Introduction

Higher… higher! Swinging my skinny legs out, I tried my best to get the swing to reach further, to allow me to extend my arm and touch the light blue sky and the fluffy white clouds. I loved the swings. It was the only place in school where kids didn't bully me, where all problems were left behind for a while and where I could close my eyes and feel like I was flying.

I dreamed that I was a bird; free to go wherever I wanted to, to travel to different places in the world and see all the different cultures on this tiny planet. A loud ring from the school bell suddenly interrupted my wonderful fantasy. I sighed and leaped off the swings in one swift movement, walking slowly back to class as others rushed ahead of me.

My name is Akane. It means "Brilliant Red." My parents named me that because they had hoped that I would live a long life happily and brilliantly. It's true. I asked them. I was born early, way too early. Because of that, I was a rather fragile child. I got sick constantly and I also developed seasonal allergies. I stayed home a lot due to sicknesses and which resulted in me not having many friends. In fact, I don't have any at all in school.

Considered a loner by others, I usually stayed by myself during recess. Over time I started going on the swings and now it is the only place that I go to during break time. Where else could I go, anyways?

"Akane, we're going to the doctor," my mom informed me as I climbed into the car after school. I stayed silent. These past few days I hadn't felt so good and I had been foolish enough to tell my mom about my discomfort.

I had never liked going to the doctor. The man would poke me in the finger with a sharp needle and then squeeze the same finger to get some blood so that they could test some things. I personally felt that they just liked to see us in pain, since it hurt a lot too. Sometimes I just felt like punching or even kicking him.

My mom, getting no reply from me, sighed and then started driving faster. When we reached the clinic, I entered without saying a word. The pretty receptionist waved us into the small office and I just sat there for a while, looking at the various posters of muscles, bones and the heart.

I sat up as the doctor entered. I heard him way before he had even opened the door, actually. I knew it was him because his footsteps were heavier than the receptionist's.

"Let's start the check- up, shall we?" he said, smiling at me, looking a bit too friendly. I bit my lip and nodded, mute.

The check- up went the usual way, until the last part, anyways. The doctor straightened up and asked me, "Akane, have you felt weird these past few weeks?"

"… No."

"Akane! You told me yourself that you felt weak sometimes! Tell the doctor all about it!" my mom glared at me. Whoa, what was with that look? It was like… an angry tiger and lion fused together. I was determined to not let the doctor know about my weaknesses so I decided to just stay silent. The room was awkwardly quiet for a few minutes until my mom broke the silence.

"Well, you see, I noticed that Akane has started feeling extremely tired each day and she seems to have lost a lot of weight," mom reported to the doctor. While the doctor thought, I tried her best to catch mom's attention and give her the best accusing glare that I could manage, but I don't think she saw it.

"I'm not completely sure, but those signs aren't really reassuring. She may have to go in for a blood test…" the doctor trailed off. I sighed. More needles and blood. Great. Just great.

After the check- up, I thought that I was going to be okay, but that was not the case. I think it was last Tuesday or something. As I was flipping my textbook page, I got a tiny paper cut. I put my thumb over it and applied pressure, thinking that it would go away in a while. However, I started to get more anxious as scarlet blood started pooling and dripping onto the desk. As time passed, I started to feel dizzy and black spots swarmed in front of me. The teacher's voice disappeared and everything turned black. I heard people call my name but then darkness washed over me completely, cutting out all of my senses.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room… I think. Nobody was around and for a moment I felt kind of lonely. Looking around, I saw a lot of stuff around me; my backpack, my beloved badminton racket, my books… where was my mom anyways? Suddenly, a nurse came into my room.

"Um… where am I?" I asked.

"Hospital." She replied without even looking at me. Then she left and just when I thought I was alone again, she came back with a needle.

"Whoa… whoa! What's that for?" I asked, shrinking back. The nurse grabbed my arm and put the needle in it while saying, "It's to let you calm down."

I struggled for a while, but eventually, the anesthesia started working and then I fell asleep. The last thing I was aware of was the nurse wheeling me away.