She heard it in her dreams, that evil blaring sound. One that could make even the fiercest of people shudder at the mere echo. It pushed like the howl of the wind, seeping through trees and emerging directly into her ears. That sound was, in fact, her alarm. Kaya opened her eyes, feeling the remains of the sleep dust split, leaving some to fall into her eye.

"Dammit."

The alarm hadn't let up, she scratched at her eyes as unwilling tears slipped down her cheeks from the irritation. She searched desperately for where she had left her smartphone the night before. She stopped and listened and suddenly the vibrations rippled up her pale and thin arms. The sound was muffled, yet almost loud enough to make her ears bleed. Kaya lifted up her pink drool-soaked pillow to find the phone sitting under it like a blackened mirror, it's screen reflecting her sunken brown eyes and messy black hair. 

She pressed the lock button and promptly stopped the alarm then glanced at the clock. 

6:30 AM.

She let out a groan and pulled the pink covers back over her head. School would start a few hours from now but she had a lot to do in her daily morning routine. She was hesitant to even bother, it had all become monotonous and boring, some days she felt like a robot on auto-pilot. If it weren't for her friends, Mahiro and Emika, she'd have gone insane. 

After a few more moments of detesting the day that was laid out before her, she climbed reluctantly from her bed and glanced around her room. The clean white walls were filled with posters of pop idols, something typical of a seventeen-year-old girl. She took more care with the placement of her posters on the walls than her floor. It was scattered with dirty clothes and empty cups. Kaya knew for a fact that the moment her parents saw her pigsty of a room, she would be in a lot of trouble but cleaning it would have to wait. 

She took a few steps over to her cluttered desk, her school uniform hung from the seat before it. The buttoned shirt was crinkled and worn, she had forgotten to wash it again. That was no surprise to her, the moment she got home, she always hid within her room. Afraid of the outside world and feeling at home in solitude. Her friends had grown concerned recently but she assured them everything was fine, though she wasn't quite sure herself. 

She hastily clipped her bra on and buttoned the shirt over it, hanging loose over her slender body. She stared into the mirror that hung from her white wooden door and caught eyes with her own reflection once again. She was paler than most girls at her school, she knew for a fact that it was a consequence of her love of the indoors, sadly, school meant she'd have to interact with the outside world for hours. 

She pulled on her underwear and skirt and rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Most girls would spend hours on make-up but she simply couldn't be bothered, besides, nobody seemed to care anyway. Her parents hadn't turned a blind eye to her gloomy attitude however, they encouraged her to see a doctor for a diagnosis. She guessed that they thought she was depressed and maybe they were right, those feelings had been lingering within her for a while now. Although Kaya had a suspicion that even on medication, she wouldn't feel satisfied with her life, it all seemed grey, like she was locked in a trance of autonomy and all the color around faded.

She had never considered suicide, she was just dissatisfied. Maybe it was part of the journey of growing up? Maybe she wanted a thrill or something exciting to come along in her life, no matter how unlikely such a scenario would be. Despite these feelings, her friends were her everything, her color in the grey. Their smiles and laughs brought a shine inside, she always felt like much more of a person when she was around them, never feeling unwelcome or discouraged. Those two always made everything much easier, her only motivation to go to school. She didn't depend on them though, she was just glad that they were there, just being themselves.

Those thoughts brought a smile to her face as she brushed her teeth in the mirror.

"Kaya, honey. Breakfast is ready," Her mother called from downstairs. 

She stopped cold, staring shockingly in the mirror. She'd completely forgotten about breakfast and now her teeth were already clean. She let out a sigh and washed out her mouth out with water. 

"Coming."

---

Her father sat at the wooden table watching the news on his phone and barely acknowledging her. She took a seat and waited for her mother in silence until she was finished in the kitchen. It wasn't long before she arrived with a bowl of miso soup and cooked rice, the tofu cubes floated like little islands within the hot liquid. It smelled amazing but after brushing her teeth already she doubted it would taste as good as it smelt. 

Reluctantly she took a small sip of the soup, letting the foul bitter mix of toothpaste and miso spread across her tongue then she swallowed. 

"So how is it?" Her mother asked as she smiled warmly. 

Kaya returned the smile, "It's good, mom. Thank you so much."

Her mother was a lovely woman. She stayed at home most days but was always a shoulder to lean on when things at school got rough and always worked hard at keeping everyone as happy as possible. She was a warm woman, incredibly kind and an upstanding example of what a mother should be. Her father, however, was a quiet man and always focused on something other than family, sometimes she forgot he was even in her life. Kaya never got the same sense of warmth from him as she did from her mother. Two sides of a single coin.

"By the way Kaya," Her mom said, "Mahiro called ahead and said he'd walk with you to school today."

