I looked up slowly meeting up with the most calm ocean green eyes it was those eyes that claimed me and I knew that I was safe. I wiped my eyes and took deep breaths and I looked at the man’s face. He was beautiful! His lips deep red almost feminine like his hair wild but tame reminding me of the sun. The way the stood was like one of those Romanian solders but a leader king or pharaoh. I’d go more towards the pharaoh cause the tanned colored skin. It was then I first saw his smile when he caught me really looking at him.
“How do you know my name?” I asked hell how did those who killed my parents’ tried to kill my brother know me.
“I’m an old friend of your parents.” Old friend? Really, I haven’t seen you before I thought to myself and I walked really close to him.
“I’ve never seen you before” not even in pictures I said more to myself.
He just smiled “You meet me once when you were just a baby. I’ve been busy so I haven’t been around much” Oh? I just nodded and took a step back,
“What’s your name?” Before he could answer me properly someone else entered though the door and obviously ignoring the corpse of what was my dad. “Noll, you and the misses must get going” He voice was deep like the guy in the old bell chimerical rather than being overweight he was think and medium built and coco skinned. “Yes your right you and the others get her things and clean up” The other man just nodded and headed back out though the door.
“Noll unusual name.” He just nodded “We must get moving where we going is little far but we have to go now for your safety.” He headed though towards the door and I couldn’t move. I saw deep sadness on Noll’s face and his eyes. “How incentive of me forgive me Sonja” And then he yelled “Kobe!” I heard that deep voice “Yes sir” and he came running up him and Noll talked low so I couldn’t hear him and then Kobe left and came back with three other men. I closed my eyes I didn’t want to look at an old corps which shouldn’t be because my father was young wasn’t he? I don’t understand why my parent’s dead bodies were cold corps look like if you touched them they would turn into ash but that didn’t happen when Kobe and the three other men removed what was my father. It was almost mummified.
“It’s going to be alright!” Noll said and I felt his hand on my solder. “We have to get going.” I walked out of the door and I closed my eyes as if my father’s crops were there. He lead me to a car that wouldn’t be noticeable it was a common car and it will blend in well. Noll being the gentlemen opened the door for me. I nodded a thank you feeling little sheepish since I never had a guy much less a man open a door or anything for me. Before Noll could shut my door, a young women I would say about twenty five had a small bag in her hand. It was strange I didn’t see her come in or leave. “Noll wait, I gather some things for her. It just a few clean cloths and a few other things, It will last until you get to the safe house” yes she actually said safe house. Noll took it from her and she nodded and gave me a small nodded and she turned and went back into the house. I looked at my house no, my home which I’ll never see again and I then started to cry again as Noll pulled away and I could no longer see the one place I grew up in. I never thought I’d leave home like this. Not with my parents murdered not with a man I just meet few minutes ago but my husband.
It was when we passed Starbucks when I remembered Hiro. I meet him at Starbucks I was working on Japanese vocabulary that my teacher assigned to us and one of those work sheets were made for like elementary school kids but I was having a hard time and I grew frustrated and shoved my papers on the floor. Yes I know childish but there were hardly anyone in the café part. I then went to pick up my papers a hand beat me to it. I looked up and saw the most handsome man ever! He looks like one of those Japanese drama actors. He had a cocky smile on his face It was obvious that he was watching me. He confidently sat in the seat across from me and put the papers between us. “I can see that you need help, if you like I’ll help you.” His voice was really sexy and deep I sighed and smiled “Would you?” I was desperate and if it meant a hot guy helping me hell yes! He introduced himself as Hiro Kotaro. It was obvious by his name that he was Japanese. He said that he liked my name and flirted with me a little. But he was an excellent tutor well I guess of course he would be. I then later found out that were both the same age but we go to different schools. We meet every other weekend and he helped me with my Japanese class.
“Noll!” I suddenly said as we were at the light next to the Starbucks. “I have to see Hiro! I need to see him to see if he is alright! He texted me when those…” I didn’t know what to call them “The women took my cell and saw that I was meeting him here at this Starbucks and they left to go find me here. I have to see him” I could hear the ring in my ears and my heart pounding. What if they hurt him oh god I have to see him now! “Noll please, I know where he lives.” I went to his house a few times and was even invited to dinner by his parents. I looked up at Noll and he must have seen the urgency in my eyes.
“Alright, but you have to make it quick.”
