Naishougoto

(Secrets)

Sakura Avalon had a lost look on her face as she reached the top of the stairs and looked first left and then right as if she might see signs pointing the way to her first class in a new school in a new country.

She was an exchange student from Tomoeda, Japan with short, brown hair, emerald green eyes, and a graceful, athletic build. At this moment her green eyes were clouded with worry and homesickness. Everyone she knew was at home including Kero, Madison, Yue, and Li. She wanted to make a good impression, but being late to her first class wasn't going to make a good first impression.

It wasn't that people weren't helpful and it wasn't that she hadn't asked the way to the classroom. They just gave her the wrong directions. A few kids had told her that the class was downstairs and when she looked a different teacher was in the class. A little while ago another student had told her the class was in the gym, but it turned out that it wasn't. Now she was following the directions of the gym teacher and looking upstairs. The problem was that he hadn't told her where upstairs.

She had just resigned herself to being late when a girl with straight brown hair tied back in a half ponytail and green-gray eyes wearing a large T-shirt and dark blue jeans came out of the classroom at the end of the hall at a fast walk muttering, "Crud. Spent too much time talking to Shani and now I'm going to be late." The girl slowed as she spied Sakura and smiled. "Hi," she said as she stopped. "I'm Kimberly. Can I help you? You look a bit lost."

Sakura smiled back, instantly liking this girl. "I'm Sakura from Japan. I'm having a little trouble finding my first class. The kids I asked seemed nice enough, but they directed me to the wrong classroom."

"I'm sure they didn't mean to," replied Kimberly. "Some of our teachers move around a lot since there aren't enough classrooms for all of them. What's your class?"

Sakura frowned in concentration as she tried to remember how to pronounce the name. "I think it's Ms. WIT-UN Peterson."

Kimberly smiled. "Close enough. Let's go or we'll be late." She grabbed the Japanese girl's arm and they ran down the hall.

"I thought – we weren't – supposed to run – in the halls," said Sakura in time to their running.

"We're not," answered Kimberly. "But they never – yell at me. I think they understand. Or they like me." She grinned to show that the last part was partly a joke. "I never run unless – there's an emergency," she continued as they skidded to halt in front of a door almost directly in front of the main stairs. "I usually pay more attention to the time."

The two girls stepped into the classroom and Kimberly slipped into a chair next to a tall, thin boy with dark, spiky hair as Sakura went to introduce herself to the teacher. "I'm Sakura Avalon, the exchange student from Japan."

The teacher was Asian and slightly shorter than Sakura with short, black hair. She smiled and said, "I'm Ms. Wigton (Sakura bit her lip remembering how she pronounced her name to Kimberly) and I teach Health class. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class or should I?"

"Could you please?" asked Sakura a little nervously as she gazed around the room at students, some that were doing their work, most who weren't.

"Sure. Listen up class!" The noise quieted down and many faces were looking at her curiously. "This is Sakura Avalon. She's from Japan and will be staying here for the rest of the year. I expect you to be on your best behavior and make her feel welcome." Ms. Wigton turned to Sakura. "Why don't you sit in that empty seat in the back?" She pointed it out and Sakura silently slid into her seat.

"Myonna, could you please explain to Sakura what we're doing?" questioned the teacher.

"Okay," said the girl and proceeded to tell her about Quotes of the Day and the basic rules of the classroom. Once Myonna was sure Sakura had some idea of what to do she turned back to her friends and started talking. Sakura stared at her paper thinking, It's going to be a confusing day. And a busy one.