Being a genius had its advantages
Lazing around was not frowned upon by the faculty and they never did inquire whether she was sleeping or the cause of her drool was the 'interesting' lecture.
As expected, this painted a bright, red target on her back that pegged other teenagers, like a pack of bulls, to endlessly antagonize her.
Not like Aisha cared. It wasn't just her future that was brighter but her mind as well. And she was rather thankful that their pestering never entered bullying zone. At best, it was just an annoyance.
To be fair, it actually made lessons more bearable. Otherwise, she would've most likely perished from the infuriable boredom. It gave her something to focus on as her brilliance, sadly, came with a cost. The cost being having nothing to improve upon.
Hence, some called her arrogant or pretentious. Aisha was positive they were either envious or completely moronic. Former being more likely as she held her classmates in slightly higher regard. They didn't completely bomb their tests, at the very least. Had to give credit where it was due.
Her beloved grandfather must've been rolling in his grave. He had been the primary reason why the girl held her knowledge in such a high regard. He frequantly fussed and grumbled about how she was 'wasting away' here in this rotting, backwater village. If he saw her now, sitting in a flimsy, small classroom with the only brain stimulating activity available being countdown of the bell because the teaching material was rudimentary, he probably would've had another heart attack.
With his passing disappeared all of Aisha's means of escape from this place. Being of age meant she had to pay for her housing now that she did not require a guardian. And with the monthly costs and her own lack of employability, she was chained. This left the girl with too much freetime and too few ways to pass it.
The sudden ringging of the bell shook Aisha from her daydream and she found herself welcoming reality back. With a sigh she put her learning equipment back in her bag.
As she stood from her desk, a tall, oriental looking girl with ebony hair blocked her path. She offered Aisha a small smile and gave her a flyer.
"I'm sorry, could you spare a few minutes?" She started and Aisha recognized her as the clumsy girl that moved to town two winters ago.
Taking her silence as a positive sign, the dark haired girl continued.
"My family has recently opened up a small antique store." She seemed rather nervous if her shaking hand was any indication "It would be really nice if you could come and check it out"
"Alright" said Aisha.
It wasn't like she had anything else to do. And she was kind of curious too. It wasn't everyday that a new place appeared. Frankly, it was more like never as apart from the newly opened antique shop, there is only a small conveniece store located at the 'heart' of the town. If you could call it that.
The ebony haired girl thanked her and after a small wave she jogged to another group of girls.
Aisha took her bag, slunged it over her shoulder and left the classroom.
With a new goal and a slight bounce to her feet, she vacated the building and made her way home.
Her place was devoid of any life or character. Barely any colors, a small kitchen, bathroom and her own bedroom. It was cramped but at the same time it was empty as she threw away anything she did not have a use for.
Even the television.
She had no way to pay for any additional electricity with what little money her grandfather left in his will.
The girl discarded her bag, made herself a meal and after eating, fished for her keys and left. She didn't want to waste her time there as according to the flyer the shop would only be open for a few more hours. It was a weird timetable for sure but who was she to judge. They might have other priorities.
The shop was located in between her house and the only park in town. It was one of the livelier residential blocks as it had two young families living there. Opening a shop here was a smart choice on their part.
The building itself was rather standard. It was probably really old as well. Aisha was positive she had seen a similar one in a textbook that described the reign of Queen Victoria. That was atleast fifty years ago.
The house was three stories high made out of bricks and textured shingles. It had decorative trimings, a small cellar and louvred windows. To the left side of a massive front door a tiny wooden template was displayed.
'Haan Family Antiques'
"Not very creative" she mumbled under her nose.
But it did help to remember her classmate's name.
Ara Haan. She was fine and likable but that brother of hers? For the lack of a better word, he was utterly vile. Aisha had been a victim of his 'accidentally' spilt drink one too many times.
A couple of raindrops touched her cheek and she cursed inwardly for not bringing an umbrella. Before she knew it, she was already pushing aside the door, shielding herself from the upcoming drizzle.
The jingling of a bell announced her presence which prompted the man in charge of the till to greet her.
Speak of the devil. It was the ferocious sibling of Ara.
His grin told the girl that he remembered her too. Although, to be fair, her lavender hair was rather hard to forget.
