"Where the hell is this room?" Firinne Makoto McAvoy trudged up the stairs to a level she was sure she had already been on. Twice. For this building being much smaller than the last school's she had been in everything was much more confusing, and everything looked the same. She really would have preferred to not be too late. Firinne, or Effy as she was called by her parents, and old friends, wanted to blend in with the crowd. That was a bit difficult when you were full-blooded Scottish. She even had the bright red hair to top it off.

Nearly every native she met in this country would speak to her in English, or would ask if she was here with an exchange program, but she didn't blame them. How could they possibly know that her parents, who had lived in Scotland, and had owned a very successful graphic design company, had decided to move to Japan to help with the expansion of their company, and ended up liking it so much they decided to stay, and start a family. Thankfully, because of it, Effy was fluent in English, and Japanese from a young age.

About a year ago her parents had talked about moving out of the middle of the bustling city of Tokyo, and here she was now. Stuck in a cute, little town on the shore, full of people who didn't know her. It was a fresh start. Time to be someone different, someone new. It didn't matter too much though. She only had one year, and then she would go to University; her only goal was to be first in her class here, as she had been nearly every other year before at her previous one.

Finally she stopped slowed at a door, which was being pulled shut. Her hand reach out to yank at the handle. She drew back, realizing that may have been a bit brash, and a little rude. Her own hazel eyes flicked up to the startled, bright green ones of the boy who had been pulling the door closed. He stared at her for a moment before allowing her swing open the door, and shuffle into the classroom. She shoved the note from the main office at the teacher, which had excused her from the weekly morning assembly, and for being tardy to class.

She went to sit at the closest, and only, available seat, but was stopped by the boy who had nearly shut the door on her. The teacher nodded at him, and he cleared his throat lightly.

"Excuse me, would you mind introducing yourself?" He said it slowly, as if he didn't quite expect her to understand. She was quick to answer.

"I am McAvoy Firinne, I moved here from Tokyo, I am seventeen-years-old. I am very excited to be studying here with all of you." Her face remained a deadpan, and her words were even, and fast. She relished in seeing the mild surprise on everyones face, including the boy's.

"Alright, well," he said after a moment, "You may sit there, behind me." He smiled nearly too kindly, as she shrugged to the seat she had originally been aiming for. "Tachibana Makoto," she tensed in her seat at his first name, as it was her very own middle name, but she ended up with her head in the clouds by the time he was calling role. Her pencil found its way to a notebook, and wonderful pictures erupted from the thin canvas. "Nanase Haruka…? McAvoy Firinne?..."

"Hai." She lifted her hand a few inches into the air, and kept drawing as he went down the list. Every other person barely made a noise as he read. This was the beginning of their second trimester now, and it looked like everyone already knew everyone else. In that moment she gave up the small hope that she could make any friends. Her parents had been sure to remind her that she needed to stay focused on her grades especially here. The courses may be a little easier compared to her old private school, but she still needed to keep her head above water.

"It's nice to meet you McAvoy-san." She jumped, realizing the boy who had taken roll was sitting in front of her now. His soft, brown hair nearly fell in front of his grassy eyes. She nodded once, looking back down at her notebook. "Do you have a pencil?" A smart remark was at the tip of her tongue, but she held it back, insteading opting to hand him the utensil with a silent, empty smile. He hadn't turned back around in his seat yet though. "Do you know anyone with the name Matsouka?" He noticed how she tensed for a millisecond, and the pained expression that barely brushed over her face, but didn't say a word about it. Effy shook her head, and waited for him to turn to the front again.

She took a breath, and glanced up at the teacher who was finally speaking. He was droning on about grammar, something that she was a bit fond of, but didn't really care to listen to at the moment. She was exhausted, and tired. Lately, that's all she had really been feeling. Tired. She was constantly tired. Not really in the sleepy way though, she just didn't want to do anything. It was a terrible, and dull feeling, and she wanted it to go away, but there was no way around it that she could think of. The dullness wouldn't go away either. Everything seemed dreary all the time, and she felt bitter about most things.

In a way, all she really wanted was to feel something. Mostly happiness or joy really though.

And I've done some stupid things to try to feel something. She rambled on in her head. But I'm done with that now. That's done. That's over with. I won't do that again. I can't do that again. I don't even have a Winter Uniform yet, there's no way I can get around it this time. I mean, unless someone notices the scars, but even then I'll just have to calmly explain, and they'll just have to understand….

The day came, and went with ease, and when it was over she stayed to clean classroom. After the first class her mind hadn't wandered, and her thoughts had mostly stayed on the teachers, and how she couldn't see around the enormous, broad-shouldered kid in front of her. The kid who had been sitting behind her, she thought his name was Haruka Nanase, had left almost as quickly as possible, and Tachibana, the kid in front had followed suite. Apparently they had something important to do.

