"Alright, miss, this is your stop," the cheerful, middle-aged taxi driver informed me. 

I looked out the window to see a beautiful apartment building. Each floor had a black patio circling the front, making a striking contrast to the white stone of the building, and the lush green lawn was obviously well cared for.

I admired what was going to be my new home and felt a surge of excitement go through me. I'm really here, I thought to myself in disbelief.

My phone rang and I answered it immediately, "Auntie?"

"Opal! You haven't gotten to the apartment yet, have you?"

"Just arrived, actually," I replied happily as I looked at the elegant apartment building again.

"Oh no! I wanted to be there to welcome you! I'm so sorry, sweetheart, my meeting went later than I was expecting. I will be there in five minutes, I promise. Just stay in the taxi, alright? Let me speak to him for a minute."

"The taxi driver?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, of course, who else?"

I chuckled and handed my phone to the taxi driver who had been taking my suitcase out of the trunk. He took it with a confused expression, but it quickly changed to one of understanding. I turned away, not wanting to be nosy, and inspected every inch of the complex in front of me while wondering which flat belonged to my auntie.

"Yes, ma'am, I don't mind at all. Thank you very much. Yes, ma'am." I turned around and saw the taxi driver hang up. He then handed the phone back to me. "Your aunt would like you to wait in the car until she gets here."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I can sit in the grass for five minutes."

The taxi driver pointed at the taxi and gave me a teasingly strict look. "I have been explicitly ordered to not allow you out of my sight. I am to wait for Miss Sato and she will pay me and give me a nice tip for waiting with you."

He winked good-naturedly and I sighed in exasperation, looking at the pavement and trying to hide my grin. Living with Auntie was going to be the best thing that had ever happened to me, I just knew it. Not that I deserve it, a dark part of my subconscious scolded me softly. I accepted those words, but I tried not to dwell on them as I allowed the happiness I felt to bury my feelings of guilt and misgiving.

I was looking through some pictures the taxi driver kept of his nieces in his wallet when another taxi pulled up behind mine. Auntie practically leaped out of the backseat and I was quick to follow suit. Our eyes locked and she practically tackled me while giving me a huge hug. I fought back a wince as she squeezed my tender shoulder, but I returned her hug in full force, breathing in deeply her scent of wildflowers and honey.

Auntie stepped back and held me at arm's length, looking me up and down. As she did, I examined her too. Her silky, shoulder-length black hair was pulled back in a beautiful French Knot that complimented her sharp business attire. She was wearing a black, knee-length pencil skirt with a red silk blouse and her ridiculous six-inch high heels that made her average height of 5'6" into an imposing 6'0". At 5'7" myself, I had to look up to see her almond-shaped brown eyes and delicate nose; gentle features and brown-tinted skin gave her Japanese ancestry away.

"You made it here alright? No trouble with the layovers? You didn't lose your luggage?"

"It was the perfect trip, Auntie," I announced with a smile. She sighed and pulled me into another hug.

"I was so worried. You are so young and yet you had to fly across the entire country to get here by yourself."

"It's fine, Auntie. I'm seventeen, remember? I can take care of myself."

She laughed and looped an arm around my shoulders, walking me over to the taxi driver. "Thank you for watching over my niece. Here's your fee and your tip."

Auntie pulled two bills out of her purse and handed them both to the taxi driver. He took them with a wide grin and tipped an imaginary hat to us before turning to leave.

"Come on, I want to show you your room," Auntie gushed with excitement and I blinked.

"My room? But we only decided last night I was coming here..." I pointed out in confusion and Auntie laughed.

"I have a guest room that I have been decorating with you in mind for years. I've always planned on taking you on a trip after you graduated and I was hoping you would stay with me for a while after that. I hope you like it," she said with a smile.

A lump of emotion lodged itself in my throat, making it impossible for me to say anything. Instead, I nodded and smiled happily as Auntie guided me up to the second story of the apartment complex and opened the door to her flat.

Auntie pushed me past the living room and large kitchen area without giving me a chance to look at them and opened the first door to the right of the hallway with a flourish. I poked my head in and felt my smile spread wider. The walls of the room were a calm beige color, but she had spruced it up with light purple curtains. The bedspread and pillows were also various shades of purple. My new dresser was white with little purple swirl patterns on the drawers. A cute purple alarm clock with small white flowers painted on it sat on the nightstand next to the head of the bed and the closet stood empty, awaiting all of the clothes that Auntie insisted we would fill it with.

"Do you like it?" Auntie asked. I let go of my suitcase and hugged her around the waist tightly, trying to keep my emotions under control.

"It's wonderful, Auntie. Thank you so much," I managed to say without crying. Auntie returned my hug before pulling away and stroking my cheek with the back of her fingers.

"Go ahead and unpack for now. I'll go call in our dinner. Are you okay with Sushi?" she asked and I nodded excitedly. Father and Yuki were originally from Japan but he detested fish so I had never made or tried sushi before.

