Arcana Hour

Arcana Hour: Prologue

Seventy-Eight Cards exists in one world, these are called the Tarot Cards. Tarot Cards has two divisions within, the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana is known for curiosity over their greater secrets that lies within them.

This is a story about a girl who embarks on a journey in finding these cards to break the curse that has been planted upon her family, and her name is Layla Fountain.

Story:

Hi. I'm Layla Fountain. 16. 162 cm (5'3.5") at height. Blonde, long Hair. It all began when me and my family moved in a strange village, called Ring Village. The vehicle running perfectly, my dad driving, my mom on the passenger's seat, me and my older brother on the backseat. I was browsing my laptop, gathering information about my new school, Moonlight Academy. My earphones right on my ears, listening to music. Silence covered the whole atmosphere inside the car. It has been an hour since we left our old home. My older brother spoke up, leaned forward a bit and broke the silence, "Hey Dad, how long 'til we get there?" He asked and my dad replied, "We should be there by 2:30 pm." He said. Great! Only 17 minutes left 'til we get there.

After that long, long, travel, we finally reached the Ring Village. The gates were opened by the guard, and even waved at us, well I'll consider that a warm welcome. After a few minutes, we finally arrived and I gotta say, 'whoa' is the best word to describe this house, a cape cod. I closed my laptop and put away my earphones. We all got off the car when it has finally parked on the front. "See? I told you it's just like our old home." My mom spoke up while looking at it. But seriously, 'just like our old home'? It’s way better than our old house. "I wanna see the inside! Layla, c'mon!" My cheerful brother went excited. Well I'm not surprised to see him all hyper about it, so I followed him. Mom and Dad took our bags out from the trunk and closed it after.

When me and my brother were just on the porch of the house, "Oh, you must be our new neighbors... Well, welcome to the neighborhood!" a middle-aged man and woman appeared from the house beside ours. "It's nice to meet 'ya. We're the Porter Family and you are?" He asked as he held out his hand for a shake. As of course, my dad shook his hand and introduced himself. "We're the Fountains. Nice to meet you too." He said, with a smile forming on his lips. "Wow, this stuff already on the first minute we got here." My brother mumbled and I chuckled about it.

"They seem nice though." I said back at my brother. "Oh dear. What lipstick do you use?" The other woman asked from beside the middle-aged man. It seems she is speaking to my mom. "Oh, it's Lip Balm." My mom answered. The lady's eyes widened by surprise with a smile. "My my, we have the same taste, and your dress, is so fab on your shoes. You have to tell me your fashion sense." The lady said, femininely. "Well, that should be enough chit-chat for now, we just came by to say hi and welcome 'ya. If you need anything, just ask. We're just next door." The man said as they both went back to their own home. Mom and Dad were both smiling, well I ain't that surprised that they're smiling after making friends on our first day.

After all the commotion, we finally unpacked our stuff inside and went to our respective rooms. And of course, I am so amazed by my room's style and stuff. A perfect closet, a perfect makeup table, and a double-size bed, that only I get to sleep on it. Some adjustments is just needed for it to be truly perfect. After checking my room, I went down the stairs and checked the whole house, all of it are what we needed, and the kitchen is so clean and complete. There's a bathtub in the bathroom, even a balcony on my room.

I went to the kitchen to get a drink, I encountered mom and she asked me, "So, how was your room?" I quickly reacted and smiled about my answer. "So cool and fit for me." She smiled back and said, "Oh, before I forget. Here's the letter that you need to get to Moonlight Academy by tomorrow." she handed out to me the letter and I wasn't that surprised about it since I already know about my new school, I'm gonna start as a sophomore. "I already gave the letter that your brother needed and, your uniform is gonna arrive later, remember to try it immediately okay?" She asked. I sighed with a smile as I titled my head. "I know mom. Oh hey, can I take a look around town for a while, please?" I asked as I put my hands together to beg as I simultaneously bend my knees a little. "Sure, fine by me. But, take your brother with you." She said in confirmation. I didn't complain and just nodded with a smile. I went upstairs to my brother's room and... wow, he already got his 'outfit for the day' routine done, blue jeans, cool red-black rubber shoes, a black t-shirt with an off button on the middle, and a denim jacket, I have to be honest, he's getting more and more handsome. I asked him out to take a stroll around town, and gladly he agreed.