She noticed something on Tachibana's desk, and picked it up as she was about to leave.

"Hey! Mako-chan! Haru-chan!" Nagisa came like a whirlwind up the steps behind him.

"I told you to stop calling me that." Haru muttered. He knew his words were pointless, and his tone seemed to convey it.

"I heard that there's going to be a transfer student in your Class! I think Gou told me she's from England, or Ireland, or one of those places."

"Does she speak Japanese?" Makoto asked absentmindedly.

"I don't know. I guess so, I mean probably! She has to know a little. And, hey! Maybe she can help you with your little English problem." Nagisa chuckled.

Makoto tensed for a moment.

"I'm just joking," he paused for a moment, "I'm sorry, I know how serious this is."

Makoto's English marks had gotten low lately. So dangerously low that his parents had threatened to take him off of the swim team.

"Anyway, don't you think it's a little late for someone to be transferring in like this. Especially to the last year of school. It seems a bit odd that she didn't stay in the same place, even if her parents really needed to move." The shortest one wondered aloud.

"I'm sure they had their reasons." Makoto gave a gentle smile with his words, and glanced at Haruka. "I wonder how Gou knows her."

"I'm not sure actually. I don't think she does, she said something about knowing her through her mom knowing her mom. I think she said something about her having a weird name, but her middle name is something traditionally Japanese. Do you think her parents met in Japan? Or maybe she's half Japanese. Or maybe her parents are just obsessed with Japan…? Ooh, I know-"

"Nagisa, you missed your homeroom." Haruka was trailing a little ahead of the other two, and didn't even turn his head to look back at him. He hadn't really been paying attention to anything the blond had been saying. Of course, the only thing on his mind was the water. Makoto had yanked him out of his house before he had the chance to take a bath to show him some cat he had found on the street, and decided to care for. It was kind, but pointless really. He could have shown him at any other time. So Haruka's mind, body, and soul were all centered on the water, and the waves. Thinking about how nice it would be to just run up to that pool right now, and jump in. Or maybe to just skip school, and sit in his tub all day, or maybe even go down the shore.

He looked back over at Makoto, who was talking.

"...and you know I've never met Rin, and Gou's mom. I think I vaguely remember seeing her at one of our meets when we were kids. But I can barely remember now."

Haru nodded along with his friends words, barely gripping onto the sound of his voice.

"So did you meet the transfer girl?" Nagisa hopped into the locker room.

Makoto blushed, and glanced at the door, pulling his goggles out of his bag. He opened his mouth a few times, but couldn't quite find words to describe her.

"Yes."

"Well what was she like?"

"A bit...she wasn't rude, but she didn't...I'm not sure. She didn't really have an accent. And I believe, if anything she may be Scottish."

"Did she know Gou?"

"No, I don't believe so." He wasn't too sure of that answer, but carried on anyway.

"What did she look like?"

Makoto sighed, his hand nearly on the door handle. Nagisa was already changed, but wasting time. "She had red hair, and...her eyes were a bit strange, but pretty. They were hazel, but one had green flecks, and the other had blue flecks. I don't know, I mean she was a little pale, but had a couple freckles on her nose. She was a little shorter than you, and even Gou."

"Did she-?"

"We have to practice Nagisa, come on now."

Effy clutched the notebook in her hands. Makoto probably already thought she rude for her lack of response in class today. He had been polite all through the day, and had actually made a few attempts to start a normal conversation, but it hadn't worked. She rejected him every time, and she couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was hard to trust his kindness and generosity in a world of people who tended to use such emotions, and actions so sparingly.

She stepped out onto the echoing pavement, and stared straight ahead at the two boys who were already in the pool. One boy was in her homeroom. She remembered his name to Haruka. The other she had no clue about.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun, almost startled. A head of maroon hair, and deep eyes greeted her. It was Gou. She prayed that the girl didn't remember, or even really know her. Based on the look in her eyes, she didn't.

"Did you need something?" She asked formally.

"No, well, yeah, um...Tachibana Makoto left this in homeroom, and I was cleaning up, and found. I don't know, someone told me he would be up here, but if he's not then it doesn't really matter. I suppose I can give it to him tomorrow, but we did have English homework so I figured this would be a bit im-"

"McAvoy-san." Makoto appeared behind Gou, smiling plainly.

Firinne furrowed her brow, and blushed at his walking in on her rambling.

"Gou-chan! Help me with Rei!" Nagisa called from the other end of them pool. Makoto chuckled at the three, and turned back to the girl in front of him.

"You left this." She shoved the notebook into his hands.

He looked surprised for a moment, then grateful as a look of relief washed over his face.

"Thank you, very much, McAvoy-san."

"Welcome." She nodded, and went to turn to leave again.