Auntie left me in the doorway of my new room and I walked in slowly, running a hand over the desktop. It only took me a few minutes to unpack. As a finishing touch, I placed my teddy bear on the bed. I glanced at the bed and slowly sat down, then leaned over to test out the mattress. It was incredibly cushy and I sighed heavily, instinctively reaching out to pull my teddy bear into my arms and cuddle with it. Auntie had said that I was supposed to focus on school and forget about my parents' divorce while I was living here, but I knew I could never allow myself to do that. I could only hope that my leaving would allow my mother and father to finally gain back the happiness I had stolen from them.

A knock on the door came and I sat up, looking at Auntie standing in the open doorway. "Hey there, sweetheart. You okay?"

I gave her a small smile and nodded. "Just tired; I think I have jetlag."

"That would make sense, you went through a couple of time zones after all. It's to be expected."

Auntie came in and sat next to me on the bed, pulling me into a gentle, comforting hug. I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay as I cleared my throat.

"Auntie, I'm so sorry."

She pulled back and gave me a worried look. "What for, Opal?"

"I don't deserve you, Auntie. I don't deserve all the presents and the love that you give me. I can't do anything for you and yet I selfishly asked to come live with you, even though I'm not your responsibility."

"Stop right there." I looked up at her in surprise; I had never heard that tone before. Auntie's eyes were serious with no hint of playfulness and she placed a hand on my cheek as she held my gaze. "Opal, you are very precious to me. I always wanted to have a family of my own, and to have a daughter to dote on. From the first time I held you, I felt like a part of you belonged to me. I feel bad that you had to ask, I should have offered my home to you, not make you ask me. You are not a bother to me. I love having you around, and I want you to be here."

The tears I had held back till then spilled over and I looked down at my clenched fists. She held me and let me cry.

You shouldn't have been born. I clenched my eyes shut and blocked out the memories, focusing instead on Auntie. Inwardly I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to make her happy.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

A week later I was standing on the curb with Auntie, waiting for her taxi to come to take her to the airport.

"I can't BELIEVE my boss isn't letting me out of this business trip! They have translators! They don't need me to go!" Auntie huffed for the tenth time that morning. I tried not to smile at her tantrum and patted Auntie's shoulder consolingly.

"Come on Auntie, you're the best one for the project. Not only can you speak Japanese fluently but you were born in Japan and understand their culture, so you'll be much more useful than the ordinary employee. Besides, your people skills are top-notch, you know the material inside and out, AND you used to be a designer. Who better to send to a merger meeting than you?"

I beamed as Auntie flushed a crimson red. "Opal, you give me too much credit."

"Not even! You have to go! I would feel awful if you passed up this opportunity for me."

"But I'll be gone for three weeks and you start your first day of school tomorrow! I wanted to make you a big breakfast and be there when you came home to hear all about it." Auntie's lip trembled and I gave her a hug. "You have to call me when you come home, okay? I don't care if it's 3 am in Japan, you have to call me!"

"I will, I promise," I assured her. Auntie nodded and then put her business face on.

"Now, we need to go over the rules one more time." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as she held up a finger. "Rule one, you call me when you leave for school, or at least text me, and you DEFINITELY call me before you go to bed every night. Rule two, you have to take at least ten dollars cash every day for lunch, the cash is in the..."

"Cookie jar," I interrupt with a smile. Auntie cracked a smile as well before continuing,

"You have a card in your name that is wired to one of my bank accounts. If you want to go to a movie then go to a movie, if you want to buy a book, buy a book. You get to have EVERYTHING you want," Auntie proclaimed with a gleam in her eyes.

I shook my head, still not understanding why she would go so far to spoil me like this. "Auntie you don't have to do this. I don't need money to be happy," I pointed out firmly.

Auntie smiled and gave me a look that made me feel like I was the best person in the entire world.

"I told you, Opal, a part of you belongs to me and if I want to spoil you then you have to let me. I know you won't go crazy or turn into a brat if I give you all this; that's why I'm doing it. Because you deserve it."

You were a mistake. You shouldn't have been born. I closed my eyes and breathed out, trying to expel the poisonous words from my thoughts. Thankfully, Auntie had moved on in her list of rules without noticing my reaction.

"Rule three, no boys at the apartment if I'm not there to meet them."

I really did roll my eyes at that one. Boys were not even in the equation in my mind. I had gone to an all-girls academy my entire life and had only interacted with the boys at karate school. None of them had ever bothered to be friends with me though, so I didn't think that would change now.

"And the last rule, do you remember it?"I looked up into my Auntie's eyes and smiled at her.

"I have to smile every single day and remember that you love me."

Auntie nodded and pulled me into yet another hug when the taxi arrived. I placed her suitcase in the trunk, gave her one last hug, and then stood on the curb waving at her until the taxi turned a corner and was lost to my sight. I went back into the apartment and got my purse and then glanced at the white rectangle on the desktop that was my new phone. I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered Auntie's disgust when she saw my phone. She had insisted on buying me a smartphone, completely ignoring my protests.

