My mom is from Japan, so I guess she'd want to go back sometime. I thought she ment a family vacation, seeing the grandparents then going back home. My brother and I hadn’t started school, because Mom said we were going to Japan. I didn’t realize she didn’t want us to start because we were moving. But to live in Japan? To leave my school, my reputation, my *life* and live there?!?


Actually, I’ve done it before. Well; Mom, Dad, Chase and I have done it before. When I was a few months short of five years old, something happened in my life that made us change continents. Something I would really like to forget, but is impossible to forget. Something no-one really understood. But I wish I didn’t remember it.


"You’ll enjoy it once you get used to it." That’s what Mom had told me.

~*~


My name is Marleneya ((pronounced ‘mar-lane-ya)) KiKi Smith. I’m 14 years old - about to start high school - and I’m American. And I’d like to stay that way, thank you very much. Now, please don’t think I have an attitude or anything. Far from it. I just don’t want to move half way across the world and go to a completely different culture, school and people. A completely different way of life.


I am the second child of five, and my parents are Bill and Itimi. I enjoy volleyball and softball, and I don’t have any friends my age... I fancy myself quite shy. I’m good at my sports and I exercise regularly, but I also love to read and daydream. I’ve also taken a few years of ballet and have been taking karate for five years now. I could speak, read and write Japanese since I was 10. I can also speak Spanish, as well as read and write that also, although I’m not very good at it.

My older brother, Chase, is in his senior year at high school. I have three little sisters; Malee-Azalia, nine, is a prankster. Sahondra, seven, is a bit spoiled. And my baby sister, Chrishyona, is four. No-one in my family calls me ‘Marleneya’, they call me Lane. No-one calls my sisters by their names, either. Malee-Azalia’s nickname is ‘Zailia’, Chrishyona’s epithet is Ana, and Sahaondra? Don’t ever call her Ondra. Trust me. Dad calls her ‘Sahara’, after the desert. I’m not sure why.


~*~


My first day at my new school didn’t go very well. My sensai dragged me to the front of my class, to be introduced. I hate being the center of attention, to have everyone stare at me. Then one girl; medium height, short blonde hair, forest green eyes; gave a surprised short of jump in her seat. My first thought was my hair. It’s very long, and many people have stared. But her eyes followed me to my seat. She was making me uneasy.


All of my new sensais loaded us students down with homework. Most of it was reading and answering questions, easy for me. One gave us ten vocabulary words, due next week Friday.


And there was gym. The class was doing a few different games, from other cultures. Today they were doing eight base, an American game. Something I did very well, but didn’t enjoy very much. When there were twenty-five minuets left, the sensai figured out no-one was enjoying eight base, she allowed the girls to get out the volleyball nets. Yes!!


The game wasn’t very organized, but it was still a volleyball game. when I first came in to serve, everyone thought I couldn’t play. They got a shock when I sent the ball over, and it landed perfectly in bounds, but just behind and to the left of one girl (who was too far up anyway). I allowed myself a small smile. My team gained nine points, and the lead, before my team missed the returned ball and it was their serve. I returned everything that
came my way perfectly, and even covered a few girls’ mistakes. And then I was finally in the front row, by the net.


I almost always play front middle, or front right, but I can still hit well from front left. I was the best hitter on my American school’s team. My coaches loved me, too. I pass, serve, block and hit almost perfectly. My setting needs some work, though.

The other team couldn’t get anything over, not with the talent that was up at the net on the other side. And it was silly, the way the would all duck when I hit. I loved it. All the strange looks I’d been getting throughout the day, put to shame. My team loved me, and congratulated me. All the way to the locker room to change, and back out. I felt better on the court, in my domain. But back in the locker room, I went back to being quiet and
withdrawn.


I didn’t make any friends. I didn’t join the volleyball team when the season came around, although many girls were talking about how good the team would be with me on it. I read more books at home. Mom noticed.


"I don’t know any of the girls on the team. I *don’t* want to play."


Mom gave me an exasperated sigh. We’d been through this at least four times. "You will, play and I mean play whole-heartedly, or you will be grounded."


I almost rolled my eyes. I didn’t go anywhere anyway. What did it matter that I was grounded? But Mom wasn’t done.


"From reading."


I starred.


"Books, magazines, the comics. Anything but school work."


"Fine. I’ll play." I stalked out of the house and into the woods.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sensai" is more Japanese, "teacher."