"Wait," he called out. Before she could spin on her heel to turn around, Makoto realized how revealed he felt. He was wearing his jacket, and swim pants, but that didn't make a difference. He felt like he was under a microscope when she looked at him. "Do you prefer being Firinne-san, or McAvoy-san? You're Japanese is perfect, and you don't seem a stranger to any of th-"

"I was born in Japan, Tachibana-san. I know it seems a bit odd, and I understand where you're coming from, but you're wrong. And I realize I have a slight accent or lilt. My parents are both from Scotland, and they decided to move to Japan when expanding their business here. A bit complicated, but that's neither here nor there. They started up a family here after they had moved, but I understand why you thought that. I mean, I'm rather fluent in English as well. It's much less complicated, and makes more sense than my own story."

"Oh."

He seemed a little speechless. Though he wasn't certain whether it was because he didn't expect her to speak as much as she did, or from the slight pang of guilt for assuming.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It doesn't really matter; if I was you I would've just assumed as well."

"Ah! Oh, yes, of course. I'm terribly sorry. But thank you bringing me my notebook, I completely forgot."

"You're welcome...again." She made another turn to leave.

"Oh, and you can just call me Makoto."

Spinning back on her heel for a final time, she smiled tightly. She really had things to do, and places to be. If she wasn't home soon her mother would have her head. "Then you can call me Firinne." And before he could say another word she dug her heel into the ground, and walked away as quickly, and surely as she could.

"You seemed to like her."

Makoto yelped as Nagisa jumped up behind him.

"Yes, she seems nice."

"Eh, she seemed a little cold. Distand. Y'know, not too personable."

"No," Makoto weakly attempted to defend the girl. Though her words had been average, and simple, her body and words had been closed off, and monotone, and strained, like she was annoyed nearly the entire time. "She's just a bit shy. Like Haru." Nagisa shook his head, but smiled.

"I'm being serious, you should ask her to tutor you in English."

"Nagisa…"

The blonds face went dark for a moment. "Gou agrees, you are staying on this team, and you can't do it yourself. In front of Rin she seems like the best, and easiest candidate. Even if she isn't too friendly."

"It's okay. I'll be fine on my own. I've began to study hard each night, and it's been helping. School has only started back up. Don't worry yourself about it too much for now, alright?" Makoto shucked off his jacket, and dived in. Nagisa shook his head, but jumped in after him.

"How was your first day of school, Effy?" A voice echoed through the house as soon as she walked in. She nearly responded in Japanese, but remembered her parents has decided to use only English when they were at home.

"It was alright I guess. Nothing I hadn't heard before though. It was all a little introductory, but I got some homework. For maths, science, Japanese, and English." She set her bag on the ground, and slipped her shoes off.

"I mean did you make any friends?"

She shrugged, and walked into the living room to be greeted by her father's back, and typing fingers. He had the same curly, bright red hair as her, but instead of her blue, and green hazel eyes he had the same bright blue that speckled her right eye. His skin was plain, and nearly devoid of any marks like freckles. She didn't look too much like her mother, who was currently at work. Her mother had long, straight mousy brown hair, her skin was far darker, and covered in freckles, and she had pretty, deep brown eyes.

"I don't know. I guess not. I didn't really try. I gave a kid his notebook back because he left it in the room when we were cleaning up because he left a little early to go swimming."

Mr. McAvoy momentarily stopped clicking on his laptop.

"To go...swimming?"

"No, no, I mean he's on the swim team, and he went up to their practice because he had finished his part of the work that day. Since he took role in the morning, and did a few other things he got to leave a little earlier."

"Oh, so making friends with the swim team boy?"

"Meh…not really. Did you know that Rin's sister goes to this school?"

"Oh, I didn't know that he had a sister. Then, I never really knew too much about that boy in the first place."

"I told...you knew he had a sister at some point. I know that much."

"That was a few years ago."

Firinne poked at her food. She wasn't that hungry, and was more in the mood for Western food. Sadly, her father only cooked those types of meals three times a week, and today was not one of those days. Three other days of the week her mother would make something, then the final day she would cook something.

"So I heard you made a friend? With a little, swimmer boy?"

"Nope." She answered flately.

"What was his name?"

"Makoto Tachibana."

"Heh, it's the same as…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Her mother paused, almost dangerously, flashing her a tight smile. "I think you need to stop with the attitude miss. You've been a bit too snippy."

She had to literally bite her tongue to stop from screaming in frustration. It didn't seem to matter what or how she said something, there was always something a little wrong with it no matter what.

Hey, so, yeah first Free! story. It isn't much to work with right, but if you could tell me what you think that's be great! :) Right now I'm working on finishing up my Adventure Time fic so this may take a little bit to get into the swing of updating, but in a month or so it should be good :) In the meantime I'll try to update about once a week, but I'll have the next few chapters up as soon as possible, I just have to get through editing them right now! Thanks for taking the time to read!

-sky