Chapter 1 - Chapter One

The beeping of a small digital alarm clock echoed throughout a small two story house in Domino City. It was early, 5:20 A.M. to be exact. From underneath a heavy navy blue quilt, a small pale hand reached for the snooze button and turned off the alarm. Suddenly, the curled up lump from underneath the covers sat up. It was a girl, a rather short and skinny little thing she was. Her long, straight hair was a dark blue that matched her quilt, and she also had spiky, bright green bangs, her hair reached down to her waist. Her skin was very pale, she looked as though she had never been in the sun. Mostly everything about the girl said that she was a normal thirteen-year-old girl, only one thing stood out making her different from her peers. This was her eyes. They were bright pink, and had no visible pupils. This was Skye Nestings.

She climbed out of bed and searched her closet for her school uniform. When she found it, she looked at it disgustedly. She saw no reason for anyone to wear these things, or the fact that they had to be pink, which was her least favorite color. She changed into it and walked downstairs into the kitchen. She lifted herself onto the counter and popped a piece of bread into the toaster. Finally her father came down and started to make himself a cup of coffee.

“Hey Dad.� Skye said as her father sat down at the table with his mug. Her father only mumbled in response. He was never very perky in the morning. Her father had the same dark- blue hair she had, but he was tan, and his eyes were brown and warm. Her mother actually was pale and had pink eyes and bright spiky green hair, but she had passed away when Skye was only five. The family was never the same after that, especially Skye. When her mother died, she turned to the only two things she felt any comfort in. Duel monsters and birds. She was a very good duelist, she had made it into the Regional games, but was defeated recently by Rex Raptor, the dinosaur dueler.

The birds were another story. Skye had always had an affinity toward the winged creatures. Ever since she saw one, she felt an instant connection. When her breakfast popped up, the bus suddenly drove up to the front of the house. Skye then jumped to her feet, grabbed the toast and put it in her mouth, grabbed her bag and ran out the door. “Bye dad! See ya after school!� She shouted as she jumped on the bus and it drove off.

She sat down and immediately focused her gaze outside. It was still quite dark out, she could hardly see. She yawned. “T. G. I. F.� she thought as she gazed out the window. Hers was the last stop for the bus, so it drove off towards the high school. Even though she was young, Skye was quite bright for her age. She had skipped the 8th grade and went to 9th. Sadly, this was one of the many reasons she was ridiculed.

When the bus reached Domino High, Skye got off and headed toward her locker. On her way through the hallway, she was pushed, shoved, and smashed against lockers by the bigger and stronger kids. When she actually got to her locker, she was really messed up. She opened her locker and put her bags inside. On the inside of her locker were many bird stickers and some feathers she had recently found. When she slammed her locker door shut, there was a girl next to her leaning against the lockers. The girl was normal in height. She had medium length brownish- blond hair and vibrant blue eyes. She smiled at Skye.

“Hi!� said the girl as she stuck out her hand for a handshake. “I’m May Moon, I’m new here. What’s your name?� May inquired.

Skye was hesitant to greet the girl at first, feeling that May had been put up to this for a cruel joke. She finally gave in and shook her hand. “I’m Skye Nestings.�

“Nice ta meetcha Skye!� said May quite happily. She then looked Skye over and had a puzzled look on her face.

“What happened to you? Ya look like ya got mugged or something.� said May.

“Eh, I get shoved in the hallways all the time. No big.� replied Skye. She then took notice to May’s arm. Underneath the sleeve, something was bulging on her arm. It looked like a snake was coiling up half of May’s arm. “What’s that?� asked Skye, pointing to May’s arm.

“Oh! Um..uh..nothing! It’s nothing! Well, better get to class bye!� May said quite nervously as she ran off down the hall, leaving Skye very confused.

“She’s hiding something, and I’ll find out...later.� thought Skye as the bell rang and she headed off towards her first period.

