If she was to sum up the day in one word, it would be described as horrendous. Immediately that morning, she tripped at her own two feet when she entered the school corridors. A good half of the school had to of seen that, the groups of people whom stared at her fallen form. No one laughed, but no one didn't help her up either. It seemed that the doors were warning her there is no way back if she didn't turn around. Of course, she kept her optimism high.
Then she was called up to the front in her French class, forcing to introduce herself in French. All she literally knew was "Bonjour" and she still messed up, saying "Ben Gour", due to being so nervous. Her knees quaked, her palms sweaty with nervousness. When she slumped in her seat after that, she could feel her face red and hot from embarrassment. She hid her face from her fellow pupils the whole period.
Lunch time came around, and it was already off to a not-so-good start. She took forever getting her lunch money out, the groans of impatient teens behind her. No where to sit, she headed to a vacant table at the corner of the open space. After she sat down and opened her carton of milk, a shriek echoed through the room. Startled, Y/N spilled her carton of 2% whole milk all over her new floral top, the cold liquid causing her to shiver. Her already frozen body had just spiked to a whole new level, goosebumps on her goosebumps. Fistfuls of napkins later, she grabbed her warm jacket from her bag, zipping it to where the spill couldn't be seen. During this process, she figured out that the unneeded shriek was from a girl squealing about her friend getting a date. At least she was by herself at a corner rather than at a center table with prying eyes like that girl.
Finally, but certainly not least, throughout the whole day, she felt judging eyes piercing at her back. Every step she took, some pair of eyes stared. Entering a classroom, all classmates turn around to watch her. Most were unreadable to her, others in curiosity or humored. She really wished she could read people's expressions better. Perhaps she could work on that.
Now here she was, in her last class of the day. Students chattered as they waited for the bell to go off. The teacher was at his desk, filing some papers and preparing for tomorrow's lesson. Y/n sat by the window, staring at the rain pummeling to the ground. The rhythm of the rain pattering against the glass eased her tension, the quiet melody soothing. Moments like these almost made her forget her troubles. Her escape. It began to thump harder, starting to become uneven and rapid.
She gave a small smile. Thank goodness she rode the bus and not having to walk in such conditions. Escaping the comforts of her mind, she silently she glanced at the classroom to her right, gazing at the chatting groups of people. Her heart sank at their cheery smiles and laughs. She stuck out like a sore thumb when compared to them. They were outgoing, having no worries in the world. Yet here she was, shy and timid, afraid to talk to these people. They didn't bite, they just seemed to be a bit too wild.
Seeing that the clock was about to hit its mark, Y/N zipped her backpack shut and swung it over her shoulder. The students began to prepare to leave, tossing pencils into their bags and missing their crumpled paper at the trashcan. The bell shortly rang after, all the students immediately shuffling out of the classroom. The teacher didn't even bother to say bye. The last one out, she briskly walked to her blue locker, a few doors down from the class she just exited.
Her heart practically leaped in joy when she caught sight of her locker. She can now get out of this miserable place. Almost jogging to it, she was met with a warm object. It and her fell down from the impact, toppling to the ground. Laughs rang through the air, catching sight of the collision. Tears threatening to fall, Y/N blinked them away. No, you have been strong this whole day. Don't break now. She stayed upon her knees, her palms pressed against the cool ground. Her eyes didn't dare check her surroundings.
"Hey, you okay?" A hand was found before her, outstretched. Taken back by the gesture, Y/N glanced up, eyes meeting dark blue ones. "Well, are you going to take it, or stare all day?" Blushing slightly, she took the hand, allowing the person to hoist her up. "You got to watch where your going," the person said, his voice slightly irritated. The laughter had now quieted down, people moving on their way. Y/N prayed that karma will get them soon. She drew her attention back to the confrontation she was in now.
"I-I am so sorry," she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. "I will be m-more careful next time." The evident of blush was gone, replaced with her slightly trembling form. Dang her and her timidness. Dropping to her knees, she fumbled with the books he dropped, handing them back to him. "H-Here ya' go." Your heart was still racing, the two hands outstretched to him quivering slightly. If she was to of meet him earlier before the incident, she would be a bit more calm. Yet, she made a complete fool out of herself in front of him and the school. 'Prepare for tomorrow, Y/N,' she thought.
The boy's eyes softened, taking the books. His combed brunette hair slightly bounced as he nodded, dark blue filled with mystery. "Thanks." He nodded his head, starting to walk away. "See you around, Y/N." Her eyes widened in shock, watching the retreating form disappear. How did he know her name? She had no classes with him that she recalled, and nothing on her that she wore that had her name. Perhaps he heard a rumor going around about me, she thought grimly.
Stepping up to her locker, she gritted her teeth. Her hands were clenched as she settled her books into the locker. What a marvelous day. Slamming the locker shut, she turned to only to about trip. Catching herself in the nick of time, Y/N growled in frustration. Glaring at the object which about caused her to almost further humiliate herself, she snatched it from the filthy tiled floor. Furrowing her brows, she vetted it.
It was a red-orange book, as in a manga. The words were printed in gold lettering, forming "Magnolia". No author was written on it, but the images were familiar. Where had she seen those people before? Especially the flying cat? Flipping to the back side, she saw matching gold letters printed, but in a different font.
