Voodoo Doll
A/N: This chapter might be long… and boring.
WARNING: May contain curses.
DISCLAIMER: Kleia does not own Letter Bee—only her OCs.
SUMMARY: "And I don't understand what's up and I keep saying things I never say!"
Chapter One – First Day
It was a he, and he was glaring at her.
Emi knew she was not exactly a morning person, nor was she lazy, but right now, she just couldn't bring herself to get off her own bed. It was like the force of gravity really pulled itself down upon her.
Her alarm clock had just been turned off after a series of disturbing and loud rings, and she was left to staring at her dark ceiling, her right hand hanging on her desk, right beside her alarm clock. It was only five in the morning—it was fairly dark and the stars were still awake and twinkling, but the world was about to be painted in sunshine in no time. In times like these, she would still be sleeping soundly and profoundly, surrounding herself in her sea of dreams. But her alarm clock had to ruin it for her.
School will start in three and a half hours, and she was not prepared. She felt like time flew by like how she rapidly turned her book pages whenever she gets bored of the paragraphs and sentences. And now, she was back to being a busy bee, a multitasking person, and a procrastinator. It was all the same cycle every year anyway.
But this year, she was entering a new school. She'll meet new faces, new teachers, new subjects, new everything. It gave her a troubled feeling in the pits of her stomach as the thought popped up. She brought her hand to her forehead and ran it through half her hair in frustration. She didn't like the thought of having to socialize—to introduce in front of the class, to read in front of everyone, and to be forced to do anything in class. But she knew she couldn't avoid that. It's what transferees would always do.
She sighed through her nose as she finally propped herself up from her bed. She felt like it held a visible human magnet somewhere, because her body had never felt so heavy as she sat up, as if the bed was trying hard to pull her back in and make her continue her slumber. Glancing at her alarm clock, she frowned as the bright red numbers showed 5:03 AM, with the colon blinking each second.
Emi groggily set aside her thick blanket and planted her feet on the floor, instantly slipping in her white fury fox slippers as she slowly stood up and stretched, moaning at the sound of her joints popping. She grabbed the bundle of her now-long hair and ran her hand through it, an attempt to tame her bed hair. She then faced her bed and stared to arrange the pillows, fluff them, and put them in their respective places before neatly folding her blanket—all she did in precision.
Afterwards, she snatched her towel from her coat rack and proceeded in her bathroom. Stepping in the shower after peeling off her clothes, another sigh had escaped her lips as soon as hot water came rushing down her skin.
The thought of school was like a door with a broken lock—it would randomly come in, then after a minute or two, she was already submerged in another thought. She could never lock that door because she couldn't. It was unavoidable, and she knew that other people, if not all, have experienced that too. She didn't even feel like she had spent her vacation according to plan, when all she ever did was read, sleep, listen to music, take occasional trips to the grocery—and when she had the time, mood, and money, she'd go buy clothes, which was a rare occasion—and do whatever she wanted to do ever since school ended.
She wasn't the type of girl to arrange all sorts of appointments to pretty herself up, or to go to the mall with friends the whole day, shopping and doing whatever. And she would never go to clubs, bars, and parties, even if the time calls for it. She dreads loud and crowded places, so she mostly spent her vacation inside her safe haven—her house. But since her mother had decided that Emi should go to a prestigious school—considering her brains—her mother had moved her to an apartment where her school is a station away. The apartment was just right for a person like her, and it sufficed.
Emi opened the shower curtain after drying up, stepping out. She then strolled towards the door and opened it, escaping the humidity of her bathroom. She immediately felt cold as she exited the bathroom, her skin drying even more because of how chilly her room was. Or maybe it was because of the hot water she bathed in.
She took out her uniform from her closet and eyed it dubiously—it had a wide range of differences from her old school uniform. But she was in high school now. Things would definitely change.
Another sigh was heaved as she placed the uniform on her bed, slipping it in one by one after she wore her undergarments—her white button-down, blue-gray skirt, dark blue necktie, dark blue blazer with gold linings at the edges and the school's bee logo on her right chest, her knee-high stockings and brown leather shoes. All newly bought with the help of her mother.
Fixing her necktie in an attempt to slightly loosen it—her middle school uniform got the best of her—she trotted towards her small kitchen at the far right corner of her room and opened the refrigerator to grab herself a carton of milk. She opened a cupboard and snatched the container where the cereal was placed in and laid them on the small dining table, which was a few meters away from her small kitchen. She then walked back to the kitchen and opened another small cabinet and took a bowl and a spoon from their respective places and containers.
