Our Little Heaven Chapter 4

 Discovering Danny  
 It's Saturday morning, and Niki had just returned from the photoshoot. "Ugh," groaned Niki as she threw herself onto her bed and kicked off her heels. With the comfort of her soft bed and her feet now free from the restricting and painful high heels, she let out a sigh of relief.

She laid there motionless while staring at the ceiling and soon she was drifting off. She had been up since 4 in the morning preparing for the shoot and had spent the entire day so far on set, so she was sore to the bone. You would think that simply posing and smiling in front of a camera would be easy, but it's less than glamorous when you're stuck doing it for 7 hours straight.

Just when she was about to fall asleep, a loud beeping sound woke her up from her trance. She rolled over to her stomach and grabbed her phone. It was the alarm that she set to remind her of her tutoring session with Danny.

Great...I forgot about Dummy. Niki slumped down on her pillow, ruffled her hair, and let out a sigh of frustration before lugging herself out of bed.

Danny's house was a short 15 minutes away by bus and soon Niki found herself standing in front of his door ringing the door bell excessively. She had been standing there for at least 3 minutes knocking and ringing the door bell, yet there was no response.

"Where is that guy! I'm sleep deprived and the last thing he wants to do is blow me off. So help me I'll..." Niki ranted angrily. In the middle of her rant, she noticed that in the corner of her eye a little boy riding past on his tricycle had stopped and stared at her wide-eyed. She let out an awkward smile and waved lightly at the boy. "Hi..." she said softly.

"Mom! There's a weird lady yelling at a door!" yelled the little boy as he peddled off as fast as he could.

Niki sighed. "Great...for my future resume I can put yelling at doors and scaring kids," she muttered.

"Don't forget talking to yourself," a voice behind her added. Startled, she turned around to see Danny leaning against the door ruffling his hair. Danny was in a white T-shirt and sweatpants. From the looks of it, he had just woken up.

Niki gave him an annoyed look. She stood there for 3 minutes and he picked the most awkward moment to open the door?! "So, what are you doing here? Besides scaring my neighbors...and my door..." Danny asked.

"I was scheduled to teach a monkey how to read," Niki said smiling innocently at Danny.

"I know how to read!" protested Danny.

"Oh! So you're the monkey?" Niki teased as she slipped by Danny and into the house. Danny closed the door behind her and gave her a scowl.

  The inside of Danny's house gave Niki quite a surprise. It was nothing like she had imagined it would be. It was a relatively small house with a square design and you could see everything form the door way. The house gave off an aura of simplicity with its plain cream colored walls decorated with only a few family photos. It was almost a complete contrast to Danny's loud and (according to Niki) obnoxious personality.

What surprised Niki the most however, was how religious the family seemed to be. Besides family pictures and a  the only other decorations were religious symbols such as: a small statue of the Virgin Mary, several crosses scattered about the rooms, and a set of bibles.

 "So...." Danny said interrupting Niki from her train of thoughts. "Umm...can you wait for me in my room? I'll catch up with you in a bit," he said.

"Ok..." Niki said, still somewhat distracted.

"My room is the second one on the left," said Danny, and with that he ran off into the bathroom.

Niki walked down the narrow hallway and into the room instructed. She continued to be surprised by her surroundings. Danny's room was no exception to the rest of the house, it was equally simple and organized. The room only had a computer desk, a dresser, and a bed. What intrigued her was the level of organization; she was half expecting to be drowned in dirty laundry and magazines, yet everything was placed neatly in its respectable place.

Niki grabbed a seat at Danny's desk and tried to take in what she had seen.

"Hey," Danny said coming into the room.

"Hey..." Niki replied giving Danny an intrigued look.

"What... do I have something on my face?" Danny asked turning to a mirror and fixing his hair.

Well, he's still normal...as normal as he can be at least, Niki thought to herself as she rolled her eyes at Danny's vain action.

"It's just that I expected your house to be something...different," Niki replied.

"Oh? Like what, studded door, provocative posters, a gun?" Danny joked.

"Yes," Niki said looking at Danny with a straight face.

Danny stared back at her and there was a moment of awkward silence.

Niki let out a chuckle and said playfully "I'm joking! But I did expect the posters."

"Well no posters, but I do have some magazines hidden." Danny replied with a wink.

"So um, where's your parents?" Niki asked curiously.

"They're at church." Danny replied "On a Saturday?" Niki asked.

"Yeah, my dad's a pastor so he's up there preparing for tomorrow and my mom's pretty religious too, so she goes up there to help," Danny explained.

"So why aren't you up there helping out?" Niki asked continuing her probing.

"Do I look like I'm into religious stuff?" Danny asked.

"No, but your room says otherwise and you've managed to surprise me so far," Niki replied, frankly.

"Yeah, I just go along with it, whatever makes them happy. If it weren't for them I wouldn't care about all this tutoring stuff and grades...That's why they can't know about what I'm like at school...They'll probably die from disappointment," Danny said unconsciously rambling off.

Niki looked at Danny and for the first time she did so with a serious consideration. He's not as childish and mindless as she thought.

"I'm sure they won't be disappointed or...at least not DIE from it," Niki said kindly.

"Hopefully not...Anyways," said Danny, trying to change the subject. "Let's get to tutoring!...and what not."

"Sure! What do you wanna start with?" Niki replied happy to be moving on, yet still curious to know more about the new side of Danny that she's just discovered.

