Umærium: A Parallel World | ✔

Chapter Five

LOVE - Lana Del Rey

~Allison~

Séres grabbed the knob of the door, twisting and pulling but the hinges didn't budge. We knew damn well they wouldn't but we tried helplessly. The pale woman, however, stood still and watched us in confusion.  

I, on the other hand, had my whole body pressed against the door, leaving all the work up to Séres.

I wasn't a superstitious person, but I knew doppelgangers did not bring good fortune. But she was so pretty... how could something evil come from this seemingly angelic being? I was curious, but I didn't want to stick around to find out.

"Dammit," she hissed once she realized our attempts were truly useless. This whole situation felt absurd. All of Séres' bickering and now this..."What's she doing now?" I knew she was referring to the enigmatic woman.  Her long, achromic, silky hair wavered cursively as she eyed the walls of the library. They wandered for a bit until they settled on us.

"Nothing," I replied with a gulp. "She's just watching us." Séres pulled at the door a bit more aggressively.

"Well then greet her or something."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"What are you doing?" the woman suddenly asked. Her voice sounded like a well-composed tune played on an ancient piano. Séres and I both paused, astounded. The woman held her hand directly to us and we both cringed. Was she going to zap us? 

The door opened unexpectedly, revealing the school's chaotic hallway. The metal lockers seemed squashed, some slightly opened with it's belonging sprawled out on the floor.

"Who are you?" Séres inquired bravely. Her xanthous eyes held awe mixed with fear. 

The woman proceeded to walk past us and through the door. Her long indigo gown dragged graciously with each step. I didn't think she would acknowledge us any further.

"Asaíra," she responded on the way out. Séres and I were frozen on the spot for a while. 

Great. Her name starts with 'A' too, I thought, assessing my situation.

I was contemplating whether to follow her down the hall or run home to safety. Séres had already made up her mind and bolted behind her.

"Wait!" she yelled. I rolled my eyes. This was rather typical of her. The usual thing to do was to follow too of course. I caught up with them, just in time to walk out the doors of the school and into the street. 

The cold air was a harsh reminder that winter was just around the corner. All around seemed unaffected by whatever had just happened in the library. The damaged was only inside the school. By Monday, I was pretty sure that the principal would be infuriated.

The streets were almost empty as the sky grew darker and the moon took its place in the starless sky. Asaíra paused in the middle of the street, her gaze fixated above our heads.

"She does realise that if she stays there, she might get run over?" I whispered to Séres. She simply shrugged.

"There is only one moon?" Asaíra asked disgruntled. 

"Uh, yes," I answered. I was a bit unsure of myself as I began to wonder whether we were supposed to have more moons. "You should get out of the street," I added once I spotted a vehicle coming from afar. 

"When does your Asar rise?"

"My what?"

"Asar."

"What the hell is that?" Asaíra ran a hand through her pale hair in exasperation. "You should seriously get out of the street."

"I really need your help," she responded, walking towards us. The vehicle passed mere inches behind her as she walked unfazed. "I have come to retrieve something."