Butterfly

1

Alex Miller liked a lot of things. She liked the smell of metal in the air when it rained, she liked dessert, and she especially liked meeting new people and making friends. Alex also disliked things.

Like right now...

As of right now she's boarding a plane set for Hokkaido, Japan. You'd think being a fan of the culture she'd be excited. Alex Miller never disliked something more. Legally against her will, Alex had no choice.

Her mother sat beside her, reading a translation book. Specifically: 'How to Speak Japanese for Dummies'. Alex knew she should be studying as well after all this was a twelve hour flight with no layovers. Such is life. She could feel herself drifting off and decided to give in to the sleep for once.

"Alex, wake up, we landed" Alex awoke to her mother shaking her shoulder. The aircraft was buzzing with noise as babies cried and people were taking their baggage out of the overheads. I must've slept the whole ride she thought to herself as she stretched with an obnoxious groan before standing up and following her mom through the crowded walkway off the plane.

"Bye Mark! Bye Jim! I'll always miss you Rita!!" Alex shouted back at the flight attendants much to her mother's embarrassment as they departed the plane.

"Why do you always have to be so embarrassing Alex? Keep your tongue to yourself" Ruth, Alex's mother, sighed as the odd mother-daughter duo walked towards baggage claim.

~*~

Alex pressed her face up against the taxi window, slight amazement in her eyes. So many houses and they all looked like carbon copies. It was amazing.

The car skidded to a stop outside the house where Alex will now call home whether she liked it or not. It was up to her to make the situation better than how she feels about it, for her sake.

"Alex help unload the bags!" Her mother shouted from outside the taxi. How'd she get out so fast?

With reluctance, Alex put a smile on her face and did as told....only to do it wrong apparently.

"I didn't say to just keep them on the road! Bring them inside!" Her mother fumed before turning and tipping the taxi driver and headed inside.....

In no hurry to make her mother angrier than she already was, Alex complied and picked up as many bags as her arms could sustain and followed her mother into the house she had yet to explore. The front yard was nice, but plain. Just a walkway and the family name hung on one of the porch pillars. 

The house on the inside looked exactly like she expected. Upon walking in, there was a slight step where you would put shoes when you took them off to enter the rest of the home. The living room was off to the right of the entrance and a staircase to the left. It seemed a little steep and Alex knew that she would at least fall down it once or twice. It made her laugh a bit.

"I see you've arrived.."

Alex jumped and dropped the boxes that were in her hands onto her feet. 'Shit!' she turned to glare at the scarer yet she saw yet another new face. The girl looked extremely pretty. 'It must be Ami ' Alex thought to herself, so she put a painful smile on and waved with one hand while the other held her foot.

"Hello!! I'm Alex and I'll be living here now!! I hope we can get alo- and you've walked away" 'How rude!' She frowned while taking off her boots and setting them aside. 'Now I gotta pick all these back up'  She pouted in defeat. 

"Alex, you're already making a mess and we haven't been here for long. Take your boxes up to your room" Ruth ushered her daughter up the steep sleek stairs.