Chapter I
The sunlight broke through the tall windows into a majestic bedroom, elegantly decorated in calm, pastel colors. A king-sized bed stood in the middle of the room, and next to it, a low nightstand with an alarm clock and a framed picture on top. An imposing wardrobe and a small wooden table made up the rest of the furniture—little enough to make the room seem overly spacious, somehow incomplete…
The clock on the nightstand started ringing.
From under the navy-blue covers, a small hand emerged. It hit the clock with surprising force, and the shrill sound of the alarm stopped abruptly.
"Alright, alright…" came a small irritated sigh, "I get the message…"
A girl stood up in the royal bed that was too big for her alone. She rolled a couple of times to reach the edge, and lowered her feet to the silky slippers waiting on the floor. Just as she was heading for the bathroom, a soft knock was heard at the door.
"Come" she instructed without stopping.
A woman clad in a dark blue uniform with a white apron entered the bedroom.
"Good morning, Michiru-san. I am here to remind you about the meeting with Mr. Keizai, from the museum…"
The girl nodded. She remembered having asked the woman to mention the meeting. She often asked that of the employee—to go over the day's schedule in the mornings. Truthfully, she would not have forgotten anyway…but Michiru felt like having someone to exchange a few words with in the morning.
"Thank you, Chindan."
She then went into the bathroom. The woman shrugged and proceeded to making the bed. She had not expected much more from the peculiar girl—she had been in the service of Kaioh Michiru for almost a year, and was already used to the cool treatment.
Twenty minutes later, Michiru was having breakfast in the well-lit kitchen of her one-story house. As she sipped from her cup of tea, she looked out the window at the awakening neighborhood. She had chosen to live in quiet surroundings, but even so, there was enough stirring in the vicinity of her out-of-the-way house. Men and women went out the front doors, got into their cars, waved at their spouses or children and drove to work. Occasionally, a plump kid would pass by in a run, still chewing the last pieces of his breakfast.
"Michiru-san, these arrived for you" Chindan set a bunch of envelopes on the table.
With a small nod of gratitude, the girl reached for her morning mail. Card from the museum of art, invitation to attend a concert, invitation to the opera next Saturday, invitation to play in a joint concert, bill…
With a small sigh, she replaced the envelopes on the table.
"Chindan, look through them. If there's an invitation to any concert you would like to see, take it."
"Yes, thank you." The woman was already used to that procedure, as well—her work had some rewards. "Anything I can get you?"
Michiru shook her head. While she needed help with the house chores, she did not particularly wish to be attended.
"I'm leaving for school now."
"Yashashi-kun is waiting outside, as usual."
The girl said goodbye, picked up the school bag and left the house. Outside, in a comfortable, yet not too conspicuous car, the hired driver waited as he did every morning, Mondays to Fridays.
"Good morning, Miss Michiru!" he greeted with a cheerful smile. "Ready? You look dashing, I'm sure there's a lot of heartbroken boys at that school of yours…!"
"Good morning" she awarded him a smile in return.
"Which route would you like us to take today?"
"Over the—"
"Bridge…yes, I suspected this much. You really enjoying watching the sea in the morning, don't you, Miss Michiru?" He winked good-naturedly at her. "Well, that route it is then!"
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Michiru didn't always enjoy going to school. Oh, she liked most of the classes, especially Arts and Music, and she adored sitting under the old oak-tree in the schoolyard, listening to the animated chatter around her. But she hated the long looks the other girls gave her, and the—sometimes too friendly—bantering from the boys in her class.
Her position was a strange one. As an only child in a well-off family, she was sometimes the target of the others' envy—and even more so because of her talents. Her parents traveled around the world eleven months a year—for the past two years, she had practically been on her own. But she had managed just fine, with the help of a generous allowance and her innate resourcefulness.
"Hello, Kaioh! So, when are you inviting me to one of your concerts?"
A tall, blonde boy from her class blocked her path, winking mischievously. With a disdainful grimace, she tried to go around him, but he moved to cut her way again.
"Or, I could pose for one of your paintings…" He built an innocent expression. "Do you do nudes?"
Michiru rolled her eyes.
"Get lost, Namaiki."
She pushed past him, and was thankful when the bell rang. Quickening the pace, she took a furtive glance at her reflection in a glass, then stepped inside the classroom.
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That afternoon, Michiru sat in her working area, contemplating the barely visible wrinkles of a fresh, white canvas. She hadn't painted anything in weeks—every time she picked up a brush lately, a barely discerned sensation of unease settled in her stomach. But she missed painting, and had decided to have another try that day.
She had chosen watercolors, but changed her mind and took out the oils. She set aside various nuances of blue, hoping her favorite color might prove more inspiring. Tentatively, the brush touched the canvas, drawing a seemingly random streak of dark blue across the canvas.
Michiru frowned. She usually had an outline of her painting in mind, if not the whole picture, before actually creating it. But this time…this time, all she could work with was a blurry image at the back of her mind.
She tilted her head to study the streak the brush had left behind.
It does seem familiar, though…like I've seen it before…in a distant dream…
"What am I talking about…it's just an inky splash…!"
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get a clear image to crystallize in her mind…yet she felt she could paint it anytime. She shook her head, and shrugged in silent resignation.
"Whatever works is fine, I guess…"
And the brush touched the canvas again.
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Two hours later, Michiru set the brush aside, and studied the painting from afar. It still had a familiar look to it, but it resembled nothing—or at least, no recognizable object, scenery or person. If she had to assign a category, she would have said…
"I've painted…a thought."
"Is it a good thought, at least?"
Michiru turned on her heels with an expression of displeasure.
"Chindan, please, don't sneak up on me here."
"I'm sorry, Michiru-san" the woman replied mechanically and not sounding the least bit regretful. "There's a phone call for you. The music teacher from that course you're taking…"
As Michiru left to take the call, Chindan risked another glance at the unfinished painting.
"I may not know anything about art, but even I can tell…that is not a good thought!"
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Night set in, and the full moon rose high on the sky, dimming the darkness. It shone on the sleeping neighborhood, slipping its rays through window cracks and under closed doors. Through the tall windows, its white light inundated Michiru's bedroom.
Curled in the middle of her bed, the girl squeezed the sheets tightly in her fists. In her sleep, she frowned and let out erratic breaths. She seemed caught in the throes of a nightmare…but gradually, her breathing eased, and her grip relaxed. Her tense body appeared to unwind, and soon, the girl was sleeping peacefully, with no apparent memory of the dream that had stirred her.
The next morning, as the alarm clock rang as usual, Michiru did not reach out to silence it. Instead, she allowed the high-pitched alarm to pierce the otherwise quiet house…
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AN: So, what do you think? Like the beginning? Should I go on? Review and let me know:)!
Myosotis