Reverently, I reached out and picked up the phone, pressing the button to turn on the screen. I used the map app that Auntie had shown me recently to find directions from the apartment to my new high school and was happy to see it was only a fifteen minute walk away. Even though it was still spring break for my new high school I wanted to go check out the campus.

Self-consciously, I checked my reflection in the floor-length mirror attached to the inside of my closet door. I was wearing a three-quarter-sleeve green shirt that matched my eyes, comfortable jeans, and my hair was braided to the side. With a sigh, I crinkled my nose at my reflection.

Shopping with Auntie had been tricky. Trying to convince her that I preferred long-sleeved shirts so that she wouldn't see my bruises had been difficult, but I had somehow gotten through the ordeal without exposing them to her. Almost all of the clothes she had bought online showed way too much skin, but I was so excited for the day to come when I could wear short sleeve shirts and not worry about any bruises showing. I quickly turned away from the mirror and left the apartment, making sure to lock it. As I turned around, I let out a long breath of air, relishing the fact that I could go anywhere I wanted at any time. It was an exhilarating feeling.

After scrolling through and putting the music Auntie had helped me download onto my phone on shuffle, I plugged in my headphones and headed out. Following the directions on my phone, I found my way easily and enjoyed the alone time just listening to music while watching people go by. I wondered what their life stories were. Did they go home to a loving wife or husband? Did they have a pet to greet them? Are they worried about anything?

I people-watched for several minutes before turning my attention to the school that was coming up to my left. I turned off my music and tucked the headphones into my purse before walking through the open entryway to inspect my new school. The building itself was quite large, painted a royal blue with the words "Sweet Amoris High" printed above the main entrance in white block letters. The gym could be seen behind the school building and to the right of the building, there seemed to be an oasis of trees and flowers. The courtyard was impressive with a grassy area and a park bench positioned underneath a large maple tree.

Without really thinking, I began wandering over to the entrance of the school and looked in. I could see lockers along both walls, all a light blue color. Looking at the school I couldn't help but smile. It seemed much more relaxed than my last private school, which was so stuffy I felt like sneezing every time I walked through the doors. This looked like a place where you could both study to your heart's content and still have a normal social life.

"Not that I plan on having a social life. If I keep myself at a distance from people then I won't hurt them," I muttered to myself quietly.

With a small sigh, I straightened up. When I turned to leave though I almost bumped into someone. I let out a surprised squeak and backed up quickly, banging into the doors behind me.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

I looked up at the boy that had appeared out of thin air and found myself looking into the most amazing gold colored eyes that I had ever seen and I noticed that his hair was the exact same color. Blinking quickly, I looked away and bowed slightly.

"Please forgive me, it was my fault." Immediately I clamped my hand over my mouth and straightened up, not looking away from the ground while inwardly groaning. Bowing while apologizing had been standard for all karate students at my father's school and I had done it without thought, but I hoped he didn't think I was someone strange because of it.

"What are you doing here?"

I forced myself to raise my head. He was looking at me somewhat suspiciously, but not unkindly.

"Oh, well, I'm a transfer student. I'll be starting here tomorrow, so I just wanted to take a look before I start."

"Ah, so you must be Opal Sato." I gave him a wary look and would have taken a step back if I wasn't already up against the doors.

"How did you know that?" The boy stuck out his hand with a friendly smile.

"My name is Nathaniel Anderson. I'm the student body president here at Sweet Amoris High, and the principal made me in charge of all new students' information, among other things. I got your information two weeks ago, right before spring break."

I cautiously shook his hand, noting that it was firm and business-like. It still worried me that he knew my name, but his reason seemed logical enough.

"By the way, your paperwork wasn't completed fully."

I blinked and then felt myself frown slightly in confusion. "Excuse me? I was sure that I filled it all out; what did I miss?"

Nathaniel smiled brightly. "So you're a serious student then? That's great. You just forgot the school fee and your photo ID. There's also an enrollment form that you need to revise tomorrow before class."

I felt heat rise to my face as I remembered the page where both of those had been, but I had pushed it to the side and said I'd do it later. "Well, thank you for telling me... umm, may I call you by your first name?"

Nathaniel gave me a broad smile. "Yes, of course."

"Thank you, Nathaniel. Where can I get my photo ID?"

"Oh, there's a store just down the street that does all of the photos for Sweet Amoris students. It's called Quick Pics," Nathaniel explained while pointing down the street that went behind the school.

"Great. Thank you, Nathaniel. I'll be sure to bring it and the fee tomorrow before school. I'd better be going. Thank you for your help, again."

"My pleasure," Nathaniel replied with a smile. He then pulled out a key ring and inserted one of them into the door.

I walked down the steps leading to the main entrance and turned towards the direction Nathaniel had pointed out. For some odd reason I had the most intense desire to turn around and get one more look at Nathaniel, but I shook it off. It's not like I wasn't going to see him again, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter. I was sure a nice boy like him wouldn't want to associate with a mistake like me.A/N Just so you know, most of this story will be told in first person from my OC's point of view. Every once in awhile I will do a chapter in another character's POV, but I will specify in the title if it is someone else's POV.