"Rei? Is that you?" Rei heard a voice call from outside her room. Whoever was out there was speaking fluent Japanese.
"Y-yeah, just looking over s-some books!" Startled by the person Rei couldn't stop herself from stuttering in a panic.
"Is everything alright in there?" The person on the other side turned the knob.
The door opened to reveal a ten year old Japanese boy, who entered. Brother maybe? Rei thought. He flopped down on the bed and looked at her. "Mother wanted me to remind you she needs help with dinner at exactly 5PM so it will be ready when Father returns."
Rei had never been much for dinner...and her parents...well, her Dad...she hadn't seen her Mom since she'd skipped out when she was five...wasn't a family meal kind of parent as he was usually working too hard. "Thank you..."
"What are you reading?"
"Just a book on how TVs work."
"You are always reading stuff like that."
"I like it," she said.
"Can you help me with my homework? Miss Warren says I need to work on my math."
"Sure?" She said. Play along...
He ran and got a math textbook and notebook. She noted it said Tommy Meshida in English. Must be what they called him in school. Did she have a nickname now too? Rei wasn't that odd by American standards.
Rei was comfortable enough helping him with homework and not thinking about the whole situation until it was time to help with dinner.
Mother turned out to be an older version of her, who put her to work on kitchen chores. She seemed to go from strictly giving orders to a rather soft, almost nervous voice when she asked Rei how her day went.
"Fine."
"That is very good. Your father told you that you would adapt to American school," Kamiko Meshida said. "He will be pleased he was right."
Rei wondered what he must be like if he thought that. That must have been where she heard the name Meshida. There was a Japanese girl who she'd seen in the hallway, and hadn't thought much about it...but like her...she wasn't exactly adapted to their shared school. If she had, she wouldn't have stood out. Also, if she was now a Meshida, where was, whatever her name was?
Maybe she should call her phone and see who answered? She suddenly realized...she had seen a laptop in her room...but not a smartphone or a smartphone charger. Did Rei even have her own phone?