"Well let's see! I think my weakest subject would be....everything..." Danny said returning to his usual playful tone.

"Let's start with English, from our speaking exercise the other day I swear you were making up your own words," Niki chuckled and replied playfully.

"I was not!" Danny protested. "Really? Then what the heck was mooney (he meant money)" Niki teased.

"What! Didn't I say that right? You know mooney." Danny replied.

Niki laughed at Danny's silliness, this was the longest time she's spent with Danny (the first time she spent with him alone) and to her surprise she didn't feel like killing him. And here I thought I might want to rip his head off have way through.....Maybe this tutoring thing could work, Niki thought as she listened to Danny's hopeless English pronunciation trying not to laugh her head off.

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Niki and Danny continued with their lesson while exchanging a few jokes and teasing comments every now and then. They were disrupted by the jingling of keys and a big thump; it was Danny's parents returning home from church. Only then did the two of them check the clock and realized they had spent the last 2 hours together.

"Shen De! We're home! Where are you?" exclaimed a female voice from outside in the living room.

"Oh my parents are home,"said Danny. He got up and walked out to greet them, Niki followed suit.

Niki came out to see a middle-aged couple setting their things down. The woman was petite. She wore a light yellow sun dress with floral designs and her hair was cut in a shoulder-length bob that complemented her soft facial feature. The man was quite tall and thin, his hair was neatly combed in a side part and he had his pastor's suit on.

Danny walked out into the living room to greet them and Niki stayed behind in the hallway.

"Ba, Ma. Welcome home," Danny said.

"Oh there you are sweetie," said Mrs. Wong as she sweetly pat his cheek. Danny bent down to lightly kiss her cheek.

Then Danny's dad came up to him and said, "You should've came, your help would've been appreciated."

"Oh, honey give him a break. It's the weekend he's tired from school, let him have a break." replied Mrs.Wong.

"I'll come next week," Danny said wrapping his arm around his dad's shoulder.

Niki looked in envy as she saw their closeness, her family feels even more cold in comparison.

Danny's mom looked to the side and noticed Niki standing there. She flashed a smile towards Niki and asked, "Oh hello, Shen De who is this?" she asked.

Niki returned the smile and bowed respectfully towards the couple. "Hello uncle, auntie." Niki said.

Danny's dad nudged Danny slightly and teased, "So this is why you didn't want to come."

"Danny's never brought his girlfriend home before! He rarely brings anyone home actually. I was getting worried about him," Danny's mom added, smiling sweetly. She walked toward Niki and gripped her hands lightly, greeting her.

His parent's teasing comments made Danny glow bright red and Niki smiled widely.

"This is Niki, she's my new tutor," Danny clarified to prevent any further comments.

"Oh I see, well I knew your tutor was coming, but I didn't expect such a pretty girl," said Danny's mom.

"I didn't either," mumbled Danny to himself and smiled coyly.

Niki smiled shyly and scratched her head.

"Well, we'll be troubling you with Shen De from now on," said Danny's dad.

"Oh it's no trouble uncle," Niki assured Danny's dad then turned to Danny and asked, "Shen De?"

"It's my Chinese name," Danny replied unwillingly. "Don't you dare tell anyone," he added. He's always been embarrassed of his name; "Shen De", personal virtue, of course his parents would give him such an old fashion name it was so likely of them.

"Don't worry who am I going to tell," Niki replied giving him a wink and mischievous smile.

"So how is the tutoring going? Danny's slow so you'll have to be patient with him," said Danny's mom.

"We're just about done actually. I'm going to pack up now. I should get back home," Niki replied.

"Why don't you join us for dinner?" offered Danny's dad.

"I don't want to impose," Niki replied.

"No it's fine, we insist. Right Shen De?" Danny mom said nudging Danny to support her.

"Yeah, you should," Danny said.

Niki complied and stayed for dinner at Danny's house. They had a plain meal with rice, cabbage soup, fried eggs, and marinated ribs.

Danny's dad told Niki stories about his preaching experience, Danny's mom would tease him for being so geeky and Danny and Niki would burst out in light laughter. The atmosphere was warm and comforting, something Niki had not experienced in a long time. After dinner, Niki stayed to help with the dishes and chatted with Danny's mom who asked her many questions.

"Alright, I should get going now. Thank you for everything. Danny, I'll see in school," Niki said as she stood up and grabbed her stuff.

"Thanks for coming dear. Shen De, you should walk her out," Danny's mom said.

Danny listened and got up.

"It's no problem, I should thank you for the meal. I'll be troubling you from now on," said Niki.

"It's fine, come anytime you like Niki," Danny's dad said, looking up from his newspaper.

"Well let's go, its getting late," Danny pressed.

Niki bowed to Danny's parents and said goodbye again before following Danny out the door.

He walked her out into the Main street and hailed her a taxi.

"Sorry my parents are so old-fashioned," said Danny.

"It's fine, they're really nice. It's nice how close you guys are," said Niki.

"They're really dorky and well you only get one mom and dad, no point in constantly defying them," Danny said.

Niki smiled and said quietly, "You're lucky."

Danny couldn't make out what she said, but he returned the smile and said, "Thanks for coming today, Ms. symphony probably told you my problem with tutors."

"It went better than I thought it would, so we'll see," Niki replied.

"I'll see you Monday then?" Danny asked and realized how stupid the question was considering they have school.

