Corin Winslow was born with the bluest of blue eyes on December 13th, the day the snow had settled and the sun had assumed a position of embrace around it.
"Corin, I swear to everything holy that i will be personally responsible for your death if you make us late today." That's my sister, Fern. She's not actually my sister but we let that one slide.
"Fern, I swear to everything holy that i really couldn't care less." You see, Fern's family became very dangerous to her safety when she was young and because we'd been best friends since her birth, my family were more than happy to have her.
"You do this every morning," (For the past seven years), "you absolute rat." Fern and I get a lift to school each day by our elderly neighbour Mrs Denver. Not the best of drivers but definitely the best of people. Occasionally, her car smells like cat pee but that's okay; Fern spat on her gear stick once so we excuse it in the hopes her sin will be forgiven.
Lost in thought about exactly which of Mrs Denver's six cats may have done the deed, i didn't pay much attention to the fact it was ten minutes until I'd have a chance to ask her myself.
"Get up." Fern shouted across the hall.
"No," was all I could manage with my current levels of energy.
"Corin!"
"No."
"Please?"
"why?"
"School."
"Balls."
"what?"
"Oh, sorry. Thought we were playing the word association game," which earned me a whack over the head with an oversized pencil case, emptier than my soul on that specific tuesday morning.
Deciding that six minutes was not going to be ample time to get ready, I rolled out of bed with a solid seven and a half left to go. A post-it had been stuck to my mirror, positioned exactly where my face would've been had it not intruded. I read the note (a useful reminder from Fern that my toothbrush was in the hot tub (?)) before mumbling to it that it was entirely uninvited but it was useful. However, it should've at least called. One pair of ripped black skinnies and a pale blue Hollister hoodie later, Fern and I were giving each other the "cat pee" look from opposite sides of Denver's '07 plate Vauxhall Astra. Neither of us were entirely sure why she'd take us to school each morning and i suppose Fern saw it fitting to ask this particular day among the many.
"My grandchildren, you see, have all grown big and moved away to cities even bigger. I barely saw them and do miss that grand-maternal feeling." She explained. Now the only other mystery was which cat she carted around in the back of this old car and why that was.
"How many cats do you actually have, Mrs Denver?" inquired Fern, feeling rather confident with her questions today as it seemed. After hearing all but enough about Quaver, Milky, Dust, Smudge, Tops and Tails, I stuck my earphones into my ears in an attempt to let The Maine remove my mind from the bladders of a strange bunch of cats.
-text from: Ferno-
My bet's on Milky ;)
-text to: Ferno-
Nah man, has to be Tails.
The rest of the journey was spent in a silence between me and Fern, with Denver's endless drivel being ignored as usual. I'm almost ninety-seven percent sure that she always knew we were never listening by the way we never responded but, as I've said, we weren't listening and there's no way to make that more clear than to respond in a way that shows our lack of interest. It was really just more polite to zone out and let her natter, I'm pretty certain it comforted the woman in some way. I counted at least one hundred and sixty-three trees on the way to Eastknight Grammar School and Fern texted me to let me know she'd seen eighty-seven horses. We'd always counted things out the windows, ever since we thought there was more than one sun when it left our sight only to return from a different angle, to be seen from a different perspective.
I'd looked over at Fern whist she was counting the animals from the other side of the glass. The mid-April sun looked as though it had sent a scattering of very small rays over the bridge of her nose leaving faded, randomly placed freckles to be the only blemishes on a soft, pure complexion. Whilst her locks were pulled back into the most intricate of braids I'd ever seen, I saw how the sunlight made them glow as beautifully fiery as the soul inside of her. Counting things at high speeds was never her strongest point. Not even a fool could miss the delicately placed lines between her full, thick brows and the way her gentle eyes flicked between each item of interest at an alarmingly rapid pace. Her eyes were indeed gentle yet powerful and subtly enhanced by the makeup around them yet too stunning to even notice it had been applied. I watched the dazzling green orbs try their hardest to keep up with her wonderfully interesting mind as a small strand of hair slipped from behind her ear, onto her perfectly chiseled cheekbones. I would've reached to tuck it back in place again, had I not already known she was going to. She twirled the piece of hair around her ring finger before slotting it behind her ear, something I'd seen her do countless times. Although, that time she struggled as the hair tangled itself in the Jewel of her ring, the ring I bought her. To say we'd never ever be apart, no matter what distance may be between us.
Thanking Mrs Denver for her "ever so considerate services," Fern clambered out of the small vehicle, meeting me around the car's other side in front of the gate just as she does every morning.
"Have fun today, alright, Rin?"
"Whatever you say, Ferny." I wink. As normal, I leant down to tuck my arms around the slightly smaller girl's waist as hers linked above my shoulders. I took in her scent as we hugged, as I do every time. Her smell was familiar, safe and secure. I'd smell it and know that I'm okay, I'm home. Fern was home to me, she was the safety I always thought I'd lack and she was the most important person in my life. Hugging her would always remind me of that.
"Catch you later, gal." She whispered in my ear as she pulled away from the hug.
"Not if I catch you first." I responded, kissing my sister on the cheek before walking into the science block.
Corin didn't really love Fern all that much, she'd just convinced herself she did because she pitied the girl.
