Secrets of Our World

Chapater 4 - Nagama

There is something about running that makes you feel that there is nowhere you cannot go, and nothing that you cannot do. I don't know if it's the adrenaline or something else but when I run, I feel invincible. I feel like I know what I'm doing. I believe in myself.

That must be why God has given me this power. To run faster than any human alive. To run past people without anyone noticing that I was there, with the exception, of a slight breeze. A cool burst of air in the heat of the summer, that makes you feel good like someone knows what you needed at that moment.

This power isn't always a blessing, though. It can make people prejudice, hateful and jealous of you. Fearful because of your superiority. I never thought of myself as superior though, just a girl trying to have a life, finding her place in the world. Powers make it harder, and that is why I won't show my powers to anyone...again.

I had broken up with my boyfriend Ando as few months ago and had been staying with my parents while I looked for a new place. Finding a decent place to rent was hard in Osaka, and the bustling street of my city were making it hard to get to my appointment to view an apartment. One of the few decent ones left in the city. If I walk, I'll be late, very late, but if I run, I'll be on time. The only thing I'll have to worry about would be fixing my clothes and hair from the wind.

Deciding that the latter was the better option, I ducked into an alley to get ready for my run. No sense in frightening people by starting out in public. Disappearing into a streak of light never ends well, especially with people around you.

There wasn't a single living thing in the alley except for me, and a stray cat. A rough looking tabby cat that someone must have abandoned. He looked injured, and having a soft spot for cats, I wanted to help him.

This was quite the dilemma. I decided that I must go to my appointment. As I turned to get going the tabby let out a long pleading meow that made my heart melt. I turned around and he was staring at me with wide green eyes.

"Hmph. Fine. I'll help you, but you are going to owe me." I bent down and picked him up. "You don't look like it but you are a heavy one. You're lucky I work for a veterinarian."

I cradled him close to my body and he curled up in a way that made it seem that he knew what was going to happen. In seconds, I was at the clinic. I put the tabby in one of the cages and left a note for Dr. Aitchison, the only American veterinarian in Osaka, probably Japan. From there I bolted toward the apartment and right into the empty stall in the bathroom on the main floor.

I walked to the mirror and started to fix my hair. My hair, with its blonde highlights, sitting amid a storm of brown and flaming red, is all over the place. A long strand stuck straight up into the air from the top of my head. I didn't know that it could do that. I check to see if any makeup has smeared on my face and it has. All over. I washed it all off revealing my tired features especially my eyes. They give it away the most. That I haven't had any sleep. Oh well.

I walk out and go to the elevator, select level 10 and wait for it to take me up.

*****************************

"Ya-taaa! I got my first apartment mama!" I screamed over the phone.

"Yay! I'm so happy for you!" my mother exclaimed. "When will you be moving out?"

I chuckled. Oh, so that is the first thing on her mind. "Today, actually." I replied.

"So fast? How is that possible?" she pondered.

"Mama, I've had my things boxed for weeks already, I never really unpacked. I just need to put my clothes into a suitcase and get dad to help me move my bed over. The agent said that I could move in whenever I want. I already have the keys." I explained.

"Aww, my baby is leaving me again. This time to go out on her own. I wish you could stay here with us forever, but this is good." She whined.

"I love you too mama, but I'm going to finish university soon. Then I'll get a job. I need my own place...but I'll always visit."

"Of course you will. If you don't, I'll be coming to you!" she threatened over the phone.

I giggled. "I've got to go now, mama. See you soon." I hung up the phone.

*****************************

I was waiting in the sitting area reading a magazine when I heard my name.

"Nagama!" Dr. Aitchison called, his American accent evident as he spoke my name. He was six feet 2 inches in height with blonde hair and looked more like a football player than a veterinarian.

"Here's the cat you left me earlier. Fixed him right away. He had a few cuts here and there, but nothing major. Now he's as right as rain."

I got up as he brought out the orange tabby cat and handed him to me over the counter. "On the way over I was thinking of a name for him." I looked up at the doctor. "Which do you like better? Takezo K or Hiro N? Of course, his last name would be Sokuda, the same as mine."

"I think that you should mix the two, Hikenzo."

"You know what, I like that." I told him. "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." as he said this he locked eyes with me and neither of us looked away.

"Ok, bye." I said as I turned and left the clinic.

**********************************

I brought Hikenzo with me to the apartment to let him see it.

"We are going to live here, Hikenzo." I cradled him like a baby.

Over the next several hours, my father and I moved me in, while Hikenzo roamed around.

After everything was in, it seemed a bit cramped, but it was good.

Later my dad left and it was just me and Hikenzo, eating take out. I'd never come across a cat that didn't like sushi. We sat on my bed, I was patting him and he was relaxing. I started imagining where everything would go, when something weird happened. A storm had started brewing. A huge violent lightening storm was beginning. I felt strange, and before I could react, my vision started blurring and suddenly I was sitting in the middle of a forest.