Cruel words filled the air around me as I awoke.  At first, I didn’t even want to open my eyes.  I wanted to pretend that it was all merely just a dream.  If only I could convince myself, but I knew it was a useless attempt.  When I opened my eyes, stained white walls welcomed me.  The only decor was pictures of my mom that I had placed, but I was unable to see any of them because of the darkness that filled the room.  A never-ending void of darkness seemed to surround me, and I could only think of escape even if that meant growing closer to the screaming.  I d the walls until I found my door.  Cautiously, I turned the knob and tip-toed my way down the hallway too the stairs in order to get a clear view of what all of the commotion was this time around.  I knelt down, peering through the white poles bordering the stairs.  Mom and Dad were yelling at each other again, but I could barely make out their words verbatim.  Dad was yelling something along the lines of ‘Why do you keep it’ and ‘How can you stand it’.  Tears streamed down Mom’s face at these words.  The look on her face made it seem as if he had just shot her a few times in the heart.  Then I heard her utter the first words of defiance I had ever heard her say to him.  ‘She has a name and is not an it!’  I realized that they were talking about me just as a knife was pressed into her gut.  Blood began to come out of as she let out an agonizing sound.  That man who I called Dad then tossed her to the side, calling out my name.  Mom was tough though and screamed no, grabbing onto his leg as if to stop him from going upstairs.  He merely kicked her away, directing his attention upwards.  Before he could see me, I turned and ran towards my room, locking the door behind me.  I glanced around the room to see if I could find something to barricade the door, but had no luck.  He then began banging on the door, but shortly after, the banging stopped.  I crouched down on the ground in order to peer underneath the door to see if he had left.  Then a body hit the floor and I was looking straight into her now lifeless eyes.  Without meaning to, I began to cry, pressing my hand over my mouth in order to silence my sobs.  The blood began to seep underneath my door, and I backed away, fighting to see clearly.  Click.  The sound caused me to cringe, and I looked up with blurry eyes as that man entered my room, the knife posed in his hand for an attack.  His words seemed to echo in my head.  It’s your turn to die.  Time for you to join Mommy.  I could feel something welling up inside of me as he got closer, rage filling me to the brim with each step closer that he took.  This man took my mother away from me; he killed her.  Right before something happened though, I woke up.

            Sweat dripped down my face as I shot up from under the covers out of breath.  Slowly, I took deep breaths, wiping the sweat off of my brow.  A sigh escaped my lips as I closed my eyes.  I had been having the same dream-like memory popping up for the last days, and each time something big seemed about to happen, I would wake up.  It was almost as if something was trying to prevent me from remembering what happened, as if whatever it was, it shouldn’t be known.  Sighing again, I stepped out of bed and began to perform my normal morning ritual.

            Having a “normal” routine was nice.  Especially since I knew that I wasn’t exactly normal.  I receive perfect marks on my tests even when I don’t look at the material, these odd memories or dreams fill my head every time I sleep, I can perform athletic feats that a typical girl should not be able to do, and I hardly have any friends.  Okay, so the last one shouldn’t count as completely as abnormal, but it’s true.  I’m a first year in high school who can count the number of friends she has on one hand.  That shouldn’t be healthy, right?  I should probably introduce myself to some degree.  The name is Eliza, and I’m a fifteen year old girl with long, chestnut hair and pale, smoky blue eyes.  People consider me on the smaller side occasionally since I’m only five foot two inches tall, but it’s something that happens to most people who have Asian blood in them.  I constantly wear a silver bell on a black ribbon around my neck because it’s a reminder of my mom; it’s one of the few items that didn’t burn down in the fire.  My memories are perfectly clear save the ones from around the time my biological parents died.  The most I remember from then is Mom being murdered, and then being saved by someone from the fire.  Supposedly, both my parents died by accident in the fire, but I know the truth.  Even so, I don’t talk about it because nothing will change now.  I go on with as normal of a life I can lead, pushing away the incident eight years ago as best as I can.

            Gambian High is the hell called high school where I spend most of my days.  There, I try to draw as little attention as possible towards me.  As for those few friends that I mentioned before, they are Tsukiko, Yuki, and Jin.  I told you that I really didn’t have many.  The funny part is, none of them are like the other.  Tsukiki is a typical sporty girl who has a knack for checking out guys while at the same time protecting her friends.  Such an odd mixture, right?.  She has blonde hair, that she dyed, that’s cropped to right above the shoulders, and brown eyes that always seeming to be filled with life.  Yuki on the other hand, is a quiet girl who would much rather sit inside and read a book while munching on peanut butter sandwiches than go out of her way to talk to people.  As for her appearance, she has long, light brown hair that goes almost to her knees with light brown eyes.  Then there’s Jin.  He’s a sweet guy who flirts a little more than he should.  I probably talk to him about the most random things, especially if it’s magic related.  He has a simple, short cut for his brown hair that highlights his deep brown eyes.  People constantly say that he likes me, but I can’t see that since we’ve been friends for so long.  He’s like the brother that I never had.  So far, not even they know about my “gift” to remember everything so vividly.  Maybe I’m stressing out for nothing, and I just have photographic memory.  The only thing that I can’t seem to remember, that I desperately want to remember, is who the boy that saved me was.  It seems that every time I recall the memory, I notice something else about him.  All I know now is that he’s around my age, was wearing a soccer shirt, has black hair, and obviously was brave.  I know that it’s not very good information, but it’s a start.  If I can find him, I might even be able to piece together how that fire started.

