"Happy Birthday!"

A Large birthday cake was set out infront of the young child as her mouth hung agasp to see what an extravogant treat was placed before her eyes. Decorated with Kira across the top, In pink cursive lettering, a small grey bunny was painted in frosting. Six little candles were place, burning the orangish yellow flame, her emerald eyes gazing upon them with excitement. A finger went twords the frosting as she licked her lips, but was stopped by a more abrupt hand around her wrist. Her mother shook her head at her and fixed the ribbons in the little girl's hair. She gave a little pout and looked to her father who was laughing at her denial of tasting the frosting. She closed her eyes and made her wish of staying this happy with her family forever. Taking a deep breath she blew five of the candles out, but the sixth one wouldn't budge. She puffed up her cheeks and blew harder, the candle flickering. Her mother and father burst into giggles watching their daughter blow out the trick candle. She sat their confused with her arms crossed trying to figure out why the flame wouldn't go out.

Later that evening she was tucked into her bed, her glass of water placed next to her. Her mother gave her a quick kiss on the cheek running her hand through her hair saying such things as "I love you." She left the room as her father watched, and then turned to Kira with a grin. Holding out a box, a silk ribbon tied around it, her tiny little hand grasping the box and looking to it in curiosity. Her father motioned for her to open it. She wasted no time in ripping the ribbon off opening the box and looking to the jewlery box inside. Opening the top, she watched the two glass figurines, a man and a woman spin around in circles, dancing gracefully as her favorite tune filled her ears. Her father looked down to her with a grin.

"I know mom said that it was to much, but you really wanted it, so I saved up some extra money."

Kira lept out of her bed and hugged her father tightly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her forehead taking the jewlery box and placing it on her dresser, carrying her in one arm. Placing her down in her bed he laughed turning off the light, also wishing her a good night and love yous. Kira closed her eyes with a smile on her face.

Beep Beep beep! The alarm clock went off, a blanket was thrown over her head moaning. Six am it was time to get up and start the morning. Grabbing at her pillow she emerged from the shadows of the blankets with a yawn scratching her head. She wasn't reluctant to go to school considering she enjoyed it, but it was just so hard getting up in the morning. Finally getting her feet to the ground she stepped off stumbling a bit trying to get her composure back to what it normally would be.

She made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She was kind of weary of what she wore around the house, seeing her mother had remarried a new man, and Kira wanted to be curtious of him. Closing the door slightly she peered around the bathroom looking for the toothpaste, squirting the blue liquidy paste on the brush and started massaging her teeth and gums letting it foam in her mouth. A quite loud voice was heard downstairs, so spitting out the foam and rinsing out her mouth, she opened the door and quickly made her way downstairs.

She peeked her head from around the stairwell to see her mother and stepfather standing there in the living room. Hiding behind the wall Kira watched on as the man was continuously screaming..words were hard to make out but she heard the names he called her mother. Her mother Pleaded that he stopped not wanting to let her daughter hear the confrontation that was going on. The man lifted his hand and slapped her mother across the face, kira instantly drew back her eyes wide as she sat on the steps a tear going down her face. Her little feet carried her upstairs to her room as she took a deep breath.

She put her school uniform on. The black shoes went nicely with the skirt and shirt, as her hair was tied up into two buns on each side of her head. Cautiously going downstairs she made her way into the kitchen where pancakes and Eggs awaited her. Taking her seat she began to eat watching her mother carefully to see how she was acting, but of course her mother showed no signs that she had just been in a fight. Kira just remained quiet eating her breakfast. When she finished up she grabbed her books, her mother opened the door for her as they went off to walk twords the school now.

It was Kira's first year of middle school. She did exceptionally well considering the big change they made from elementry school. Her mother stopped at the front of the school watching her daughter run off into one of her friends arms, to greet her in the morning. A couple more of people gathered around her as they all laughed together walking into the school. Her mother smiled watching her daughter off then turned going inside.

Amongst the many classes she took, one that was required for every student to take was art. It was not one of her favorite classes feeling that she could not compare to everyone else thinking her art was laughable. She much more enjoyed going to her music class and playing the lovely sound of the flute that caressed everyone's ears. Looking to the front board the teacher directed them to express how they felt today in some form of art. Many people started grabbing at the clay wanting to start immediatly. But she grabbed a sheet of paper and started to sketch out how she felt about this morning.

The phone started to ring in the classroom, the teacher picking it up and nodding her head in approval. Going over to Kira she looked down.

