Toshinowa

3

"What the hell are you doing here?" Damn. I was really hoping she wouldn't be here.

"I just came to get the rest of my things. I'll be out of your hair in a minute." She rolled her eyes and walked back to her room.

"Whatever. Just hurry up and get out of my house."

I really did not miss this room. I picked up the small box I had hidden in the closet and made sure everything was left in it. Three different sized sketchbooks, a box of colored pencils, a box of sketching pencils, a few books. I picked up one and flipped through it. Thankfully, what fell out was exactly what I was looking for. A small printed picture of my mother and father. I held it close to my chest for a moment, remembering our last embrace.

"I shouldn't! What if they catch me? I should just go back to training and become a villain like they want so they'll stop hurting us!"

"No, Toshi. 'No matter how the wind howls, the mountains must never bow.' You are destined for great, no, incredible things. We have no choice. The hero world needs you, the villain world just wants you."

"I thought you would only be here a few minutes."

"Yeah. I'm leaving now." I grabbed the box and rushed out the door without another word.

(-)

"What are you still doing here?" Wow. He really is good at sneaking up on people. "Everyone else went home for the weekend."

"Uh-um-" I couldn't think of a good lie to answer his question.

"You don't have to lie. I know foster homes can be tough." How did he know? "Don't worry, only your teachers know. It's in your paperwork. If there's anything you need help with here, let me know." And he walked away. I sighed and ate my food.

When I was finished eating, I went to my room to finish setting my things up. It wasn't much, but it was even more than I had in my old room. I put my few books on the shelf provided and my sketchbooks in the nightstand drawer, the picture of my parents inside the smallest one. And after that, my dorm room was finished.

(-)

As I sat in the cafeteria, picking at my food. I wasn't really hungry, all the talk about how everyone was happy to see their parents again was ruining my appetite.

"Ki, how was your weekend?" Shokya was talking quiet, making sure not to draw attention from the rest of the table.

"Um, it was ok. I pretty much trained all weekend."

"Trained? Why didn't you just relax?"

"I didn't want to stay in the dorm alone all day. I guess everyone goes home on the weekend." She yawned. She's probably still jet-lagged.

"Yeah. It must be nice to live near your folks. I won't get to see mine again until Christmas." Christmas. I remember my mom telling us about this holiday, though I never got to celebrate it myself. "Will you get to go home for Christmas?" How was I supposed to answer this question. Right then the bell rang.

"Come by my room after classes. Then we can chat."

"Kk." She smiled a very big smile. I could tell she was trying to be positive for me. I knew I could trust her with the small things, at least the foster home. Maybe I'll even be able to tell her about the witness protection, my mom, and maybe even my dad.

When we walked in, everyone was grumbling.

"What's everyone grumbling about?" I asked one of the other girls.

"What's up Class 1A!?" As soon as I heard his voice, I turned to walk out of the room. But Shokya grabbed my shirt and pulled me back.

"Nope. You're not skipping out on another Present Mic lecture. One more and you'll be in trouble."

"Damnit."

"You're going to make it out just fine, Ki."