Cocoa and I spent quite a bit of time at the hot chocolate shop. We were given 2 free Panini’s during our stay and thanked the owner for them. They were ham and cheese on garlic bread with 2 strips of bacon. We ate them while we watched the rain continue to fall.

 

An hour had passed before the storm showed any kind of slowing down. Once it did let up, Cocoa and I, along with many others, took this chance to get home. We were lucky we did; the storm started up again in full force seconds after we both got to our respective homes. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.

 

“Welcome home, Ms. Dadalian.”

 

I’m greeted by Tipsy as soon as I step through the door, like usual. I lean down to pet her and ask how her day has gone.

 

“It has gone very well Ms. Dadalian. How has yours been?”

 

“It’d be better if this weird storm would let up. I’m just glad I’m finally home.”

I stand and start walking down the hall to my room.

 

“I’m going to go start working on Mrs. Natsume’s project. Don’t worry about making dinner; I’ve already eaten.”

 

With a quick wave I head off to my room.

 

After the sliding door closes behind me, I collapse on top of my bed. So much has happened in the past few weeks that I can barely wrap my mind around it all. Between the storms and my classes, I haven’t been able to focus. I also worry about Cocoa and how close she is to Avery. I must be going crazy.

 

Sighing, I sit back up and stare around the room. Clothes lay scattered about and various tools are spread out along the floor. When was the last time this room was clean? It must have been when I first moved in here, a little over 3 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday…

 

I had no recollection of my memories from my parent’s death. The only thing I could remember was my name and the years leading up to my parent’s death, or rather disappearance, and anything after that. To this day I still look for a way to reawaken that memory.

 

I had arrived in Hitomi Straven with nothing but my backpack, some minor equipment and a check for 500,000 dollars. I also had directions and a map to, what I assumed to be my home, which I guessed to have belonged to one of my relatives. I couldn’t tell; my head was all foggy and I was sitting down, lost in a memory.

 

Where I awoke was rather strange. It was in a field of flowers surrounded by many thin and thick tree trunks, fully decorated in lush green leaves. Pink, yellow, blue and purple flowers were littered everywhere while the sun shown straight down the center of the gap within the trees. There was a light breeze that ruffled the leaves as I looked up through the gap. I had no idea where I was or what I was doing.

 

I tried standing to get a better look around, but my legs felt like Jell-O. Too sluggish to really move, I swung back and forth like I was drunk, everything a blur. How long had I been out? I hobbled toward the trees and caught on to a branch to keep myself from falling over. Everything looked like it was growing and shrinking. I had to lean against the tree for several minutes before I could gather my thoughts and get a better look around. Once I did, I noticed a gap in the trees and, assuming it was the exit, started walking toward it, feeling the flood flow back into my legs.

 

As I wandered down the graveled path I tried to figure out what it was for. The further down I went the more I began to understand. I was in a park; swings, jungle gyms and a pond were laid out all around me. I saw people walking with dogs, children playing on the equipment and ducks swimming in the pond while kids fed them. It was like something out of an old movie.

 

No one seemed to notice me, thankfully, and I was able to sort through my backpack and pull out the map.

As I unfolded it, I noticed the directions weren’t very well written, almost by like a 5-year-old, but I was able to follow them nonetheless. It told me to locate a hot chocolate shop with a giant, neon man on top and then go south 3 blocks from there, then west another 5. The lines on the paper thankfully helped me make sense of the streets; there were no street names located anywhere on the map, only an address at the end.

 

It wasn’t that hard to locate a giant, neon man. Once there, I was able to locate the blocks I had to follow.

It was my first time in this town and everything looked strange and unfamiliar. Shops had clear logos that stated what they were designed for; show casing a lot of their wares in big, glass windows with the name written in an arch near the top center. Others had large symbols on top, much like the hot chocolate shops neon man.

 

The sidewalks were rowed with about four, small trees per block, each one with lush, green leaves blowing in the wind. Cars were parked up and down the street while those not parked drove to and from their destinations. The streets flowed with people walking in and out of shops, passing smiles back and forth. It’s like everyone was a friend around here. I tried to do the same but felt out of place, so I continued on, hoping to reach the address soon.

