"Beautiful…" Chihiro said to herself in a low voice. She was staring into a marvelous Willow with pink flowers and a white trunk. All around were green leaves, complimented by several silver leaves. It was an odd but breath-taking sight.

"And so sturdy too…" Chihiro said as she felt the smooth wood with her hand. She looked at it intently and wondered why she felt so safe. She didn't know where she was, but she knew there was something special about this place.

As Chihiro was admiring the tree, the bright sky began to grow darker. She looked at the clouds and noticed them blow by quickly as if time was moving, as if a storm was acting up. She blinked and stared at the sky. Something was wrong. Her hands began to warm up, and something smelled like it was burning.

"Fire? Fire!" Chihiro gasped as she saw the tree go up in flames. She quickly backed away but when she did she bumped into someone.

"Huh? Haku?" Chihiro said as she stared at a figure in a dark cloak that appeared to be Haku, until his cloak was removed. "Baba!" Chihiro gasped as the human face suddenly was revealed to be that of a snake. Chihiro ran hard. She ran very hard. She didn't look back, but aimlessly ran.

Suddenly, a sharp pain hit her stomach making her stop. Everything became dark. She couldn't see anything but her hands, gripped on the floor in front of her. "What's happening to me?" She breathed in deeper and deeper with each breath. She closed her eyes tightly, unable to speak or think clearly.

Then two arms embraced her and made her breath slower, more balanced-like. "Spec."

"Yes?"

Beep! Beep! BEEP!

Chihiro's eyes shot open. "Wake up Chihiro and turn that darn thing off! It's been ringing for twenty minutes now!"

"Oh no…I'm going to be late again!" Chihiro shot up out of bed and ran to the closet. Random items flew out until she was ready. Chihiro scrambled down the stairs after she had gotten dressed and went to the bathroom. She grabbed a piece of bread and chugged down a glass of orange juice. She ran out the door as she pushed bread down her throat quickly.

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"See that's why you're so fat. You keep eating too quickly and you keep sleeping too much."

"Oh, shut up, Gus. She is not fat." Kira said. "Besides, with all the running she does so she wont be late, I'm sure she loses a pound or two. Right, Chihiro?"

"Yeah I guess." Chihiro said, disinterested in the conversation between her and her friends. She was staring at the floor intently, her mind wandering to other things.

"I tell you Chihiro doesn't even care about the Spring Dance this month. She's wrapped up in her secret world." Gus said, with a devious smirk on his mouth.

"Secret world? What are you talking about, Gus? Really you scare me sometimes." Kira said

"So what, I'm only saying the truth. Right, Chi?" Gus said but noticed her eyes were fixed on something and she had stopped walking. "What's up with you? What are you looking at?" He said as Kira started to stare at it to.

Chihiro's eyes widened. Her soft brown orbs shimmered and reflected a long silver, and sparkling, creature in the sky. Kira's dark eyes only caught a glimpse but not enough to see the creature.

Gus saw a cloud.

"What are you girls staring at? There's nothing there!" Gus became irritated as he looked at his watch. "We are going to be late the third time in a row this week! Doesn't anyone care?" Kira looked at her watch and her eyes widened.

"Gus is right. Come on, Chihiro, let's go. And I don't want to face the fury of Miss Yatoson like last time."

Gus chuckled as they began to run. "Especially if she has tuna today. I swear that lady never brushes her teeth!"

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At least we are on time…Chihiro thought. Why do I keep seeing you Haku? Are you trying to tell me something?

Chihiro stared out the window. She thought about her dream. Since this was Ms Yatoson's class, her least favorite class, and she did have the window seat, she took advantage of it.

"Miss Asoto!" A ruler was smacked loudly on Chihiro's desk. "Do you have something to share with the class?" She eyed her intently, and Chihiro, startled and disgusted, shook her head no quickly. "Good then you won't mind joining the class now would you?"

Pretty fowl stench. Nothing on earth can be worse then that lady's breath…ugh…Chihiro thought to herself. She really wished gas masks were permitted in school.

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Chihiro doodled quickly in her notebook. She drew what she saw earlier in the sky that day.

"Chihiro, talk to me." Kira said angrily. "You can't keep all your secrets like this! Tell me what's on your mind."

"Nothing is on my mind, Kira. I told you already like a million times. Quit bugging me. There's nothing to tell." Chihiro replied coolly.

"Then at least tell me what you're wearing to the Spring Dance."

"Nothing, I'm..."

"So you're going in the nude?" Kira cut her off.

"I'd like to see that." Gus interrupted, with a huge grin on his face. Kira then slapped the backside of his head. "Ouch! What did I do?"

"Kira, I'm not going to the dance at all."

"Why?" She said in dismay.

"Because I don't want to. Don't you understand?" Chihiro explained.

"Nope. Sorry I don't. Those words in that order are not in my vocabulary so you are just going to have to explain it to me."

Chihiro sighed. "You wouldn't understand." Chihiro looked down on her paper and added the finishing touches as Kira sighed and tried to figure in her mind why Chihiro was being so stubborn.

It's not that I don't want to go. It's just that I can't have fun when I have so much on my mind. Really, I do want to go and have fun with you guys but I just can't go to a party and mope around. I know I will, too. Plus I get tempted to…

Chihiro stared at her necklace when Kira suddenly stood from her chair and slapped the lunch table.

"You are going and that's final you hear?" Kira ordered.

"But…" Chihiro tried to find an excuse. "But I can't! I don't even have a date!"

"I can take you." Gus offered, with a smile so wide you knew he was up to something.

"No she's not going with you! Idiot…" She said as she pushed him aside. "I'm going to get you the perfect guy so don't you worry about a thing ok? Ok!" Kira got excited and started going from table to table, asking her friends who was taken and who wasn't.

Haku's face flashed into her mind. If he could go to the dance with her, she would have surely gone. But he wasn't there. Her dad's face flashed into her mind. If he were still around, things wouldn't be so unbearable.

"Ugh…not ok…" Chihiro moaned. She looked at her drawing and said in a low voice. "I get tempted too easily to…sigh…"