Spellbound
i
Today was such a fine day because today was the day I met a special person aside from my very best friend, Hotaru.
Of course, Hotaru will always be my number one but this special person was someone I met long ago when Grandpa and I went on a trip to pay respects to a distant relative of ours. It makes me wonder sometimes if 'that person' still remembered me. He seemed so thoughtful that it made me smile.
"Hey, pig-tail girl." I felt someone kick me. I groaned in pain.
"What did you do that for?!" It didn't give me a second to know the jerk who kicked me. It was Natsume, the most selfless, irritating and perverted man in the whole world. It still amazes me as to why all the girls in the school adore him.
"You're in my spot. Get out." He stared at me, and, surprisingly, not in a cold way.
"In your spot?! When did this turn into your spot?!" I replied irritably.
"Fine." He walked past me and sat on the other side. It was a surprise that he was pretty persistent about it. Well, wasn't he always persistent about everything?
Probably, ten minutes had past and he was still behind me. I knew because I checked every now and then if he had left.
But still, I'd have to admit that even if the both of us argued a lot, there were times when we would just sit and listen to one of us talk. For the record, whenever I was the one to talk, after my rants, I wouldn't see him behind me anymore. Nonetheless, I wouldn't mind if he didn't listen anyway. I just needed an ear, not an opinion.
"You know," He didn't move from his position. "When I was little, I met this person in one of the trips I had with Grandpa. He was so quiet but thoughtful. I don't remember much about him but he gave me this." I showed him a trinket made of dried vines and a wilted flower in a plastic bag. "This was a bracelet he made for me. I know it looks dead and all but it's still precious so I kept it in a plastic bag."
He closed his book and faced me eye-to-eye. It frightened me that he was staring right at me (because it was unusual) and that he was too close to me (because he was staring right at me.) I couldn't move from my place.
Spellbound, I remembered, that's the power your eyes have.
ii
The car shook terribly as it passed through the rocky road. It wasn't a very comfortable feeling for the three passengers. The driver, a middle-aged man with a brown hat and thick sideburns, gripped the wheel tightly as if it were a horse on berserk. "Dun' worry, folks. We're almust there." He grinned with his bushy mustache.
At the back seat, a brunette little girl held on to her grandfather, a man of pride, for support while enjoying the unstable wonder outside the door window.
"Wer' her'." The driver signaled the passengers and drove to a complete stop. The grandfather opened the door and pulled the little girl's arm gently, telling her that it was time to get off.
"I didn't need a ride." The old man scowled. "They should've just given the instructions. I could've come here myself."
"Nut my fault, mate." The driver shrugged. "Just doin' thus folks a faver." He pointed at the house behind him. "Nuthin' persunal." The little girl silently giggled at his pronunciations.
The driver closed the back door, went back into his car, and drove off, leaving the two passengers in front of a large house. The house was traditional in style. The gate had two carefully-carved Chinese stone lions on each side and the garden had a pond filled with carps and a fountain on one side. This amazed the little girl as they walked through the whole grandeur. When they reached the end of the walkway, her grandfather yanked a string that was hanging from the ceiling. The door was opened by a servant.
"Ah, you are here. Please come in. I will guide you to the gue—"
"No need." The grandfather interrupted. "I am just here to pay my respects. We will not stay very long."
The servant guided them to the back of the house. "They are outside, sir."
The sliding door opened and a crowd of guests appeared everywhere with their eyes on the new arrivals. The little girl hid behind her grandfather, trying to avoid the rancorous glances that scared her. They walked down the small wooden staircase; the grandfather bent down and whispered to the little girl. "Mikan, run along for a while but don't go too far."
"Okay." The little girl left her grandfather and headed to the end of the garden. She was on her way to the pond when she heard small high-pitched voices. She stopped for a while and tried to listen to their conversation.
"Did you hear? The daughter of the Sakuras is here right now."
One of them gasped. "Really? That girl… I heard she's…" The voice trailed off into a whisper.
"No wonder her parents left her in the hands of their relatives." One of them exclaimed. "Who knows what might happen if our children go near her."
The little girl didn't want to listen any further. She ran and ran until she reached the pond filled with carps—until she could no longer hear the bitter words and be seen by the eyes of prejudice. Her tears fell on her reflection and placed the water's colors in disarray.
"Spellbound." She turned to the voice. A little boy, about the same age, was sitting beside her, staring at the pond.
"Huh?" She immediately wiped her tears, confused.
"Spellbound," He shifted his attention to her. "That's the power your eyes have."
She became more confused. "Come." He stood up and held out his hand to her.
"Where?" He didn't reply.
She took his hand and he led the way. She didn't know what was happening or what he was planning but something inside told her to follow. He made her sit down on the grass, told her to wait and ran through the bushes. It didn't take him a while. When he got back, he dropped his materials—a couple of thin sturdy vines and a white daisy—in front of her and started on his project. While he was busy, she studied his features quietly. His hair bathed in the bright light and his wood-colored eyes were sad but kind. He wasn't like the other guests; he didn't care unlike the other guests. He was just himself.
"Here."
He handed her a bracelet made from the materials he brought. The vines were braided into one band and the flower was placed in the middle. It was simple and beautiful yet pure. She placed it on her arm and made sure it wouldn't fall.
"Thanks." She smiled at him. "What's your name?"
Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound coming from behind them. A man came forth from the bushes and saw the little girl staring at him and sitting on the grass.
"I told you not to go too far. Let's go, Mikan."
"Ok." She replied and turned to say goodbye to the boy but he was nowhere in sight. She left her spot, holding the precious gift, as if the sadness, along with the little boy, never existed.
iii
"You know, when I was little, I met this person in one of the trips I had with Grandpa. He was so quiet but thoughtful. I don't remember much about him but he gave me this." From the corner of my eye, I saw her take out a plastic bag from her uniform pocket that had a bracelet made of dried vines and a wilted flower. "This was a bracelet he made for me. I know it looks dead and all but it's still precious so I kept it in a plastic bag."
Of course, I thought. I closed my book and faced her. It didn't occur to me that our faces were too close. I was a bit surprised but didn't show it. Unlike her, I wouldn't be as careless to allow the panic to be written all over my face.
"Ouch!" She whined and rubbed her forehead. "You just had to hit me, didn't you?!"
"Idiot." I stood up from my seat and heard the school bells ring from afar. "Let's go, blue-stripes. We'll be late." I walked past her.
"Wha—?!" She squirmed and gasped. "Pervert!" She stood up and held her skirt down. "How did you know?!"
I continued walking under the shade, secretly smiling and telling myself.
She'll never know, she'll never know.
A/N: Hello again, everyone! I do hope you liked this piece. It took me awhile to write. This was originally a three-chaptered story but I thought the chapters would be way too short so I combined everything in to it.
I know everyone's been waiting for the next chapter of Sacrifice. I'm so very sorry! –bows- I promise I'll attend to that as soon as possible. Just wait for me. To those who don't know Sacrifice, it's my ongoing story for GA. I hope you do take the time to read and, if possible, review! (I sound like an advertising agent. .0.)
Oh, by the way, this fic is dedicated to my kohai, Koharu Mitsuki, for her birthday! It's on August 22! She has good GA fics too. :)
Wah! Sorry for ranting too much! DX This is way too long. Thank you for reading!