CHAPTER FIVE

Stars, Ablaze

This was really irritating me. Everywhere I looked: it was varying shades of black, white and grey. When my tutor left, whom I still didn't know the name of, I didn't review the work like he recommended. Sure it made sense as he walked me through it, but as soon as he left me alone it was like I turned dyslexic.

So instead, I dashed back into my room and pulled on a pair of proper pants. Thank God no one was around; most of the Day Class students preferred to go out of town as soon as school was over and returned as the Night Class made their dramatic transition. I've never been to one before, but I assumed it would be awkward…what with me jealous of their schedule. Then again my tutor was a part of the Night class and I still wasn't quite sure what made him so special that he was accepted, except maybe his intelligence.

That was sort of a deal breaker for me.

But that was beside the point. The big deal was that my tutor's eyes were not grey and I didn't exactly know what colour it was because…well, because I had nothing to compare it to. So I pulled out my dimmed laptop and actually typed in colours in Google but they were still all varying shades of grey.

That was not the colour.

Holy shit I said colour. This was actually a huge deal. His eyes were not grey – the moon was not grey – and before I got too excited…

Screw it.

I screamed into my pillow and after one, lung-killing but much needed output, I threw on some more proper clothing and grabbed my telescope. Forget about math homework, I was going to go do my own little research. I gave a quick peek out of the window and there was enough light to blur out my vision so I assumed it was nothing beyond early evening. But as soon as I left the Dorms and crossed over to the forest, a high-pitch wail pretty much shattered my ear drum. "Holy crap –"

What was that?

(It was the Attack of the Fangirls, that was what.)

I really should have known better. I tried to flee the scene, and I really would have but walking right by me was my all too familiar tutor was in the midst of the crowd, laughing loudly – the loudest I've ever seen him – as he made shooting noises and pointing his finger at the maniac girls.

This was not the guy who was teaching me Functions less than half an hour ago.

But as soon as I stopped and stared, so did he and he was staring at me with his eyes – eyes without the slightest smudge of colour. I felt like a deer in headlights – but in complete and unbiased honesty, so did he. He opened his mouth but I felt my face heat up with embarrassment – but from what, I didn't know. I scrambled with the strap of my telescope as I tried to casually walk away to my little section of the forest. I didn't know why, but the fact that I didn't hear anyone coming after me left me…disappointed.

I didn't stop to set up camp there, I just continue walking – wanting to get back to my dorm and just take it easy but then quite literally out of nowhere, a horse came smashing into me.

"Lily – stop, stop!"

I was screaming.

Not because I was nearly trampled by a huge, white horse but because it trampled my telescope. "No!" I shouted hysterically, "no, no...no, no, God no."

"I'm so so sorry!" A girl with short brown hair ran towards me, eyes wide and genuinely apologetic but I couldn't spare her anything to lessen her guilt. I was too busy hovering over the fragments of the telescope – the lens was clearly cracked through, the tube dented and the screws of the adjustments were nowhere in sight. How could I possibly buy a new telescope – and even if I could, what was I supposed to use meanwhile? No, no, no this is not happening.

"It's – it's okay." My voice was shaking as I gathered up the remains, finding as much bolts as I can. I couldn't lie. I felt the sting of tears behind my eyes. I wouldn't cry but...this was upsetting. I took a deep breath. The girl I remembered now as the prefect tried to calm down the famed, angry horse but it didn't stop stomping around until the other prefect, Kiryuu came. He gave one glance at my pathetic self scrambling to salvage what I can, and at Cross and announced that he was bringing it back to the stable.

"I really am sorry," she said for the tenth time, her incredibly large eyes even wider, "I'll pay for the repair -"

Now any sane person would thank them, and take the offer but my lack of social cues of accepting money from others prevented me from doing so. "It's fine," I said again, hoping she wouldn't comment on my shaky voice, "I'll just...don't worry about it, okay? I'll just -"

"Kaede!"

We both turn around. "Aidou!" she stammered, her guilty expression turning to scold. "You're supposed to be in class!"

But he didn't spare her a glance, and instead he was staring right at me. My heart fell several stories when they were the same pale shade of grey, momentarily distracting me from my grieving. Weren't they just a colour an hour, maybe a bit longer ago? Or was I just seeing things – but that would be impossible because the colour blind couldn't start imagining colour, especially considering the fact I was never exposed to an irregular like that before. "Are you okay?" he asked me quickly, placing a hand underneath my elbow and took the main body of the telescope from my hands.

"What?" I said, dumbfounded and his eyebrows furrowed.

"I heard you shouting and -" He stopped when he realized what he was holding. "This looks...different."

I couldn't help it. I whimpered as I tried to take it back from him. My precious baby – the sole thing that survived years here at the school and now it was...this. I sighed, rubbing my face and then flicking my hair back tiredly. "Yeah," I said dully, "it is." I looked up through my eyelashes at the man of lighter shades in front of me and I winced. I didn't blame him or anything but...keeping distance away from people who suddenly appeared from my life seemed like a good idea.

He didn't let go of the tarnished telescope and I just sigh. There was no point in trying to repair it, and seeing it in the corner of my room would just be depressing. I let go of him and muster up an unconvincing smile. "Well, bye." And then I walk, and walk until I didn't stop the feeling of his stare left me.

But it didn't.

This time, he followed behind me. I felt his hand around my arm. "Wait, Kaede -"

"Why are you calling me that?" I asked, what little part of me that I was trying to hold together cracking. The nervous, grieving part shifted into annoyance and hatred of...everything. There was irritation in my tone. We weren't close – we weren't friends and I wasn't in the greatest mood at the moment. And since I couldn't take it out on a horse, I would take it out on someone instead – namely him. "I don't even know you. I don't even know your name."

He flinched visibly.

And then I felt bad. I rubbed my face again, wanting the day to be over with. I felt his hand slip off my elbow and I wanted to apologize. But I couldn't turn back now so I just continued walking but as soon as I left the shade of the forest, I heard his voice – loud, deep and tone so smooth that it suddenly made me aware of what sound was.

"It's Aidou," he said and his voice was far away, echoing back at me, "Aidou Hanabusa."

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