The Nameless Girl

In the northern part of the city stood a large 2500 sq. ft. contemporary home. Its beauty was only comparable to its outside floral and well maintained lawn and bushes. Inside the lavish home, in its third bathroom on the top floor was a young lady in a white gown, slowly brushing her long waist length hair while looking in the mirror. Then as suddenly as she started, she stopped and placed the brush on the sink and let out a sigh that seemed to exclaim her absolute boredom.

“I guess that’s fine for now.” She says to herself.

She takes a look at her hands and slowly moves them up and down her arms. “A little more moisturizer would do the trick.” And then she reaches for the lotion at the top of her bathroom cabinet. Unable to reach it she extends her hands a bit more and gets on the tips of her toes. Once again unable to reach it she uses her left hand to push herself up while continuing to reach with her right. Once again unable to reach it…

“AAAAAGGGGGHHH!!!” The 4’10” blonde haired girl lets out a very agitated roar and then walks out the bathroom in a huff. Immediately following her departure an elegantly designed step stool, with designs etched into its wooden legs with a pink cushion on top, comes flying into the bathroom, ricocheting off the bathtub and landing on the floor after being hurled into the room.

“Just because I’m using you, doesn’t mean I have a use for you!” The blonde haired girl says while stomping on the ground.

She places the step stool in place and stands on it to get her body lotion, “I swear! Why’d they make everything for freakishly tall people!”

From down the hall heavy steps could be heard rushing to the area where she was located.

“Sweetheart!” A middle aged man with a short crew cut and small glasses rushes in, “I heard a loud noise are you alright?”

The blonde haired girl turns to her father and looks at him for a brief second and then immediately turns away, shunning any type of affection that he may attempt to provide to her.

“Ack!” he immediately slumps over as his daughter turns away from him. “Look, I’m sorry A…”

She immediately cuts him off, “Don’t call me that name! I don’t want to be called by that name ever!”

Her father makes a sad expression and looks down.

“Do I look Japanese to you huh? Was Mom Japanese huh? I named myself since someone has to be an adult here. If you want to call me anything, it’s Erin Til Alexandra.”

Her father makes a strange face, “...uh princess you sure you want to have a name like that?”

“And another thing” she continues on without paying attention to his comment, “Stop giving me these silly gifts.”

She walks to her room and starts rummaging through her things. “Like this!” She pulls out a Japanese bell wind chime. “Do you know how annoying this is? It sounds like someone is banging an empty jar outside my room. For the last time, I don’t like noodles.”

“...Sorry hun, I should be more considerate. I just wanted to share my passion with you.”

“Passion? More like obsession!” ‘Erin’ slams her door shut and quickly finishes getting dressed, slipping on a pink sweater and long brown boots. Then the door opens with as much intensity as it was closed with.

Erin walks down the stairs and heads out the door, leaving her father behind. Her father begins speaking as if her mother was near him. “Dear what am I going to do with her, how can I become closer?”

Erin walk down the street, “I don’t understand him, I really don’t. All anime obsessed weirdos are nothing but trouble.”

“Ah..ah…aaaachhhoooo!” Trey sneezes

“B..bless…acchoooo!” Isabel sneezes while trying to talk to Trey.

“That was odd.” Anthony says, “Maybe you guys… Achooo, achooo! AaahhhhhChooooo!!!” Anthony sneezes three times in a row.

“What’s happening is our health is getting weak and we’re slowly dying thanks to impulsive Isabel.”Trey says with his usual snarky attitude.

“Impulsive Isabel.” Anthony says to himself, “I kinda like the sound of that.”

“I know, I know Trey.” Isabel addresses him, “Suddenly it feels like we bit off more than we can chew but I know we can do it.”

“Ugh, save the speech okay. Hand me the scissors.” She passes Trey the scissors. “Complaining isn’t going to change anything now and we might as well face the challenge then…run from it.”

Isabel smiles thinking of the meaning of his words, “Yeah, lets.”

“This is nice and all but I think I’m going to die here.” Anthony exclaims, “Sitting in one place too long drives me insane. I have to see the world, the movement, bright lights, explosions, and hot anime babes.”

Neither of them could refute Anthony as they were slowly going crazy themselves.

“Let's wrap up what we’re working on and take a quick breather.” Isabel says.

“Unfortunately it can’t be too long, we do have a lot to finish today if we are going to have to submit this.” Trey says.

“Unfortunately the concept phase took a little longer than I initially assumed it was going to be.” Isabel puts down her marker and lays her head down on the table.

“Uh…” Anthony looks at her laying face down on the table, turns and looks at Trey and then back at her. Then he picks up his pen and pokes her with it gently to try to get a response from her. After failing to get a response from Isabel, Anthony says, “I guess that’s our cue to leave for break.”

