Gray Insanity

Chapter I: New Beginnings

I stood there expressionless as a girl strode toward me, glancing back at her group of friends and grimacing. She stopped in front of me and slowly thrust out her hand.

"Hi!" She said with false cheer, her fake smile slightly distorting her face. "I'm Beka!" She continued energetically, her smile withering at the edges as she stared momentarily at my emotionless face. "Welcome to St. Johns High School." As she finished her sentence she flipped her blond and pink streaked hair behind her shoulder and smoothed out her denim miniskirt. As I realized it was my turn to speak, I glanced up gave her one of my 'I Can't Believe its Not Real' smiles and stuck out my hand.

"I'm Vrene." I stated simply, my voice oozing sincerity. "Nice to meet you Beka." I quickly glanced down, as if admiring her outfit, and finally let out a hyper shriek. "Oh my Gawd!" I exclaimed shrilly. "Where did you get that skirt?" I gasped as if I was in awe. "It's sooo cute!" I finished pseudo happily hoping that the comment would keep her busy for a while.

"Thanks!" She half squealed. "I got it in Spain." She paused for dramatic effect. "In Madrid to be exact." She continued happily. She smiled, sincerely this time. "Let's go to the main office." She said, grinning now. "We'll get your schedule." She paused again. "I assume your things have been sent to your dorm?"

"Yea." I replied vaguely. Brushing my own pin straight black and blue bangs from my eyes. "I think my dad called me earlier saying that they had been sent down." I continued.

"Wow." She said suddenly. I looked at her questionably. Reading the question in my eyes she simply stated. "I didn't notice your hair before." She paused feeling the top of my head. "It's so soft, and long."

"Don't forget that it's blue!" I cried out suddenly and energetically. Half giggling from the astonished look on her face. "It's also purple, red, green, and black." I continued. Giggling again from the astonished look on her face, I had to tell her. "My friend Ron botched my coloring job. He was supposed to put in cobalt blue streaks to compliment my naturally black hair, and he messed up." I giggled again. "The front is right, but the rest is just random colors mixed with black." I smiled again, for real this time. "I don't care though." I said caressing my waist length hair. "It was his going away present to me." I smiled sadly.

"So." Beka said grinning wickedly. "Was this Ron your boyfriend?"

"No" I giggled. "He was so unbelievably gay he made Damien from Mean Girls seem straight." I smiled. "He said he's gonna come down next weekend so that he can check out all the 'sexy men folks'."

Beka started laughing, "I have to meet him!" She practically yelled. "He sounds like my new best gay friend!" She smiled again before gesturing towards the building we'd come to a stop in front of. "This is the main office."

I gaped up at the building in amazement. It was two stories high, with spiraling bars in the window boxes and columns holding up the building from the inside and out. As we walked in the cool air enveloped us. As I touched one of the walls letting my hand slide down it I noticed that it was marble, and that it was cool to the touch. Then I heard someone call my name. It was Beka; she was at least ten feet away from me and about to walk into a office off to the side of the hallway. She frantically gestured at me, as if saying 'Hurry up! This is important' and walked in allowing the door to swing shut after her. I absently walked towards the office, looking around at the domed ceiling, then glanced down and before I could collide with the glass door Beka grasped my arm and pulled me inside.

Beka guided me into a room, knelt on the floor and bowed Japanese style, by bending at the waist from her position and touching her forehead to the floor.

"Konnichi wa obaasan." (Hello grandmother) She said quietly.

"Konnichi wa Mago." (Hello grandchild) An aged and shaky voice replied.

"Vrene, this is my grandmother." Beka Gestured towards the aged and withered Japanese woman who sat in the center of the room in traditional style. "I will introduce you in Japanese because she prefers to speak it rather than English in her office."

"It's okay Beka." I said quickly before switching to Japanese. "Konnichi wa, Watashi wa Yuri Vrene desu. Hajimemashite." (Hello My name is Vrene Yuri. Nice to meet you.)

"Watashi wa Yota Kyoko desu. Hajimemashite. Yuri-san anata wa Nihon-jin desu?" (My name is Kyoko Yota. Nice to meet you. Are you japanese?)

"Hai." I replied happily. Beka looked impressed.

"Obaasan, Yuri-kun needs her schedule." She said quietly.

"Hai. Mago, please retrieve it from my desk." Yota-san said in her aged, gravelly, and heavily accented voice. As she said this Beka rose gracefully and slowly gilded to a desk in the far corner of the large room. Once Beka had reached the desk Yota-san continued speaking. "So Yuri-san, which side does your Japanese ancestry come from?" She asked me.

"My okaasan, Yota-san." I replied respectfully.

"Ahh,." She exclaimed. "That is why Your hair is long and straight, for African-American's do not usually have such straight hair." She cooed in astonishment at my Blackanese heritage.

I smiled Politely, not entirely sure of where she was going with the conversation. Then she began again in the rapid-fire Japanese.

"Yuri-san wa nansi desu ka?" (How old are you?) She asked.

"Jyuu-roku-sai desu." (16) I replied.

"Soo desu ka. Otoo-san to okaa-san wa doko desu ka?" (Where do your mother and father live)

"New York desu."

"Here obaasan, Yuri-kun's schedule." Beka interrupted, and thank god she did too. I was starting to get a headache from all the rapid Japanese. "Obaasan we must go now." She continued. Vrene still has to go to her rooms and get settled in, as well as attend the new student orientation." Yota-san smiled and slowly got to her feet.

"Sayounara Yuri-san, Mago. Dewa Mata." (good bye...See you) Then Yota-san bowed, and the two of us scurried towards the door.

"Dewa Mata Yota-san!" I said before I left.

"Dewa mata obaasan." Beka said simultaneously. We then bowed to her and escaped into the cold marble hallways once more.

A/N: I wrote in japanese! and I put translations there so you know what they are saying.

Okaasan - mother