We arrived at the town square where all various stalls and a market on the other side. It might not be that cliché like the city, the buildings, the supermarkets, the malls, but when I took a peek at the clothes in the market... 'Wow' is the perfect word to say. Well, I haven't got any allowances yet, so I'll let it slide for now. After looking and looking, we got tired and took a little break at the Dust Park, just two blocks away from the town square. We bought drinks and also burgers to refill our energy and sat on a bench. "I gotta say, this town isn’t half bad." My brother said, while munching on his burger. "Half-bad. It's like a marvelous town. I have to be honest, the clothes here, are super cute." I said to him and took a bite on my burger. "Whatever you say, lil' sis. I'll never understand woman instinct, anyway." He said as he chuckled after taking a sip from his drink.

The sun is setting, the street lights are now lit up, and the market is still filled with people buying all kinds of vegetables, fruits, fishes and meat. I looked at my watch to know what time it was, "4:47 pm. We should head back before it gets dark, we still have our first day tomorrow." I said to my brother and he replied with a nod. We got up, from the bench and cleaned the mess we made. After so, we finally arrived at Rosemary Street where our house is. When we were about to go to the porch and to the inside, a girl from the other house walked up to us. "Hey~ You're new neighbors right?" She asked. She had brown short hair, blue eyes. She is wearing a yellow mini-skirt, a red blouse and black heels.

I waved at her and said, "Hi, and yes. We are new here. Um... I'm Layla, Layla Fountain. And you are?" I asked and she replied immediately as she held out her hand to shake. "Reena, Reena Porter." She said. I took a hold of her hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you. This is my older brother." I said and pointed at him, behind me.

"Zeke Fountain. Nice to meet 'ya." my brother said with a smile forming on his lips.

"Nice to meet you too." Reena said, smiling back.

"Oh hey, Layla. I'm gonna go ahead inside. I don't wanna miss mom's cooking. Besides, you two seem like you're gonna have a little girl talk." my brother said as he chuckled. And walked inside the house.

"Oh, don't worry. I just came by to say hi and welcome you. Oh before I forget, you'll be attending Moonlight Academy tomorrow, right?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm starting as a sophomore." I said with a smile.

"Oh, what a coincidence. I'll start up as a sophomore too. I hope we end up in the same class though. How about this, we go to school together tomorrow?" She asked me with a confident and cheerful smile on her face.

"That'd be great, oh and can I take my brother with me? He's... coming to school as a junior now." I said as I laughed a little about what I had said.

"No problem at all. I'll teach you 'everything' you need to know about Moonlight Academy. Well, see you tomorrow, Layla. It was a pleasure meeting you~" She said with a girly tone as she walked away towards her own home.

I went inside and sat on the dinner table. We continued to eat silently but suddenly, mom just asked, "So? How was the town?" I replied fast before my brother could, "It's so cool, and we had fun." I said with a smile as I continued to eat. "And have you made any friends yet?" My dad asked. Of course I answered, "Yeah, just earlier. Her name's Reena, the daughter of the Porter family just next door." My mom wide-opened her eyes and said, "Ooh~ That's a good start. I and Ms. Porter have some mom time tomorrow at the market and hang-out." She said, proudly and my brother chuckled about it. "Oh, and Layla, your uniform arrived just an hour ago, it’s already in your room, after you eat, be sure to try it on, okay?" She asked. "Sure, mom." I said as we all cleaned the mess we made on the table and turned in early.

When I reached my room, a box was on the surface of my bed. I opened it and saw my uniform. A  long-sleeved yellow and black jacket, a yellow and white striped necktie, a knee-length yellow checkered skirt and also a letter that was advised to wear an undershirt beneath the jacket, the color is recommended to be plain white. I tried it on and it seems to be perfect on me, there were no corrections. I felt every part of the fabric and also the skirt. While touching the skirt, I felt something long yet thin on my skirt pocket. I put my hand inside and took it out. A card was on my hand, a picture was represented. A man on the end of a cliff, looking up, holding a white rose on his left hand while on the other hand is a stick with a large pouch. From his behind, there is a white dog as his companion. The sun on the upper-right end corner of the card. The back of the card was a frame, an elegant white frame and nothing else.

How would a card be found inside her uniform?