Do not, under any circumstances, open this book! Consequences will be noted and dealt with. If found, return to its respectful owner: Akio, grade 12th.
That must of been the boy she bumped into moments ago. Flipping the book back over, she slid it in her bag. She will have to return it tomorrow, it is too late now. Bag on her back, she rushed to the buses.
Relief couldn't even begin describing how she felt when she arrived at her home. The day was truly exhausting. She could recall her mother greeting her when she first entered, her warm smile futile to cheering up the teen. "How was school, dear?" Her bright green eyes twinkled with curiosity. That curiosity, the girl didn't want to fulfill.
"It was okay," was all she said, kicking off her worn tennis shoes. Thankfully it was raining that day, her jacket covering up her stained shirt. Her mother's smile faltered. That wasn't the words she was expecting. Y/N felt a pang of guilt twang in her heart. That came off a bit rude, she realized. However, it was challenging to seem joyous when you had a day like she did. "Sorry mom, I am just a bit exhausted from today. I already have homework as well, and need to quickly do it." Her mother nodded in understanding.
"Of course! You go do that. Dinner should be ready in about a hour." With that, she retreated into the kitchen.
That was just a little over an half hour ago when the events occurred, and here Y/N was, staring emotionless at the ceiling. Her stomach growled, notifying of her lack of eating that day. She was starving! Sitting up on her twin bed, she leaned to the side and unzipped her bag. Grabbing a surprisingly still cool apple, she munched away.
Preparing to close her book bag, she paused when a gold twinkle what caught. It was subtle, but her expert eyesight was able to catch it at the corner of your mind. Gingerly grabbing it, she pulled it up and out of the bag. Once out, it was placed on her lap. She settled her unfinished apple on her bed stand, wiping her slightly sticky hand on her jeans. Her concentration was all on the book. The figures upon the cover still intrigued her to no end. After a few moments of pondering, it was decided to end this mystery. Swiping her trusty phone off her bed stand, she immediately looked up "Magnolia".
After 0.42 seconds, Google brought forth its intellect. Scrolling through, a safe website scanned by Norton appeared. Clicking on the link, she was brought to an unknown website. A picture of what seemed to be a map was placed at the top, in fine writing reading, "Magnolia". Scrolling downwards, she scanned the article. Other images popped up, revealing the main protagonist and mini bios. There was nothing about the book, however. Exiting the website, she tried other websites, scanning. After a few minutes, her phone beeped, signaling that it was about die. Deleting the tab after a few minutes, she spoke softly out loud.
"Oh. It is a show called 'Fairy Tail' that this Magnolia land is based in," she mused. She powered down her phone, it beeping to signal that is was off. "It is about wizards who do various jobs, and fight various antagonists throughout the seasons." She plugged in her phone to the charger. She then glanced down at the book on her lap. "If it is just fiction, why is this book so important that it can't be opened?"
It was truly baffling. She had found countless amounts of other manga in the series. Except the one she had. Her fingertips traced the letters, feeling the contour lines. To seem realistic, maybe it was a limited edition or a collector's edition. Or maybe it was just rare. Something told her that wasn't the case. Someone had to be selling it for an outrageous price. Well, it wouldn't hurt to take a peek, correct? This seemed to be an infrequent manga, yes, but she was cautious with books. Just reading the info on the flap underneath the front cover wasn't going to hurt.
Her heart was thumping loudly, her hands forming a cold sweat. Her mind became blank, her arms moving unconsciously to turn the page. It was slippery due to the sweat, but it wasn't to the extreme. Hands lightly gripping the edge, she lifted it up effortlessly. Her eyes filled with disappointment. There was no words printed.
Looking at the blank page, she pouted. She was really wanting to see what it was about. Her eyes then widened when words suddenly started appear on the cover flap, sparks of gold flashing.
I warned you.
With those words, a spinning golden spiral formed where the words use to exist, getting bigger and bigger by the moment.
"W-What is going on?" Y/N shrieked, dropping the book like a hot potato. It collapsed to the ground, it's pages furiously flipping back and forth. Y/N scooted to the back of her bed, trying to stay away if anything was to jump out. "Mom! Help me! Please!" She screamed.
Nothing was heard by her mother, whom had her radio on full blast in the kitchen. "You were born to be my baby, and baby I was made to be your man!" Her mom sung off-key, swaying her hips. She was oblivious to what was occurring upstairs, instead her mind focused on stirring the rice and boiling the zucchini. Her father had now entered, placing his coat on the hanger and slipping off his shoes. He enters the kitchen and smiles. He couldn't wait to hear about his daughter's and wife's day.
Back upstairs, Y/N was trapped. The portal continued to grow, soon big enough to suck her in and most of the objects in the room. All of the objects stayed in place, however, not even swaying to the increasing portal. This wasn't on her mind at the moment. All she could think of is her not being sucked in. Suddenly, she was swept off of her bum and legs disappearing into the vortex. "Help me!" She dug her fingers into the comforter. Seemingly the spinning went faster. The wind roared ferociously, whistling by her ear. Screaming, her fingers started to smart, as well as her arms. Unconsciously, the fingers began to slip. "No!" Y/N's eye sight was clouded with tears, knowing she was going to be sucked in.
Just like that, her fingers had to be released. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she pummeled the rest of her body into the portal.
The girl now in, the book shut closed.