            By the time I recapped all of this information, I was already dressed and ready for yet another day at school.  I had pulled on a pair of jeans with a dark red shirt, not really caring too much for appearances by that point.  I didn’t even bother putting on make-up because it wasn’t as if I was going to impress anyone or did I wish to.  After grabbing my school bag, I left the small apartment to make the short trek towards the school since I didn’t live very far.  When I arrived, my small group of friends were already there waiting for me.  I could always count on them to brighten my day in some way, shape, or form.

            A smile filled my face as I rushed over to where they were.  “Hi guys,” I stated, stopping whenever I arrived where they were.

            “Hey, it took you long enough,” Tsukiko joked, a wide grin on her face.

            “Come on, it’s not her fault that she has to walk,” Jin argued, obviously not taking the hint that Tsukiko made that remark as a joke.

            An argument then ensued, and for some odd reason Yuki was pulled into it as well, so I could only stare in amazement.  Who knew that such a simple remark could start an argument.

            “Um, guys, it’s not that big of a deal since I’m here now,” I stated, wanting to calm things down again.

            “You’re right,” they said in unison, giving out looks at each other afterwards.

            An awkward silence hung in the air between us for a while before we began laughing at the sheer improbability of that happening.  I honestly had no right to ask for more because I had such wonderful friends who cared so much about them.  I was the first to stop laughing, and I took in their happy faces before speaking.

            “Why don’t we go play some soccer?”

            “I’d prefer basketball,” Tsukiko stated, gesturing towards the courts where groups were playing.

            Jin scoffed at her remark.  “Football is way better.”

            “I think I’ll just read,” Yuki said, venturing over towards a bench.  She never was one for sports.

            We all started off towards the court areas, anxious to have a reason to run around and focus on nothing except the game, but as we began walking, someone crashed into me, knocking me down onto my back.  Pain shot through my body, causing me to cringe and close my eyes.  The sound of heavy breathing near my face helped force me to open my eyes, and I was greeted by a rather attractive sight.

            Above me was a male who appeared to be a little older than I was, black waves gently flowing down slightly over his beautiful, deep, blue, almond-shaped eyes.  His tan skin was slightly concealed by a soccer shirt that he was wearing.  I couldn’t notice much more about him because he was hovering over me, dangerously close to my face.

            “I’m so sorry,” he stated in a husky, alluring voice.  In a graceful and swift manner, he was on his feet, offering me his hand so that I could stand up myself.  I graciously took his offer, pulling myself up with his help.

            “No problem,” I said, “I’ve been through worse.”

            Now I was able to get a full view of him.  I would estimate that he was around five foot seven tall, mildly built to the extent that you could make out the definition of his muscles even with a shirt on, and rather slim overall.  My mind flashed back to what I remembered of the boy who saved me, and I began to look at the male in front of me with a quizzical expression.  The two did resemble each other quite a bit, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions.  At the same time, my mind was spinning with possibilities.  If this was the boy from the past, so many unanswered mysteries could finally be solved.  While all of this information was being processed in my head, I was just staring at him with what probably looked like a dumbfounded expression.  Maybe he noticed my odd, unmoving stare and that’s why he grabbed my hand and began to pull me away from the group.

            “I need to talk to you.”

            I was not expecting him to say that.  Even so, I let him pull me around a corner and into a building.  What was I supposed to do?  Thoughts were still swarming through my head and I could barely think straight.  Confusion filled my every being.

            “Are you Eliza?”

            This guy just kept on surprising me.  I looked up to see him staring at me intently.  Something told me that if I didn’t say the answer that he wanted, he could end up hurting me.

            Before I had the chance to answer him, pain surged through my body, forcing me to crumble to the ground, writhing in pain.  Slowly, the gaps from the incident began to be filled.  That nagging question of how the fire even started was solved in my mind’s eye.  I had started the fire.  It was me who killed that man who I called Dad for so long, and this boy that was in front of me right now looked almost exactly like the boy who saved me.  The confusion that I thought would go away after finding out answers just grew, and I found myself desperate for a reason, any reason.

            “Who are you?”  I inquired, my voice trembling.  I took a moment to breathe before speaking again, my voice steadier.  “You were there that night weren’t you?  Why did that fire come out of me?  How am I still alive?  Why did you save me?”  My voice couldn’t keep up with the amount of questions in my head.

            Immediately though, he responded.  “I am Kima.  I was indeed there the night of the fire.  You are a legendary Maiden, which is why you are still alive.  I am here to protect you.”