She sat herself down, filled the bowl with cereal and milk, and silently munched on her breakfast. Her mind was blank as she locked gazes with the window, which showed the view of a sky tainted in blue and orange. Her room was brightening up, bit by bit, as she finished her light meal.
Emi gently stood up, brought her bowl to the sink, and washed it clean. She entered the bathroom once again to brush her teeth, constantly staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She eyed her messy and damp blonde hair after she put her toothbrush back to its place, and frowned. She took her comb from its container and gently combed through the curls and tangles, some droplets of water splatting on the tiled floor of her bathroom. She always liked her own curls better than having dead straight hair, even if it hurts having to rake through her hard knots every morning.
Walking towards her study desk to get her bag and some excess books—she didn't know they'd have loads of them—she took a glance at her digital clock: 6:02 AM, it read. She blinked in slight surprise and furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She would always finish earlier than that, but maybe she was just used to how late she woke up during her vacation.
She shook her head lightly, grabbed her keys, and walked out of her room, locking it afterwards. She then nonchalantly climbed down the stairs since she was only on the second floor and walked towards the station to proceed to her new school, her stomach doing summersaults as she took a step closer to Yuusari High.
0-0-0-0-0
The strong smell of cherry blossoms evaded her sense of smell as she walked along the paths of Yuusari High, with their pink petals falling five centimeters per second towards the ground, swathing it with its fresh scent and look. It looked like as if she was in a movie, because she couldn't believe a school to be this placid, beautiful, enthralling—she could use any word she knew to describe how amazed she was. But it was a prestigious school. This was to be expected.
"Hey Emi," a suave voice suddenly called from behind her, a fit of giggles following afterward.
She blinked and turned around to see a familiar-looking boy with two girls softly giggling on each side. He seemed like a view from a blurry window. Emi slightly furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to remember his name. "Oh…" she started, simply staring at him, who was eyeing her with his bright eyes. Emi knew she was a forgetful person, however, studies and lectures are an exception. She always tried her best to remember each keyword and meaning she high-lighted. It was for her mother's sake, anyway—she always worked hard, arriving home in the wee hours of the night, exhausted and aching. So Emi pushed herself to study hard ever since primary school.
Then suddenly, she inwardly snapped her finger. "Hiro… long time no see." She simply said, then turned around and continued her peaceful walk towards the school, not even bothering to know what Hiro would say—
"Don't you want to walk with me today? It's been a long time since we walked together," he kindly offered, his voice sounding distant because of her clouding thoughts.
She turned around once again. "Where to?" she asked, confused at his statement.
His shoulders shook as a laugh escaped his lips. "Still as dense as ever… to school, of course." He pointed out, staring directly at her eyes with his.
"I think we're in school already… so there's no need for you to walk me now. I could do it on my own," she dubiously said, blinking at him as she kept her face straight. "And maybe your hands are full." She bluntly pointed out, glancing at the girls on each side of him, eyeing her curiously and with a hint of irritation. "Thank you." She finally said before turning to leave once again, never looking back.
She was rather shocked to find her primary school friend to be in the same high school as her. She didn't consider it to be some sort of miracle—as what other girls who are head over heels over him would think—but it was just a plain coincidence that she happened to bump into him and she knew it was perfectly normal for her to forget his name—they were kids during that time anyway (and she recalled that she called him a name other than Hiro. And he grew a lot... his hair wasn't like that back then), plus, she knew how much she grew, so it was a shock for her that he recognized her.
She glanced at her wristwatch and lowly sighed, picking up her pace as she neared the entrance of the school, slackening it just as she entered. Her eyes roamed around the hallways filled with students and lockers. Mumbles, squeals, chatters, and roaring laughter resounded across the hall, but it seemed like the pupils were used to it even though they just came from their break.
Albeit the already-crowded hallways, straight ahead of her was an even more crowded space. She quirked her eyebrows and pursed her lips, momentarily pausing from her walk as she continued to eye the crowd. She adjusted the books that were resting on her arm and once again started to walk to where the crowd was—
It took her a second to realize the sharp pain that rushed through her right shoulder and her scattered books on the floor. She remained dumbfounded for a moment before traveling her confused gaze from the floor to the relatively tall figure inches in front of her, scowling. It was a he, and he was glaring at her. She frowned.
"So—" she began her apology, but he simply brushed past her with a sigh, eyes closed and lips carved into a frown.
"Just watch your way next time…" he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. Emi heard a few incoherent mumbles following after, both from him and some students walking by and watching them, but she cared less and crouched down, picking up all her books as if nothing happened and stood up, throwing glances at the students around her. Some were still staring at her while some returned to their businesses.
