Golden Games
Confession and Destruction
I took the opportunity of waking up so early to shower. The showers in the hotel weren't very private. They weren't even showers-they were baths! I got in and got out as quick as lightning. Once dressed I sought out breakfast in the kitchen. Andrew's mother,Ame, was making pancakes. I was shocked because Ame almost always made strictly Japanese meals.
"Here you go, Honey," she said softly.
"Thanks!" i replied with a pancake already stuffed inside my mouth.
"Darling, chew your food before you swallow! I think you and I should have a nice, long talk."
I nodded with confusion. To cut back on the confusion I awakened my brain and quickly translated what she was saying into English.
"I'll begin. The program starts in a week so you'll have some time to get situated and do whatever you children do. I think it would be in your best interest if you didn't get a job. Now for the reason you had to come so early..."she trailed off. I waited for her to continue."There is a group of evil that wants you. They will stop nothing to get you."
"What's so important about having me? I know I'm fabulous but-"
"-Yamari, you need yo take this seriously! You are the daughter of a man who got into a lot of trouble. He owed a lot of people many things-money, power, land-and once he died his debt was transferred to you. You have a lot of money on your head. Princes have asked for your hand in marriage, no?"
"Yeah, Brian still wants me, oh, and Daniel, too, but he's a Duke. It's not like I'd ever agree; they're both jerks."
"Well, they are rich and powerful. They would both offer countless things as a ransom if you were ever taken. Meaning you could make the bad guys very rich. I will try my hardest to protect you. Andrew will also help."
By then I had already finished my breakfast and cleared away the dishes. I left the kitchen in a hurry to find Andrew. I knew he would comfort me.
*
*
*
"Lets go for a walk."
"Sure, as long as no bad guys show up to steal me!" I said giggling.
Andrew suddenly turned around to face me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently.
"You need to stop thinking that everything is funny! This is as serious as death. Ever since your father died you think anything is a joking matter.I know you're hurt, and that's why I'm trying to care for you, but you won't let me in! I love you enough to try. I think you should love yourself and me enough to stop."
He let go of me and walked away. Andrew was right, and he knew it, and so did I.
I had been sitting in my room for hours thinking. What was the true reason I found such deadly things funny? Making jokes was a barrier for me. I tried to keep the pain from showing by laughing. I tried to keep new pain from showing by thinking that everything was hilarious. My father's death had made me into a laughing mess.
The door to my room was swung open. Andrew crawled in sincerely.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for the way I've acted; I just need to learn a healthier way to cope."
"Yes, a good way to cope is to talk. Dinner is ready, and there's a gentleman who would like to see you waiting at the front door."
"Who's the gentleman? What does he look like?"
"I don't know! Go check for yourself!"
I did go check. And what I found was most definitely not what I was expecting.
"Yamari Brielle Lewis!" the man said.
How do all of these strange men know my name?!The man stepped into clear light where at once I noticed his face.
"Yashum!" I yelled as I ran to greet him.
"Hey, Yamari! Have no fear Yashum the Awesome is here!" he chanted.
I hadn't seen Yashum since i was 12! He is another old friend that I've known the majority of my life.
"So what's new Yashum?"
"Well, I'm 21 now."
"Holy Crap! Really?How's everything going at the garage?"
"Yeah, really. It's going fine; I won the best mechanic award there, too."
"Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"
"To get some delicious chocolate from my favorite kid..."
I stared him down.
"Okay, fine! Ame wanted me to come so I could keep an eye out for you," he confessed.
We walked together until Andrew appeared. Then all three of us went inside to eat and talked the rest of the night away.
*
*
*
I woke up still tired yet exhilarated to go back to sleep. Today was my first day in the program! I got dressed quickly and raced out of the hotel. I had called for a taxi to take me to Tahara. When there, I shall go into immediate training sessions. It's a severely long drive so I shall be staying there during the week and returning here for the weekends. Ame doesn't think it's safe for me to go there alone for do long and forced Andrew to come with me.
As I was relaxing in the backseat with Andrew, I decided to call some friends. It was a good time to call since it'd be around 7:00 p.m. there. I called Mom first and filled her in. Next i called Meredith and Gretchen.
"Gretch?"
"Yeah? Oh, hey! What's up? Is Japan cool? What's Andrew like? Have you started doing stuff in the program yet? Tell me everything!"
"Okay! Slow your roll, dude. I will tell you everything. Japan's the bomb-so many people and places- it's truly amazing. Andrew's his normal. weird self. He's actually gotten to be taller than me. He's escorting me to Tahara where the program is located. By the end of tonight I should be there. Meaning tomorrow I start working at the program. I saw these really cute shoes at the Hot Topic here the other day. Oh, I also-finally!-got a job! It's at a coffee shop in the mall. The pay is good, too. I love it even though my guardian said i shouldn't get one."
"Cool! Now tell me more about Andrew!"
"Why do you want to know so much about him?" I asked while playfully kicking Andrew.
"Well...from what you've told me and those pictures of him...he's pretty, um..." she stuttered.
"Oh goodness me, Gretchen, you have a little crush!"
"No! It's just that I-"
I wasn't able to hear the rest of what she had said because the car jumped and the phone fell from my hand.
"What happened?" I asked frantically.
"Sit back, and let me take care of it," Andrew demanded as the taxi slowed to a stop on the side of the highway.
Andrew got out of the car to see what had happened. I saw him stretch out on the ground to survey the tires.