Niki laughed and replied,"Yeah, I'll see you Monday." Then she opened the cab door and stepped inside.

Before driving off she lowered the window, looked up to Danny, and warned in a playful tone, "Oh, and remember to do your homework; if you forget I'll beat you up."

Danny laughed and returned a threat, "I will, don't worry, and if you tell anyone what you saw today I'll..."

"What? You'll beat me up too?" Niki interrupted playfully asking.

"No...I don't hit girls..." said Danny.

Niki scoffed and stuck her head back in the taxi. She signaled for the taxi to start and said, "Bye."

"Bye," Danny replied he began walking backwards slowly, waiting for the taxi to drive off out of sight. Niki stuck her hand out and waved back at him.

Our Little Heaven: Chapter 3

The First Day

Side Note: English conversations will be italicized.

*Beep...Beep...Beep* The alarm clock rings, waking Fala, Niki, and Amy up. It was their first official day of school, so the three of them quickly got out of bed to get ready. After breakfast the three girls decided to walk to school, they didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention.

On the way to school Niki and Amy were chatting happily while Fala was admiring her surrounding. While looking around, she noticed Theo walking on the opposite side of the street. Curious, she examined him for awhile. His uniform seemed too long and baggy for his small, thin frame. *That's right!* she thought *It's Adrian's old uniform* She saw the small "A" on the cuff links and knew it must be her brother's. Adrian loves to personalize his things just to stress the point that not only is he one and only, but also his belongings.

Fala barely recognized him from class, but she remembered seeing him talking to her brother once.
Theo noticed someone looking at him and gave a quick glance in Fala's direction. Which made Fala blush with embarrassment and looked away. Theo, thinking nothing of it looked back ahead. In class Fala and Theo locked eyes again. Fala still feeling embarrassed look down quickly to avoid his eye level. Theo's eyes were narrow and sharp, making Fala feel like she's angered him.
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In the hallways Danny and Adrian bumped into each other on their way to class.

"Hey, Ad. you know you sister is pretty cute, why don't you introduce me to her?" Danny said as he makes his way to his friend.

"Sure! How about I arrange a date in your dreams? And don't call me Ad." Adrian said sarcastically with a smile.

"Great! I think I'm free tonight." Danny replied enthusiastically.

"You're better off sticking to your precious Symphony. As for Fala, she's mine." Adrian said.

"Symphony is still shy about our relationship. What do you mean she's yours? Don't tell me you have a crush on your sister. That's messed up." Danny asked

"You're messed up. I meant she's my little sister, so you can keep your hands off her. And is Symphony shy or unaware of your relationship?" Adrian teased.

"Hey! She knows she likes me, she just haven't admit it to herself yet since she's the teacher. And you can't just keep her all to yourself, even if she is your sister. You should introduce her to someone. How about Theo? You say your sister is into playing piano and Theo is a little piano playing maniac. Plus he is so introverted, maybe having a girlfriend would help." Danny said sincerely.

Adrian smiled and looked at him, "You finally said something right! Better Theo than you, at least I know he won't get all grabby. Of course there's a difference between girlfriend and girl friend."


"You call it grabby, I call it showing enthusiasm towards like-minded peers. Don't be so uptight," Danny said wrapping his arms around Adrian's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm uptight and your like-minded peers are monkeys and apes." Adrian said shaking Danny's arm off, he hates to be touched.

"Aren't monkey and apes the same thing?" Danny asked innocently

Adrian gave him a 'did you really ask that?' look and shook his head.
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When they entered the classroom a girl came running up to Danny.

"You're here! I thought you were absent again!" the girl whined and pouted, trying to look cute.

"How can I leave my Sarah alone?" Danny said playfully. The girl led Danny to a table where her friends continued to fawn over Danny.

Adrian smirked and continued walking to his desk. He was used to Danny playing around with girls, though he himself, don't quite understand the purpose or benefit in doing so.

Niki watched in annoyance as Danny fooled around. She hated guys who fooled around with girls.

Danny was now being pulled by Sarah towards his desk. While walking backwards Sarah bumped into Niki's desk.

"Excuse me!" Niki growled.

Sarah looked down behind her and said, "Oh, you're excused" in a sarcastic tone.

Niki looked away trying to control her temper. Danny came up and wrapped his arms around Sarah's shoulder and smiled down at Niki, "Come on, lighten up! Everyone is friends here."

Niki stood up, annoyed she said, "I don't know who your friends are, but I am definitely NOT one of them."

With that said she sat back down and crossed her arms.

Fala and Amy looked at each other, they knew that Danny was pushing her a bit too far. But Adrian and Theo, on the other hand, were amused by the sight. No girl had ever refused the "handsome" Danny before.

Sarah broke the silent and said, "It's okay, I'll be you're friend. Just ignore her."

She gave Niki an evil look and walked over to Danny's seat.

About 5 minutes later the bell rang for class. Ms.Yu came in for the English lesson.

"Hello Everyone!" Ms.Yu said smiling brightly.

Danny saw her and straightened up while Sarah scowled.

"Hello Ms.Yu" the class greeted monotonously. Danny pushed Sarah away and she returned to her seat.

"Okay, so today we're going to practice talking and discussing in English! You'll all partner up and have a little discussion with each other. Doesn't that sound fun? You'll be graded on your participation so don't slack off! The topic is...." she paused for dramatic effect and continued again, "Your favorite form of art! Since this is an art school I'm guessing there will be some passionate views! I look forward to tuning into some of your conversations!"

