Clan Of Mist

Chapter 3

Fear.

The start of a new day.

I always looked forward to the idea of mornings. Time for fresh beginnings and trying to have a better day than the one before. I stretched in bed feeling the soothing snap of my joints popping and locking into place. My mind was still trapped in the haze of sleep so it didn't immediately occur to me that I was feeling way too rested from a seventeen hour plane ride and only five hours of sleep afterwards.

I couldn't believe today was my first day.

So many possibilities awaited me. I rolled over and blindly reached for my phone charging on my bedside table.

15 Unread Messages

All from my mom...great. I rolled my eyes and went to open them when the time in the center of my screen grabbed my whole attention.

"SHIT!!!"

Heads spun around to catch a glimpse of the speeding foreign woman racing through the halls, down the sidewalks, and inside the International Studies building.

Coming from the opposite end of the hallway another woman was rushing and desperately trying to cling to the large stacks of paperwork in her hands. She was already late so the last thing she needed was to make it rain loose leaf sheets on the unsuspecting pedestrians below. A symphony of thoughts played through her mind including the silent curses she was sending to her husband for being such a distraction, and the very reason she was late. Never mind the fact that she had waited until the last minute to finish the assignments in her hands. Resulting in her only receiving about three hours of sleep the night before.

Both women were distracted and paying little to no attention to their surroundings. So it was no surprise what happened next.

The sound of two feminine screams and fluttering papers drifting to the lower level of the building drew the attention of everyone nearby.

"Ow!" Jazmine cried out more so in surprise than actual pain. A hand went to her forehead which had collided with the woman in front of her.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

Jazmine looked up to see a striking woman rushing to collect everything she could while rattling apologies.

"No. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention. I'm running late and it's my first day...here let me help with that"

Jazmine's eyes bounced from the ground to the woman kneeling on the ground.

She didn't think she would see anyone that looked like her here in Japan. She had tried to prepare herself to be the sore thumb in the crowd, but apparently she was wrong.

"Thanks a lot, but I have to go" The woman declared just before she pushed herself back on her feet and rushed away in the direction Jazmine had originally come from.

Jazmine wasn't left any time to respond, besides she was late herself. She huffed noticing she held a small stack of papers that belonged to the woman. She didn't have time to be concerned about that. Jazmine continued down the hallway looking at the doors with confusion that quickly morphed into frustration.

She was going in the wrong direction. She had already passed the classroom according to the numbers above the glass doors.

DAMN IT!

She retraced her steps a few doors before the large red doors leading to the stairwell she took to the second floor. Anxiety raced in her bloodstream. What would her professor say to her? Would they call her out and embarrass her in front of everyone? I mean it was the first day and she was already significantly late to class.