Just as Katie was about to smile and approach the girl, another girl ran past her from behind. Katie's steps stopped, and her gaze fixed on the color of the hair before her. It was brown-reddish, just like the boy's she remembered.
Katie looked at the owner of the hair, and instantly her body was rooted in place.
Katie had never seen anyone so beautiful with a smile like a blinding sun. Katie could almost see a pair of wings on the girl's back as she bounced with excitement with the girl who called her 'Katie.' She felt like seeing an angel coming down to earth.
Katie suddenly felt like she was reminiscing. Why does she feel she has dejavu? It seemed as if she had met this red-haired girl. Did she ever dream about her? It couldn't be. Why on earth did she dream about a girl?
Katie stuttered when she realized the red-haired girl, and the girl she thought had called her name, looked at her with a confused expression.
Apparently, without her knowledge, her legs had brought her in front of the two girls. Why did she have to daydream anyway? And why did her feet betray her? Will she act something embarrassing on her first day at school?
Katie calmed herself and cleared her throat to neutralize the awkward atmosphere between the three of them.
"Hi, I'm a new kid here. I'm from Iowa. My name is Katleen Morse, a music class kid. Nice to meet you." said Katie while extending her right hand nervously. What if they don't want to shake hands with her? What if they reject her?
What if it turns out that the two girls in front of her were high-class social and despised her?
Katie even felt her body sweating all over her body as she was waiting for the two girls' responses. Whereas before, she had never been this nervous when dealing with strangers.
Maybe because of her experience in Iowa School, where everyone isolated her and outcasted her, she no longer dared to face strangers and was easily scared when meeting new people.
But unexpectedly, her hand was warmly welcomed by the angel reddish haired girl earlier.
"Hi, my name is Catherine West from communication class. Nice to meet you."
That was the first encounter between Katleen and Catherine. Ever since their meeting, the two of them became close despite different classes. Wherever Katie was, there would be Cathy next to her and vice versa. For some reason, they both were inseparable as if they found their other half.
Katleen felt comfortable, and she was never lonely every time she saw Catherine's face while Catherine had a maternal soul that always protected and defended her when someone bothered her.
Because they are often together and their nickname was similar to the title 'Katie,' which sounds like 'Cathy' and vice versa, Katie decided to change her nickname and asked them to call her Kei.
"Why does it have to be Kei? That sounds masculine. Kitty suits you better." Mercy commented, followed by a nod of agreement from her friends.
"Kitty? It's suitable. Sounds cute, just like the person." Cathy said with her trademark smile that made Katie blush.
Katie's cheerful, innocent attitude and never knowing how to argue with the other kids' insults made Cathy and Mercy want to protect her.
Mercy used her power as the daughter of the Mercure group family while Cathy used her sharp eyes, and her authority silenced all those who tried to oppress Katie.
For the first time since she left Lousiana, Katie was able to enjoy school life again peacefully. And who would have known, her relationship with Cathy was even closer to ten years later. Both were like siblings who were always ready to help one another when someone needs help.
And slowly, her memories about the red-haired boy evaporated in her mind. Only the key chain the boy gave her sometimes made her remember the past occasionally.
But this time, Katie did not hold onto her past memories. She decided to forget it because it seemed like the child had forgotten her too.
For now, she will focus on her school, chasing her dream as a singer and above all...
Be herself.
Be Katleen Morse, a normal girl.
One day, Katie had a dream. She dreamed of something she had not remembered for a long time.
In her dream, she was playing 'red hooded girl' with her friends. Katie ran while laughing when being chased by the child who played the 'wolf' after her. That's when she saw the red-haired boy.
At that time, she did not remember the child's name, so she called him the nickname 'red hair boy.' Of course, the boy was annoyed and told her to call his name correctly.
'Hey! My name is not red hair boy. My name is... '
Katie saw the boy move his mouth in her dream. But she could not hear it at all as if she watched a TV, but the volume was muted.
Who? What is his name? Sometimes she felt frustrated because she could not remember the child's name.
In her sleep, Katie's eyebrows intertwined in trying to hear the boy's voice when he mentioned his name. But the results were in vain because someone shook her body and woke her from sleep.
Ck. Damn author, why did you have to wake me up??
[author: it's not me though 🤦‍♀️]