With that said, she started naming off the couples. Danny with Niki, Amy with Adrian, and Fala with Theo.

Niki looked over and saw Danny staring at Ms.Yu dreamily, she made a face and unwillingly started walking towards him.

Amy cringed slightly when she heard her name being called with Adrian's. She would've been fine with anyone, and she meant ANYONE except Adrian. Fala shyly turned back to face Theo, who was sitting behind her. She was still embarrassed from this morning and was nervous to talk to him.

Danny wasn't exactly listening to what Ms.Yu was saying, he was busy admiring her new hairstyle. *She's so pretty and nice. Her hair is up today, she should do that more often it looks so nice. But it looks nice down too! sigh She just looks good in every way! She's perfect!* Niki walked up to Danny and tried to get his attention. After failing at several attempt she got annoyed and slightly mad. She took her notebook, rolled it up into a stick, and whacked Danny in the head. Danny let out a blunt yell at the impact.

"Hey! What was that for?" he yelled.

"For being an idiot! We're supposed to be working on a discussion." Niki said annoyed as she grabbed a chair and sat down.

"Aww did you choose me as your partner?" Danny said teasingly.

"I'd choose talking to the grim reaper than to you any day." She said smiling sarcastically.

 "Now we're supposed to be discussing in English about what our favorite form of art is." Niki continued in a serious tone.

"Okay...um... I like...uhh......guitar....you know?" Danny said struggling to think of the right words.
Niki stared at Danny, confused by his English she took a deep breath and prepared to do most of the talking.
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As Niki and Danny were talking (sort of), Adrian and Amy's conversation was heating up. "What do you mean ballet isn't a real sport?" Amy said angrily.

"It is a sport, but I personally don't think it should be one. I mean all you do is spin around in a frilly dress and act pretty don't you? It just shows how vain girls are, even in what they call 'exercise' they have to look pretty." Adrian retorted.

"That's called presence and elegance. Unlike you men who wrestle and hurt each other over a ball. I'd rather look frilly than look like a neanderthal. Besides who's fault is it that made women so vain? Men judge us like we're produce at the market! She's too thin or too fat, too tall or too short! If it weren't for you chauvinist pigs would we have to try so hard?!" Amy was now boiling mad, she stood up to yell at Adrian.

Adrian followed suit and stood up, he stared straight back at Amy.


"It's called expressing your opinion. You don't have to care, but you do, so it's your fault."

"Well what about you and your big ego? You're always worrying about your pride and because of your selfishness women has suffered your oppression for centuries on end. What right do you have to criticize us?!" Amy yelled, her eyes glued on Adrian.

Ms.Yu noticed the rise in tension and came to intervene.
"Alright you guys!" She said as she chuckled nervously.
"Wow, your English are both so good. So serious too! But um... Why don't you guys take a break." Ms.Yu said gently, she went over to Amy trying to coax her. "Let's sit down."
Amy listened and took her seat. For the rest of the day she tried to avoid direct contact with Adrian. Just knowing that he sat behind her was enough to fuel her flames.
Adrian was seething mad, but he was also impressed. He didn't know Amy had so much guts. No one had ever stood up to him like that, even Danny had to back down when he got serious. Now he's even more interested in Amy.
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After school, Ms.Yu called Niki aside.

"Hey! Come sit down." Ms Yu said smiling gently.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" Niki said respectfully, but trying to get to the point.

"Oh, well, I wanted to ask a favor from you. I noticed that you and Danny got along pretty well during the discussion." Ms. Yu replied.

"We did?" Niki asked. "Didn't you see me whacking him every time he tuned out? I wouldn't call that getting along well if I were you," Niki continued.

"Well in Danny's case it is. People are either scared of him or swooned by him." Ms.Yu said truthfully.

Niki gave a slight nod in agreement, then said, "Well what does that have to do with anything?"

"I want you to tutor Danny for me. It's his last year and I really want him to go to college. You're the only one who can keep him focused." Ms.Yu said

"Does it have to be me? I just came and I don't know him that well. You could ask the others. Adrian or ...Sarah." Niki flinched slightly when she said the last name.

"I know you just came, but with your grades there shouldn't be a problem of keeping up. And this will be a good opportunity for you to get to know him. Sarah can never tutor Danny without getting distracted, and I tried asking Adrian before, but even he gave up on him. Niki, you're my last chance, I'm begging you," Ms.Yu said trying to make a cute face in order to convince Niki.

"Alright, I suppose I could try..."Niki said softly as she felt bad for her teacher.

Ms.Yu was delighted and let out a high squeak before she pulled Niki into a hug. Feeling embarrassed by her teacher's enthusiasm Niki pulled away smiling uncomfortably.
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Fala and Amy went their separate way home as Fala wanted to stop by the music room. Amy let her be and went ahead, she was still annoyed by Adrian to care about anything else. As Niki started making her way out of school as well, the three girls reflected on their first day. It seemed like there was a lot of commotion and drama already. They were all over whelmed and hoped for the weekend to come quickly.

Author's Note:
This chapter included a bit of  every character.
I really enjoyed writing the dialogue between Adrian and Danny as they tease each other back and forth. Wasn't our teacher smart for pairing up our couples? xD In the next chapter it'll probably be focused on Fala and Theo a bit more. The relationship between Amy and Adrian will gradually get better soon and hopefully they won't be at each other's throats anymore. Stay tuned for next time!

