"It’s Friday, 10 a.m. and it’s spring. The weather is fantastic for a walk... instead I’m in this dammed lab..." Bored, Sarah took a pipe and she looked to the board, where was a chemical formula that was the result of the mix of two chemical substances. "Damn, I can’t remember which were to mix!" she thought, regarding the inside of the tube in her hand. She looked around: everyone looked focus in the exercise. Sarah rolled her eyes, putted the protective glasses in her face and resolved to risk...

BUM!!!, everyone heard. Everyone took off their protective glasses and they looked at Sarah: the mix she has done had exploded. At the sound of laughter, Sarah took off her glasses from her face that got dirty from the explosion.

- Miss Nagel! – everyone heard, making them quiet themselves. The teacher was back to the classroom.

- Sorry, Mr. Messanger. I got distracted. – sorried a bored Sarah.

- As always... Go wash your face. The class is almost over, so you can take the time you want, but you have to talk with me later.

-

- Yes, Mr. Messanger. – said Sarah, going out from the classroom, feeling the electronic door closing behind her.

Outside, in the calm white halls of the high school, everything was in silence. The High school New Hope was one of the first schools to be constructed after the Phantoms’ crisis. Now, 17 years after, the Earth was living in peace and prosperity. There were no wars, no poor countries, and no misunderstandings. It was a world dream, a utopia come true, only possible thanks to the union of all human beings after the death season that toured them apart. Now they were in 2081, and the Council was ruling the United States, after Leader Ross’ sudden death.

Exposed in the wall, near the director’s cabinet, there was a picture of her, in the moment of the high school opening. She was a thin figure, but posh, with long black hair and a secret smile, in the middle of some men and women dresses formally, and smiling. "Why is her name Aki? It don’t sound to a American name to me..." questioned Sarah. The American patriotics had raised some eyebrows to this fact: how could it be possible, to have a leader with a foreign name, and a Japanese one?! It looked like the Pearl Harbour attack was still present in their memory, even thought they didn’t live it. A true nonsense. But in one everyone were right: Ross was very beautiful. She was said to be extremely intelligent.

Sarah remembered what she was going to do, and she went to the toilet. Once there, she washed her face, then she closed the water and looked to the mirror. "How lucky! That stupid zip is a goner! Great!", she thought. Suddenly she heard the door opening. It was Joan, her best friend.

- Uff! I hate that damn Messanger! He’s soooo boring… - the newbie said, straining her arms like if she was awakening from her sleep. Then, with her hands, she agitated her medium curly blond hair, and Sarah could distinguish a smile in that round face, almost childlish. Joan was short, and sometimes Sarah and herself would joke with that: Sarah would support one of her elbows in one of Joan’s shoulders and she would say: So, how is ot going? Excuse me if I stepped on you; I didn’t saw you…" The two were friends since the primary school, and they were non-separable.

- Did the bell ring?

- No. It was me who couldn’t stand more all that boring class and I pretended I was feeling bad. – she answeres, with a ironical laugh. Then she made a serious face and she started to imitate the teacher:

- Miss Nagel, you are really clubsy! Miss Summers, didn’t your parents teach you that eating chewing gum in classroom is a act of total desrepect to the teacher?

Sarah laughed in outbursts. They ended both of them laughing like mad people, then the bell ringed.

- It’s better to get going, the WC with be full in one minute...

- Oh, I was almost forgoting! Mr-Boring-As-Hell-Messanger asked me to remember you that he has to talk with you.

- Yes, I had already forget that… shall we?

- Get’s go! I’m wait for you at the door.

- Ah, Miss Nagel! I thought you wouldn’t come… - ironizated Messanger, seeing Sarah at the door asking for permition to enter in the classroom – Come in, I have something to talk with you. If you want, you can sit.

The girl accepted the invitation, and she seated in one of the chairs of the front row.

- Listen, Miss Nagel… Sarah. May I call you Sarah?

- Of course, sir.

