Always Be There

2

Class 5.

Chieko Kaiya stared at the nameplate with a cautious breath. What was wrong with the world? This wasn't her school, yet she was enrolled into it. Was this all a fluke? Maybe there was another student with the same name. How much trouble would Kaiya be in if that was the case? Kaiya wanted to scream. Just a long, concentrated yell that encompassed all the feelings that swirled haphazardly around her heart and mind, puncturing into her lungs until she felt like she couldn't breathe. It wasn't just confusion, there was guilt mixed in for some reason.

"Hey! We're in the same class!" Teruma said, spinning around Kaiya as he headed into the classroom, walking backwards as the door slid open for him. Kaiya stared at the magician's trick that Teruma pulled off as Rei followed him inside, a quick glance over his shoulder at Kaiya as he passed. Kaiya sighed, as she realized she was in the same class as the two unbelievably handsome guys that had helped her. It was unfair how good looking they were, especially compared to Kaiya.

"Excuse me," Another voice said, the guy from earlier with the rust red hair and emerald eyes said with this large, friendly grin. He was lean with muscles protruding out of his jacket. He waved at Kaiya as he walked inside, adding to the amount of gorgeous people in the room. If that wasn't enough, that boy from earlier that stepped off the bus, the one that Kaiya had staring contest with, walked inside, his eyes flickering towards her before he went back to ignoring Kaiya. The girl didn't blame him. Maybe he knew that she didn't belong there, that she was the one that didn't match up with everyone else. Kaiya was about to make a getaway, those feelings of not belonging getting tangled with her urge to scream.

"Kai-chan! There you are!" That girl from earlier said, racing towards Kaiya, quickly gripping Kaiya's arm to drag her into the classroom. Kaiya almost tripped, quickly twisting her body so she landed upright. The girl didn't seem to pay attention to that fact as she continued. "You ran away earlier, and I was so confused! Are you still angry with me?"

"I- no... I'm feeling a bit weird lately... I guess I... It's complicated," Kaiya sighed, turning away from the girl, the guilt rising. How was this fair? Playing with that girl's emotions? They weren't actually friends. Kaiya didn't want to upset the girl, but it wouldn't be honest if she pretended that the past the girl thought they shared was real, because Kaiya didn't even know this girl's name. Kaiya practically collapsed into her seat, arms folding against the cold surface to support her head like a pillow. Why was she so tired? Why did her lungs feel so freezing cold?

"Should you be staying home? Do you feel sick? You don't feel warm," That girl said, the back of her fingers pressed against Kaiya's forehead. Kaiya looked up, guilt racking her again as she saw how concerned this girl looked. Kaiya swallowed a lump in her throat, dropping her head into her arms so she didn't have to look at anyone. Maybe this was all a lucid nightmare. Kaiya had never had a lucid dream before, but maybe fate was being cruel because of... Didn't she have a fight with her sister?

The memory was fuzzy. They were yelling, but what about? It was something her sister said, right? Kaiya overreacted, started screaming... She ran away, Kaiya thought. The only thing she could remember after that was a low heat inside her but a whole lot of freezing temperatures. Did this have something to do with how her lungs felt? Kaiya wondered what could have happened. She didn't even remember going home last night. It wasn't even a blur, it was completely blank. Kaiya wondered if she had hit her head, and her sister retrieved her? No, because her sister would have at least stayed home today to make sure Kaiya would wake up. It couldn't have been anyone else since Kaiya didn't have friends, and no one in her school knew where she lived. Kaiya sighed, electing to leave that matter alone until she could speak with her sister later.

"I really am sorry, Kai-chan. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want," That girl whispered, her hand rubbing Kaiya's hair for a moment before her presence was gone. Kaiya didn't say anything. It would be easier for everyone in Kaiya and that girl didn't know each other. Kaiya could avoid the peculiarity of the situation, and that girl could move on to a friend that would actually care about her. The girl seemed kind and gentle, not to mention her amazing looks, so it wouldn't be hard for someone to care about her. Kaiya couldn't bare to pretend that she was friends with someone that she couldn't remember the name of. Kaiya wasn't an intentionally rude person, and this seemed downright cruel. The girl was even offering to be the one to walk away. Still, Kaiya didn't see ignoring her to be a better option morally either. Kaiya hated this conundrum. Why was fate hating on her? This was too complex for a dream, and that girl seemed too sane to from a mental institution.

Kaiya sat up as the teacher began calling role. She didn't care much for the other people in the room, but would her name be called? Would the teacher recognize her? While she may have had the same name as the girl that was supposed to be here, surely they had different appearances. The teacher should know when one of their students didn't match, right? Kaiya wasn't sure. Kaiya wrapped a hand around the bottom half of her face, resting her chin in the alcove that formed as the teacher drew closer to her name. "Chieko Kaiya?"

Kaiya raised her hand, looking the teacher right in the eye, daring the instructor to call Kaiya out for being an imposter. The teacher's eyes hardened a little, but he didn't say anything as he marked Kaiya as 'here'. He continued with the names, the students around Kaiya popping up in her peripheral vision, but Kaiya couldn't bring herself to care about them. Was she supposed to be here? Was she an actual student here? Did her sister tell her wrong about the school? But that didn't explain the girl beside her, that threw hurt filled glances at Kaiya every now and again throughout the name call. The girl raised her arm for the name 'Aimi Kanpekina', so at least Kaiya had a title to call her by. Kanpekina... Kaiya could appreciate a name like that. It was a beautiful name for a lovely girl. Unfortunately, that didn't make Kaiya's decision about upsetting any further or befriending Kanpekina any easier.

Kaiya heard Teruma and Rei's names, but she didn't look around to see where they were seated. Kaiya was too tired for that. Kaiya wanted to go home, honestly, ignoring the entire situation. It was all so surreal and Kaiya wanted to throw up. She had met a few godly looking people, and she actually had a friend that genuinely seemed to care about her. But Kaiya couldn't call her sister and this wasn't her school. Sure, Kaiya could see the good of the matter, but she was ignorant enough to completely decide that the bad wasn't there. If she was caught as an imposter, Kaiya would have hell to pay, and that wasn't including the pain her sister would have to deal with in the aftermath. Kaiya didn't want to bother her sister. Kaiya stared blankly at her desk, praying that she would wake up in that instant, or maybe remember what had happened the night before. Nothing popped up, no matter how hard Kaiya concentrated on the sweltering shadows that took over the memories.

***

"Kai-chan, it's time to go home... Kai-chan!" Kanpekina said, standing right beside Kaiya's desk. Kanpekina fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she watched Kaiya look around, her usually bright eyes dulling as the moments passed. Kaiya sighed, pushing herself onto her feet to stand near Kanpekina. The blue haired girl reached her hands towards Kaiya, hesitating as Kaiya glared at the motion. Kanpekina retracted her arms back towards her chest. Kaiya walked passed her, rubbing her eyes. Most would have chalked it up to tiredness, but Kanpekina saw those tears. Kaiya rarely cried, at least, she never did it in front of people. Kanpekina wondered what had her best friend... Maybe her ex-friend, so worked up and emotional.

Kanpekina ran after Kaiya, the girl frozen near a group of kids that were talking about something. Kanpekina didn't get in earshot in time to know what had Kaiya all frozen, but she didn't like the intense look that Kaiya wore. Kaiya looked at Kanpekina, looking her up and down before she ran. She just turned on her heel, racing out of the classroom at an impressive speed. Kanpekina stared at Kaiya, even as she disappeared from view. Kanpekina swallowed the pain that festered in her heart as she continued forwards, deciding to go home.