“Yeah, it’s time for a break.” Isabel says as she puts her things in her backpack.

“So where are you going to go?” Trey says

Isabel responds, “I’m just going to sit outside the library on their benches. I think just getting some air and clearing my head is what I need and some fresh air will do the trick.”

“Okay, I’m going to head across the street and pick up something to drink. Be right back.” Trey says as he walks out the door.

Isabel with her backpack over her shoulder walks outside and sits down on the bench. She leans back and closes her eyes and lets the sunset hit her.

“Ah, that feels good.” she says, then stretches her arms up and then places them across the table so that she can rest her head in it. She smiles as the breeze blows through her hair.

“Yo.”

Isabel lifts her head and turns to see Anthony sitting beside her.

“Hey, Isabel?”

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say, thank you. Everything has been changing quickly and I’m having a lot of fun.”

“Huh? No way. If anything, I should thank you. You’ve the one that got me going and wanted to do something like this. If it weren’t for you I would have probably stayed in my shell where I couldn’t get hurt or had to deal with anyone.”

Anthony looks down at his feet and makes a small smile then returns his gaze back to Isabel, “Yeah, but…how do I say this. I feel like I don’t understand or can’t interact with others in the best way. It’s like I can’t understand what’s considered awkward and not to others. I loved watching anime and loved hearing their songs, so I blast them because why not. Why does it matter what language it is or not. Why is it ok for other songs and other people?”

Anthony pauses and Isabel watches him but waits for him to finish his thought.

“I know I can be weird at times.” He continues, “I know maybe I don’t approach things the right way. Heck, how could I get other people to understand me if I don’t even understand myself at times. I just do what seems right, you know? I…I just, I don’t know…”

Anthony begins to trail off. Isabel recognizing that he is unable to continue on his thoughts cuts in.

“It’s alright Anthony. I feel like it’s like this for a lot of people but for some they just can’t bear being different and liking different things so they just follow, adapt and dislike anything that goes against the grain.”

“I’m glad you understand me. I don’t mind people not liking the same thing as me but it’s them thinking that I’m crazy for liking it is what bugs me.”

“Don’t worry.” Trey cuts and places two sodas on the table next to both of them. “Soon they’ll understand. That’s why we’re doing this project, right?” He says while turning and looking towards Isabel. “Now drink up. Our break is almost over.”

Isabel and Trey both grab their sodas and pops the top off. They look at each other, nod and then take big gulps and continue drinking until they both finish off the drinks.

Isabel puts down the drink and stands up, “Alrights guys, let's go! We have a deadline to meet, the exhibit goes up this Monday!”

With that last battle cry the team goes back into the library and begins their hard work.

****

It was midday Monday afternoon, Erin sat in her last class for the day while paying close attention to her teacher’s final lesson and assignment being explained. In an attempt to escape the tedium, she keeps her hands busy by pulling at her blue blazer and straightening out her pleated skirt.

She was never a fan of the uniform but it was required for her private school and she had no interest in rebelling against that. She had more than enough issues on her plate. Erin's thoughts then went towards her father.

“I wonder what we are having for dinner tonight.” She thinks to herself, “Probably sushi or something like that knowing him. What a pain…I just don’t get that guy.”

Before she knows it, which was once her being very attentive during class has changed to her being distracted. Without knowing it the final minutes of the class had passed and everyone was leaving.

“Oh.” She says with a surprised tone. Then she packs up her bags and immediately heads to the bathroom. Before even exiting the building, anxious to get out of her uniform, she changes in one of the stalls. Swapping out the blazer, dress shirt and pleated shirt for a light purple long sleeve top and a white skirt. She then takes the ribbon out of her hair to let her pony tail out and all her hair to fall down elegantly.

“Time to make my escape.” She says as she fold up her uniform, place it in her backpack and head out the door. “I can’t wait to go home and relax.” She says with a smile, a smile that soon slowly begins to slowly disappear.

“...home.” As she repeats herself the things that she relates to that word appears in her head. Her mother who is no longer with her and the image of her mother and father together smiling happily from her point of view as a child. Now she’s gone and the only thing she thinks of when she sees her father is his stupid obession with Japanese culture.

“I don’t feel like going home.”

Erin finds herself in the local mall just roaming around and thinking but the more she thinks the angerier she gets at everything. “Stupid Japan. Stupid noodles. Stupid anime. I don’t want to see any of that ever.”

Before she can wrap up her thoughts she comes to an immediate halt as she sees right at the center of the mall a display of works showcasing various different anime as well as other artworks around her.

Completely astonished she couldn’t help but to say out loud, “What is this, some kind of joke?”