Mr. U’s class was always abuzz with idle gossip and chat. Mr. U was Skye’s home room and science teacher. Today, everyone was talking about how Yugi Moto, a kid with spiky, multi- colored hair, had beaten world champion duelist and president of Kaiba Corp., Seto Kaiba, at a Duel Monsters match. Skye never talked to anyone during home room, nor did anyone want to talk to her. She always came in, sat at her desk, and sketched in her doodle book. Today was no exception. Skye had made hundreds of drawings in that book of hers. Most of them were birds she had seen in the park or elsewhere, but there were also duel monsters, cartoons, even people she had seen in school that were interesting to draw. Anyway, just because Skye never talked to anyone, didn’t mean she didn’t listen to gossip being flung about. When she heard about Seto Kaiba being defeated, her eyes nearly grew to the size of watermelons.

“Seto Kaiba? Beaten by some nobody?! Hee hee, oh how the mighty hath fallen.� Skye chuckled at this thought, not realizing that one of the older kids heard her until he started picking on her.

“What are you so happy about bird-brain?!� shouted one of the jocks across the room to her. Skye never appreciated the little “pet names� the students had given her. She had been called bird-brain, shorty, midget, geek, dork, twerp, pink-eye, the list just went on and on. So, Skye did what she always did in a situation like this. She fought back.

“Oh nothing. Say, I was just wondering. Is it that your body is too massive for your teeny, tiny head, or that your head is too teeny, tiny for your big, fat body?� Skye retorted. She would soon be regretting her decision to make him mad, because then the boy, who was the biggest kid in the entire 9th grade, stomped right over to her and lifted her up by the scruff of her uniform collar.
“What’s that ya lil punk?!� roared the boy into her face.

“Nothing, I just said...� Skye had started to say when was cut off by a very loud, very angry voice.

“That’s enough you two!� shouted Mr. U. from the doorway. Mr. U. was a young teacher, probably in his early thirties. He had neatly trimmed light blue hair and dark blue eyes. He wore horn-rimmed glasses and normal street clothes.

“Mr. U.! Uh....I was just...� but he also got cut off.

“Mr. Anderson, put Ms. Nestings down....right now.� said Mr. U. very firmly.

The boy loosened his grip on Skye’s collar, dropping her flat on her butt. Some kids snickered at the scene, but immediately became silent.

“Now, everyone take your seats, and Ms. Nestings? Can I see you in the hall for a moment?� asked Mr. U.. Skye was sitting there for a while rubbing her sore backside before she actually stood up and walked out of the classroom.

Outside of the classroom, Skye was sitting on the floor against the wall. Mr. U. was right next to her standing up leaning against the wall with one shoulder when he actually spoke.

“Skye...this is the 5th time this week you’ve gotten in trouble with your peers. Would you care to tell me how all of these fights actually start?� instigated Mr. U..

“It’s not my fault these people are all jerks! I try to fit in, but they push me right back out. I don’t even know why they do it.� said Skye. She then dug her head into her knees and hid her face. “I never did anything to deserve this...� she mumbled. Mr. U. was quiet for a moment, taking what she just said in. He sighed.

“...You know, my son went through the exact same thing at his school. The kids were always picking on him about his appearance and the type of cards he used, but what he did was he just ignored them, and that’s what you need to learn to do. When you do, they’ll all just stop.� this was Mr. U.’s advice to Skye. She looked up at him.

“Why have I never seen your son at this school?� asked Skye. She was mildly interested. She never knew that her teacher had a son.

“Me and my wife divorced when he was 6, so he stayed with her in the East and I came here to Domino. I visit every holiday, but I don’t think that he was okay with it.� after this was said, Mr. U. looked down for the moment. Skye was staring at him. She had the look that was a mix of shock and pity.

“.....Well, you better go now, first period is gonna start any minute now.� said Mr. U.. Skye headed down the hall towards her next class, but turned around for just a minute.