“I will” and I told Noll how to get there. Hiro lives in the upper class neighborhood with those big houses that are like a million dollars. But if you saw the Kotaro’s you wouldn’t think they were rich. They are down to earth people and have great respect for others which most people in society forgotten. As you more into the neighborhood the houses get larger and more spaced out. Hiro lives in one of those bigger homes. When we rolled in front Hiro’s house I quickly got out of the car and practically ran up to the house. I knocked on the door sharp and quick. Noll was at my said when Hiro mother answered the door. I saw her eyes go to Noll and I could have sworn I saw recognition in them. But they quickly left like a flash. “Hey Mrs. Kotaro is Hiro Home?” I saw Mrs. Kotaro looking around outside cautiously. “Quickly come in” she opened the door for us and gestured us to hurry and come into the house. Making no small talk “He’s in his room.” And I hurried up the stairs as I heard her asking Noll if he’d like some tea. Once I got to the door I blushed remember the last time I rushed into his room without knocking he was um really busy with his girlfriend and he yelled at me to nock. But he knew I was coming. I knocked on his door hard and sharp but urgent. I heard his girlfriend laugh behind the door but also heard the Wii bowling game in the background. “Yes” I hard his sexy voice and I felt something inside me jump. “If it’s you Ryo go away” his snotty voiced girlfriend Lyra whom I loathe she the assumption of a rich snobbish girl. I tried the door knob and it was lock. Ryo, Hiro’s little brother likes to annoy Hiro like all little brothers do but I don’t complain when he messes with Lyra. I took a deep breath. “It’s me Sonja” I heard the game, “Strike” and a disappointed moan of a loser Lyra. “10 out of 6?” I heard her challenge. As if she didn’t hear me. I didn’t hear him but I heard the door unlock I guess that was an invite to let me in. I walked in and quickly went over to Hiro, I checked him out grabbing his arm and looking at it. Hiro was wearing one of those men undershorts that don’t have slaves and you can see his settle mussels. I was checking to see if he was hurt in anyway by those awful people. Hiro must have been taken back beause he let me touch him and it wasn’t sexual but I was to see if he was alright like a doctor checking out his patient. It was then when we hard Lyra’s snobby voice, “Girl! Get your hands off my boyfriend!” We both moved away from each other and Hiro stood next to his girlfriend putting his arm around her. He was alright and they didn’t touch him or hurt him. I let go the breath I’ve been holding. I wanted to hug him but she was there.
“You alright?” I asked him.
“Yeah he’s alright! What are you here for your Japanese lesson?”
I looked at her wanting to hit her, “he can answer for himself and yes I’m here for Japanese lesson now gets out!”
“Sonja!” Hiro’s voice was stern as if he were scolding a child. I turned away from them my eyes burning. “Listen Lyra, I need to talk to your boyfriend for a minute you can have him when I’m done talking to him.”
I could feel her cold eyes on my back then her voice sickening sweet to her (rolls eyes) boyfriend. “I have to go home anyway.” I heard them peck “I’ll see you tomorrow at school then after I can beat you at bowling” I heard the smirk in Hiro’s voice when he spoke “You already lost! See you at school” and they kissed again and I thought I was going to throw up. Me and Lyra gave each other snarls and she flipped her blond hair out of the way and turned moving her hips her skirt was way too short and I made an Eww face when I saw that you can tell she was warning a thong.
“Why can’t you get yourself a descent girlfriend?”
“Oh, I think she’s nice”
I snorted “I bet you do.” I looked around his room it was bigger than my living room and all around was posters of his favorite bands and movies. Cloths all over the room and it smelled manly not like the man’s gym locker but a clean man smell. I started over again, “Are you alright?”
“Yes I’m fine”
“They didn’t touch you or get to you did they?” I walked over to him almost wanting to touch him again. I looked up at his Caramel colored eyes. He seemed to know what I was talking about.
“They didn’t touch me or see me thanks to your warning.” He smiled softly at me “It was weird I hard your voice inside of my head and the fear and urgency in your voice.”
“Well I pictured you in my head, as those people went thought my house looking for me. I hid in a good spot. They saw your text.”
“Sonja are you okay? Here you are worried about me when I should be asking you if you are okay.” I looked at his face he did look worried like he was worried about me this whole time. I shook my head no and turned away, “They killed my parents and they would have killed me.” I felt the tears in my eyes and I fought hard for them not to escape. I felt his warm hand on my upper arm. That did it I turned around and cried into him. I really don’t have any friends to cry on and my brother escaped barely to California and Hiro is my only best friend I have.
Hiro was taken aback at first then he wrapped his arms around me comforting me. I felt safe in those arms and I wished then that I was his girlfriend but I knew that would never happen we’ll be just friends. I buried my face into his chest and my hands had grabbed onto his shirt tightly that my knuckles were white. I tried to talk about Hiro hushed me and I felt him running his hand though my hair and he started to hum a song. When I finally pulled myself together and pulled away from him and I felt a little better he handed me a tissue and I wiped my eyes and blew my nose. I looked at him apologetically. And he shook his head.
“I’m also here to say good bye I don’t know when I’ll be seeing you again. But once I get a new cell phone I’ll call you. Or I’ll E-mail you.” I looked all around but him I saw on his alarm clock that it was 1:15pm.
“Yeah I kind of figured that you’d be leaving.” He looked sad for that instant and it left quickly as it came.
“I had to see you before I had to leave, I’m sorry for getting rude at your girlfriend” again he shook his head and shrug it off. I was then I saw Noll at the threshold, “ We were invited for dinner, after ward we must be on our way.” I looked closely at Hiro to see if he had that glimpse of knowing him but I didn’t see like in his mother. I smiled I get to spend more time knowing his mother she’ll have dinner at seven.
“Okay!” Noll nodded at my friend and then the turned and walked way. Hiro and I played the Wii and we included his little brother. We didn’t talk about me having to move away and not seeing them again. We laughed and acted like we were going to see each other next weekend. But everything ended too quickly. His mother pulled me into a hug and told me to be strong in Japanese and his father gave me a blessing. Ryo gave me his lucky rabbit’s foot and thus making me laugh. I ruffled his hair. I was weird they all knew I was leaving they all seemed to know what happened to my parents and I felt they knew where I was going. It was when Noll was closer to the car when I hard Hiro call my name. I turned and stopped he quickly walked towards me and Hugged me. Then he took off his necklace that he always wares. “This will protect you” and he handed me the necklace and it had a round amulet at the end and with what looked like a deep crimson diamond at the end but when you looked closely it was liquid like. I held it tight in my hand. “You be safe too.” He nodded and ran back inside. I quickly went to the car.
As we left the section and headed to wherever we were going Noll said something that made my chest tight.
“You love that boy.”