She looked back and no longer saw the familiar figure of the 'he' she bumped into. Lightly shrugging it off, she continued to walk towards the crowded place and pushed herself through the front—they kept on pushing her and clicking their tongues and blocking her way but some were kind enough to give way—realizing that it were sheets of paper with names and sections printed on it.
Emi narrowed her eyes and searched for her grade level, feeling somewhat disturbed at the squeals and thwarted sighs that seemed too lurid for her sensitive ears. When she finally found her level, she traced her index finger along the paper, her eyes rapidly scanning the paper for her last name while also being amused at the different surnames she saw.
Finally, she found her surname and her section being 3-A. But she wasn't in the mood to skip to class just yet, so she scanned through the paper even more, blinking at the unique names her eyes saw. But one name caught her interest—it wasn't a name she commonly saw among the papers like Ria, Misaki, Tadashi, and the like. It was Zazie, and its—she wasn't sure if the name 'Zazie' applies to a boy or a girl, or maybe it was really unisex—in the same class as her, and it had an interesting last name, which was Winters. Zazie Winters. It had a nice ring to it.
Realizing that it was almost time for classes to start, she turned to stride towards her classroom.
But she didn't know where it was.
With the students slowly dispersing to go off to their own rooms, she was left standing alone steps away from the board, along with a few latecomers, although it was only thirty minutes before classes will start. She blankly stared into thin air, feeling embarrassed of her own mistake. She turned her head to once again look at the sheets of paper tacked on the board. Thinking that maybe a map for newcomers was on the board, she attempted to scan her eyes among the numerous pieces of paper—
A feminine sigh was heard beside her. "I'm in 3-C… I even thought that I'd get in A." She muttered in disappointment.
"Oh, you're in the same class as me!" a cheery voice exclaimed beside her, catching Emi's attention, but she'd rather not look at their direction. She kept her ears open. "3-C, right? Let's go, we're gonna be late!" She offered as she grabbed the disappointed girl's hand and led her to the right way. Probably those two didn't even know each other.
Once Emi was sure they were in a safe distance away from her, she snapped her head to their direction and discreetly followed them to their classrooms, mentally hoping that hers was just nearby. She listened to their laughter and prattles, considering them to be a guide to her destination. As she walked towards her classroom, her eyes darted around the hall and found it to be massive, with doors and lockers and posters lined up across the walls, and tall windows standing opposite each other, making the hall even bigger than it seemed.
Rolls of laughter, teases, and gossips were heard from a distance, and Emi instantly knew she was nearing. She glanced up at the small boards located beside each door of the corridor. Noticing how her classroom was the first room in the corridor, she abruptly stopped from walking, slightly stumbling, and parked herself in front of the classroom's sliding door. She brought her cold hand to the handle, and—
"Ms. Hunter?" a formal feminine voice called, and Emi snapped her head to see a middle-aged woman walking professionally to her. Her glasses glinted in the light. And only then Emi recognized the familiar blonde hair and emerald eyes she saw on the day of the examination.
"Sub-Master Aria…!" she stammered. She found it peculiar for the students to call their Vice Principal as Sub-Master, but perhaps it was their tradition. It had a nice ring to it anyway.
Aria smiled softly at her. "I'll be your homeroom adviser," she informed, and Emi could only nod as her hand never left the handle of the door. "Now let's get in. I'll introduce you to the class," she said. Emi felt a strong pang of anxiety in her chest. She didn't need introductions. She didn't want them. "After all, you're the only new student for this class. For the other sections, well, they have a lot of newbies." Aria continued, obviously not perceiving how tense Emi was. "That just shows how good you did in the test. Now, let's get in, shall we?" she added once more with a small smile.
And without further ado, Aria casually opened the door and Emi instantly heard how silent the class went. And her heart instantly didn't function as a heart. She inwardly clicked her tongue at how nervous she felt.
"Good morning, everyone," Aria said after a pregnant silence.
"Good morning, Sub-Master Aria!" the class greeted back, all eyes on her.
Aria confidently strode to the front of the class and planted her things on the table. "We have a new student for this year," she informed and suddenly she turned her head to Emi, and she felt herself withdrawing, taking steps backward. But she can't chicken out now. She won't. She wouldn't. She shouldn't. So she took small steps forward and only then did she realize she was in front of a sea of strangers. She battled with anxiety and faced the class, not knowing what face she had on.
"This is Emi Hunter," Aria said, and Emi felt eyes pierced on her back. "Do you have anything to say, Ms. Hunter?"
