Sci Fi & Fantasy / Chapter one

        The sun hung over the city of Seattle as a girl slept in her room in the early morning.  The small window was letting long streams of light on the bed and lit up her room with dusty rays.  She muttered something from her dreams as she rolled over.  It was barely 7:00 when her clock started buzzing loudly at her.  She jumped and jerked her head up.
        “Where’s the damn fire?” she said grumpily to her clock.  When her only answer was more buzzing, she used just enough energy to turn off the alarm and lay back in her bed to go to sleep.
        “Hiko!  GET UP!” her father’s voice came from downstairs.
        “Alright!  I’m up, I’m up…,” she said still groggy.  ‘It’s summer break for crying out loud.  Why do I have to get up so early?’ she thought bitterly.  She dragged her feet as she found the door to her bathroom.  The teen had already started to take a shower before she thought about what she was doing.  ‘Oh yeah, I have to help dad with the shop.’  She rolled her eyes.  Finishing up in the bathroom, she went into her room.  “Hmmmm…,” she said sarcastically to herself, “what article of clothing from my floor should I choose today?”  She finally decided on a plain black t-shirt and jeans with her metal studded belt.  A typical outfit for a typical day.  Hiko looked at herself in the mirror.  Her jet-black hair had just been brushed but it was still a mess, but she hadn’t cut it in almost a year, and it looked as if she hacked it off with an axe.  She had a strange lock of hair that fell in front of her face and she half-smiled at the thought of the fact that only she knew why she had it.  She rushed downstairs to the shop floor, because she knew her dad would be getting impatient.  “See, I’m up.  And in record time too.” she said with a smile that revealed her large canine teeth.
        “Yeah right.  I timed you.  It took you nearly an hour.  What do you do in that shower?” her blond dad said as she moved passed him to start carrying boxes of supplies.
        “You know, the whole bandanna trying to cover your graying ponytail is getting old.  When will you cut your hair?” the teen retorted.
        “I could ask you the same thing.  And I like my hair just the way it is.  Besides, I’m 36.  I’m not that old.” he said making a hurt face.
        “Touché.”  Hiko smiled.  She loved morning banter because it helped wake her up.  Setting the boxes down, she made her way over to a small picture of a smiling Japanese woman on the back wall.  “Morning Mom.  How are you today?” she paused for an answer.  “Good.”  She paused before continuing.  “I feel silly talking to you sometimes, but I just need to say something right now.”  Hiko started.  She turned to make sure her dad wasn’t listening.  “Hey, I had…uh…you know…that dream again.  It’s so weird.  I think it’s warning me about my past.  I think it’s gonna catch up to me and it scares me…  I hope not, but I can’t say I haven’t expected it.”  Looking at the unmoving picture of a small woman whom she’d never met made her laugh to herself a little.  She always felt silly talking to a picture.  She didn’t even remember her mom, nor did she believe in an afterlife, so she had often wondered why she talked to the picture.  Sighing she stood up and walked away to continue her chores.  Just as she did, the door in front of the shop opened.

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