Kyri Lyoko sat up in bed. She stretched and yawned at the same time. Another day of wretched school, she thought. She crawled out of bed, half- asleep, and then viewed herself in the mirror. Kyri was half Japanese and half American. Her father, of whom Kyri shared most of the traits from, was the American of her family. She shared his black hair and dull gray eyes. Her mother was the Japanese of her family. The only thing Kyri shared from her mother was the Japanese look of her eyes and tan color skin. That made Kyri's appearance more attractive.
Her father had met her mother when her mother had moved to the United States because Japan was being bombed and families were being evacuated immediately. Like all children, her mother went to school and met her father. That was as much of information her parents had told her.
Kyri combed down her shoulder-length black hair, then tied it up in a ponytail. She took a quick glance at her clock to check the time.
"Whoa! I'm going to be late for the bus!" She snatched her khaki pants and white-collar shirt from their hangers and swiftly changed into them. Not having enough time to make her bed, she rushed out of her room and bolted down the steps.
Getting all of her school supplies together and sticking them in her backpack, Kyri breathed a sigh of relief. The bus was due to come in five minutes. If she had wasted anymore time, she'd be late for the bus and for school.
Her mother was making breakfast as Kyri entered the kitchen, panting. "Kyri, what's wrong?" Her mother asked as she set down the plate of sausages on the table.
"Oh, mother." Kyri sighed, resting her head against the wall. "I was almost late for the bus again."
"You need to set that alarm!"
"Mother, I do, it just never goes off."
"I'll have your father check it out when he comes home."
"Ok, good." Kyri looked up at the clock on the wall. "I better go to my bus stop before I really do miss the bus."
"Have a good day at school, Kyrina." Her mother handed her a dollar bill. "Use this to buy a lunch."
"Thank you, mother." Kyri thanked taking the dollar bill out of her mother's hand. She said good-bye, and then grabbing her backpack, she headed out the door.
The breeze caught her by surprise. She saw her own breath when she exhaled the breath of air she's been holding. No time to go back for a coat, she thought sadly. Shivering, she stepped off the porch and jogged to her bus stop.
Waiting for the bus to come, she kicked pebbles onto the road with interest. No cars ever passed by on this road. Kyri liked it that way. She always rode her bike across the road, when the weather was above 60, not below 30.
Kyri looked at her watch, wondrously. Two minutes enouncing, she thought impatiently. What's taking that bus driver so long? Unfortunately, not long enough.
A couple of highschoolers, possibly skipping school, were coming Kyri's way. She hated these highschoolers. They were a group of boys whole always tease Kyri. She hated that more then anything in the whole world. And now it was too late to hide.
They stopped in front of Kyri, grinning madly. One of them, maybe the leader, stepped out. He wore a beanie, not the kind those Jewish people wear, but the kind that you wear during the winter and he wore a black pullover over very baggy jeans and torn shoes.
"Ahhh look! If it isn't the sexy girl who comes from Japan!" He said teasingly. His gang laughed manically. Kyri clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
"Hey Chuck! Try to touch her--"
"Shut up!" Kyri shouted angrily. She despised these teens very much. She never told her mother about them. It would just be tattle telling. She stomped her foot aggressively.
"Let's leave her alone, Orlando." One of the boys spoke up.
Orlando faced the boy who spoke up. "No. Let's not, Drake. Let's not and say we did."
"But Orlando..."
Orlando clutched Drake's collar and lifted the poor teen off of his feet. Drake kicked Orlando right in the face. Orlando fell to the ground, covering his face with his hands. The other boys helped him up, ignoring Drake, who had also fallen.
When Orlando got to his feet, he glared at Drake with his bloody face and said, "Stay away from us, you fucking traitor!" Then he and his group left, leaving Drake behind.
Kyri shivered slightly. Not because she was cold, but because of what she saw. She had never experienced a fight up close before. And never wanted to again.
Drake looked at her. "I-I'm sorry." He said rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know what got over me."
Kyri looked at Drake down on the ground. "It's alright." She said softly. She helped Drake climb to his feet.
"I got tired of those bastards making fun of people." Drake said brushing himself off. "I hope they all go to hell."
Kyri kept her mouth shut. This is a highschooler, she thought. She had never spoken with a highschooler before, except her brother. But this was different. Drake didn't look the type to be hanging out with those boys. He looked like he belonged with a couple of shy boys, like himself.
"Drake Andrews." Drake introduced.
"Kyri Lyoko." Kyri also introduced.
"What grade?"
"Eighth."
"Oh wow. I'm in the tenth. I know I'm supposed to be in school now, but I decided to skip."
Before Kyri could ask why, the bus pulled up unexpectedly. Kyri just managed to say a quick good-bye to Drake before heading off to get on the bus.
Drake watched intensely as the bus rolled down the road. He rubbed his neck, where Orlando had pinched. Then with a withering glance at the sky, he continued on his way.