|
Akiko drew her knees in against her chest. Though her short uniform skirt and thin green sweater were hardly enough to keep her warm in the morning air, her long auburn hair fell about her ankles like a tent, adding a little warmth. She had set her alarm clock an hour too early and by the time she had realized her mistake, she was too awake to sleep later. Her sister’s silent house and the creeping sunlight only played on her anxieties, so she put on her shoes and headed off to school. The courtyard, while beautiful, was empty, and so, finding the door to the main building unlocked, she found the stairs and chose to perch herself on the roof before everyone got there. She crossed her arms over her legs and held the tessen in both hands.
Aki was only a freshman. The few friends she had, had gone to normal schools where they focused more on studies; but something in her knew that the tessen was important. When she practiced with it, everything in her clicked and she knew that her life wouldn’t be complete if she abandoned the art. That still left her alone on the roof that early spring morning, but there was a whole school full of people waiting below her. And now the sound of their voices and shoes and motors began to fill the front courtyard, and the sound resonated right up the side of the school building and into Akiko. The temptation of new possibility was too much, and she stood up and went over to the fence to look down and watch.
Last edited by nevin; 04-22-2007 at 04:17 PM..
|