Our Little Heaven Chapter 2

The Prince and The Pauper

As Amy was walking to her room she was thinking about her ballet routine and was spaced out. Adrian saw her waltzing (almost literally) down the hall. She looked so cute that he couldn't resist teasing her. He purposely walked in front of her, blocking her way. Amy bumped into Adrian and looked up at him.

"Did you steal some wine from the kitchen after you ran off? You look drunk." Adrian said looking down at her.
She snapped back into reality and growled at him. "Who are you calling drunk?!"
"The one that was stumbling down the hallway."Adrian said staring down at her attentively.
"I was not stumbling!" Amy exclaimed defensively.
"Well then the one who was imitating a geyser during dinner." Adrian continued teasing  
"Oh yeah?  Well you're a bug-eyed, vain, narcissistic jerk!"Amy yelled angrily at Adrian.
"At least I don't act like an over-grown, whiny, little child." Adrian said calmly with a smirk.

Fala opened her door to see Adrian and Amy standing inches away from each other, locked in a death stare.
It was completely silent, Fala could feel the awkwardness and tension rising.
"Ahem!" Fala said hoping to break up the tension. The two looked at her and broke away from their staring contest.
"So... What's going on here?" Fala asked curiously
"Nothing!" Amy and Adrian replied simultaneously before going back to their respective rooms.
Fala smiled when she saw not only Amy blushing, but her big brother turning pink as well.

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In his room Adrian picked up his book and sat down on his bed. He laid back on the pillow stretching his legs out comfortably and opened the book. But instead of reading he was think about Amy.
*Amy Wu....What an interesting girl, she hasn't changed at all. She still has the same long, wavy, dark brown hair, and big, round eyes. She sure has grown a lot though. But she doesn't seem to remember me. I guess I can keep on teasing her and see where things go. Things are about to get very interesting.* He was smiling gently to himself while he reminisce of when he first met Amy.
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In Amy's room she was on her bed punching her pillow pretending that it was Adrian.
"Stupid bug-eyed jerk! Think you're so great making fun of me? You think you can do anything just because you're rich?! Take this!" Amy punched the pink pillow multiple times before throwing it across the room. She sunk down into her bed with a loud sigh.
Thinking of Adrian made her even angrier, ever since they left school Adrian had been picking on her.

First he purposely bumped into her when she was looking for her luggage, causing her to lose her balance and fall face first into the trunk of the car. Worst of all her hair got stuck on the suitcase zipper, Fala and Niki had to help pull her out. Everyone, including the neighbors passing by, were staring at her.
Then he kicked her during dinner when she was drinking her water, which made her do an embarrassing spit take across the table. She could see Adrian smiling his haughty smile every time she made a fool of herself because of him.

Suddenly her thoughts were disrupted by a growling sound. She clenched her stomach and pouted.
*If it wasn't for that stupid jerk making me embarrass myself in front of everyone I wouldn't have to spend dinner hiding in the bathroom.* She thought annoyed.
She decided to go down to the kitchen to check if there was any food left. Even though his door was closed,  Amy carefully tiptoed across Adrian's room to avoid anymore collisions with him.
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After what seemed like forever, Amy finally found her way to the main staircase, which led to the living and dining room. "I swear Fala your house is bigger than the White House!" Amy whispered to herself, relieved that she was no longer lost.
Thankfully the living room was linked directly to the kitchen and dining room so Amy was able to get there quickly. While rummaging through the refrigerator she found various condiments and products, but no dishes. Just when she was about to close the refrigerator when she heard a voice.

"Miss Amy do you need something?" Amy jumped and quickly turned to see who was asking. She saw a tall young man with ruffled hair looking at her curiously. She faintly recognized him from dinner, he was one of the chefs.
Seeing Amy's surprised look, the young man smiled and said, "It's okay, if you're hungry Miss Amy, then I'll cook something for you to eat. There's no leftovers since we make sure that every meal is perfectly portioned."
Amy relaxed at his friendly and reassuring tone and said, "I'll be troubling you then."
The guy nodded and asked, "What would you like?"
"I want..." Amy thought and answered with a smile, "Ramen!"
The young man let out a surprised expression and smiled, "Okay, It'll be ready shortly."

Amy went out of the kitchen and into the dining room, she sat where she did earlier. But she couldn't help making faces while she stared at the seat across from her, which happened to be Adrian's seat. Not long after the young chef brought out a covered dish. He gently set it down and uncovered it.
"This dish is called Golden Treasure of the Sea, a noodle soup recipe that compose of premium egg noodles, a light beef broth, greens, shitake mushrooms, and an egg yolk."
Amy stared bright-eyed at the bowl, "Wow! You make late night ramen sound and look like it should be should be displayed in a museum."
The young chef blushed and said shyly, "Please enjoy Miss Amy"

