Grey Nirmala
The book gazed at me, and I gazed at the book. "The Eye of the Void", it really was like a joke. Why do I even do things like this? I pushed my thoughts aside and picked up the book. I ran my fingers over its hard cover. Even though nothing could be seen on it, I could still feel a roughness beneath my fingertips. Slowly, I opened the book. On the first page, a few words were written: "Rules." There were exactly seven rules, each more absurd than the last. Each more whimsical than the one came before.
Rule One: When the book is bestowed upon you, you must not share it with anyone.
Rule Two: The book's effects cannot be undone.
Rule Three: You cannot use the book to change fate. This is strictly forbidden.
Rule Four: The book's pages cannot be torn; pages will vanish from existence.
Rule Five: You cannot use the book to control dreams.
Rule Six: Once you obtain the book, it becomes a part of you.
Rule Seven: This book is merely a gateway to the Dream Realm.
After reading all these ridiculous rules, I could feel my hair standing on end. These rules were more farcical than the Endless Greatness of the Five. If this book wasn't given to me by a supernatural being, I would have thought all of this was just a stupid prank. I took a long breath in and out. I wished it really was just a stupid prank. I stood up, placed the book on my desk, and left my room. Even though it felt like I had spent hours in the presence of that entity, in reality, only about ten had passed. All of this was truly enough to drive someone insane. Not me, hours are just the words of time in my book.
I walked toward the stairs, but instead of going down, I looked below. In the living room, I saw my father sleeping on the couch, snoring loudly. I smiled faintly, then headed toward Opie's room, which was right next to mine. I stopped in front of the closed door. The door that separated me from my sister. I wanted to talk to her about Raya. Maybe I was a fool in love but she was not, even if she had no lovers before.
I looked down at both of my palms. The runes weren't that big, but they were still easy to notice if someone looked close and wary. I knocked on Opie's door and waited. When Opie didn't respond, I opened the door and found her lying on her back on the bed, staring at her phone not a care for the world beyond her door. Without even glancing at me, Opie grabbed a pillow and threw it at me. I caught it, not quite sure what to do next. Printed clearly across the pillow was a very direct message: "Fuck Off!"
I threw the pillow back at Opie, but by then, she was already sitting up on the floor and watching me.
"What do you want?" she asked with a bitter voice.
I wasn't entirely sure how to say what I was thinking, but I took a deep breath and spoke a little louder than usual:
"I like a girl."
Opie opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it back, sat back down on the bed, and started laughing. She laughed so much that for a moment, I thought she might never stop. She fell onto the bed and began slapping it with her hand. I couldn't remember ever seeing her laugh this hard before. But the more she laughed, the more I frowned.
"You're not helping at all."
Opie's laughter died down, and she looked at me, her golden gaze judging me clandestinely.
"Sorry, but…"
Opie's sentence trailed off, and she burst into laughter again. Tears streamed down her face as he clutched her stomach, her legs kicking wildly against the bed. I stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind me.
But my anger toward her didn't last long, I could hear her calling me back from the other side.
I opened the door slowly, my face void of expression, and looked straight at her.
"You know, it's really hard to believe you actually like someone," Opie said.
She gave a small chuckle but quickly stopped.
"I don't recall ever seeing a sign that says 'Grey Nirmala can't like anyone.'"
Opie straightened up and stood. From the desk at the foot of her bed, she picked up a yellow felt-tip pen and walked towards me.
"Let's play a game," she said with a sly smile. "Okay?"
I nodded hesitantly. I didn't trust Opie one bit, there were a million things she could do with that pen, and none of them are good. She may look like a gorgeous angel, but she has the shadow heart of the devil.
She popped the cap off and held out her hand. I looked at her small, delicate hand, not much bigger than mine.
"Write the first letter of the girl's name on thy own hand," she said, "and the last letter on mine. Then I will figure out what the lucky girl`s name is, cotton it?" She did not care for my answer.
I had no idea where this game was going, and frankly, since it was Opie, I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Who knows what she can do with Raya`s name. My brows knit together and hands went stiff.
"…Fine."
Opie's smile widened as she handed me the pen. Without showing my palms, I carefully took it from her. One more glance at his face told me her grin wasn't exactly friendly. No — it was something far more mischievous. A devil`s smile perhaps.
