Requiem

1

April 22nd

The alarm's beeping echoed through my sealed room, holding a voracious need to slaughter the silence and rise me from a beautiful sleep. I stretched out my limbs and yawned, brilliant sunlight pouring in via the crack the blinds hadn't covered and hitting my paled legs in such a way that they practically glimmered. The sight of it made me smile, and I sat up to run my fingers through the warm radiance.

I adored the sun, always ecstatic to see the vibrant reds proliferating from my hair and the small freckles rising from my skin on a warm summer day.

I rose from the opulence of comfort my fluffy, floral comforter brought me and turned off the alarm prior to cracking open the window. The morning birdsongs drifted into my room, all of them singing the same tunes that I would hear once I descended the stairs to my kitchen.

Happy birthday, Evie! They would exclaim, and I would smile and giggle and enjoy the day ahead with great indulgence in my vivacity.

I put on a strapless yellow sundress, and over it a thin, white sweater. My mother had bought me the ensemble but a few days ago, and I'd been enamored with it since. Besides, I could only imagine the fervent expression donning her face once she saw me in it today.

When I did come downstairs, I was bestowed with a stack of pancakes, a wrapped gift, and a brilliant sign wishing me a happy birthday overhead the island counter. My father's eyes were illuminated with happiness, and I couldn't begin to resist running up to him and hugging him.

"You're mother was called in early this morning, but she got you something," He'd told me, his tone sprouting from a regretful statement to a cheerful observation. I smiled, and went to open the gift once we'd released one another from the embrace.

The pastel wrapping paper was fragile, easily torn and disfigured by the relatively long nails at my fingertips. I was careful with it, not wanting to create a giant edge. I ripped at the edges of the rectangular structure the paper enveloped, and finally tore it away to read the refined text.

Cloud Pro

Under the text was small photo of a closed laptop-- as if the words above hadn't told me enough. A massive smile overtook my lips, the joy of my new gift spreading through me faster than fire would in a dried forest.

"... I got you a gift, too," my father piped up, a bit hesitant after my reaction to the laptop. He always had a desire to be better than others-- especially when it came to his children. It didn't matter who he was against, it was always a competition. I smiled impossibly brighter at that.

"What is it?" I inquired, my voice chiming with the slightest of anxieties. My dad knew how to go over the top, and it always made my stomach flop with nervousness to see exactly how he'd react to any of my reactions. It always seemed if I didn't have the right amount of excitement, the gift would go missing within a few days and something impeccably more brilliant would appear.

My father pulled a small, white box from behind his back-- and the only thing holding the box together was a peach ribbon tied perfectly centered. I took the box from him, using a single hand to untie the ribbon first. Then, after setting that pretty little ribbon down, I pulled off the lid and gasped.

Underneath lie a small, metallic rose, with small jewels encrusted in the shining gold. Judging from the size of the chain, I'd taken it to be a necklace.

"D- dad," I stammered, "It's so beautiful..."

I gently took out the small cushion, letting my fingertips run over the smooth fabric before separating it from the necklace. My father offered his hands to me with a small 'here,' and I set the necklace in his gathered palms. I watched as the little rose dangled in front of my face, and slowly descended until it rested on my chest. My father had secured the clamp, and I put the display box back together so I could use it for storage when I took the jewelry off.

"Thank you so much, daddy," I spoke with the paramount of greatfulness, spinning around to hug my father even more tightly than before. I didn't dare think about how much the necklace had cost, already knowing my father would solely take it back if it wasn't good enough-- and by God, it was perfect.

Our maid, Lucinda, had the best cooking there was to be had. Every meal was savory, and she could turn a salty catastrophe into ambrosial masterpiece. If I were to ever perish, I was positive it would be my stomach exploding from wanting to eat her meals so much. The pancakes, however, rocketed past expectations. Lucinda always had made the better recipe when it came to special occasions, and nothing in my life could've been better than the perfection of this morning so far.

Sadly enough, I couldn't finish the pancakes and my father had to eat the rest.

I departed the house shortly afterwards, the only steps left having been a swipe of eyeliner, brushing my teeth, and putting on the new sandals my mother had gotten me. I already had my designer tote secured onto my shoulder, and I awaited for my father next to the passenger seat door of his sleek, black car.

Arriving at school, I could already see Kali comfortably situated at the outdoor picnic tables. As usual, her head was burrowed into a book, yet she always managed to slap away hands trying to pry into her bag. I kissed my father on the cheek before departing, and quickly rushed to gently place my hands over her eyes.

"Guess who," I attempted to alter my voice, yet the sound of it only made me giggle-- and Kali was quick to figure me out.

"It's the beautiful birthday girl," Kali supplied, setting her hands over mine to pull them away and free her vision from darkness. I gave Kali the room to stand, and gladly accepted her embrace.

Another body quickly joined us, and I took the feminine squeal as hint enough. I adjusted my arm to welcome Marielle in the embrace as well, and the chorus of 'happy birthday' sang in my ears once more. I smiled and showed them the gift my father had bestowed upon me, and squealed with them to show how truly blessed I was to have it.

The bell chimed through the parking lot, and I linked elbows with Kali and Marielle. We quickly came to discuss plans for tonight as we stepped inside, the three of us headed to first period Health.

Health was more debate than anything, and whatever we discussed had always reverted back to religion, abortion, gay rights, and when it's okay to have sex. I truly did believe in God-- that Jesus had died upon the cross for our sins-- yet I let logic affect my opinions first. It only seemed fair, and then religion came in to see how things tied in. All in all, the discussion today had reverted back to sex.

And in that category, I firmly believed that you should at least wait until the right person came along. Today, the debate grew so horribly heated that I voiced such an opinion-- and evidently, that opinion wasn't okay with Rachel Wisemann.

She flipped her perfectly curled black hair over her shoulders and sent me a wretched glare to voice her hatred for my words, then continued to sarcastically state that she wished more people would listen to me.

I took it as no big deal, and let it pass me as a small bump in the road-- Because today was my birthday, and nothing could possibly ruin that.