HI EVERYONE! UWAHH! I'm so happy! Finally, school's over! SUMMER! YAYYYYYY! XD
DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Vocaloid. :(
Bright cerulean eyes sparkling, the young girl with waist-length, flowing blonde hair strolled along the garden path. As she breathed in the crisp morning air, she could smell the sweet fragments of the delicate blossoms that were tended to by her family's servants. Humming a cheerful tune in a soft voice, she turned around to gaze fondly at the vast, luxurious manor that she had lived on for all fifteen years of her life.
Suddenly, a warm breeze blew by, blowing the feathery hat off her head. Carefully hitching up her numerous layers of ruffled skirts, she chased after it playfully, only to find it being caught by someone else.
"Good morning, Miss Lucifen," he bowed cordially, handing the hat back to her. He had shoulder-length golden hair tied up in a ponytail, calm sky-blue eyes, and a gentle smile. One of the king's most trusted knights, he was a close childhood friend, unanimously accepted and loved by everyone on the manor.
Cheeks flushed, she paused for a moment to regain her breath. Then, she took the hat and smiled brilliantly at him, eyes twinkling happily. "Hello, Allen."
Chapter 1:
Witch Girl
Len's POV:
RING! The school bell echoed throughout the hallways, signaling the beginning of class. I leaned back in my chair at the back of the classroom next to a window, and yawned. Turning my head to the right, my eyes glanced at the vacant seat beside me. Oh, so Miku Hatsune ditched school again today…
I'm Len Kagamine, sixteen years old. I'm a student of Utualoid High School, class 1-A. Although I am an honor rolls student, I could care less about grades. Math, science? Who cares? How boring…
Although class 1-A was often called the "nerdy" class, every single person in our class had a unique personality. If not slightly annoying. Each student in the class was connected with one another, and it was nearly impossible to keep a secret. Except for one person…
She, who sat at the opposite side of the classroom as me, was the only exception. Never socializing with anyone, she always brushed off requests of companionship. No one could, or would, approach her. She seemed to have an invisible wall around her. Many foolish, supernatural rumors revolved around her, making everyone terrified. They called her a witch, spouting nonsense about how she had powers to talk to the dead and was able to petrify with her eyes. Despite me not believing them, I had to admit that there seemed to be this…unseen force… that almost seemed to prevent us from looking directly into her face. I couldn't even say what color her eyes were.
What was her name? Animare R…Somehow, nobody remembered. It was almost like magic.
I checked my watch and sighed. Our foolish, pudgy lump of a teacher, "Big" Al, was exactly five minutes and twenty-seven seconds late. Every day, he was eight to ten minutes late, so everyone was used to it by now.
Five twenty-eight…
Five twenty-nine…
Five thirty-
"STOP TALKING, YOU BRATS! TAKE OUT YOUR FRIGGIN' HOMEWORK ALREADY!" a voice suddenly screamed, followed by a chorus of groaning from everyone, except for Animare, who had her gaze fixed on a spot in front of her desk, in mid air. It seemed that, today, Mr. Al was slightly earlier than usual. Which was still late, by the way.
"You, what did I say about drawing on the desks? And you! Pay attention! Hey, WIPE THAT UGLY LOOK OFF YOUR FACE! Ugh…that teal-headed brat is absent again?! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING, KAMIGENE?!" The last sentence, which was directed towards me, was followed by a chorus of both snickers and glances of sympathy.
Indignantly, I muttered, "It's Kagamine," but he didn't seem to hear me.
"Humph! Well, what're you waiting for? Flip to the right page in your textbooks, you should know where! HURRY UP AND READ IT! This lesson isn't gonna teach itself! DON'T COMPLAIN, FOOLS! Yes, you're supposed to find your homework online and print it yourself!"
"How annoying! He should be fired!" I heard the girl who was yelled at not for paying attention, Akita Neru, whisper to one of her giggling friends.
"I know, right?"
I heard a rustling sound behind my seat. Sneaking a glance away from my "lesson," I twisted around and looked confusedly at a girl with magenta hair in twin drills who was smirking mischievously while holding something in her hand.
Feeling my blank stare, Kasane Teto looked up and grinned at me. But not after dropping the "thing" onto the ground.