"Your father's in the lobby, your mother is in the hospital. Please finish up your drawing later tonight and bring it tommorow."

A picture perfect day brought her eyes open once again, not to mention the loud beeping sound coming from her alarm clock. Swirling around under her covers, she pressed her hand to the button that stopped the annoying beeping and sat up. Today was the day.

First days of school were always nerve wrecking. It seemed to get more nerve wrecking every year. And now that she was playing with the big kids, entering high school, it made her feel sick. If she had kept doing what she had been doing all along and remain quiet they would ignore her. She was sure of it.

They had special uniforms for school. Slipping out of her pj's she stood up to glance at her womanly body in the mirror. It was beautiful..but only on the outside. She did not feel one bit beautiful after she had been violated. Slipping on the undergarments first, then the shirt and the skirt she grabbed her sketchbook and her pencil. That was after all she would need for the first day.

Slipping downstairs her mother had made breakfast but young kira felt to sick to eat. Her mother watched her with caring eyes walk out of the door, shaking her head. Her little daughter had changed throughout the years. From the young peppy lady, to the one who barely ever whispered a word to even her mother. It was heartbreaking to watch.

She wasn't in no kind of hurry. Slow steps reached the school. Kids were outside conversing..laughing with their old friends from Jr High, among the other older high schoolers. She felt her stomach sink. At least no one payed her no mind..that was until she stepped through the door. All eyes seemed to be on her as she paced those halls with her sketchbook trying to find her homeroom. She didn't understand what everyone was staring at.

Opening the door to the classroom she took a seat by the window in the back, and just remained staring out it. A hand to her chin as she sighed. People seemed to be examining her in the classroom, her body trembling. It was hard to not be scared of these people anymore. Expecially the guys.

Art, was her last period of the day. She gladly sat down in the seat and just started drawing her heart out. It was what she really needed. The teacher complimented on how well her work was, quite surprised a freshman could have the abilities of almost a liscensed artist. The teacher wanted to speak to the girl after school..but rest assured as soon as that bell rang..kira flew out that door.

Sketchbook held tightly to her chest as she looked down making her way home. It had been a long day, and she definitly felt like an outcast.

She looked to her left hand side hearing a meowing coming from the alley next to the pizza shop. Tilting her head she about faced turning twords the alley to search out the little kitty. But reaching the end she found nothing turning the opposite direction.

Five Men were hiding behind the things she couldn't see when she walked foward. She gasped slightly backing up looking to the men who approached her, the one backed her into the fence placing a hand above her head leaving her trapt.

"See, what'd i tell you guys, Cute little girls like animal. Now sweetie, what are you doin' here?"

That grin swept across his face as he leaned down to kiss her neck. She screamed but her mouth was covered by a hand from another man.


"Yeah, what boss said, there's creeps in the alley like us."

Hopelessness crossed her face. She realized she could do nothing. She was just going to stand there and let them do what they want, and maybe if she was lucky, they'd let her go alive..or kill her.

But the man removed his hand from under her shirt that it had slowley crept up to. He screamed in pain and held the back of his neck turning around to face a young blonde haired man with golden hair and blue eyes, and in his hand a dagger. His eyes were locked on Kira as he motioned to her.

"Run, I won't let them have their way with you!"

She had recognized that man before. It was a man that every girl in school swooned over to just get a chance to sleep with, the most handsome of them all, quite popular to boot. But she quickly took her chance fleeing from the alley running home.

Swinging the door open her mother was looking to her and tilted her head watching kira stumble through the house and frown.

"Kira, Is somthing wrong?"

Running up the stairs she held onto the handle of her door.

"Why is this world so screwed up! I hate this place!"

Slamming the door shut she fell to her bed the tears coming from her eyes. A hand slipped around her sketchbook and a small box that contained broken fragments of the music box. Closing her eyes she drifted into a sleep.

It wasn't a dreamless sleep though. One where she was stolen into a new world. Where much more then humans lurked, where magic played a part, and strange things happened.

She pinched herself. It hurt. She still had that box of broken music box pieces in her hands along with her sketchbook. She wasn't supposed to feel anything in a dream..so why did the pinch hurt?

Such strange ways Rhy'din worked. But anyone could tell her it wasn't a dream. It was all real. Somthing she couldn't escape..somewhere that she felt she didn't belong. Falling to her knees, realizing she couldn't escape the reality of what she thought was a dream, she cried..and cried some more. She couldn't help it anymore, all that weeping made her fall asleep..curled on the ground.