Amy happily dig into her ramen and within 20 minutes she finished the entire bowl, including the soup.
The young chef watched Amy eat with delight, her face was smiling and she was savoring every bite she took. He had never seen someone enjoy a dish, none-the-less ramen, that much. He brought out a cup of water for her after she finished.
"Thanks for the meal. Sorry to bother you so late." Amy beamed taking the cup of water.
"Please don't say that Miss Amy. It's my job to serve you after all. Seeing you eat so happily made me take pride in being a chef. " he smiled back at her and replied respectfully
"Don't call me Miss Amy, sounds so formal just call me Amy. And I wouldn't be able to enjoy the food so much if you weren't a good cook. By the way what's your name?"
"My name is Zheng Si Ke, but I go by Ah Ke." Ah Ke replied blushing at her comment.
"Ah Ke. What a cute name!" Amy said smiling brighter than ever causing Ah Ke to turn even redder.
"Thank you for your compliment" he replied bowing slightly.
"You're so nice and you made me dinner even though it's so late. If only somebody was more like you" Amy said making a face.
Ah Ke innocently asked, "Who?"
"Who else but that stupid, vain, narcissistic jerk!" Amy replied in an upset tone
Ah Ke smiled gently and said, "You mean young master Adrian? He can be a bit cold, but deep down he's a good person. After all he IS the only son in the family, so it's expected that he acts a little princely." Ah Ke looked down and softly said, "If it wasn't for him I would still be in the streets."
"No kidding, he acts like he owns the entire island!" Amy said angrily, but then noticed Ah Ke's last comment and her expression softened.
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After talking with Ah Ke for a while longer Amy returned to her room. She couldn't stop thinking about what Ah Ke had said. "If it weren't for him, I would still be out on the streets." Was he really talking about Adrian? The same Adrian that had harassed her all day? She collapsed onto her bed and closed her eyes. Today had been a long day, she had come face to face with two guys, a haughty, sharp-tongued prince and a kind, thoughtful pauper. Not long after, she was fast asleep.

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Author's Note: This chapter was mostly focused on Amy and her developing relationship with Adrian and Ah Ke. I wanted to introduce her character along with Adrian's a bit more. At first I didn't plan on introducing Ah Ke so soon, but felt like it'll be a nice time. I've put some foreshadowing about their past in this as well. I wasn't sure how to write this chapter and had a difficult time trying to think of what Amy and Adrian was fighting about. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to write. Next time I'll try to focus on Niki more because she seemed to have disappeared for a while.  Comment and tell me what you think and stay tuned for chapter 3! xD

Our Little Heaven: Chapter 1

Welcome Home!

Amy, Fala, Niki, and Clara were all on an airplane heading to Taiwan. Niki had dozed off next to Amy after staying up all night yesterday trying to get the last minute packing done. Their manager Clara was who knows where, trying to get their schedules worked out, leaving Amy and Fala alone.

"Wow! Just look at the scenery!" Amy exclaimed.

Fala glanced up from her book to see her friend staring out the airplane window. She gave her a gentle smile and joined Amy in her folly. As Fala stared dreamily at the clouds she couldn't help but reminisce about her childhood. It's been almost seven years since she left Taiwan. She wondered how much things had changed. As her thoughts trailed on, her smile faded away. She was thinking about the "accident" again.

Amy turned to see her friend with a spaced out expression on her face. Worried, she asked "Fala, are you okay?" Seeing no response she leaned in front of her and shook her friend gently. Fala snapped back into reality to see Amy starring curiously at her. She feigned a smile  and shook her head. "Nothing..." she replied softly. With that she returned to her book. Unsatisfied with that answer, Amy gave her a pout, but then returned to her cloud watching. Normally she would've pressed on, but seeing Fala's expression, she retreated.

Just then the P.A. system came on, "Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain speaking. We will be landing in 20 minutes, please return to your seats, buckle your seat belts, and prepare for landing. I hope you had an enjoyable flight and thank you for choosing Golden Star Airline."

Amy rolled her eyes at the name, "Did Clara really have to make us use her family airline?" she complained.

"You know Clara, she loves to flaunt.  This is why we're in first class no less." Fala responded jokingly. Amy laughed showing her signature eye smile. Hearing Fala joke around made her feel a lot better.

"Mmm," groaned Niki as she struglled to sit up and open her eyes.

"Did we land yet?" asked Niki groggily while wiping her eyes.

"Hey, I see you're back from the dead," teased Amy.

Niki gave her a sarcastic smile. Fala smiled at her friends' antics and replied to Niki, "No, not yet, but we are going to soon. The 20 minute warning just came on."

Niki stretched and gave her a nod.

"Hey Niki! I see you're back from the dead," said a voice from behind.

"Is that all you guys can say?!" snapped Niki.

She turned back to see who made the comment and saw their manager Clara smiling brightly. She was walking towards them holding a glass of orange juice in one hand and a blue folder in the other.

Clara shrugged and replied, "Sorry, but you're a pretty heavy sleeper you have to admit that."
Niki crossed her arms and looked away.

"Wow, Clara! You look like you're ready to kill," Amy commented on Clara's glamorous outfit hoping to change the topic.

Clara was wearing a tight mini dress with matching heels, a diamond necklace and bracelet. Her hair was freshly curled and her make-up freshly done.

"Of course! You never know when you might get your picture taken! You girls would do well to follow in my example. Besides you're going to be the top idols of Asia soon and you'll be flocked by paparazzi, " beamed
Clara while taking her seat next to Fala.

The girls rolled their eyes and smiled at their quirky manager.
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When the airplane landed all four girls quickly got their luggage and headed out. They were welcomed by a  tall man in a black suit and tie with matching sunglasses. He lead them to a luxury sedan and helped them with their luggage.

"Wow Fala, nice car!  And I thought Clara was rich!" Amy exclaimed.