"…"
"…"
"AGHHHHH! TEACHER, THERE'S A COCKROACH ON THE GROUND!" Akita shrieked, standing up in the middle of the room and pointing at the said insect that Kasane unleashed upon the class. "S-SOMEONE! KILL IT!" Suddenly, everyone was squirming and looking wildly around for the tiny pest, as if it was a poisonous snake. The classroom was suddenly filled with screams and cries. People these days…
"Al, it's coming near you!" Another girl yelled. The teacher, who was previously playing a game on his cell phone before the chaos started, made a bounding leap onto his desk and cowered in the front of the room, scrunching his chubby face up. He was so frightened that he didn't even bother correcting the student for not calling him "Mr. Al." I choked from trying not to laugh. Kasane saw my expression and smirked proudly.
The cockroach was now on the other side of the classroom from me. A boy took his scissors and tried to stab the cockroach, only to chicken out at the last second and drop the scissors. Another student tried to smash it with her textbook, only to trip over the boy's feet.
Rolling my eyes, I opened my backpack and grabbed two pieces of paper, then stood up and marched across the room. "Kill it, Kagamine-kun!" The two teenagers shouted simultaneously, both trembling in fright. Again, I thought: People these days! I looked around on the floor, and finally spotted the cockroach. I bent down and prepared to scoop it up with my papers, only to be stopped by a cold, vice-like grip on my right elbow that sent chills up my arm.
Slowly looking up, I found myself staring into the piercing gaze of a pair of lifeless eyes. Animare was staring back at me, with her pale face, framed by unkempt silvery-blond hair, twisted into a look of shock.
"What?" I said, wondering why she was acting like I was a long-lost dead relative or something.
She put on her usual stoic, emotionless expression again, and pointed down at my feet. Looking down, I saw that the cockroach was climbing onto my shoe. Huffing in annoyance, I gently shook it off and scooped it with my paper. Then, I strode to the window, opened it, and let the insect hop onto the leaf of a tree outside. When I turned back around, Animare was sitting mutely in her seat again, as if nothing happened.
"I-IS IT GONE?!" Big Al whimpered, still cowering on top of his desk. The whole class snickered, although some of them sent me odd glances, probably bewildered about my encounter with Animare.
"No, teacher, it's still here!" A boy with silver hair, Utatane Piko, shouted, trying to feign horror. "I-It's…It's right beneath your desk! NO, IT'S ON YOUR DESK NOW!" If one couldn't see his face, red from trying not to laugh, his voice would actually be quite convincing.
"Don't worry!" another student, Megpoid Gumi, screeched. "We'll get rid of it for you! Just look away and stand still!"
"Well, what are you all waiting for?! HURRY UP AND GET RID OF IT!" The overweight man trembled, potbelly jiggling, while everyone smiled mischievously at each other.
"Oh no, I think it's coming toward you!" Kamui Gackupo yelled, rushing towards the teacher. "But don't worry! I'll take a newspaper and swat it away from you! Don't move, or I'll accidentally hit you-"
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" A voice bellowed. A woman had just opened the classroom door, and was scanning the classroom. It must have been a strange sight to behold: almost every person out of their seats and standing in random positions around the room with excited expressions, the teacher cowering on top of his desk with his eyes closed and face scrunched up, and a student holding a thick roll of newspaper, apparently preparing to hit the teacher with it. She glared at us, causing everyone to become completely silent.
"…"
Class 1-A was about to face the wrath of Vice Principal Lola.
Swinging my heavy school bag onto my shoulder, I started to walk home, letting the late afternoon sun wash over my face. I stopped, however, at the front gate of the school, when someone with teal hair attacked me from behind and tackled me to the ground.
"MIKUO!" I yelled, punching my best friend in the face, too lightly to be considered serious but too hard to be considered playful. "Where were you two today?"
Nonchalantly, he tried to hit me, missed, and resignedly straightened up. Hatsune Mikuo of Class B was a tall, athletic boy with windblown teal hair and a smirk which normal people would think friendly, but which I knew meant that he was planning something. Completely the opposite of his shy and timid sister, Mikuo had many friends and-to be honest- "female admirers," but he always chose to follow me around and annoy me to no end.
In elementary school, I always thought that the Hatsune siblings resembled royalty. What with Mikuo's carefree but elegant posture and Miku's graceful air, I had always imagined that they were a prince and princess. I still did.
"What? Oh, Miku and I were riding a pink unicorn off to Lala-land, battling evil ninjas and samurai on the way. We missed you."
Rolling my eyes, I turned and started walking away from him.
"Hey! Len, wait up!"
"I don't talk to retards." I said in the coldest tone I could manage, trying not to laugh.
After walking for about five feet, I was smacked on the head. Hard. "So…what happened today? You seem kind of grumpy right now. That is to say…even grumpier than usual." Mikuo said, pretending that he didn't just almost knock me out.
