Stealing First

Chapter 2

Charlie sat in her classroom, gazing distractedly out of the window at the sakura lining the courtyard below. She and her father had arrived in Tokyo just in time to witness the season in full bloom and had spent their first weekend here wandering the parks, marvelling at the sight. Charlie had enjoyed the chance to spend some time with her father. It felt like it had been ages since they had been able to enjoy just hanging out together. But the outing had also made her a little sad as she knew how much her mother had longed to experience the sakura festival.

The trees on the school ground were now hazakura, having sprouted bright green leaves alongside the delicate flowers. Charlie thought that this only made them look more vibrant and beautiful, and she thought her mum would have liked these trees best of all. The memory of her mother triggered a tight ache in Charlie's chest. She pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, feeling the familiar sting of hot tears behind her eyelids. She breathed slowly, waiting for the feeling to pass.

"Hey, Charlie! I was just looking for you." Her reverie was broken by Sawamura's rowdy entrance to the classroom. She gave her head a subtle shake and blinked hard before turning to him with a forced smile.

"Morning, Sawamura. What's up?"

Sawamura slowed his approach as he noticed the redness around his classmate's eyes. "Oh, Charlie, are you OK?"

"I'm fine, just a little hayfever." Charlie lied, widening her smile in the hope that he would accept her weak excuse without too many questions.

The young pitcher frowned slightly as he looked at her. "Honestly," insisted Charlie, "Did you say you were looking for me?" She hoped that the change of subject would distract Sawamura from prying further.

It worked. "Yeah, that's right. Rei asked if you could drop in and see her after class today."

"Oh, sure. Thanks." The director had checked in on her a few times over the last few weeks, making sure that Charlie was settling in well at Seido, and Charlie had to admit she found the attention oddly comforting. She felt the pang in her chest begin to dissolve as Sawaura sat down beside her, complaining about Furuya hogging all of the practice time against the clean-up batters at this morning's practice. His energy was infectious and, by the time the teacher arrived, she was almost smiling again.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Following her Japanese study group that afternoon, Charlie headed for Takashima Rei's office. As she climbed the stairs, she thought back to their first meeting. Charlie and her father had come into the school for an interview - her father in relation to his position as a teacher and Charlie around her admission as a student. Although she was a highly academic student, Charlie's wilful streak was causing some consternation for the admission panel around whether she would be a good fit for the school.

After a lengthy discussion, it was Rei who had advised them of the board's decision. She had said that Seido prided itself on a culture of hard work and commitment to continuous improvement and that Rei was confident that Charlie could live up to those values if she used her will in a more positive way. She also said that she would be checking in personally to see that the young lady was living up to these expectations, especially as she had vouched for the young girl's potential with the board.

Charlie paused, smiling, and rapped softly on the wooden door at the end of the hallway.

"Come in." A warm voice called to her from the other side. Charlie opened the door and glanced in, seeing Rei sitting at the lounge in her office, a pot of tea and a slew of newspapers on the coffee table in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Rei. It looks like you're pretty busy. Thank you for taking the time to see me." Charlie walked over and stood beside the lounge, waiting to be invited before taking a seat opposite the director.