 

The morning sun had finally reached the afternoon point before I finally arrived at the address on the map. From the outside, the house looked pretty run down. It was painted brown with black shingles lining the top, the roof slanted toward the right. The doors looked old and, to my shock, had no doorknobs. The porch looked pretty straight forward: two columns, 3 steps to reach the bricked in area which went up to your waist and a small table with two chairs on the bigger side of the bricked in area. From first glance, the building had 3 windows out front, a medium sized back yard with more tables and chairs, and a few bushes. The rest was a flourishing field of grass.

 

“Well isn’t this just a great place to live…” I mutter, my hand slowly reaching for the door.

 

As my hand gets closer I gasp and recoil; the door slid open by itself.

 

I peeked inside and saw it was dark, regardless of the illumination of the sun that should have shone through the windows. I did however have the small illumination from the door. “Hello?” I whisper, not expecting an answer back.

 

Taking a deep breath, I take two steps inside and the front door closes shut behind me, causing it to go dark once more. My first reaction is to turn around and run, but the lights flash on instantly after and blind me temporarily. Once they adjust I take a look around the room.

 

“Unbelievable…”

 

I couldn’t believe my eyes. From the outside you would never guess that there was so much stuff on the inside. It looked like something out of a Sci-fi movie. The room I was standing in-what I guessed to be the living room-had a long, red, curved couch situated along the curved, half wall; the top half extended back with potted plants and curtains covering the closed window. A huge flat screen TV hung on the opposite wall with a medium sized coffee table in between it and the couch. There was also a ceiling fan hung in the center and a bookshelf on the back wall.

 

I turned around and walked past an arched wall; this must have been the kitchen. There were counters along the wall with various buttons above them and a counter in the center with stools all around it. Spices, plates, silverware, knives, condiments and a small, stand up calendar were spread all along the outer counters. The center counter had napkins, a salt and pepper shaker, and sugar all placed in the center. Not seeing a refrigerator or shelves for food, I walked over toward the buttons along the wall. Each one read different foods and drinks. My curiosity got the better of me and I pushed oatmeal followed by orange juice. After pressing them, a minute had gone my and nothing happened. “Maybe it’s broken,” I shrugged.

 

I then turned around to be facing a bowl of warm oatmeal and ice cold orange juice by the stool closest to me.

 

“This has to be a dream,” I thought as I left the kitchen to check out the rest of the house.

 

I continued down the hall till I came across a room on my left, closed by one of those weird sliding doors.

Putting my hand close to the door it caused it to slide open automatically, just like the front door. I stepped inside the dark room and the lights flickered on (I was used to it now), revealing it to be a bathroom.

It was more of a dark blue color compared to the halls, which were a greyish tan. It had a blue plated toilet across from the door, a sink right next to the door, and the shower embedded into the wall next to the sink. The shower had a glass sliding door that would completely hide anyone’s appearance with a dark green shower curtain pushed to the side. It was lined with two shelves on either side, already holding shampoo, conditioner and soap. The sink had toothpaste, tooth brushes and a mirror with various medicines and band aids inside. There was also buttons lined around the shower and sink. I assumed them to function just like those in the kitchen and decided to avoid them, just in case I did something I’d regret.

 

Leaving the bathroom and continuing on, I came across a bedroom behind another sliding door. Like before, I put my hand to the door and it slid open while the lights came to life.

It was a fairly large room with a dresser, bed, closet and desk already settled in place. Looking inside the closet and dresser I found small amounts of clothes. The bed was also made and the desk had pens, pencils, papers, a printer and other stuff to work with. It was like the perfect bedroom for me.

 

“Just who left all of this for me?”

 

Too tired to comprehend who could have left me all of this, I lay down on the bed and close my eyes. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

 

Snapping back to reality I looked down and realize half my project was done.

 

“Guess daydreaming doesn’t stop me from working. But it doesn’t make since; it was clean when I first got here. And even with all these fancy buttons, how come there isn’t a 'make the room clean one?'”

 

Sighing I put down my soldering gun and head to the kitchen for a glass of lemonade. It was still pouring outside, so all I could do was sit there with Tipsy and question why the weather wouldn’t let up.