"Well what do you expect from the young mistress of the prestigious Wang family?" Niki added teasingly.

"Come on you guys stop it! You know I hate the title 'young mistress.' I thought daddy said he would get something simple." Fala pouted, embarrassed by the over-the-top car. Fala hates flaunting her wealth, she prefers simple things. Yet her parents believed in the opposite, the bigger the better, and nothing is out of reach for their baby girl.

After about another 20 minutes in the car the girls arrived at their new school.

"Okay! Here we are, St.Anna's School of Performing Arts." Clara exclaimed.

"Do we really have to go to school right after we land?" Amy complained.

"You're only going to check out your class and it's only for half the day anyways." Clara said.

Amy made a displeasing face and got out of the car, she was followed by Niki and Fala.

Clara rolled down the front window and said, "Alright, I'll see you guys on Saturday bright and early for you first photo shoot!" and with that she signaled for the car to drive away.

They girls stood there nervously looking at their new school. After a couple of deep breaths they began heading towards the entrance.
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Meanwhile in class I-21 our three main guys are listening to their English lecture.

Theo was attentively writing notes while Danny was nodding off. Adrian, who's usually calm and relaxed, seemed anxious and was constantly checking the clock.

*Ding Dong* The bell rung, ending their English lesson and started their study hall. The class breathed a breath of relief as their homeroom teacher announced that they may take a rest and talk for a moment.
The sound of the bell woke Danny up from his sleep.

"Hey what time is it?" Danny asked scratching his head.

"Time for you to get another F." Adrian said, his eyes still switching from the wall clock to his watch.

"Are you counting the minutes 'til you die? Why so anxious?" Danny retaliated.

"Clever reply for someone who has an IQ of less than 100." Adrian replied.

Just as he finished his sentence, Fala, Niki, and Amy stepped into the classroom.

His eyes immediately brighten up. Their homeroom teach gathered everyone's attention as she introduces the three girls.

"Alright everyone today we have three new students joining us! They came all the way from California, U.S.A.! This is Fala, Amy, and Niki.We're so happy to have you here, I'm your homeroom and English teacher Ms.Yu" she said excitedly.

The three girls nodded and smiled shyly. They looked across the room to examine their new environment. Fala noticed Adrian smiling brightly at her, seeing a familiar face made her feel more reassuring, and smiled back at him.

"You guys can go sit in the back. There's three seats in the second to last row." Ms.Yu said.

"Okay," the three girls replied simultaneously.

They made their way to the back and took their seats. Ms. Yu said that they can take Study Hall to get to know the new students.

With that said Adrian came next to Fala's desk and ruffled her hair asking "Hey how was the flight?"

Fala turned around and looked up to see him smiling happily at her. "It was good. I'm still a bit jet lagged though."

"Take it easy then." Adrian said lightly pinching her cheeks.

Their antics caught the attention of the whole class. Everyone was wondering why the new girl was so friendly with the rich young master. Theo and Danny was especially curious, normally Adrian wouldn't even bothering looking at a girl, no matter how many throw themselves in front of him. Niki and Amy was surprised to see their friend so open with a guy.

Fala noticed that everyone's eyes was on her, she blushed and pulled away from Adrian. Adrian, seeing her blush, smiled even brighter and said loud enough so everyone can hear, "Isn't my sister cute?" His clarification brought the class back to their own business. Danny and Theo laughed, they never thought the narcissistic Adrian could be thoughtful to someone's feelings. Niki and Amy realized that Fala had mentioned that she had a brother back home, but they never expected him to be their age. Niki bumped Fala flashing her a 'he's cute' look. Fala couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Soon after that the bell rung again and it was time for lessons. Everyone settled into their seats and the day went on as usual, with some occasional stares and whispers about the new girls.
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After a long day, Fala settled into her lounge chair on her balcony with a cup of hot tea and looked up at the stars. As she marveled at the view as images from today's events floated though her mind. She thought to herself:

*I'm really back huh? Everything's changed so much, the streets, the buildings, even ah ge (my brother). I wonder what's going to happen. Whatever happens, at least I'll have Niki and Amy now. Wish me good luck Aili.*


Her thoughts were severed by distant arguing. "Oh yeah?  Well you're a bug-eyed, vain, narcissistic jerk!"

"At least I don't act like an over-grown, whiny, little child."

The voice was Amy's and Adrian's, it was coming from the hall. Fala smiled and shook her head, she took one last look at the sky, put her cup down on the side table, and went out to check on the ruckus. "Welcome home,"she said to herself.

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Author's Note: This chapter was kinda lengthy and draggy, but I wanted to introduce all the characters to you guys. The focus of this chapter was mainly Fala. I thought it would be nice to dedicate the first chapter to the character who has the most connection with Taiwan. In this chapter it hinted at one of Fala's past experience that she refers to as the "accident" and a person named Aili. This is a major part of Fala's development in this story, the accident and Aili will unravel themselves as the story goes on. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring! Comment and tell me what you think!

Our Little Heaven: Forewords and Character Descriptions

Story: Our Little Heaven is the story about three girls with aspiring dreams, trying to gain the happiness they lack. They all come from broken families and each has a painful story to tell. The three girls find themselves in the hands of Clara, a young talent manager, who trains them to become the next top idol group. Now with the name Tri-Angel, the girls travel to Taiwan where their adventures begin.  

