My dead Orpheus. The awakening

Chapter two

For the occasion, I decide to borrow something from Liza's wardrobe. Since she wouldn't let me if I asked, I take advantage of her running practice to take a look at her clothes before she gets home.

I have to admit: when I see the huge amount of stuff crammed into my sister's room, I almost regret my decision.

What could be appropriate for the first date with the coolest guy at Campbell?

I mean, I know it's technically not our first meeting. We see each other every day at school, he knows what I look like, and a nice outfit won't change that. But a first date is important, right?

I need to be charming, but without giving the impression that I've tried too hard.

And, in my case, I also need to make sure my sister doesn't notice something missing from her wardrobe. That's not too hard. She has so much stuff she won't notice one silly shirt.
I open the first drawer of the wardrobe and take a look at the pile of perfectly folded clothes. I'm sure that, when I'm done, I won't be able to put everything back exactly as it was... but by the time Liza notices, I'll already be gone, at the football game.
Just the thought of it sends a million colorful fireworks exploding in my mind.

I brush my fingertips against the first shirt I find and sigh at the delicate touch of silk against my skin. It's one of Liza's favorite pieces, and precisely for that reason, I can't risk taking it. So, I decide to look directly at the things stuffed at the back of the drawer, the ones no one will miss.

For the most part, they're clothes my sister used a few years ago but hasn't had the heart to throw out. They're all beautiful, but nothing really grabs me until I catch a glimpse of purple among the other colors.

I pull the fabric until I manage to extract a shiny satin shirt, and I immediately know it's exactly what I need today.
I don't often wear this color. It draws too much attention to the strange hue of my irises, and normally, that's the last thing I want. But Cedric mentioned in one of his notes that he likes my eyes, and today, I want to be beautiful.

Beautiful and confident.

I'm so nervous that I'm ready much earlier than necessary. I've done what I could with my hair: I straightened it to get rid of the frizz, but now it falls on my shoulders like uncooked spaghetti, straight and stiff.

Oh well.

At least I'm satisfied with the rest. The shirt seems made just for me: tight at the waist, it falls softly over my stomach and back, caressing my skin, while the neckline isn't deep enough to reveal the barrenness of my flat chest. I paired it with tight jeans, to avoid looking like I've made too much effort, and simple, flat shoes.

In front of the mirror, I almost look like a normal teenager.
"You've got this," I tell myself. Then I smile and check for the hundredth time that no food is stuck in my braces, even though I've brushed my teeth multiple times.

When I go downstairs to the living room, my dad is sitting on the corner sofa, sipping a coffee while watching a documentary on TV. His gaze is vacant, the look of someone deep in thought.

"Dad, can you give me a ride to school?" I ask, startling him. He turns to look at me, frowning in surprise.

"At this time?" he asks. "Isn't it a strange hour for school?"

I roll my eyes. "There's a football game. It's an important moment for the team," I say. I actually have no idea if it's an important game or not, but if there's anyone who knows less than me, it's my dad.

He wasn't interested in sports when he was younger, and he certainly isn't now. His life revolves around his dental practice, and the middle-aged belly he sports is proof of it.
"Can't you go with Liza's friends?" he sighs, adjusting his reading glasses on his nose. I don't understand why he's wearing them since he's not reading anything. "I suppose they'll be picking her up again this time."

I purse my lips. "She's still at school," I reply curtly. "Are you giving me a ride or not?"

I love my dad, really. But he has no idea what's going on in my life. Neither he nor my mom have noticed that I don't have any friends, and they're convinced I'm taking a home economics class after school, when what I really do is hide out at Riverview Memorial Park, reading tons of manga. If they knew I spent my days in the cemetery near home, maybe they'd realize something's wrong.

But since they don't take an interest in me, they'll never figure it out, that's for sure.

They haven't even noticed what's happened between me and Liza. We used to be the closest sisters in the neighborhood. Not even Ashley and Tania Brewer, the identical twins who live two blocks from us, were as close as we were.

Liza is my little sister, only a year younger than me. We've always gone to the same schools, and we were such an inseparable duo that no other girl could get close to us. Then, when she also enrolled at Campbell High, everything changed.

For a while, kids had started to notice something strange about me, but it had never been a big problem. Yes, it's true, Tom Nance would burst into tears whenever he looked me in the eyes back in kindergarten, but eventually, even he got used to my violet eyes and let it go. In elementary school, before Liza joined, we even played together.

High school is another story. I think, deep down, no one really cares that my eyes are weird: what they want is someone to take out their cruelty on... and here I am, the perfect candidate.

Eurydice Arden, the loser girl with braces and witchy eyes.

Liza, on the other hand, is my opposite. Cute and petite, she runs on the same team as Ariadne Singler—the most popular girl at Campbell—and, even though she's not as good as her, Ariadne has taken her under her wing.

Liza had to choose between popularity and her weird older sister. It seems it wasn't a hard decision.

My dad finally decides to listen to me. "Okay," he says, taking off his reading glasses and placing them on the coffee table in the living room, "I'll take the chance to stop by the office. I forgot my appointment book."

Any excuse is good for working.

I follow him to the minivan and settle into the passenger seat, obsessively smoothing a strand of my dark hair.

Campbell is about fifteen minutes by car from Riverside, the charming residential neighborhood in Atlanta where I live with my family. For the entire drive, I stare out the window. We pass Riverview Memorial Park and the bridge that crosses the murky waters of the Chattahoochee River before my dad tries to start a conversation with me.

"If everything goes as planned, I'll be taking your braces off next month," he announces, throwing me a hopeful look.

"That's great, Dad," I say, trying not to sound rude. I'd be more excited if he hadn't said the same thing last month. And the one before that.

Having a dentist for a dad isn't the best. My teeth weren't bad enough to need braces, but Ethan Arden wanted perfection. I, on the other hand, would have gladly done without them.

After this brief and mortifying exchange, silence returns to the car until we get near Campbell.

"I'll get out here," I declare before my dad turns towards the school. "I don't want you getting stuck in the traffic from the game."

"Have fun, sweetheart," he says before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. His beard scratches my skin, and I have to suppress the urge to rub it.

"Thanks, Dad. Don't wait for me for dinner, okay?"

He nods and waits for me to turn the corner before driving away.