Carmiabell: The Black Apple

Chapter 12

The sun vibrantly spread fire rays across the blue skies of Ellialand, heralding a new morning. A new dawn that I, wished with every fiber of my being would involve less confronting darkness. But apparently, Mother Nature was in a particularly mischievous mood, eager to launch more arrows my way. Seriously, couldn’t I get a break?

As I descended from the levitating train, I caught a glimpse of Phoebi. Her face radiated happiness, but in stark contrast to her usual bubbly demeanor, she stood alone. My heart sank a little. It was impeccable timing for an apology, but my tongue felt like it had turned to stone, and my feet felt like they were anchored to the ground. Some part of me knew I’d messed up when I threatened to combat her, but it didn’t help that she was the very reason I’d taken the apple in the first place. Talk about irony!

Tuesday was supposed to be the day that Monday’s storm calmed, but instead, Damon was MIA. More often than not, he was my therapy session on two legs, and it was bizarre not seeing him around. But, what he needed was time to get his hands on a book or something related to his not-very-smart research.

Thoughts of his possible demise began to swirl in my head. An arrow through his heart? A spear from behind? Decapitation? A sword through his skull? It was like a horrifying script playing out in my mind. I mean, who knew what kind of trouble he could get into?

Zuina seemed just as unsettled. I worried his mission might have led him straight into grave danger or, worse, to the grave itself.

The entire week dragged on, and Damon remained missing in action. I felt ridiculous for having a crush that could vanish at a moment’s notice. Now I feared he might be diced into pieces and strewn six feet beneath the ground, adding to my melodramatic repertoire.

Zuina had been planning to visit his place this weekend. What a fantastic idea—let’s see if we can find the remains of a heartthrob!

°*°

As a streak of light from a curtain’s crevice cut through my room, I sprang out of bed, ready to visit the one and only Damon. It had been a rough week, knowing that at any moment, knights could barge in and haul us out of class, claiming we harbored a black apple and had persuaded a friend to find answers.

If anything, Damon didn’t deserve this. His innocent soul—okay, maybe not so innocent—should not have been on the line, that's of course his stupidity on the side. But if anything happened to him, I couldn’t bear the thought that I might have played a part in it. Okay, let’s not spiral into pessimism, Ye—my inner optimist, Yi, should be talking, but apparently, she was in hibernation.

Simon Greenwings Sparkle, however, had been spotted around. His dire desire for his stick drew him to our lunch table daily, and it was clear he didn’t believe Damon was missing. But honestly? I couldn’t care less.

I stared at the girl in the mirror. I wore a loosely fit skirt paired with a flowery royal blue blazer. Was the necklace too much? Its pale silver chain cascaded down to an asphalt-black, shamrock-shaped gem. My taste in beauty was questionable at best, but the necklace was one thing I never regretted picking up—thanks to my beloved sister, Marie.

Dressing up for school was one thing, but dressing up to visit a BOY? Let’s be real, this was my crush. First impressions mattered! I didn’t want to come off like some loony from the previous generation in front of his parents. I could already hear his father’s voice echoing, “I never want to see you with that screwed maniac again!”

Not too tight, not too loose, not too bright, not too dull, not too long, not too short—why did every piece of clothing I owned feel like a medieval torture device?