Hello People!
YAY! 4 Reviews! I am so happy right now that I can dance all over the room! Thank you all! Please keep up the good work! Please enjoy Chapter Two!
Thanx,
CC
Chapter 2: The Perfect Gift
It was early December and the scenery outside the window changed. The once tall and grand maple trees in the garden were now cold and bare. Their branches sticking out like a dead tree skeleton. I walked along the large windows of our music room, enjoying the very scene of the arrival of winter. Of course, winter was my favorite holiday. Mother often told me tales of magical things that can happen during winter. Like Christmas. And Misaka and I's birthday.
Mother always said we were the greatest gift that anyone could have given to her. She told me that snow, was one of the most beautiful things in this world. It's soft white texture falling from the sky. The purity, the cleanness were all wonders from the sky.
"Misaki?"
Misaka suddenly appeared before me, breaking my chains of thoughts. She noticed my reaction.
"I called you three times already," she explained. "You daydreaming again?"
I nodded. "Did you need something?"
"No, I just wanted to talk to you," Misaka sat on a sofa right across the grand piano.
I quietly sat next to her.
"Misaki, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I told Headmaster Morgan that you were sick. I'm never worried about you missing classes, but I wanted to talk about Cynthia."
I fiddled with the dark blue beanie that covered up my ugly hair. I pulled it closer to my bangs. "I don't care about Cynthia, Misaka. She isn't anything compared to her father. I wish I could flick that stupid leech out of the Ayuzawa family."
"You can't," Misaka said bluntly.
"I know. That's because of grandmother. Without her, uncle Frederick is nothing," I said straightforward. "I'm more worried about you, Misaka. Cynthia has Grandmother as her crutches and can influence the audience very much. I'm scared that she'll get nominated as the Ayuzawa heir. She's already so arrogant with that damn attitude of her's. With her announced as the next heir of the family would be a nightmare."
Misaka silently stared at the window. "I... am aware of that."
I looked at Misaka straight in the eye. "Misaka, I don't care if Cynthia has grandmother on her side. Everyone knows that she was her favorite, compared to me, a whole disappointment since I was born a female. However, you have me, Misaka. You don't have to be scared. So what if the rest of the family thinks you're brainless? You just have to prove it to them that you are the one."
Misaka smiled. "You're always so calm and composed during these critical situations. If you had a healthier body, Cynthia wouldn't even dare to touch you."
"But, I do not. That is why I am putting my hopes on you, sister." I looked grim. "Dr. Wong said I can't make it to my twentieth birthday, or even earlier."
Misaka opened her mouth to say something, probably to comfort me, but stopped.
I put up a faint smile. "But at least, I can treasure my time with you."
She grinned. "Misaki..."
"Yes?"
"I wanted to ask you this a long time ago. What would you like on your birthday?"
I smiled. "I like anything that you give to me. You know that I don't actually care since I know that you put your heart onto it."
"Please be more specific..." Misaka scratched her head. "Every year, you always surprise me with awesome presents. Like last year's painting. That was so cool." She sighed. "I tried painting... I guess I wasn't born with mom's art talents."
"I don't mind."
"I know... But I would like to get you something descent for once."
I thought for a moment nd looked outside the huge wall sized windows. The snowflakes fluttered down one by one. The landscape was beautiful.
"Snow." I suddenly said.
"Snow?" Misaka asked as she followed my gaze.
"I've always wanted to feel snow. It's so... alluring and elegant."
Misaka sat silently for some time. "Wait here," she suddenly got up and ran through the corridors.
"Wait Misaka! Where are you going?" I tried to keep up with her. I ran for a couple of minutes until my body failed me. Misaka was already at the bottom of the staircase, taking her coat form the coat hanger. I went down the steps slowly and panting. I followed her to the from door.
"Oh dear! Ms. Misaki! Why are you out with out your coat?" Maria, my maid, asked worriedly. She was a close friend of mother's and the only close nursemaid.
"Misaka is going somewhere." I panted.
"Did you by any chance run?" She asked, her blue eyes full of concern. Her puffy black skirt and grey streaks of hair may betray her age, however her intense blue eyes were always so serious, yet she can be such a lovely, kind lady.
I nodded, quite ashamed. Maria never allowed me to run, since it'll worsen my condition.
She looked at me, her eyebrows knitted and gave me a stern warning.
"...young lady how many times have I told you to not run? I thought I have announced it perfectly clear that..." Maria pranced on. However, my attention was on somewhere else. The front door. Misaka had carelessly left it open. A breeze of chilly air blew from the door. It made me shiver. I saw the snow falling gracefully, piling up the steps from the from door. The whole view was nearly completely white. I was mesmerized.
"Ms. Misaki? Are you listening to me?" Maria broke my gaze. She was about to ramble on, until the coldness from the crack of the door caught her attention. "Such carelessness of Ms. Misaka! You musn't catch a cold." She quickly walked over to the door and closed it with a bam. I was disappointed and said farewell to my chance to see snow again.
Maria made me put on another wool sweater. She lit up the fireplace and went to make some hot tea for me. I walked upstairs slowly, quite disappointed. As I reached the music room again. I walked towards the white grand piano. The music room was empty except for the piano and a few sofas. There were also a few bookshelves alongside of the walls. Mother used to tell Misaka and I stories in here. We all sit on the sofa and she would began reading fairy tales.
I lightly touched the cover of the grand piano. It's smooth sides standing straight and proud. I remembered when mother used to play Canon. It was during this time of the year, if I recalled.
I opened the piano cover and started playing the familiar song. The musice flooded back in my mind. I missed her terribly. However, Mother was right there sitting next to me, her words of guidance overwhelmed me with emotions. It was like she was there, her delicate fingers lightly tapping the black and white keys of piano as we played the song together.
AS I finished the song, tears were threatening to fall again. I closed the piano cover and sat there staring at the shiny piano. Suddenly, a pebble hit the window of the music room and got my attention. I was shocked at first but I slowly walked to see what was going on.
I saw Misaka waving with her huge grin. She pointed to the two snow people she built. They were holding hands. I smile and waved back. She then mouthed the word "wait" and quickly ran away again. I couldn't stop smiling. I had such a wonderful sister.
After a couple minutes, she came into the music room, panting.
She held up a light blue present box with a rashly tied bow. "Open it," she said quickly.
I took the box from her and untied the ribbon. I opened the box, and to my surprise, there was a box full of snow. Although, the snow was melting, I still stared at it. I knelt on the carpet and put the box on the floor too. My hands reached in the box full of snow. A freezing tingling feeling soon filled my hand. Snow. It really is snow. I am actually touching snow!
I was so happy, so moved. I looked up into my sister's honey eyes. My vision was blurry since my eyes were filled with tears. Tears of happiness.
"Do you like it? I thought my snow art would fail, and it did. It looked like two random blobs of snow. So I decided to have a Plan B early birthday gift for you," Misaka said.
I smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Misaka. Thank you for the perfect gift."
So... there's the second chap. Just a reminder, Misaki and Misaka are both still ten years old. I know Misaki's birthday is September 29th but I just decided to make it December 12th. Hope you guys like it! (I spent more time on this than The Fateful Encounter... so PLEASE REVIEW!)
Thanx,
CC
