Title: -Chapter 0- Watashi wa Lachesis Elaine desu
Topic: KŌ(tōgak)KŌ
Summary: If meeting your co-workers makes you hesitate, even a little, running away may seem like a good idea.
Rating: T
Genre: General/Romance

-Chapter 0-
Watashi wa Lachesis Elaine desu

Waking up early was not a hassle so as it seemed to be a little pointless. Pulling yourself out of a cozy bed would seem inane if you were the only one doing so. In a sleepy town Elaine had been the only one to do so. She had never been a morning person to begin with, so when Elaine's new teaching job had required it she had felt a little cheated. The fact that she was bound by a contract to be punctual on a regular basis didn't help.

But Elaine had to admit, seeing actual people out and about before dawn did make her feel a bit better.

Even if said people were giving Elaine odd looks. She couldn't blame them and tried to pretend to have enough confidence not to notice.

However, Elaine absolutely refused to let that get her nerves thrown out of whack. It was her first day for crying out loud. If she was anxious before she even got to the school she would start doing that "nail-nibbling thing", as Elaine's mother had teased her about. For years. The nail-nibbling thing probably wouldn't give a good first impression. First impressions were key to ensuring a painless acceptance from her fellow teachers and students.

Thankfully finding a place to live had not only been easy but also practical. The apartment Elaine would be calling home was cheap, snug, and close enough that she could walk to work. At first glance the place looked small; a pleasant surprise was that it wasn't. What little she had packed only took up a corner of the living room.

Elaine's mother would be pleasantly surprised to know that her home wouldn't be covered in animal hair forever.

Walking through the front door to the school Elaine almost collided with the principal, which startled and confused her. She was used to having to go report to principals, not the other way around. Elaine's mind paniced, but subsided when she realized that her superior was out of breath. Unfortunately Elaine recognized that kind of breathing, the kind that came from running down stairs. The principal had more than likely seen her coming and rushed from his office on the second floor down to greet her.

Despite the red flags, Elaine wrote it off as his way of being nice.

Once he had composed himself, which took several moments due to his apparent age, the principal insisted on introducing her to the staff. Elaine had been happy to do it herself, but decided against arguing for fear of losing at least one person who seemed to like her.

"Hello, my name is Elaine Lachesis. I look forward to working with all of you." The only problem was that, even with the principle there, most of Elaine's co-workers weren't thrilled with her.

Not that she could blame them. Even in a sea of Asian's, a red-headed American stands out like Christmas lights in August.