"Someone has used this tire as target practice," Andrew said holding up a bunch of bullets.
Oh, crap sticks! Were these the bad guys Ame was talking about?
"Here you go, Honey," she said softly.
"Thanks!" i replied with a pancake already stuffed inside my mouth.
"Darling, chew your food before you swallow! I think you and I should have a nice, long talk."
I nodded with confusion. To cut back on the confusion I awakened my brain and quickly translated what she was saying into English.
"I'll begin. The program starts in a week so you'll have some time to get situated and do whatever you children do. I think it would be in your best interest if you didn't get a job. Now for the reason you had to come so early..."she trailed off. I waited for her to continue."There is a group of evil that wants you. They will stop nothing to get you."
"What's so important about having me? I know I'm fabulous but-"
"-Yamari, you need yo take this seriously! You are the daughter of a man who got into a lot of trouble. He owed a lot of people many things-money, power, land-and once he died his debt was transferred to you. You have a lot of money on your head. Princes have asked for your hand in marriage, no?"
"Yeah, Brian still wants me, oh, and Daniel, too, but he's a Duke. It's not like I'd ever agree; they're both jerks."
"Well, they are rich and powerful. They would both offer countless things as a ransom if you were ever taken. Meaning you could make the bad guys very rich. I will try my hardest to protect you. Andrew will also help."
By then I had already finished my breakfast and cleared away the dishes. I left the kitchen in a hurry to find Andrew. I knew he would comfort me.
*
*
*
"Lets go for a walk."
"Sure, as long as no bad guys show up to steal me!" I said giggling.
Andrew suddenly turned around to face me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me violently.
"You need to stop thinking that everything is funny! This is as serious as death. Ever since your father died you think anything is a joking matter.I know you're hurt, and that's why I'm trying to care for you, but you won't let me in! I love you enough to try. I think you should love yourself and me enough to stop."
He let go of me and walked away. Andrew was right, and he knew it, and so did I.
I had been sitting in my room for hours thinking. What was the true reason I found such deadly things funny? Making jokes was a barrier for me. I tried to keep the pain from showing by laughing. I tried to keep new pain from showing by thinking that everything was hilarious. My father's death had made me into a laughing mess.
The door to my room was swung open. Andrew crawled in sincerely.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry for the way I've acted; I just need to learn a healthier way to cope."
"Yes, a good way to cope is to talk. Dinner is ready, and there's a gentleman who would like to see you waiting at the front door."
"Who's the gentleman? What does he look like?"
"I don't know! Go check for yourself!"
I did go check. And what I found was most definitely not what I was expecting.
"Yamari Brielle Lewis!" the man said.
How do all of these strange men know my name?!The man stepped into clear light where at once I noticed his face.
"Yashum!" I yelled as I ran to greet him.
"Hey, Yamari! Have no fear Yashum the Awesome is here!" he chanted.
I hadn't seen Yashum since i was 12! He is another old friend that I've known the majority of my life.
"So what's new Yashum?"
"Well, I'm 21 now."
"Holy Crap! Really?How's everything going at the garage?"
"Yeah, really. It's going fine; I won the best mechanic award there, too."
"Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?"
"To get some delicious chocolate from my favorite kid..."
I stared him down.
"Okay, fine! Ame wanted me to come so I could keep an eye out for you," he confessed.
We walked together until Andrew appeared. Then all three of us went inside to eat and talked the rest of the night away.
*
*
*
I woke up still tired yet exhilarated to go back to sleep. Today was my first day in the program! I got dressed quickly and raced out of the hotel. I had called for a taxi to take me to Tahara. When there, I shall go into immediate training sessions. It's a severely long drive so I shall be staying there during the week and returning here for the weekends. Ame doesn't think it's safe for me to go there alone for do long and forced Andrew to come with me.
As I was relaxing in the backseat with Andrew, I decided to call some friends. It was a good time to call since it'd be around 7:00 p.m. there. I called Mom first and filled her in. Next i called Meredith and Gretchen.
"Gretch?"
"Yeah? Oh, hey! What's up? Is Japan cool? What's Andrew like? Have you started doing stuff in the program yet? Tell me everything!"
"Okay! Slow your roll, dude. I will tell you everything. Japan's the bomb-so many people and places- it's truly amazing. Andrew's his normal. weird self. He's actually gotten to be taller than me. He's escorting me to Tahara where the program is located. By the end of tonight I should be there. Meaning tomorrow I start working at the program. I saw these really cute shoes at the Hot Topic here the other day. Oh, I also-finally!-got a job! It's at a coffee shop in the mall. The pay is good, too. I love it even though my guardian said i shouldn't get one."
"Cool! Now tell me more about Andrew!"
"Why do you want to know so much about him?" I asked while playfully kicking Andrew.
"Well...from what you've told me and those pictures of him...he's pretty, um..." she stuttered.
"Oh goodness me, Gretchen, you have a little crush!"
"No! It's just that I-"
I wasn't able to hear the rest of what she had said because the car jumped and the phone fell from my hand.
"What happened?" I asked frantically.
"Sit back, and let me take care of it," Andrew demanded as the taxi slowed to a stop on the side of the highway.
Andrew got out of the car to see what had happened. I saw him stretch out on the ground to survey the tires.
"Someone has used this tire as target practice," Andrew said holding up a bunch of bullets.
Oh, crap sticks! Were these the bad guys Ame was talking about?
♠ ♠ ♠
I'm a tad Cliff Hanger Happy! I hope you enjoy!