A stranger I have to share my skin with

Chapitre 1

Farah sighed, feeling the scruffy itch against her skin.

Again?

She didn't even look at her arm, putting on her jacket to cover it.

How ridiculous was this? How was the universe laughing at her, by offering her a chance of a school-like romance?

Whenever she saw words or little drawings on her arms, she only felt infantilized, as if little scribblings on a desk could ever lead to true love. She wasn't ten, anymore, and she had lost all hopes of romance a long time ago.

Why did she have to discover herself a soulmate? And why in such a belittling way?

People had different ways of finding their significant other. Sometimes, through the normal way, even if it was rare. More often, it was by a little power, a byproduct of magic, manifesting in strange elements.

Vision impaired, sound muted, shared scars, clock counting down the time... All until you found your soulmate.

Farah Dowling, one of the most promising students at Alfea and soon to be Rosalind's protege, had little drawings on her skin. After getting it as a child, she had learned to hide this childish way of finding her soulmate, and was very careful about covering every inch of skin she could.

The Mind Fairy had no time to lose for such silliness.

After a couple minutes, the feeling came back, and she couldn't help herself, curious.

"Getting pouty again?"

Yes, of course. She had forgotten the most important detail, in her self-pity: her soulmate seemed as childish as its way to find her -because she was a her, the loopy writing told her so- and relentless.

She didn't answer.

...............

At first, it was silly drawings. Flowers, animals, clouds, sticky man- everything a child could draw. Then, as she discovered that it was a way of communication, she started asking questions.

"Who are you?"

"Where do you go?"

"Do you like flowers?"

"Or maybe you prefer stars?"

Every proposition was followed by a doodling looking somewhat like the subject mentioned, to the point where every inch of Farah's skin was covered in ink.

The Mind Fairy hated it. Hated that someone else had access to her body, and could potentially cover her with embarrassing things. As she closed on herself, trying to escape the thoughts of her classmates, one girl could always get through her.

It was unfair.

After the questions, came the answers she never asked for.

"My favorite color is brown, like my Dad's eyes. I miss him. My eyes are blue, so I'm sad I'm not like Dad. Do you have brown eyes too? Or green like Macy? I kinda like Macy, but she is mean sometimes. She's very pretty. Are you pretty? I like movies"

But at least, she stayed polite. Annoying, yes, but not embarrassing her with cat whiskers on her face or things like that. When she wasn't writing, she was drawing, and erasing everything in the evening.

Farah could ignore her, and she did for a few years.

Until she couldn't, because she suddenly had a crass drawing on her hand. Impossible to hide, and she had a presentation to give. Everyone would see it!

She grabbed a pen and wrote.

"Erase that. Now."

"I'm trying! But my friend didn't use my washable marker"