Why had fate given me a sister like this? I mean, I loved Opie, I really did… but sometimes she could be a bit much. Much smarter than a vixen. More vigorous than Maya.
I slowly began to draw the letter "R" across the top of my left hand. Opie watched me with unblinking attention. When I finished, she smiled again. I raised a brow:
"What the hell are you looking at?"
Opie rolled her eyes dismissively, shrugged her shoulders. "I was just watching my little brother draw the first letter of the girl he likes."
I got annoyed at her.
"Do not pry into someone`s life for too long, you might forget the role you play."
Opie laughed as if to mock me.
"Oh, come on! After all, what kind of big sister would I be if I didn't poke my nose into my little brother's life?
I finished tracing the letter, as her stupid smile got bigger. Without giving me a chance to breathe, she pushed my hand away and held out her own.
"Come on! Hurry up! Stop keeping me waiting. You've got the most beautiful, amazing, sexy, smart, legendary, perfect, charismatic, successful—"
"I wish 'knows when to shut her mouth' was on that list."
She flipped her hair back and stared at me hopelessly sure.
"No."
I sighed and began drawing the letter "A" on my sister`s hand. She could barely stop herself from bouncing on her toes, She was finally going to know the name of the girl I liked. Sure, just the first and last letter wouldn't give her much, but that didn't matter. I knew this was only the beginning of our little game.
A wicked grin spread across her face once again, the same grin I saw many times in the past.
"Sometimes, when you smile like that," I muttered, "I think you're going to kill me."
"Huh? Oh…"
She quickly rearranged her expression into something more… approachable.
"So?" She prompted.
"How about, for once in your life, you don't terrify your little brother?"
She tapped her finger against her lips and looked toward the ceiling.
"What if I said no? Would that upset you?"
I vulgarly frowned and turned away, clearly bored. I mumbled the name of Raya under my breath.
Opie glanced down at the letter "A" on her hand, then softened her voice.
"Alright… tell me about this girl."
I spun around so fast it startled me. I had a strange grin, and I felt as if my golden eyes which almost never shone, were now sparkling for some reason I couldn't place. Opie smiled too, this time genuinely.
"If your eyes are shining like that," She said, "you must really like her."
I nodded so hard it was a wonder if my head stayed attached.
"There's no girl in this world… or in any other world… better than her. She is beautiful, smart, kind, elegant and many more."
My older sister pouted, pressing my hands dramatically to my chest.
"Even more beautiful than your—"
"Enough." I hissed.
Opie was baffled, she raised his finger maybe to scold me but then the finger dropped and she nodded her head in acceptance.
She stepped towards me. I instinctively stepped back, but Opie pulled me into herself, wrapping her arms tightly around me. At first, I hesitated, stiff in her embrace, but then I returned the gesture, holding on just as tightly.
"There's my silly little brother," She said with a smile. "Finally acting at least somewhat normal."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with a smirk on my face.
We both burst out laughing, and as the laughter went on, She let tears in her eyes slip free, one by one.
After the game Opie made me play yesterday, I figured she wouldn't let it go so easily. But instead, she surprised me with something… surprisingly sisterly:
"Go to that girl. Tell her you like her."
For the first time, Opie had given me real advice without teasing me. That was an abrupt first.
The moment I stepped into the classroom, a chill of cold air greeted me. I glanced around, and aside from Raya's smile and Nya`s dark gaze, no one seemed to acknowledge my presence. Not that I cared about them anyway.
I sat down at my desk, only to notice something strange, it was clean. Completely clean. I looked around in shock. And when my eyes moved to the seat behind me, there she was. Raya, giving me that same strange smile and waving. I quickly turned back around.
She must have done something. Ever since my first days at this school, there had always been something scribbled on my desk. Bullying had become a normal part of my routine, leaving me with nothing but neglect, alone, but if I'm being honest, I never hated this academy for it. No, sometimes… I almost enjoyed it. Watching what people were capable of could be fascinating. There were a thousand students studying the Legacy`s Academy at the bare minimum.
Of course, the main reason was the bullies themselves. Nico and his stupid friends weren't interesting in the slightest. They were… boring. If I were to be a bully, I could have made my victim`s life much more pathetic than whatever fiasco this bloodyshit is.
While my head rested lazily on the desk, I felt a light touch on my back. I lifted my head and looked at Raya, blank-faced. She still wore that smile, and in her hand was a small piece of paper.