            Wait a moment.  What?  My thoughts jumbled up even more, and I tried to at least think of some logical questions.  Okay, all of a sudden this boy named Kima comes out of nowhere telling me that I’m some legendary maiden that he’s here to protect.  What does that even mean?  What’s going on?  Does fire come out of him too?  Is this some type of weird abnormality?  Am I going to have to go away with him?  This is insane!  Even my thoughts sounded insane.

            “I won’t let anyone harm you is what I mean.  You are considered the cat goddess of fire, and when your power is used again, your true form will be revealed.  No, fire does not come out of me, but I do have powers of my own.  I can read your thoughts, sense when you are in any danger, and protect you from anything.  I would not consider this abnormal.  If anything, it is a gift that has been bestowed upon you.  You will have to leave with me though.”  He stated all of this in such a calm manner that I almost thought I said all of my thoughts out loud without meaning to.

I knew I didn’t though.

Shock paralyzed me.  All of those questions that were swarming through my head, he just answered even though I didn’t even say anything.  Something wasn’t rubbing me the right way, and it didn’t help when he reached out and grabbed my hand.  I instinctively pulled away and began to back away from him.  My gut was screaming at me that something was wrong.

            I tried to keep my voice steady as I spoke.  “I can’t just up and leave with you.  I have friends here that I don’t want to leave.  I don’t even know if I really have these powers.  I honestly think – “

            I was cut off by his lips being pressed against mine.  My eyes widened, and I tried to pull away from his embrace, panic filling me.  Then I caught three familiar figures from the corner of my eye.  Jin, Yuki, and Tsukiko were standing there in shock, obviously not comfortable with what they were seeing.  I caught a flash of pain in all of their eyes, especially Jin's, before they turned and began to walk away.  In a panic, I kicked Kima in the shin, turning towards the doorway that I saw my friends in.

            “No!  Wait!”  I screamed after them, trying to put as much distance between myself and Kima as I did.

            As I reached the doorway though, the doors slammed shut on me.  Automatically, I turned towards Kima with a look of anger, but he seemed bewildered by the occurrence.  Laughter filled the building, but no other person could be seen.  Suddenly, I felt a hand reach around me.  I glanced up to see Kima with one of his arms wrapped around me.  His voice was then in my head, making me jump slightly.  ‘Stay with me’ it encouraged.  At this point, I felt safer with him than with whatever was laughing in the building, so I scooted a little closer to him.

The building went silent.

A shadowy figure began to emerge from the darkness.  I couldn’t make out the person’s exact features, but I could tell that he was a tall, thin, handsome male.  As I squinted to see who he was, I realized that he was getting closer to us.  Silver caught the corner of my eye, and I realized that somehow, a sword had appeared in Kima’s hand.  ‘Stay here’ his familiar voice echoed in my head.  Moments later, he was next to the shadowy figure, fighting with him.  The sound of clanging metal filled the empty air, and all I could do was stand there like a fool, still unsure of what was happening.  I glanced away for only a moment, and when I looked back, Kima was on the ground with a sword held to his neck.  Panic filled through me at the thought of losing the one person who could explain to me what was happening.  A familiar feeling began to fill me, and I realized that this was how I felt before the fire started.  The next thing that I knew, I was a different person.  My appearance had altered to some degree.  My hair and cat-like eyes remained the same along with the keepsake from my mother, but everything else seemed different.  My clothes had been replaced with a black and red plaid skirt, black corset, and long-sleeved blood red top with the sleeves billowing out.  I looked down at my feet to see that my shoes had become black slip-ons.  Something still felt different though.  One of my hands drifted to my head to feel… cat ears?  In a panic, I reached towards my backside as well and felt a tail.  In another instance, a bow made from flames appeared in my hands.  I didn’t know how to react.  Was this the true form that Kima had spoken of?  I looked over at Kima in hopes that he would explain, and then remembered the predicament that he was in.  I followed my instincts then, pulling back on the bow, watching as an arrow made of pure fire began to form in the empty area.  I then released the ‘string’ and allowed the arrow to fly towards the figure.  The shadowy figure looked up and I could make out the faint outline of a smirk before he disappeared into thin air.

            I began to run over to Kima, keeping an eye out to make sure that man was really gone.  I knelt down next to him, noticing that his eyes were open and he was moving.

            “Thank goodness you’re okay,” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him as he sat up.  I could feel tears forming in my eyes, and before I knew it, I was crying.  ‘It’s okay.’  His voice in my head seemed to comfort me more than scare me now.  ‘We might want to consider talking telepathically from now on.  Anyone could be listening to what we say.’  I gave a slight nod of agreement even though he already knew that I agreed with him.  ‘Are you willing to come with me now?’  I didn’t realize that I had a choice by this point.  Not only was I definitely not normal, but I could feel myself being attached to him by more than just obligation.  My heart seemed too long to want to be with me.  I think that a part of me had always had feelings towards that boy that saved me long ago.  I didn’t want to move at that moment.  I wished that we could stay like that forever.  His arms wrapped protectively around me as I thought that, and I allowed myself to relax in his arms.