around confused. 

    "We're here, Haru. Look!" Takumi said, leaning over me and pointing outside. I followed his finger to see what all the commotion was. He was pointing at my school. 

    When I saw it, I tilted my head to one side. It was bigger than I thought it would be. It was two stories tall, and there was a gate that surrounded the school grounds that had to be at least fifteen ft. high. There was a stone path that led up to the double doors, and there were sakura (cherry blossom) trees that were on either side of the stone path.

    I gripped my book-bag even tighter. "Aw, do I have to go, Takumi?" I whined. He giggled and gave my shoulder a reassuring pat.

    "You'll be fine, Haru. I'm sure you'll meet some interesting people here, right?" he mused. I replied with a nod and got out of the car after we said our goodbyes.

    As I heard my brother drive away, I watched the wind ruffle the sakura petals as the sunlight began to peek out from the clouds. I think I'm ready.