The Solar Eclipse

Chapter 1: The fated encounter

It was a chilly morning, even when the sun was out and bright. Elicia walked past the streets which made her feel as if she was surrounded by the tallest buildings. She was looking around to make sure she had not a tail. She, who wished to lead a life of simplicity, had to go through the pain of eyes looking out for her always. 

Elicia was a ray of sunshine. Her ginger hair shined with radiance in the sunlight and her eyes sparkled like an uncut emerald in the rough. She was a bright, cheerful and heartwarming person. She could light up any of the darkest rooms with just her presence and stood out wherever she went due to her good looks and for being musically, artistically and academically gifted. She was a virtuoso, a talented painter and had extraordinary grades. But unfortunately, her natural traits also made things difficult for her.  

As Elicia walked past the people she knew and the shops she frequently visited, she felt as if everything was the same. She was desperate for any change in her life. She felt like she was a trapped bird in a cage inside of a painting where the scenery never changed. She wished that the shops would be different, the people greeting her won't be the same people who only see her as eye candy, she wished there was someone who would make everything change for her. She wanted to experience the feelings she had never felt before, the feeling of having a loving mother or a devoted lover or maybe just someone who loved her for her personality and not her face. She was happy and satisfied with everything she had, but that didn't stop her from wishing for things she didn't have. That is human tendency after all.

Suddenly, everything felt different. None of the people were looking at Elicia anymore. Their attention was directed towards another direction. Everyone's focus was towards someone who was unique, someone who was in a place where they weren't required, someone who was different from everything else Elicia had seen and grown up with. She felt like she could finally breathe, with everyone's attention somewhere else other than herself. She felt a huge sense of relief wash over her. Elicia was grateful to the person who opened the door to her invisible cage even if it was for mere minutes.

As the savior of Elicia walked down the street, everyone's eyes were on them. Most of them were curious and most of them were admiring the beauty of the beautiful lady whom Elicia was most grateful for. The lady had silver hair which seemed as if it would glisten in the moonlight and her eyes which resembled a vast landscape like the forest and was pure like an untainted river. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail, which made her stand out. The mole under her left eye made her look even more prettier. Even though she had dark circles, it just enhanced her natural beauty. Her beauty was otherworldly and words did not do her beauty justice. 

Elicia was astonished by her charm. She couldn't believe her eyes, as the lady took her breath away. She made Elicia question her own beauty. Elicia couldn't help but stare at her savior who seemed to not care about what others were thinking about while looking at her and walked with pride and her head held high. She looked at Elicia and seemed startled while Elicia looked away to pretend as if she hadn't been staring at the beauty. The beauty walked up to her and stared at Elicia. She looked as if this was the moment she had been waiting for all her life. As if it was of utmost importance to her. But Elicia was sure that she hadn't met the lady before because if she had, she wouldn't have been able to forget someone who made her heart pound by just being idle. They both were staring into each others' eyes and the people around stopped doing their work and stared at the two beautiful ladies. "Are you..." the lady uttered before Elicia cut her off. "Let's talk somewhere else, there are a lot of eyes on us" Elicia whispered and the lady nodded in response.

Elicia held the other lady's hand and she didn't seem that surprised. She just went along with Elicia's flow. Elicia couldn't contain her nervousness while holding the hands of such a beauty. She was also worried she might hurt her snowy, petite hand if she held onto it too tight. She lead the lady to a park where no one else would notice them due to the time being the office rush hours.

As they reached the park, there was almost no one there except a few children just like Elicia suspected. "I'm sorry for dragging you all the way out here, I know you must have had other important matters to attend but word travels super fast around here" Elicia said with a frown. "It's alright, I suppose it is weird for a random stranger to come up to you and engage in a conversation with you. I hope that didn't offend you" the lady said with a polite grin. She also continued, "My name is Nolleo, It is such an honor and pleasure to meet you. May I ask you a question?" Elicia wondered why she had mentioned that it was an honor to meet her but she disregarded it as she was quite popular among her city. "Sure, go ahead" Elicia said as a response to Nolleo's question. "Is your name.. Elicia?" Nolleo asked hesitantly trying to put it in the best way possible and not seem like a stalker. She did not want to put off Elicia or get on her bad books. Elicia flinched. She had thought of Nolleo as her savior. She had left a great impression on Elicia's mind and she did not want to use her influence in the city to show her how wonderful she was, rather she wanted to get to know Nolleo as a normal person. Mostly, she just wanted to be a normal girl to Nolleo, instead of someone with such a "perfect" reputation. Elicia was lost in her thoughts until Nolleo's mesmerizing voice got her out of her thinking bubble. "Are you okay?" Nolleo asked with concern. "I'm fine! I'm very sorry though, I think you're mistaken. My name is Rielle, not Elicia." She said with a hint of guilt but she did not regret her decision. Nolleo seemed really disappointed. "But that can't be, that ginger hair and those emerald eyes, it must be Elicia.." she muttered softly, not wanting to believe that she had lost the chance to meet a person who meant a lot to her. "Pardon me, I wasn't able to catch that" Elicia said. "It's nothing, I'm sorry for disturbing you" Nolleo said and apologized.

After a pause, she questioned "Wait. Rielle. You're Elicia's friend?" She enquired. "Oh uh, yes! Yes, Elicia is my best friend!" Elicia lied.  "Well, it was fate that brought us together in this park then! I'm very glad to meet you, Rielle. Do you think I could get a chance to meet Elicia?" Nolleo said with a genuine smile. Elicia nodded and laughed knowing she was royally screwed. But she felt more guilty for lying to Nolleo than the fear of being found out that she had lied. Elicia looked at her to see the expression she was making and she saw a pleasant smile across Nolleo's face which melted her. Nolleo glanced at her and said "It really is a fated encounter". Elicia smiled and kept a straight face, but her heart was racing and her mind couldn't think of anything else but the words that Nolleo had spoken.