Katherine came downstairs after changing and looked at the clock. She had just enough time to pour herself a cup of coffee before she heard the door slam shut and then someone ran up the stairs.
Is it that time already she asked herself and put down her cup. “No running in the house.” She yelled up the stairs.
The only answer she got was one of the room doors closing. She picked up her cup hopefully she would have enough time to finish the coffee.
Across town, Rorēnu Meshida had just returned home however unlike her classmates she hadn’t run to her bedroom to get changed. Instead, she had walked to the sitting room to greet her mother as she usually did.
“Good afternoon Rorēnu how was your day at school?” Kamiko
“It was okay Mother we have a new deputy principal, “Rorēnu told her mother.
“Really, what is she like?” Kamiko asked.
“I only saw her once at the special assembly that was held to introduce her,” Rorēnu told her before going on to describe how Ms Gutfreund had behaved during the assembly.
Back in the Gutfreund house
Katherine was sure that she could almost hear the jungle drums across the town talking about her. She knew that if she had been in the position of the parents in the town that was to be her new home she would have been the same. Just as the thought had entered her head she heard a door open upstairs.
“Hey mom when are we going to eat tonight?" The voice from the hallway shouted as it descended the stairs.
“As soon as we are all here,” Katherine replied.
“But Mom I am starving.” The voice said as it entered the sitting room.
“I have told you before we have to wait until your sister gets home,” Katherine told the young person now standing in front of her.
“Why should I have to suffer just because she is not back yet.” Came the reply.
“Michelle you will just have to wait. Those are the rules as well you know young lady.” Katherine told Michelle who stood before.
Michelle Gutfreund gave up arguing with her mother she knew better. Once her mother had made up her mind there was no amount of arguing with her wearing her favorite white and black baseball shirt with the words "Fragile Heart" printed on it, standing in front of her mother with her hands on her hips. She was wearing black pants that complemented the black sleeves of her shirt, her long black hair flowing behind her.
She turned towards the TV turned it on and began channel surfing, looking for her favorite shows just as any teenager would do once they had got home from school. She was not pleased that her mom had uprooted the whole family to take her new job. Michelle had friends at her old school and now she had to start all over again.
Michelle sat in front of the TV showing no signs that just a few days ago she had lived only a few streets away from her new home or of the fact that she hadn’t been a teenager. She had been 8-year-old Mikey Madison...not that anyone could tell that by looking at her that afternoon. She sat in front of the TV flicking through the channels trying to find something to watch while she waited for the rest of the family to return home.
