Marbles were rolling down the floor, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the room, everything else was so still, as if time had stopped. Finally, the door creaked, the marbles stopped rolling, and yet the girl sitting in front of a mirror didn't move, she had to focus, she had to make sure she looked her best, no, she always looked her best, but it was never enough. "It would never be enough" She mumbled. There was a sudden twinge in her throat, was she about to cry ? How ridiculous ! She thought. She would never allow herself to cry, a perfectly beautiful being like her would never have a reason to shed tears, and above all it would ruin her skillfully applied make-up.
The chilling presence was approaching her, she could feel it. She didn't turn her head yet, she wasn't curious at all. Because she knew. She believed. Thus, there was no reason for her to be curious. Yet, her heart overflowed with anticipation and hope. Just this once she would allow herself to grimace, and she finally turned her head, to meet a pretty pair of marble-colored eyes staring back at her.
Arye hated the sun, it made him feel infuriated, he thought as he glared at the clear sky. He had just left his apartment, and on his way to the campus.
The campus, was something else that he hated.
The corridors of the university building were more crowded than usual, Arye wondered if there was some sort of event going on, he didn't even feel like attending the lecture that day, or any other day. He could almost hear Emily nagging him about going out more.
And there he thought he would enjoy a freestyle life living alone, but he went and got himself a second mom. He smiled at the thought.
When he looked at the hallway again, it seemed like it was getting more cramped by the second. He gulped. Somehow, the lecture room felt out of reach. "Ah, I guess I'll just go back home..." He was about to take on the opportunity that presented itself and leave when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around, light-green eyes, cherry lips, white skin, dark hair, someone who could easily pass as a girl if not for his receding hairline. It was Joseph, one of his few friends.
Joseph looked annoyed, probably because of the crowd, but he smiled when he said "Hey Arye, fancy seeing you here !" Arye smiled bitterly at the sarcastic remark. " Good morning Joseph, why is it so crowded today ?" Joseph looked around with an exasperated expression and answered " You know that famous girl, from Emily's major ? The one who's part-timing as a model..." Arye tilted his head, he had no idea whom he was talking about, he really needed to go out more, he thought to himself. "Well, she can't attend lectures regularly because of her work. Anyway, she posted on social media that she would be coming to uni today. And just like that, everyone is here to see her." Disdain was obvious in his tone. Arye couldn't care less about the stupidity of the masses, or whatever trend they felt urged to pursue, but he was amused by his friend's irritated expression. Joseph was an intelligent man, he had always carried himself with dignity and he valued his academic career above all. Seeing him all frustrated was worth the trouble of coming that day. The wicked thought made Arye feel a tiny itch of guilt, but it disappeared as soon as Joseph started talking again "Can you believe this ? This is not a goddamn concert hall ! ! And what kind of person posts about coming to uni, anyway ? !"
An insecure person who needed approval, he thought, but decided to keep it to himself. He felt he was in no place to judge, he also had his share of insecurities, and so did everyone else.
Joseph was still going on about it when they heard a cheerful voice from behind "What are you guys gossiping about, first thing in the morning ?" It was Emily.
"Reina M. Quiin, huh. We hang out sometimes." Said Emily as she sipped from her coffee." Even from a girl's perspective, she's quite the beauty, I would stare at her all day no problem !" Arye chuckled, that was something he could only hear from Emily, it was hard imagining an outgoing person like her being friends with a conceited idol, but what did he know ? Emily could get along with anyone, she was that kind of person.
"That's something a weirdo like you would say, alright." Said Joseph teasingly. "Shut up, baldie !" She shot back. Arye watched them as they bickered at each other, he felt warm inside, and somehow, just a tiny bit lonely.
What came afterwards was an utter uproar; the long-awaited Reina M. Quiin did not make it to the campus. She had a traffic accident, no further details were disclosed. There was tension in the air, it was hard to sit still, some students kept talking about it, others decided to go on with their activities since there were no more updates about it. Everyone was concerned in a way, the accident happened to a fellow student after all, a popular one.
Yet, no one seemed to be that emotionally involved, Arye wondered if no one was actually close to her. He thought of Emily, she said "We hang out" What did that even mean ? He didn't stay long after that so he had no idea how did Emily take the news. He decided to give her a call. She answered with a stiff Hi. Something was wrong, Arye could tell "Are you ok ?" She answered "I... I... Just now, I got a call from the hospital" Her voice was wavering, hesitating "I'm on my way to see her." He imagined her holding back not to cry and it broke his heart "Wait, I'll go with you."
Hospitals, were yet another thing Arye hated, the place summoned unpleasant memories. He glanced at Emily, she was walking ahead, holding her arms, she didn't say a single word yet. He wondered if she cried. She was a strong person, she had it tough many times in the past, but she always managed to be her cheerful passionate self. On the other hand, he was a weakling, a sorry excuse of a human being, yet he wanted to protect her, for once. "Her family is abroad, the hospital staff couldn't reach them, she doesn't have a guardian. My number was on her phone log, so they called me." She said as she faced him "Sorry for dragging you here, I know you don't like hospitals."
"Hey don't sweat it."
They met with the doctor in charge, he told them they managed to save her life but her brain was severely damaged so there was a high chance she won't wake up at all.
They were given the permission to see her, at last. Emily wanted to try contacting Reina's family, so she told him to go on ahead.
Arye walked in hesitantly, he thought the sight in front of him was straight out of a painting, the girl lying on the bed was not simply pretty, he couldn't put it in words, she looked like a doll, too beautiful, too lifeless.
It almost didn't feel real, it didn't feel right.
"She wished to be her most beautiful self." He could hear it in his head, the voice was cold and devoid of emotion, it had a matter-of-fact tone. Arye was startled, the room was so still, and somehow colorless, the feeling was eerily familiar, his heart pounded fast.
" I granted her wish." Arye thought he was going crazy, he turned around, and there, he saw him by the bedside. A tall man in a black suit. "Or more specifically, I satisfied her greed." There was a wicked smile on his face, his mystical marble-colored eyes shone with malice. Arye wanted to scream, he couldn't breathe, his vision was a blur, he could hardly tell what was going on anymore.
The man continued nevertheless, "Of course, a price had to be paid." He stared into his eyes, Arye felt nauseous, his chest ached. "Arye ?" Suddenly Emily was in front of him, he regained his focus, there was no sign of the other man, as if he was never there to begin with.
"Arye, you're sweating a lot, are you okay ?" He looked at her, he hated himself for being such a burden to her "I'm fine."
He recalled what had just happened, was it a hallucination ? No, no way. He could still feel those weird inhuman eyes boring into his, as if looking into his soul. His head pounded, there was a ringing in his ears, he was exhausted. He sat down, covered his face with his hands and mumbled "Just, what the hell is going on here ?"
That night, nightmares tormented his sleep.
