The three months of vacation was at its end, same for the long days of summer, and the top of August hung in the air. Over the distant hills lay dying trees, depleting their once green but now crisp leaves and youth. For some, the omens meant something to be anxious about, excited, but for others, it would mean the start of possible tragedies...and first loves.
Sakura approvingly nodded at herself in her vanity mirror. She didn't think she was beautiful, or quite ugly for that matter, but was content on her most "striking features" - her mid-length hair that had a light tint of pink, grass green eyes, long legs; though there was also that intimidating forehead. When she was young, it was noticeably larger than normal, but toned down as she grew older.
She sighed as she checked off everything on her list. Looking into her suitcase, she surveyed everything and for a second, wondered what in the world she was doing, until it dawned on her again - she was going to college, and not in her own city, not even in her own country, but in a far-off, foreign place - France.
"I hope there isn't too many snails..." Sakura muttered to herself quietly until she was cut off by her mother, who stood at her doorway.
Mrs. Haruno was a frail-looking woman, with an [incredibly, need I say?] slim waist, bony fingers that always felt like ice, and a thin and long face. The only thing that seemed out of place of her characteristics was her loud, strong voice. If she talked behind a closed door, you'd think she was a mean P.E. coach.
"Sakura? Did you say something? Who were you talking to?"
"No, I didn't say something and I'm talking to no one," She responded. Her eyes glanced from her sitcase to her mother, then back at her suitcase.
Mrs. Haruno sighed with sadness in her voice. She was going to miss her daughter. "Honey, it won't be long. France...you're going to enjoy it," She encouraged. She nodded to make emphasis. "Don't worry."
Sakura only shielded her emerald eyes with her bangs. For a few moments of awkward silence, the two stood still, until Sakura rushed to hug her mother like she did when she was five. Tears were falling from her face like tiny waterfalls, but half of her tears were from excitement and the other half was the feeling of going to miss someone.
Mrs. Haruno hugged back and said,"Better get your bags and put them in the car. We have to go to the airport now."
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Sakura was sitting in the passenger's seat next to the driver, where her mother sat, steering the wheel calmly. Sakura tried putting on a big smile, but it quickly faded when she saw the airport.
The next thing the two knew, Sakura was heading to her plane with her suitcase, waving to her mother after hugging her for a few emotional minutes. Her mother swallowed her tears, so she wouldn't make her daughter cry again. Sakura stepped in her plane and then she was no more.
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As she sat listening to her iPod, she looked out her window. Nelly Furtado sang,"Our love's floating out the window, our love's floating out the back door..."
"How...dejavu," She lightly chuckled to herself then realized she had said a French word. She immediately became quiet again, listening to the once-again meaningless lyrics. The soft song tranced Sakura to fall asleep in her seat, despite all the screams and excited yells from infants who shouted the an off-key version of the ABC's. France was around the corner...kind of.
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"All passengers collect their luggages and head out the exit. Thank you, and please fly with us again soon," the intercom screeched. Sakura woke up hazily, with her iPod in her lap, dead. It was on while she was sleeping...again. She grabbed her suitcase and walked out.
The first thing she noticed was the great temperature change. It went from the cool airplane freeze to the desert-scorching climate. She cursed herself for wearing a rather thick jacket and jeans. Then she was out the France airport and standing on the sidewalks and viewed the beautiful mini stores, mostly written in French, some English.
Sakura called a taxi, who, luckily, spoke English, her second-best language after Japanese. "Please take me to Français Fidèle College." The driver nodded his head and took her to the college.
The taxicab drove up to the college's driveway. She handed him the money (she had some French money from her mother) and with her suitcase, walked up to the grand college.
"Français Fidèle College...French Faith College..." She said to herself, once again.
Inside the college was cool. The bottom floor, the one she was in, was the Lobby, much like a hotel, and held a Reception Desk. The woman looked up at the sound of Sakura's heels clicking against the smooth glass tiles. The woman smiled and asked in English (thank God),"How may I help you?"
Sakura breathed in astonishment at the splendid delicacy of every corner of the room. She said,"I'm a student who enrolled for this college."
"Name, please," the woman requested.
"Haruno, Sakura," She responded. Just then, someone walked up next to Sakura and stood next to her. Sakura, out of curiosity, glanced at the slightly taller man. He was beautiful...with his dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, tall height...He was tall, dark, and handsome. Sakura looked back at the woman, who then asked,"Age?"
A few minutes of the questions and answers went by, and Sakura noticed that the man was still standing there. The reception woman walked to another room for some files. While she was gone, it became suddenly quiet. Sakura sensed someone looking at her. She slowly looked to her right and yet, the man was still there, but this time, intently watching her. She was creeped out, even if the man was glorious and caught her heart, but nonetheless, hid her "fear." She smirked and said, switching to Japanese,"What? You think I'm sexy or something?" She had not expected the man to understand her, because he did not look Japanese.
He responded in Japanese,"Maybe so." When she widened her eyes in embarrassment, he smirked. Her face became pink, almost like her hair, as she quickly turned her head to face the woman, who came back with the files.
Soon, Sakura's dorm room key was given to her, her assigned dorm number given, and the files in her suitcase. As she walked away to the elevator to go to her dorm, she felt the stare of two gorgeous eyes burn in her back. Her eye twitched as she entered the elevator and watched the doors close.
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It took Sakura a while to find her dorm's door. As she entered her key into the hole, she felt another presence of the same pair of eyes...
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him staring at her again, and by this she felt really creeped out. What was his problem? Amazingly, she found out his dorm was right down the hall. She walked into her dorm and, looking out of her peephole, watched his dorm. She heard a door open and then close. She saw the guy walk past her door. After waiting for a few seconds, she quietly opened her door and locked it. She walked to his dorm.
She didn't know why, but she felt like she had to know something, just something. She knocked on the door, just in case he was actually in there, for some strange reason. No one called back. She tried the knob and miraculously, it wasn't locked. Then she walked inside.
His dorm looked like her's, or to put it simply, like any other dorm in the giant college. Every room, including Sakura's and his, was huge, almost the size of...an elephant? Well, close enough. What surprised her was the huge flat screen television sitting beautifully against a wall in the mini living room. On a glass table lay a remote control.
Sakura picked up the remote. It consisted of at least dozens of different buttons she couldn't even identify. 'What a strange object...' She joked in her mind. Her finger and the big ON button were attracted together, like two magnets. She pushed it and immediately, a loud,"GOOOOAAAAAAAL!!!" was heard from the TV. She gasped and nearly fell back. Where's the stinkin' OFF button?! Or at least the volume?!
She desperately tried pushing all the buttons in case one of them would turn the TV off, or, Heavens please!, mute it! It only made it louder, and the hearty shouts of,"GOAL! GOAL, GOAL!" were only making her head hurt and not think too straight. Stupid soccer...
Then all of a sudden, she somehow changed the channel to a horror movie. A scream of a woman being stabbed to death was completely worse than a piss-off annoying Spanish goalie going,"GOAL! GOAL!" Sakura hated horror movies. Some were an exception, but she'd seen this one...and she didn't get pretty memories from it either, especially after eating a very RED spagetti after the BLOODY movie...
The woman in the TV screamed and screamed and Sakura felt like screaming too, until she felt the remote being grabbed from her quivering hands. With a click, she heard the TV no more. She looked up and saw the man...the man who owned the dreadful TV and that dorm...and who was staring at her down at the lobby. He stared down at her, half-weirded out and half-annoyed.
"What are you doing in here?" He asked.
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To be continued...
not much of a cliffy, but I had to stop at some point.
Please review =). I promise it'll get better in the next chapter.
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