My home is where my heart lies

You'll Be In My Heart (part 1)

Akali's POV (the following Monday):

Despite the previous rather unpleasant experience with Uber, Evelynn had decided to utilise the company's service to get Akali to the school. Well, for the girl, it was a somewhat shocking development when Evelynn told her about it. After all, the magenta-haired Goddess usually preferred to drive her off herself. However, regardless of the initial impact, the raven-haired teen noticed something else about her legal guardian. There was a rather drastic change in the way Eve operated. Her usual confidence and filtering nature were gone, replaced with sheer doubt and uncertainty. It was a worrying sight that did not bode well for the day. That being said, Akali had little to say in that matter. In fact, she was confronted with a fait accompli. Hence, she did as she was told.

Because of that surprising events' turn, Akali arrived much earlier than usual at school. She did not mind that all that much. The day was set to be relatively sunny and warm. However, she would have enjoyed the presented opportunity far more if her recovery had been concluded. In fact, she would have given much for her leg to be fully operational already. She could move around with relative ease and what was most important, without pain flaring up. But, the girl still slightly limped, preventing her from running or even walking faster. What made the already regrettable experience even worse was that the teen was not used to slowing down. All she has strived for her entire life was to be better, faster, and stronger. And now, she needed to slow down and allow her body to recover.

Akali became increasingly irritated as she slowly paced around the school's main building. If her leg had allowed her, she would have been currently running. But, unfortunately, it was not the case. Hence, after around 10 minutes or so of a painfully slow walk, the raven-haired girl gave up and sat on the nearest bench.

With nothing better to do, she reached out to her bag, retrieving a book she had only recently started. It was the first volume of J.R.R Tolkien's trilogy, the Lord of the Rings. Akali has wanted to delve into it for a long time. However, in the past, she did not have the funds to allow her to buy the things she wanted. But that changed when Evelynn adopted her. And, as much the teen hated using the diva's money, there were certain benefits to her current situation.

The author, the Englishman, created a world that seemingly sucked the raven-haired girl in. There was something truly magical in the depths of description, setting the universe and the adventure that was to come. But, if she were to speak honestly, the language the author utilised was the most thrilling aspect of the novel. The teen simply adored how the sentences were formed, complex and completed. For her, it was a refreshing experience considering the way modern books were written. Still, due to these factors, the reading was relatively slow.

It really came down to two aspects, the teen concluded. First and foremost, the Englishman had chosen to use somewhat fancy wording that, in many places, required a moment of pause from the reader. Secondly, the story required knowledge, patience, and fidelity when read. As one could have said: The Devil lay in the details.

Nonetheless, Akali somehow felt a hunger. The more she delved into the story, the more significant that feeling grew. No matter how many pages or chapters the teen had gone through, she needed more. It felt fantastic to have a goal that, at the same time, was a driving force. But, it also had its downsides. From the moment the raven-haired girl opened the book, her perception of the world, or to be more specific, her surrounding, greatly diminished. All of her focus was on the pages filled with neatly typed words.

Nevertheless, it was only a short time before Akali heard the bell chiming. It was high time for her to proceed to her today's classes. However, perhaps for the very first time in her life, the girl did not want to do so. It would have been much better to simply sit here and enjoy the novel. However, it only took the girl a moment to change her mind. After all, her whims should not cover the bigger picture that was her future. And to reach that next stage of her life, she needed to get the best possible education and then go to university. It was the plan from the very beginning. Still, as time passed, she occasionally questioned whether being perfect should be her priority number one. And it would not have been a surprise for anyone if she said that these feelings, thoughts, or ideas have come more often since her adoption.