- Sarah: first let me say that I know that all my pupils think that I’m a boring teacher, things like that… I just don’t care, you know? I was like that at your age… What is your age?

- 16, sir.

- Sixteen, already? My, oh my, youngsters grow so fast now! Changing the subject: I would like you to see me as a person who only want to give you a advice, and not a boring teacher, okay?

- Okay, Mr. Messanger.

- What you want to do with your life, Sarah? Did you already decided?

- Yes; I would like to study psychology, or another Human Science, like Modern History.

- Do you have a special reason to justify your choise?

- As the matter of facts, I do. I just want to help people, and I want to understand better the world that rounds me.

- You are a bizare girl. – smiled Messanger – While the others try to study hard to get a good job, with a good salary and a good reputation, you are more interested in understanding the world. You could be a great philosopher! – he laughed – Well, actually, you’re just very human. I’m sure you’ll take the best choise. – he concluded, getting up from his chair.

- Why did you want to have this conversation with me? – asked sarah, after putting her chair in its place.

- Lately you have been with your head in the clouds, and I thought that it was this matter that was disturbing you. You know, I’m very happy for knowing that you know that you want and you are not being influencied by the others.

- I would fail if I had chosed Sciences… - laughed Sarah.

- You did the best. Just one more thing: how are things going at home?

- In the same. My mother stoped with her dump things, she’s more calm now. She got so sorry for beating me that she offered me a new computer. She’s very weird…

- I understand. If you need something, you can talk with me. But don’t tell anyone about this conversasion. I need to keep my image…

- Thank you, sir. See you tomorow. – Sarah laughed.

When Sarah got out from the classroom, she didn’t find her friend Joan. Sudderly she noticed a new video message in her cell phone. It was Joan.

Sorry, girl! A emergency apeared... I’ll tell you later!

See ya!

.

Sarah smiled. Even they didn’t have the same disciplines, they were going home always together, since they lived next to the other and their classes end at the same hour.

And, in fact, at the end of the classes, there she was, waiting for Sarah, in the exit.

- You got late! I won’t forgive you… - joked.

- Look who’s talking! You’re the one who left me! – joked Sarah.

- Oh, yes! I told you that I would explain what happened! It was a emergency meeting ot my science club. We have a report to show in the next Friday, and there was someone who got sick and couldn’t go… But it’s all resolved! Sorry I didn’t tell you on time…

- It’s okay!

- Then can I know what Messager wanted to talk with you?

- Nothing special.

- Let me guess: it was about your choises for college, wasn’t it? It’s okay to tell, he talked with me about that as well…

- He asked me if I knew what I want to do, because lately I’ve been a little distracted…

- You ARE distracted. By the way, why did you chosed Biology?

- I need that for Phycology.

- Yes, I had already forgot… But you can manage it! You’re intelligent. Maybe more than me…

- Don’t say that! You’re very intelligent as well! If not, you wouldn’t be the vice-president of the Science Club.

- You’re right... You know, there was people who got sad because you didn’t chosed Sciences…

- I know. And all because my physical appearance…

And she remembered the story again: when Sarah entered in New Hope, many people noticed in her similarity with Leader Ross: Sarah is tall, elegant, thin. She have long and straight black hair, torn brown eyes, a quiet expression. Only her smile was different: simple, honest.

It was impossible that Sarah could be Ross’ daughter, Natsu Ross: she had died with her mother, in the accident, and if she was still alive, she would have 17 years old. They made DNA tests to Sarah: the results were negative. But people continued to believe that Sarah was going to be a great scientist, like Ross. But she didn’t want that: she had her own personality, her own life. Joan laughed always, responding: "It’s a genetic trick. Sometimes there are people who look like celebrities, without having a link to that celebity."

- Genetic trick… eheheh.

- It happends to the best ones! Will you go out with me and Angelo to the mall?