Emi blinked in slight shock and panic. She calmed herself down. "Nice to meet you all... I hope we'll get along well." She said, attempting to sound as calm as possible as her gray eyes landed on different faces.
"Thank you," Aria said. "Does anyone have questions?"
Emi watched as the class chorused: "None, Sub-Master," as some merely shook their head no. She felt relieved. She didn't have to entertain questions and give answers that would probably end up as lies and make-beliefs. It happens whenever she's nervous.
"Okay then. Miss Hunter, you may sit wherever you want for now," Aria informed and turned a heel towards the door. "Oh, temporary President, come with me for a while." She called out before striding to the door and going out, probably waiting for the person she called for outside.
Now, Emi stood in front of the class, bewildered. Her limbs turned numb or maybe she just thought that she came out of a freezer. Her gray eyes rapidly scanned the classroom for an empty chair as everyone turned back to their businesses (which was talking with their friends). She noticed a hand waving at her peripheral vision, and when she turned to take a peek at who was calling her attention, she was shocked, to say the least, that it was her old friend Mia.
Seeing her familiar black hair tied into a loose ponytail along with her mesmerizing emerald eyes, Emi couldn't help but softly smile at her. She needn't to wait minutes for her to stride to Mia, as she already found herself sitting beside her, at the front row. Albeit the fact that Emi disliked sitting at the front row—since it was there that teachers would often call students and she would be easily seen at that spot—she didn't bother since she knew seating arrangements were to come.
"Emi! It's so nice to finally see you again!" Mia energetically squealed, hugging Emi in the process, shocking her with the sudden contact. But Emi didn't seem to mind. She hugged back.
Emi knew how Mia liked to hug people. She even pinches Emi's cheeks if she has to, constantly forgetting the day when Emi had told her how uncomfortable she is to physical touches. It wasn't like Emi's parents didn't give her affection as a child—they did—she just wasn't accustomed to other people besides her parents hugging her and the like. In her opinion, it's simply weird. But then she realized that girls do it around other girls as if it was a normal thing to do, so she just dealt with Mia's clinginess around her since middle school.
"Long time no see, Mia," Emi quietly said, shrinking back into her seat, softly smiling.
"What's with the formality? Cut it out, Em. We're close friends, so use slang on me, okay?" Mia said with a grin so big her eyes closed. Emi couldn't help but smile back and nod. "So how come you enrolled here? I didn't mean it in a mean way, of course. Just asking!"
"Mom didn't want me to be in a school with poor education… so she made me take a boat all the way here… and now I'm living by myself in my aunt's former apartment. But mom will pay for my rent and bills… she said she wanted me to learn how to live by myself so I could be prepared." Emi explained, face blank yet she let her emotions leak out of her.
She nodded in understanding. "I see."
"Your name is Emi, right?" a sweet and polite voice from behind her said. Emi turned to look and saw a very pretty silver-haired girl with azure eyes looking at her with sincere kindness. But all Emi could do was give her a blank stare. The girl giggled. "Emi gives off a very mature feeling, huh, Mia?"
"Hm, not really… It's a looong story, my friend." Mia casually said, but Emi couldn't deny the sudden pang in her chest.
Emi blinked at the girl. "Please take care of me."
She blinked back, obviously shocked at the sudden gesture Emi did. "Ah, I'm Sylvette! Please take care of me, too!"
And as if on cue, the temporary president of the class came in, bowl in hand. "Alright everyone, Sub-Master Aria told me that we would be having our seating arrangements right now, 'scramble dash.'" He informed, lifting his hands to quote the words. "So everyone line up and get a number here after I draw the arrangements, alright?" he only got grunts and noises in response and Emi could only heave a sigh.
A/N: And I present to you, Chapter One of my second Letter Bee story, now in an AU! *clap clap clap*
Well, the first purpose of this story is to, of course, give you entertainment. But that's a given, so it isn't considered. That aside, I've been having this idea for years that it's basically rotting in the depths of my mind these past few months. (I published this plot on another fanfiction... but it just didn't work. It just didn't.) So, of course, I had to let it out.
Second, I've been really meaning to have a Letter Bee AU since I've been observing how most of the stories here are basically in the original universe. So, why not let the characters experience a world with day and night? And school? *mischievous glare*
And third, this story can really take your boredom off waiting for another chapter from Secrecy. (I don't know about you though, but not writing anything yet on Chapter Fourteen sucks. Chapter Thirteen's done, by the way!)
So there you have it; Voodoo Doll. And I hope you'll enjoy for the rest of the ride!
