Obscuria

Chapter Six - A Brotherly Confession

(Misty)

I'm dreaming about trees which hold every fruit I know hanging from its branches, the skins of the fruits shimmering in the aurelian glow of the sun. I reach up to pick an apple, which is heavy in my hands - but when I bite into it, it tastes metallic, unlike any apple I've ever eaten. I stare down at it and the flesh of the fruit has been replaced with crimson blood; immediately, I drop it. What is this? What's happening?

I catch a glimpse of the tree again, only this time it has a mouth, opening it into a wide, bloody grin. It has a full set of razor-sharp teeth, but before it can do anything to me, my morning alarm pops up from the sky, saving my life.

I wake up in the snug, soft sheets of my bed in Obscuria Manor. I decided not to sleep over last night, since I needed a somewhat normal environment to let everything sink in. God, that was a trippy night. What shocks me is that it was actually real.

Although, now that I've been able to sleep on things, I'm able to process it much better than when I was in the moment. The feeling of finding out the truth had been like an electric shock I'd been awaiting for four years until I finally felt it. Remembering all of those things that happen near me when I'm emotional, and with no explanation, I can accept that I am some sort of witch.

I suddenly recall the door cracking two days ago when I got pissed off that it was locked, but the moment I looked at it, the cracking noise stopped and it was restored. I guess magickal powers really can explain everything.

I turn off the alarm and tumble out of bed. As always, I start off with my uniform, before moving on to my makeup. Even though I know I'm going to get plenty of attention today, I still use the same makeup look, hoping that maybe some nice person will compliment me on it.

Halfway through my makeup routine, Alex comes into the room. He's already dressed in uniform, his fringe neatly combed, his brown eyes glancing at me through my mirror.

I suddenly consider what I must look like to him, with makeup on only one eye.

"Hey," he says quietly.

"Oh, hey," I respond. "How you doing?"

"Mm, alright," he says awkwardly. "I just-" He pauses. "I just think it was really weird of Grandma to choose this house, don't you? She's never been the kind of person to choose a super old house over a newly built mansion."

"Hm," I say. "Yeah, I guess so. It crossed my mind a couple of times, actually, but now that I'm actually thinking about it, it does feel a bit out of character for her."

"I've been thinking, why this house?" he says. "I mean, it's probably nothing. I'm probably just overthinking and jumping to conclusions again, but I feel like she chose Obscuria Manor for a reason. I just don't know why."

"She probably just found out that creepy stuff is trendy, to be honest," I tell him. "And what's creepier than an old, dusty house that feels haunted?"

"I guess so," he says.

There's a long pause where he doesn't say anything, but he isn't leaving either. Part of me wonders why. Another part of me says it's just how he is. As I start to apply dark eyeshadow to my other eye, he speaks again.

"Why do you do all your makeup on one eye and then move onto the next?" he asks curiously. "Wouldn't it be more convenient to do them both at the same time?"

"I dunno," I say. "It's just what I do."

The truth is, I have no idea why I adopted certain habits in my everyday life. Like my makeup. There's a certain system to it, you see. I have to apply the eyeshadow, liner and mascara to my left eye first, and then move onto my right eye. I don't know why. I've just never done anything different.