Choosing to ignore him, she turned her attention to the store's interior design. There were dream catchers hanging on every corner and the curtains, far too long, were collecting dust on the wooden floor. It looked more like a shady fortune teller hut than an antique store. They even had a crystal ball on the shelf.
Behind the till were intruiging spiral stairs with a sign that said 'Mirrors and Chests' and next to them, a shelf held some of the fanciest porcelain dolls Aisha had ever laid eyes upon.
The girl extended her fingers with the intent to feel their ruffles and laces however a reprimanding voice caught her in her tracks.
"No touching" the clerk said in a robotic yet firm tone while pointing at a sign on the wall.
"Whatever" she grumbled and moved up the stairs instead. The trinkets and china residing in the first floor did not interest her now that she could not touch and otherwise inspect them.
The second floor was spacier however half of it was restricted to 'staff only'. Surprisingly, it looked more like an actual store than the ground floor did. All of the mirrors hung neatly on the wall to her right. Each of them had a small price tag. The chests occupied most of the space in the floor. They were varying in sizes, shapes, material and color. The tiny jewlery boxes lined on shelves looked like they were crafted in a ridiculously confounded and complicated way and the flowery decoupage looked rather impressive as well.
Seeing as the shopkeeper was nowhere in sight, Aisha took one of the smaller chests and opened it. The inside was separated into two sides and covered in rich crimson material. It was soft to touch and she concluded it to most likely be velvet.
She placed the box back on the shelf and shifted her focus to one of the larger chests until a thumping noise reached her ears. The girl stopped in her tracks. Was someone tapping on a window?
She shook the thought out of her head. How crazy would that have been. It was the second floor, after all. Maybe a bird hit the glass.
Being so lost in her musings, Aisha did not hear anyone walking up the stairs. Hence a voice managed to sneak up on her and the girl almost jumped out of her skin realising she wasn't alone anymore.
"So you came!" Aisha turned around and saw Ara wearing a warm smile.
"I'm sorry if I scared you" the dark haired girl added sheepishly.
Aisha flipped her hair back and assured her classmate that she was not frightened. The girl smiled again.
"How do you like it so far?" Ara asked.
"I expected more clocks" Aisha replied and after a few seconds she added "And maybe kitchenware too"
The oriental girl giggled "You're nicer than what the rumours implied"
Aisha raised an eyebrow but couldn't help but grin. They were talking behind her back now? Mature.
"But yes, most of our wares have yet to be shipped" she motioned around the room "In a few weeks this place will be much more presentable"
Aisha hummed in response and for a brief second something caught her eye. It was the large oval mirror that stood behind Ara. However what surprised her wasn't the object itself but what was reflected. She could swear she saw a-
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Ara offered and Aisha could only nod obtusely.
"In that case, I'm going to brew it" the ebony haired girl said with an ever-present smile "Make yourself at home"
The classmate left her presence and entered through one of the doors labelled 'Staff only'. Aisha hesitated in following. Instead she slowly turned her gaze to the same oval shaped mirror.
It looked ordinary. Maybe she imagined it? The mirror wasn't even that fancy compared to the rest of the room. The silver frame was shaped into a floral arrangement and it didn't look to be polished nearly as much as it should've been.
Without warning, an apparition appeared on the reflective surface.
Aisha gasped.
It was a boy. Now she was positive she hadn't dreamt it. He looked like a specter or some kind of ethereal being. Hair as fair as snow, skin pale, slightly pointy ears and his eyes...his eyes oddly reminded of her own reflection.
She reached to touch the surface. The boy shut his eyes and Aisha noticed a thin scar running down his right eye. Her palm encountered the cold smooth surface of the mirror and she almost sighed out of disappointment as she dared to hope for the warmth of skin.
In spur of the moment, the glass behind the girl's fingers metamorphosized and bizarre, tenacious liquid consumed her palm. She frantically tugged on her hands as the mirror devoured her with rapid success.
"Help!" Aisha shrieked in a muffled voice. Part of her face was already submerged in the warm goop. And just as she was completely engulfed she saw Ara's shouting face as the girl desperatelly hammered and banged on the mirror's surface, a tray and shattered teacups rolling by her feet.
But what good do they bring when you have a situation and no way to exploit them.