- Of course yes! I missed him so much…

- Sarah, the last time you saw him, it was a week ago! I could swear that you have a cruch on him…

- Oh, stop that! – blushed Sarah.

As always, Sarah entered at home, placed her bad in the conner and she went to kiss her mother hello. Her mother, Kate, had already arrived from work, and she was in the kitchen.

- Hi mom.

- Hi sweetie! How was school?

- Great. But I got a A- in Phycology. How was work?

- Good. I’ll be back at 3 p.m. You had a A-?

- I wasn’t very confident on myself in that day…

Kate smiled.

- You have A’s in everything.

- Except in Biology.

- No one is perfect… Are you going out this afternoon?

- I’m going to the mall with Joan and Angelo.

Kate nodded afirmately to show her affability.

- Have fun. At what hours you’ll go?

- At four p.m.

- Okay.

- I’m going to change.

She ran to her room to quicky get rid of her damn school uniform. It was a cream suit with a white shirt, a blue tie and a short skirt, but not much. She took all this off to dress her favorite clothes: a green and very fresh shirt, her black short skirt and her long socks, one green and one blue. And her boots of military style.

The socks have a funny story: Sarah and Joan were making some shopping and each of they bought a pair of socks. Sarah’s pair was blue and Joan’s pair was green. As a proof of their friendship, they decided to switch a sock. Joan uses the blue one on her left leg and the green one on her right leg, and Sarah the opposite.

She freed her long hair from the two braids that were imprisoned it, and she looked at her figure in the mirror. She looked closer to her little medal, that was always with her. She had that medal since a little girl, and she always used it, hanging in her neck. It was a strange medal, it have some simbols that were strange to her (maybe Chinese or Japanese writing?). Her recalled the day she asked to her mother about it, but wht she got was a shrink of shoulders. "It was your father who gave you this when you were very young. He found it beautiful." Such answer seemed like… weird. She looked at the clock: she still have to eat lunch and study a little, before going out.

After getting out of home, in the middle of the street, Sarah stopped in the middle of the crowd, when she saw someone who looked at the same time familiar and strange to her.

It wasn’t the first time she could see him. IN speaking the true, Sarah remembers him since her childhood. And he never changed: always dressing in black, with the pinted hood of the coat in his head, showing some obscurity. Sarah was never able to see his face.

When he passed by her, she listened his voice whispering something:

- Look out. Get ready.

The girl turned, ready to face him, but he was gone. She tried to figure out where he was, but in the end she continued her path.

In arriving to her destiny, Joan and Angelo were already waiting for her.

- You’re late again! – Joan laughted, and Sarah smiled.

- Hi, Angelo. How’s it going?

- Hi, Sarah! I missed you…

- But the last time I saw you it was two weeks ago!

- Hey! Let’s go! – called Joan.

Angelo and Sarah sighed.

- Let’s go…

This time they were going to the movies, and when they were going to buy the tickets, Sarah remembered the stranger.

- Joan? Never felt like if someone is watching you all the time?

- Errr… It’s not dificult… We are in a mall, surrouded by people…

- I’m talking about other thing...

Joan got paled.

- You saw him again? – asked Angelo.

Sarah noded with her head. The two friends freeked out.

- And in this time he spoke.

- What did he said?

- He told me to be carefull and to prepare myself.

- That’s scary…

Silence...

- Okay! Get’s get going, today I would like to go to the hairdresser.

- The hairdresser? What for? – asked Angelo, with a curious smile.

- You’ll see…

After an hour of wait, finnaly Sarah got out from the hairdresser. At seeing her, both the friends got amazed.

Her enormous black hair was reduced, and the tips were painted in red, what make a spectacular contrast with her natural color.

- So, how do I look? – she asked, smiling naughty.

- It looks great!

The three friends laughed.

- Let’s walk a little more.

Meanwhile, in the forth floor, the stranger was watching Sarah, who seemed truly happy with her new look.

- Be strong. Get ready… - he whispered, before turning his back and disapearing in the middle of the crowd.