𝐈 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔; tommyinnit

𝐯𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

✩᯽☾︎❄︎☽︎᯽✩

"I wanted to be with you alone and talk about the weather."
- head over heels, tears for fears

A day had past since I last saw Tommy, the boy I ran into in the wilderness. I had originally planned to go outside the previous day, hoping to find the boy out there again, but that was scrapped when a giant storm lashed through the area, restricting me to the inside world. 

On the other hand, the weather outside that morning was perfect, unlike the morning beforehand. There was no rain in the proximity, Mother was in town for the entire day, the outside temperature was ideal, and it was my first break day. Mother said it was only fair that I had one day each year off of doing the unnecessary chores, and that day was the first one. April twelfth. My one day chore-free ticket.

The only thing I had to hope for was that Tommy would be out there again. That was what the day ahead of me looked like. Riding Agny out to where I had met him last time and hoping with all of my heart that he would be there again.

I gently wriggled out of my blanket heap and stood up, placing both of my bare feet on the icy floor. Stretching, I made my way over towards the door, reaching up and attempting to grab my lantern. After missing multiple times I finally found it in my grasp, once my eyes had adjusted to the beaming light. With a sigh, I forced the door open, unveiling the dark tunnel ahead of me.

I stepped onto the gravel, shutting the door behind me with a loud creak. My feet colliding with the small pebbles spread across the ground was the only source of sound throughout the whole tunnel, echoing to the very end. The lantern's light only travelled so far, so I was yet to see the morning sun rays shining down the staircase, but I knew it would be there. It always was.

If I were to transfer my feelings into words, I was over-excited. Overexcited to the point where I couldn't stop moving. My pace was quicker than usual, my smile was brighter than usual, my cheeks were tighter than usual. I couldn't exactly tell myself what was making me so happy, but inside I knew what was the main cause, I just didn't want to admit it.

You might get to see him again, Khione, how exciting. He better be there, otherwise it's all just a waste of time.

Up ahead of me, I could see the familiar beams of natural sunlight seeping through the bannisters, plus the familiar chirping from the crossbills coming into earshot. The lantern's effect decreased with every further step I took, the morning sun replacing its position. The staircase stood in front of me, patiently waiting for my first move like a predator taunting its prey.

It had become worse now, the stability of the stairs, with loose objects hanging on for dear life all across it. The floor below was already covered in an array of nuts and bolts, adding more to the collection with each use. Ascending brought along anxiety, all the plausible bad outcomes swarming in my head. I could fight against them all I liked, trying to get them to magically disappear, but they would never go away until I'd conquered it.

꧁𖣔•❄︎•𖣔꧂

"We're going to see if we can find him again, okay?" I whispered softly to Agny as if she could respond or understand what I was saying. She had been my best friend for my entire life, as I'd never been allowed to converse with many 'outsiders' as Mother used to call them. I would take her on rides and discuss the day's events, not realising in the moment that I was only talking to myself. 

It seemed weird to many, that I considered my own horse my best friend, but it was different when I was stuck alone with nobody else around me. Everyone would have understood if they were thrown into the same heartbreaking situation like me, but that wouldn't happen. I was the only one, alone like always.

The sound of her hooves hitting the snow mixed with the leaves blowing ever so slightly in the breeze made music to my ears, the kind of music I would listen to on an early Christmas morning. Where I lived, it was forever snowy, which explained why the castle hadn't melted and how it always felt like winter.

I never got sick of the crisp and cold air around the palace, but then again, the cold weather never affected me. I could always wear shorts in the middle of a snow storm when I was younger, or stand outside in the freezing rain for hours. That was the first sign of my irregular abilities, the one's I had since tried to master and conquer. I hadn't gotten very far, but I knew how far I could truly go, and it wasn't good.

꧁𖣔•❄︎•𖣔꧂

The morning sun had risen up, facing down directly above the Earth. I had been riding Agny for a long time, and could see her beginning to grow drowsy, his long strides growing short and lazy. 

"Hey, Agny, we're almost there, keep your head up!" After repeatedly tapping her and shifting around on her saddle, her eyes opened just in time to swerve around an oncoming tree, something I was unaware of at the time. "Good save Agny." I muttered under my breath, focusing on what was in front of us on the snowy path.

As I regained my composure and found a comfortable place on her back, I noticed where we were. I quickly yanked the reins back, causing a stunned horse to immediately stop on my command.

You're here already? Khione, you thought you were only three quarters of the way!

I slid off of Agny and led her by the reins to a nearby tree, leaving her in the shade of a tree where she could safely doze off, out of the sun's reach. My eyes scanned the surrounding area, soon finding nobody to be in their sight. 

He wasn't there, he wasn't even anywhere near. It panged my heart to think of him forgetting about me and moving on with his life, never wishing to talk to me ever again. I thought he would be perfectly fine at his house, with his happy family and loyal friends, yet there I was wishing to talk to him once more, even if it was for the last time. 

You only talked once Khione, that doesn't mean anything. Just leave him be, you're probably just bothering him. 

"Bothering him." I repeated aloud as I sat down under the same tree as Agny, resting my head atop her stomach. Feeling her breathing against the back of my neck relaxed me, freeing me from all of my negative thoughts. 

I had almost plunged into a deep and comfortable sleep when I felt a light tap on my right shoulder, slightly startling me awake and back to the reality of the world.

"Are you awake?" I heard a calm and soft voice say as I struggled to peel open my eyes.

1255 words