Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ One Of Those Times You Wish You'd Stayed Indoors ❯ An Unexpected Pilgrimage ( Chapter 1 )

It all started when I was going into the auditorium for a special meeting. Our small school had a huge auditorium. It had a huge circular floor and four downward ramps that led into it. Each ramp looked like a huge upside down triangle.

As we walked down the ramp leading from the cafeteria Carrie and I joked to each other about how brown the mauve carpeting looked. Everything was mauve in that room. The seats, which were set up in the same circular fashion-the wall hangings for better acoustics were the same color, we had to remove the flags of our country because this event was going to be special. Nothing like this had ever happened to us before.

During the entire event-which was supposed to last two days-we couldn't show anything that might be mistaken as propaganda or one's show of superiority. Pride was threatening to this sort of event but we didn't know why.

Carrie flicked at her red hair. "You know...this will be our first and last look at a real pilgrimage. I hear one of those rock-stars is taking part it in."

"You're joking. Who?" I dusted off my glasses and struggled to fish out my contact lenses case from my jeans pocket. I had to lift up my black sweatshirt because it hung extremely low over my hips.

Carrie chuckled at me. "That's why I never wear my glasses. I'd never be able to read that 'no smoking' sign on the door." When she giggled her eyes seemed so green and her long straight red hair swayed back and forth.

A teacher from one of the other classes pushed at our backs gently. "You need to go to your seats." She said.

"So," Carrie started, "Have you ever heard of Miyavi?"

I had but I wasn't too familiar with him-I knew what he looked like at least. "He's going to be on the pilgrimage? Why? I didn't think he was that religious...didn't even know he was religious at all."

We came to a row of seats near the center of the ramp we were traveling down. Carrie yanked my arm. I just saw her left pink sweater sleeve grab my wrist as she dragged me to a seat. "Jenny, this is the best seat in the house!!! We'll see him better than anyone else will!!"

I was beginning to think that she was really looking forward to seeing this guy. I remembered pictures of him-I had to admit-I was too!!!

As soon as we sat down everyone else did too. The auditorium got a little darker and the spotlights focused on what would count as the left corner of the front.

There were several people lined up. Probably about twenty...it was like they just suddenly appeared. Some girls were chattering beside me and Carrie punched my arm. "Look look!!! There he is!!!! He's da!!!" Sorry, but Carrie and I don't speak English constantly. It's kind of like our own secret language.

It sucks that we had to listen to the other girls speak English while our's was translated back to us over a stupid loudspeaker. There were only twenty-five girls in this school that were American and some such. It wasn't fair-but we understood, anyway.

"Please, students behave! This is a peaceful journey for these proud people. Miguel has joined them on this mission of mercy."

"Miguel...where do they think we are Mex? What is the place...Spin...? I thought you said Miyavi was going to be with them?!" I folded my arms in disappointment and continued to grumble.

"Jenny-it's Mexico and Spain you're thinking of. Besides-doesn't the guy walking up to the podium look a little odd to be called Miguel? Look at those narrow eyes-look at his skin color!! For crying out loud-look how lanky he is-and check the picture that the projectors are putting up on the screens. Look at how many piercings he has on his lower lip-he's defi-"

Anything more she said...I couldn't hear. I couldn't even hear "Miguel" speak-all the girls...which was everyone at this school and all those that came from other countries to witness this, were on their feet and screaming praises and all. Carries words were drowned out. It was kind of funny-she stopped talking after she noticed me continuously nodding at her...she could have asked what my favorite color was and all I did was nod.

She shot me a disgusted and look and knew it would be a good time to stop nodding. I looked at the larger image on the screens. He looked kind of pale-at least compared to my skin color. He had four piercings in his lower lip...black shiny hoops, to be exact. I loved his soft feminine features too. His long straight black hair was perfect!! One of my other favorite things about how this guy looked was this kind of sneer...or lip curl. It reminded me of America's Billy Idol. Ooooh, what I wouldn't give to see those lips curl like that with my own eyes and not on some silly cloth screen.

I still never got to hear the guy speak. The carpeted door behind the group opened and "Miguel" nodded to the school's administration department and joined his fellow pilgrims. He waved at everyone with his skinny arms held high. It was then that I noticed he was wearing tight fitting blue jeans and a black t-shirt with a picture of himself on it. Above the picture were purple letters that spelled out "Miyavi." I was kind of led to believe that this guy wasn't really named "Miguel."

All the screaming stopped after the group turned their backs on us and walked out into the bright green forest that surrounded out school.

After the automatic doors were shut we waited to join the people who were leaving the auditorium. There were thousands of people getting up-a flood of people. It was great to see. We may not have known what their mission was, exactly, but it was a first and only thing-I love those!! It was great to behold something that important-I felt important.

Two days later the scene was to repeat itself. We were going to see the pilgrims return!!! We would see the guy that Carrie told me was Miyavi!!! I had listened to a couple of his songs-actually, Carrie forced me to listen to them...I didn't mind but she didn't have to shove the damn ear piece to her walkman so far down into my ear canal. I liked what I heard though...even if my ears did bleed for a couple hours.

I was determined to have him sign my...well...Carrie's cd.

We sat down in the same spot we pilfered two days ago. Heck, the same teacher even pushed us down the ramp again. Carrie turned around to stick her tongue out her this time!! It was hilarious-I shut one of my eyes and held up two fingers and stuck out my tongue to join in the razzing!! Carrie and I are such brats!

The automatic doors opened as the room went darker. The light from the forest soaked the left side of the room and leaves and branches could be seen dancing in a soft white light. After a minute, the pilgrims emerged. It was wonderful to see them again...even though I can't remember what the others looked like. Everyone was cheering as the guests split into odd numbered groups and climbed the ramps, to give us a better look at them.

I smiled as they passed on my left and right. Carrie, however, was not happy. She looked dumbfounded...well, like she was trying her best to hide being dumbfounded.

"What's wrong?" I asked her as the pilgrims gathered in the main hallway towards the front of the school-everyone had left and we didn't have to rejoin our classes. It was going to be a question answer session before the city busses would pick us up and take us home. Carrie was going to let me sleep over and listen to more Japanese music!!! Yep, Miyavi is a Japanese musician-that's so cool!!! He's from the second land of ninja!!! (The first was China!!)

Carrie pushed her way out, with me in tow. She never told me what was wrong until someone asked one of the pilgrims where "Miguel" was.

"We lost sight of him. It was a horrible experience-he was such a nice man. Rebels attacked us and his legs were rendered useless in the escape. We lost sight of him...I'm sorry, from all of the group...we are sorry."

They were speaking in English again. Carrie was about to take her shoe off and throw it at them but I grabbed her hand. "We can't-look at all the American people in front of us."

"Yeah, they're just a bunch of nashorn." She said as she bent her thumb inward and stuck out her pointer finger-which she then planted on the tip of her nose. Oh, "nashorn," they said in our German class is what you "English" speaking people call a rhino-you know the big gray creatures with horns on their noses.

Carrie nodded to me and we both stormed off out of the building while the pilgrims were antagonized with more questions. The media was primed to skin them alive-it was kind of funny!!

"We need to find out what happened to him!" my best friend of twelve years said as she slapped the back of her fist into her right palm.

"How do we do that? The rebels will have us dead!"

"Jenny, the rebels aren't for miles and they are along the beach, anyway."

She turned and left me alone...the day was not going to get any better from there...I could tell and for the most part...my feelings were always right.