“Hey Mr. U.? Thanks...� was the last thing she said before she disappeared down the hallway. He smiled and went back into his classroom.

Lunchtime soon came and as usual, Skye had nowhere to sit. Whenever she tried to sit somewhere, people either placed their stuff in the chair or threatened her to make her go away. She started to head for the bathroom with her lunch, which is where she went every day at that time, when she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey Skye! Over here!� it was May, and she was flailing her arms like crazy trying to get her attention. She looked over, smiled, and walked over to May, who motioned for her to sit next to her. Skye was very shocked. No one had ever wanted her to sit with them, ever. When she sat down, she looked at the people who were also at the table. There were about four others. One was a girl, she had short, brown hair and pretty blue eyes. Another was a boy, he was blond and had dark brown eyes. Another boy had brown hair too, but his was in one big spike, he also had brown eyes. The last boy Skye recognized immediately. He was a short boy, with spiky, star shaped hair that was three different colors, black, magenta, and blond. He also had big purple eyes. Around his neck was a strange upside-down pyramid with an eye on it. They all smiled at Skye.

“Hi! My name’s Tea.� said the brown-haired girl. She seemed quite friendly.

“Hey! Joey’s the name.� said the blond boy. He also seemed nice.

“Tristan’s my name.� said the spike-head boy.

“Hello. I’m Yugi. Nice ta see a new face at the table!� said the star-headed boy.

“I knew it! I knew it was him when I first saw him! It’s the kid that beat Kaiba!� thought Skye excitedly.

“Um...I’m Skye...it’s a nice change to meet friendly people.� said Skye quietly.

“It’s okay, you’re among friends here!� said May in a very perky voice. Skye stared at her thunderstruck. Friends? She actually had friends?! Skye smiled. This was the first time in a very long time that she was actually considered someone’s friend. See, she had moved here from Northern Japan, and before she moved, the only friend she had was a little girl named Dina Terano, who was about four years older than she was. When she came here though, no body even tried to get to know her. They all considered her strange because she came from somewhere different.

“You guys...uh...actually like me?� asked Skye in a very shy voice.

“Sure! You seem nice.� replied Tea. After that was said, they all continued with their lunch, talking about duel monsters and many other things. It was soon recess and everyone rushed outside. Skye immediately rushed over to the swings and began her ascent. She loved the swings, because they reminded her of flying. When she came back down, she suddenly stopped. Someone was holding her back. She looked behind her and there was a group of rather large jocks.

“Hello little ball.� Ball? That was the strangest name she was ever called. After a few seconds she realized what they meant.

“Uh-oh...this cannot end well.� she thought as one of them lifted her over his head and threw her over to the other jock. She couldn’t believe this! They were using her to play catch! She shrieked when one almost dropped her. They just laughed at her. She shut her eyes. It was one of the few times in her life where she was truly afraid. She could feel hot tears starting to fall down her face. She tried to hold them in, but to no avail.

“Aw look, we made the little baby cry!� taunted one of the jocks in a baby voice. Many people formed around her to either join in of just watch. The continued to throw her around when finally someone stepped in.

“Hey you jerks! Quit it!� it was May’s voice. The jocks forgot to catch Skye and stomped over to May. She fell hard on her side and yelped in pain. She couldn’t breath because she had the wind knocked out of her, but she cracked one eye open to see what was happening.

“Fine kid, we’ll leave her alone, on one condition.� growled one of the jocks.

“And what would that be?� asked May. He grabbed her.

“You’re the new ball.� May struggled in the bully’s grasp, but it didn’t work. Just when he was about to lift her up, something peculiar happened. The lump under May’s sleeve started to glow a blinding yellow. Everyone stared at the scene. A sudden burst of energy then erupted from her arm. Everyone was blown back. Skye hid her head under her arms to protect herself from flying debris and people. When she looked up with wide, fearful eyes, all the jocks had been knocked unconscious and everyone was staring at May.