I took it and unfolded it. Inside, only three words were written: "Check your locker."
When I looked back at her, her smile had grown, and she was pointing towards my locker. Excitement bloomed in my chest, and I stood up quickly, making my way toward the lockers on the other side of the classroom. With every step, my anticipation grew. I couldn't wait to see what Raya had left for me. I just hoped that it was not a banana.
I stopped in front of my locker and opened it with a rush of eagerness, only to find something I never would have expected.
Inside sat a pink plush rabbit. Not too big, not too small, just… there. I picked it up, turning it in my hands, running my fingers along its soft fur. My fingertips reached for its ears, but before I could touch them, Raya appeared beside me out of nowhere.
"Do you like it?"
I jumped at her sudden voice but quickly tried to compose myself. Raya chuckled, and I could feel my face heat up instantly. She stepped a little closer, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Come on, don't keep me waiting. Do you like it?"
My blush deepened, and I nodded quickly, almost frantically.
Raya chuckled again.
"So… what are you going to name it?"
I thought for a moment. I mean… what kind of name could one give to a pink plush bunny? I mulled it over. Recently, I learned a new fact about bunnies. The woods are their beloved homes.
"Bosque!"
The name burst out of me in a rush of excitement, and because of that, my already flushed face somehow turned even redder. My ears, my neck, even my hands felt warm, how that was possible, I had no idea. Raya's smile didn't fade either, she was happy, so happy in fact that I felt everything blowing up.
"Bosque… that sounds like a sweet name. I hope ye have fun with Bosque."
I scratched my head nervously, and that's when I noticed Raya's eyes fixed on my hand. A flicker of panic shot through me, and I pulled it back immediately… but too late was I.
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone get a tattoo on their palm. When did thee get it?"
I needed an excuse. Fast.
"Uh… well… actually, they're not tattoos."
I could feel sweat sliding down the side of my face.
"My sister, Opie... She sometimes likes to draw stuff on my hands."
To make things feel more casual, I forced a laugh… but even that sounded awkward and unnatural. Raya's eyes scanned me from head to toe, and for the first time, that sweet smile was gone.
I could tell she was searching for something, though what, I didn't know. But she must have realized I'd noticed her change in expression, because she quickly corrected herself and brought that soft smile back.
"Sorry, the design seemed familiar, I was wrong though, it is not."
She stepped back slightly, then clasped her hands behind her back. Leaning forward, toward me, she let out a small, playful giggle.
"Um… I guess I'll see you later then." She looked back at the class door. "The professor doesn`t look like he is coming. I`ll just go talk to Maki and Lulu."
I straightened up and smiled.
"See you later. Though we sit back to back."
Raya smiled warmly. Even if she looked innocent and angelic, she still was a human. She wanted what she needed.
Raya left the classroom, turning left down the hallway. I went back to my desk to put the plush in my bag. As my fingers slowly unzipped the backpack, I saw something I had completely forgotten was there.
The Eye of the Void.
I had no memory of putting it in my bag last night, but apparently I had. My surprise quickly twisted into a jolt of fear, if someone had gone through my bag, they might have seen the book… and stolen it.
I gritted my teeth, then tucked the plush bunny inside and zipped the bag close.
Just as I was about to stand, I felt a presence behind me.
When I turned, I saw someone I never expected to be there.
Raya's former best friend, and now, her foe. Drama. She had long black hair and keen brown eyes. A little taller than Raya and a little less arrogant than Nico.
"Nya?"
"Hello, Grey, I want to ask you something."
Raya Marin
I wondered how much longer Grey would keep up this indifferent act. I wasn't stupid; I knew he liked me. What I couldn't understand was why he seemed so utterly detached from everything else. Even with the bullying, he never showed a hint of caring.
Grey was strange, and maybe that was exactly why I liked him. Even his palms seemed to radiate that strangeness. Those runes of destruction and creation.
Grey…
I rubbed my temples and turned toward the restroom.
The door, usually locked, was ajar. I pushed it open. The lights were already on; perhaps another student had come in to smoke.
To my left, above the sinks, hung a row of mirrors. I stepped toward the one closest to me. The moment I looked into it, I noticed movement.
Purple particles drifted lazily through the air inside the reflection, swirling as if they were dancing and inviting me to join them. The purple particles I saw all the way back, when I was just a girl, in the Great Library of Ion. The call of the long lost grace of the purple.