"Well, it's a long story, probably not as interesting as your lovely little unicorn trip with your sister. But it involved Kasane and one of her weird jokes, a cockroach, the vice-principal, and her oversized pointing stick." I told him about the cockroach incident.
Mikuo gasped. "Animare touched you?!"
"Shut up," I scolded. "That sounds wrong!"
"But…she touched you! S-She physically made contact with your elbow with her bare skin and…Can I see your arm?"
I flicked my friend on the forehead. "Do you know how silly you sound right now? Only little kids believe in magic and stuff like that."
Ignoring me, Mikuo scurried behind me, rolled up my sleeves, and intensely examined both lf my elbows.
"…"
"…"
"Um, Len? Did she grab your right arm?"
"…I think so. How do you know?"
Spinning me around to face him, Mikuo stuttered, "Y-you…Your right elbow is bleeding!"
Immediately checking to see if he was right or not, I looked down at my right arm and my eyes widened. There was a huge gash, about thirteen centimeters long, running down my arm. Fresh blood oozed out of it, staining my uniform and dripping onto the ground.
Wincing in pain, I muttered, "I tripped earlier in gym. I can't believe I didn't notice that until you showed me…"
"What are you talking about?!" Mikuo snapped in an uncharacteristically sharp voice. "Don't be stupid! She cursed you! You have to be more careful! If you don't start to watch out, you might-"
"It's getting late," I interrupted. "I should be going now. See you."
In my bedroom, I quickly turned on the sink and washed my right arm with the cool stream of water. Sighing in relief, I carefully wrapped the stinging injury in bandages, as quietly as I could. It would be bothersome if my parents found out.
After cleaning my wound, I took off my shirt and looked at the huge scarlet stain on the right side. Suddenly, my vision darkened and the floor seemed to spin underneath me. Panting, I gripped my bedpost and tried to blink the dizziness away. Then, I slowly climbed onto my bed, head aching from blood loss and feeling as if my right arm were on fire.
Lying in bed, I gazed at the thin slivers of moonlight that slipped through the curtains and into the room, like tiny silver fish that danced in fast-flowing rivers.
"Don't be stupid! She cursed you! You have to be more careful!" Mikuo's voice rang loudly through my ears, startling me unpleasantly. My mind started to dwell on other students' voices.
"Careful, now…we don't want to touch her desk…"
"Did you hear?! He accidentally brushed shoulders with her in the hallway, and now he has a broken nose and hip! What a pathetic fool…"
"Stop! Don't look into her eyes, or you'll fall under her spell."
"She's…a witch…"
"Wicked…the reincarnation of evil…"
"Witch girl…"
Scowling, I rolled over and forced myself to close my eyes. Just go to sleep, Len. I told myself sternly. Magic isn't real. It isn't. They're just bored and childish, that's all. It's just a coincidence. Slowly and uneasily, I drifted off to sleep, jolting awake every once in a while due to the excruciatingly sharp pain in my arm.
Why can't I even remember what color your eyes are? I should try hard…and prove to them…that you're normal.
Calmly, she brushed the dried flecks of blood off her dress, crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. "Len…what a foolish, arrogant human you are. I will personally ensure that you come to the same tragic end as last time…Allen…"
Next up: Chapter 2: Seat Change (Len, Miku POV)
"Calm down, Miku. Those rumors are false."
"HACHUNE! Go and sit next to…Sukone!"
"LEN! Is it really true?! Do you mean to tell me that you're sitting next to her?!"
"…You…remind me of someone…that I used to know…"
First of all, you know how Len always says, "People these days!" That's MY line. I ALWAYS say that! I guess I kind of made Len's personality like mine. Haha. So sorry if he's, like, really mean and sarcastic. Next chapter, I will try to shape his character more.
"I don't talk to retards." That's something my friend said in math class once, when a the guy next to her (class clown) was annoying her. XD
One of my teachers I had in SOME point of my life ALWAYS came late to class. And whenever he came late, he just slowly, calmly strolled in, visited another teacher in his classroom, casually chatting with other teachers for AGES while we poor students waited, and FINALLY letting us in without even acknowledging us. SHEESH! (No offense, and I'm not naming anyone here!)
Oh, and the cockroach story? Once, outside of English class, there was a huge cockroach, everyone screamed, some boys tried to kill it but chickened out and failed, and...yeah. Then the teacher came, and she was like, "WTF?!" LOL
Please review, everyone, and stay tuned for Chapter 2! Thank you!
~Rikasa