“Uh....hee hee..sorry...� was her only response to the bombardment of eyes. After a few seconds, the bell rang and everyone went back inside. Before May could get in, Skye ran up to her.

“Thanks for helping me. No ones ever done that before.� said Skye. May smiled at her.

“Eh, it was nothing...oh, and don’t tell anyone who didn’t see what happened. I have a secret ta keep ya know.� replied May. Skye nodded, it was a good start to repay May for what she did for her.

After school, Skye hopped off the bus very happily. It was finally the weekend, and in one week, it would be summer vacation! She rushed inside up to her room, where she changed into a baggy t-shirt and black flare jeans. Everything was baggy on her, this was because of her weight. She was very light for her age, about 55 lbs. The shirt said “You hate me because I’m different, I hate you because you’re all the same.� This shirt was her favorite. She chose to stay barefoot. She ran outside towards her swings, but suddenly stopped. As she stared at the swing-set, she overlooked today’s events. She began to think that she had become afraid of heights, but she pushed that thought away and jumped on. The whole time she was on. She felt like she was going to die. She had never felt this before. It was very strange. When the sun started to go down, Skye hopped off the swings and ran inside. She made herself some mac-and-cheese with soda to drink, sat down on the couch and turned on the T.V..

Tonight was the night of the Regional championship Duel Monsters bout. This match would decide the Regional champion in all of Japan. Skye stared intently at the screen. She knew that Rex Raptor would be battling it out with someone. The announcer then started to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the final match in the Regional championship of Duel Monsters! In the red corner is Rex Raptor, the dino duelist, age fifteen from West Japan!� The announcer pointed to a young boy in the left door way. He had long spiky brown hair with lavender bangs. He wore a red ski cap on his head and wore a light brown leather vest with a white t-shirt and green pants. He smiled deviously.

“And in the blue corner is Weevil Underwood, the Insect duelist, age 14 from East Japan!� and he pointed to another young man in the right door way. This kid could probably be mistaken for a bug. He had bushy light blue hair in a bowl cut. He wore big, thick glasses and his eyes were dark blue and tired looking. He wore a green coat with a high collar, a red bow tie, and dark green shorts with black shoes. He smirked wickedly at his opponent.

“This guy gives me the creeps, but I hope he kicks that jerk, Rex’s butt.� thought Skye as she watched them bout it out. The battle went on for about an hour. Rex had more life points left then Weevil, but just barely more.

“I play Two Headed King Rex in attack mode! Beat that bug boy.� announced Rex as he threw down his card. A creepy smile crossed Weevil’s face.

“Oh dear, and all I have is this little bug.� said Weevil as he played Basic Insect in attack mode.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. King Rex has way more attack points then the Basic Insect! Ah well, his loss.� thought Skye as she watched the battle with amusement. Rex laughed.

“You can’t be serious! Oh well looks like I won. King Rex attack! Your life points are mine!� gleefully shouted Rex as his dinosaur attacked.

“Hold on, I now combine my Insect with Insect armor! Boosting its attack points to more than that of your King Rex. Now attack my insect!� cheered Weevil as his Basic Insect destroyed King Rex and he won the match. Skye couldn’t believe what she just saw.

“I can’t believe a dinosaur was squished by a bug! Wow, take that Charles Darwin.� Skye thought as she watched the end. The announcer introduced Maximillion Pegasus, who then gave the trophy to Weevil and invited him to join the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Skye wiggled in joy. A tournament?! She only wished that she could go. Suddenly her father walked in with a package.

“Skye! I forgot to tell you, a package came for you in the mail.� he handed her a small white package. When he left, Skye just stared at the package. Who would send her a package? She ripped it open and opened the box. Inside was a red glove with a silver ring around it with star shaped holes, two gold stars, and an envelope. She opened it and read the letter inside. It was an invitation to Duelist Kingdom in one week.

“Oh my god! I’m going to Duelist Kingdom!�

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