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Hope looked from side to side, thinking of just the right thing to say, which wasn't her forte. Finally she looked up at the boy across from her. She didn't want to disturb him...but it was now or never, because she knew she'd lose her courage if she didn't blurt it out now.

"Um..." Hope tried to start casually, and attempted adding to the effect by leaning back in her chair and gazing at the sky. "Has anything really...weird ever happened to you before? Like something really, really mysterious, the kind of stuff people wouldn't believe? You know?" She looked sideways at Korsu to see if he heard.

Melinda and the group played for awhile longer, before the manager came out and told them it's break time again. The time seemed to go by fast for the girl; she happily took another slice of pizza and sat down next to the newcomers.

As she sat on the bench, she happened to catch the girl's question:

"Has anything really...weird ever happened to you before? Like something really, really mysterious, the kind of stuff people wouldn't believe? You know?"

The violinist thought to herself for a moment; what was the girl getting at?

Hikari looked a the box of pizza."Can I get a slice of pizza?"She asked.

Melinda thought again for a minute, when it hit her: Duh! Although it was a bit personal, something inside told her that it was ok, and that they wouldn't laugh.

"Well, in truth, I'm supposed to be deaf. When I was little, I had fallen through the ice one winter, and was stuck in the cold water for quite awhile. At the hospital, it was apparent that my hearing was dying out slowly. I could hear less and less sounds and voices, and........" she paused. "It was supposed to be a permanent loss. While there was no cure, the doctors decided to try one last shot; a operation."

"I hated losing my hearing; it made the world seem empty; useless!" she said suddenly, her tone harder at these memories. "It was so fustrating, with repeated answers and written down sentences. And music! It has always been the thing that kept my soul happy and alive, and I couldn't hear it......."

"Then it happened; I had woken up at about 4 in the morning, the night before the operation. I was scared at the time, being only five years old and in a hospital room alone. Despite the fact I couldn’t hear I called out for help. Although I couldn't hear, at least someone could hear me. As soon as I did cry, I saw a bright figure enter the room, with pointed ears and a dress so brilliantly white that it was hard to see the enigma’s face. But after forcing myself to see her face, it turned out to be a kind face, with bright blue eyes that seemed to be the color of the sky, and she had some sort of glowing light about her, in the shape of a halo all pretty and gold. She looked at me for a moment, as if examining something curiously but kindly. She said something to me, but naturally, I couldn‘t hear her due to the problem at hand. She touched my head, shut her eyes, and murmured something. Then I woke up, my hearing restored; no operation needed. This baffled the doctors. It was a miracle.

Of course, I told my parents what I saw. My father says that it was the medication; making me see things and whatnot. Not to mention the late hour. I couldn't convince them, though, but they don't care, and neither do I. I'm just glad my hearing is back, and I know what I saw." she concluded, with the last bite of pizza. She looked up and smiled at the girl. "Does that count under weird experiences?"

Hope looked at them seriously but happily, knowing she'd found her people. "Are you kidding?" she laughed. "That's definitely more than I expected!"

She leaned in a bit and talked at a slightly lower volume. "Well...I think I know why that happened. Actually...I do know.

"Quite a few years ago, I just woke up and my parents were gone. I was an only child, and so I was left all alone with absolutely no explanation. And then...well, it may sound a bit silly...but I went to live in the woods...it always just seemed so romantic to me. I never really questioned why my parents were gone...though I'm not sure exactly why I didn't. It would seem the natural thing to do. But I didn't. I just lived in the woods for a while. And then, one night, I woke up, and I knew I had had a dream. An exciting one. I love those dreams, so I laid there, trying to remember every detail.

"And then...well, all of the sudden I realized that this had to be more than a dream, you know? I felt a strong urge to find these people...because we they would be the ones to save the world from an ever-growing menace...and I would have to help protect them."

She stopped for a minute to fidget embarrassedly. "I know it sounds extremely crazy...and silly...but somehow, I'm more sure than I've ever been in my life that this is more than a dream. And doesn't it seem that way to you, too? How could we have all just ended up here, with all these strange experiences? I believe it's fate," she finished stubbornly.

Then, after a short pause, she ventured another question. "Do...any of you have any weird feelings...when you look at each other? You know, like you're meant to be with them? Maybe that'll convince you for sure."

Hope sighed after her long monologue, and laughed again, embarrassed at having talked on so much.

"I've had many near death experiences,most of them included drowning.When I was 10,I was swimming in the lake and something grabbed my leg and dragged me down to the bottom of the lake."Hikari said.

Rayne smiles , "Thanks !" Then she went back to work taking peoples orders and delivering them.