Characters:

Fala Wang Xiao Xiao - The adoptive daughter of Wang Tu Long who is one of the top business tycoons in Taiwan. Fala has been through many heartbreaking events in her life despite her young age. Pushing those tragic events behind she manages to start over and strive for her dream. She feels obliged to work hard in order to repay her adoptive parents. Her love for music is her drive in life. She is a gifted musician and is blessed with an angelic voice. Fala's overall personality is smart, timid, and kind-hearted. In Tri-Angel she is the lead vocalist, composer, and pianist.  

Amy Wu Xin Xin - Amy comes from a mixed family; her mother is Taiwanese and her father is English. Her mother died when she was young. Since then she had worked hard in order to carry out her mother's last wish. Amy is very preppy and active, although this makes her sometimes child-like and annoying. There is more to her than what she seems; even though she always smile and laugh her way through problems, she is hiding a pain that resides deep in her heart. When she performs she gets very serious, especially when it's ballet.In Tri-Angel she is the vocalist, main dancer, and the "face" (focus or center). 

Niki Lu Xiang Xiang - Clever, confident, and straight foreword; Niki is a spunky tomboy that won't let any guy surpass her. She strives for perfection in herself, whether it's sports, music, or school, she has to be the best. Being a fan of Rock n' Roll, she is an amazing and devoted guitarist. Her strong personality is the cause of her broken background. Fala, Amy, and Clara are the only ones she trust whole heartedly. She is also very protective of her friends (especially Fala). In Tri-Angel she is the lead dancer, choreographer, and vocalist; she is also the unannounced leader of the group.   

Theo Zhong Yun Qi - Being named Yun Qi, you would expect him to be the luckiest guy on Earth, but that isn't the case. Theo grew up in poverty and struggle to support himself. As a result he takes on several jobs in order to make the school fees. Growing up on the streets made him a very good fighter, but he doesn't enjoy doing it. He is a quiet and soft spoken boy who doesn't like to socialize with people. His perfect day would be to play the piano in a quiet place. His personality and background makes his friendship with the loud Danny and rich young master Adrian even more special.

Adrian Wang Chang Ming - The only son of Wang Tu Long, Adrian is the sole heir to the family business. He is very intelligent and charming, but also a bit narcissistic. He doesn't care much for his families wealth, but enjoys the dominant status that comes along with it. Adrian is very well versed in English, he speaks, read, and write fluently despite the fact that he's only gone to America once. His favorite pastime is reading Shakespeare's works. His relationship with Fala is very loving, but also awkward. He's supportive of her and loves her, but has a difficult time expressing his feelings. Though he can be narcissistic, he is very loyal and has a strong sense of brotherhood. Danny and Theo are his only close friends, so he deeply treasures them but refuses to admits it. In the story his personality slowly changes as his relationship with Amy develops.


Danny Wong Shen De - He comes from a religious family, but hates the idea that there is someone greater able to control him. Danny is loud, hot-headed, and simple. He's not the brightest guy in the world, but would do anything to help his friends and family. Out of (what he thinks is) filial piety, he hides his school life from his parents in order not to worry them. He is a well feared delinquent in school, but secretly wants to try hard and get into college for the sake of his parents. He has a strong sense of loyalty and brother hood (same as Adrian). His personality often clashes with Adrian so they have some time of argument. But through the jeers and taunts they have a close knit friendship that can easily be seen.

Minor Characters:

Clara - Tri-Angel's manager and friend. She is a quick witted and clever business woman, despite her young age. Her family runs an entertainment company in which her elder brother is the CEO. Being the youngest, she is often looked down upon by her family members. She is out to prove them wrong; her dream is to become the most successful talent manager and entertainment CEO in Asia. Managing Tri-Angel would be the first step to her dreams.

Symphony Yu Mei Yun - The home room and English teacher of the main characters. She is a young and kind teacher (she's rather preppy and bubbly). She treats each student like family and believes that every student can be successful. She's especially conscious of Danny, who has the lowest grade in the class. Her concern for him leads him to believe that she is interested in him and develops a crush on her.


Ah Ke - Wang family's chef. He's a kind and hardworking young man. He had a sad past and was able to overcome his hardships thanks to Adrian. Therefore he is very grateful of the young master and often help him work out his problems with Amy. Due to Amy's love of food and Ah Ke being a chef they quickly become best friends. Amy treats him as a brother and likes to cling to him and bug him to make her food.


Henry Le He Ru - Transfer student from New York. He was Danny's good childhood friend and was known as Danny's anti-twin. While Danny is loud, strong , and simple, Henry is quiet, physically weak, and rather clever and calculating.


Angie Le An Qi - Henry's sister. She knew Danny through her brother and had clung to him when they were little. Angie fell for Danny when she was little and kept on liking him until her return to Taiwan. On the outside she looks weak and innocent, but like her brother she can be calculating and manipulative.  


Carl Jia Nan Ying - Class Clown, constantly wanting to be part of Danny's group


Author's Note: I've been working on this story for a while. It's dear to my heart, but I haven't gotten a chance to write it down. Therefore I wanted to take the advantage and post it on the blog.This is my first fiction, I'm excited to see where I can take this story. Originally I wanted to do some casting for the characters, but then decided it'll be more fun for you guys can make your own casts.
P.S.-I realize that one of the main characters is named Niki. Niki is not supposed to represent me in anyway, she is her own person. I simply liked the name and thought the name Niki and thought it would fit with her personality.