Mahiro was sweet, he always looked out for her. They had been friends since middle school and he used to come over and they'd play video games for hours afterward. Sometimes they'd spend the late afternoon walking by the river in the sunset, talking about trivial things, sometimes the subject would fall to the future and what they'd do once they finished high school. That's where her answers fell short, she wasn't really sure what was next. 

"He doesn't need to wait for me," Kaya replied, a small smile spreading upon her face. 

"I'm sure if I told him that, he'd show up anyway. He is your best friend after all."

Kaya took a long sip of the soup before replying, her mother waited patiently, "Yeah, he's stubborn, that's for sure."

Her mother winked, "He really likes you, huh?"

"Not this again."

She shrugged, "I'm just saying, it's pretty clear he's into you."

"You're not the first to say that."

"And I know I won't be the last."

Kaya and Mahiro were teased a lot for acting so much like a couple, especially by Emika. It was all par for the course at that point and it was normal. It didn't nearly bother Mahiro as much as it bothered Kaya. The whole thing being on the butt end of countless jokes didn't help either. She considered maybe that they thought her reaction was funnier than the joke itself. 

Kaya felt a vibration in her pocket and pulled out her phone. It was a text from Mahiro.

Speak of the devil.

He was outside already, confused Kaya checked the clock on her phone.

Seven-thirty already? dammit.

Kaya made a valiant effort to finish the meal before her, letting the bits of rice stick to her face as she rushed to her room to collect her backpack then quickly made her way to the front door downstairs. 

"Kaya," Her mom approached her by the door as Kaya hastily fiddled with the laces of her leather shoes, "Don't forget your lunch, silly."

She passed her a small bag with another one of her warm smiles then kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks, mom, I'll see you after school."

"Goodbye."

Standing outside by the street and in the blazing morning sun was Mahiro. His medium-length blond hair moved slightly in the weak wind and he stood with his back to her house. He was tall, much taller than her and was thin, dressed in the navy blue coat of their school uniform with the white button-up under it. The grey pants he wore were tight around his thin legs as he tapped his foot. He looked far more organized than her, at least his clothes weren't all crinkled and a mess, even his hair was well done. Mahiro turned as he heard her footsteps coming behind him and he raised an eyebrow in confusion, his blue eyes focused on her.

"Rough morning?"

Kaya suddenly had a flashback of her reflection in the mirror and blushed in embarrassment, "Yeah I guess. I'm tired as hell."

Mahiro chuckled, "Could've fooled me."

He poked at a loose strand of hair that sprung from the top of her head. Kaya frowned and looked him dead in the eyes as she removed his hand and placed her own on top of it. 

"You wanna quit with the teasing."

Mahiro grinned and began walking ahead, Kaya fell in step beside him.

"Sorry, Kaya. Anyway, have you been studying for the exam next week?"

She felt her heart sink the moment those words left his mouth, "What exam?"

"The mathematics one next week, don't tell me you haven't been paying attention in class."

Kaya shifted her gaze to the concrete below, watching every pebble pass them by as they walked, "I guess I haven't."

She felt his hand clasp her shoulder, "Don't worry so much, Kaya. There's still plenty of time and besides, Emika and I will pass you on some notes. We know how hard things have been for you lately."

"Thanks, Mahiro. That really means a lot you know."

Mahiro shrugged flippantly, "What are friends for?"

As they walked through the busy city streets, the two of them talked about all sorts of things. Mainly a new manga that Mahiro had been reading. He was passionate about otaku culture. He loved finding and learning about all the little details hidden within different forms of media. For all intents and purposes, he was a nerd but he was an oddly charming one. It wasn't long before they arrived at the school gate where Emika stood waiting for them. 

"Kaya! Mahiro! Over here," she called as she enthusiastically jumped up and down, her brown pigtail styled hair bobbing with her movements.

Mahiro waved, "Hey, Emika."

Emika was about Kaya's height and the same age as both of them. She was one of the prettier girls in school, unlike Kaya who seemed somewhat average in comparison. She was what someone would describe as eccentric and passionate but when it came to push and shove she had a fiery temper. Kaya recalled Emika punching a girl who was bullying her square in the face last year. In a display of speed, the girl who bullied her was on the floor writhing in pain. Emika didn't speak much of her home life but as time went on, it became clear she had some sort of formal training in hand to hand combat or swordplay at some point. Kaya had no intention of getting on her bad side, most times though, she was a bubbly energetic angel.

Emika leaned forward, smiling and studying them with her wide blue eyes, "How was your trip?"

Kaya shrugged, "Same old."

"Don't be so down in the dumps, come here."

Kaya didn't get a chance to react before Emika pulled her into a tight embrace. Her arms locked behind the strength of Emika, she couldn't even hug her back even if she wanted to. 

"You two are both one of a kind, honestly," Mahiro said, scratching his head, "C'mon, class is about to start so let's not hang out here any longer."