Before Isla tried to strike up anything else, she had to observe this person. First form the outside, and then from within, which she had already gauged at from a mere few words. Well, Abbey was her name. It sounded pretty, but not as smooth as Isla, she thought. The double 'b' phonetics created a quickness to the pronunciation, which Isla examined with thorough concern, picking apart every small detail and creating her own, distinguished meaning. Eventually, she built around the idea of a troubled soul. Centred around their names, Abbey seemed to have a harder hand dealt to her, but concealed whatever was thrown. Isla, however, knowing herself, believed that the smooth quality of her name was a subtle illusion, and that she was overemotional, but tried to prevent that. Her theories had already been proven about herself with the chief, the creatures, the leaders. It was only Abbey that needed to be experimented on, but then again, there was more to uncover.
Abbey was keen to the senses as she witnessed Isla's silent discoveries and explorations, deciding to let the other person uncover her with no questions asked. She moved past the name and on to the facial features. Her eyes were a sparkling green, fitting between grass green and jade, with short but still noticeable eyelashes. Nothing too interesting there. She had a glowing fair complexion and barely any spots. Isla envied her for this reason. She's had tons since leaving, finding it difficult to manage or prevent them. I guess that's how it goes… Her clothes weren't the least bit ragged but had grass stains on the sides. Was she an outdoor person? There were so many things left to figure out, but they could only be uncovered by talking. One standout feature to Isla was Abbey's multicoloured hair. No one else in the complex had multicoloured hair! She must have a cultural reason behind this, or just a super aesthetic style. So, she asked.
"What's the deal with the multicoloured hair?"
Abbey shuffled forward to Isla's bed and sat down on it cross legged. "Oh…" She paused in utter shock, "No one has ever asked, but…" She seemed to be thinking things over, like a sequence of events. "I'll tell you in about… 3 months! No, 6. You might be waiting a year!" She smirked.
"A year?!" Isla responds, incredulous.
"Just joking! Now, what chapter are you up to?"
Before she replied, she pondered on saying something. "Someone hasn't been genuinely interested in me in a long time… Thank you…" Her skin was tingling, and she raised a hand to her cheek.
"Aw, you're blushing! Have you ever done that before?" She joked.
"To be honest, not sure. Nothing has made me that warm or happy."
"You're so soft!"
She suddenly felt something pierce at her insides. It was unnatural but ever present. "Is that bad?"
"No, it's cute! Not cute cute, but nice, you know?"
"Mm… Chapter 13…"
"So nowhere near done?"
"I'm not fast." She picked up the book and stuck her head back in. "Mrs Coulter is the worst…"
"I know! An absolute nightmare!" And the pair of them talked for what seemed like hours, discussing as many characters, plot lines, significant events, items and creatures as Isla knew, but Abbey took careful warning so as not to spoil. She had digested the pain of being ruined far too many times, and she never had the mindset to just process and forget. Soon enough, both their eyes began to hurt from the continued strain, and the light was luminous enough for other kids to see and presently be disturbed by.
Isla looked up from the book and nodded. The girl took the signal and cautiously moved to her area.
"Good night, Isla." She whispered, rubbing her eyes.
"Good night, Abbey." The other girl said, popping the bookmark in, placing the fiction on its pedestal and pressing the light switch on her own controllable lamp, which had a weirdness to it. There were multiple levels of light, which dimmed, but didn't seem to fully dissolve.
"What's wrong with your lamp?!" Abbey had fallen asleep within minutes, waking up disgruntled.
"I dunno…" She shrugged. "There's a note." She never noticed that before, being preoccupied with everything else. It was minuscule too, making it all the more avoidable. The writing was cursive but legible and the paper was thin, almost distinctively from Asia. The paper gave off a horribly musty aroma. It had probably been pressed under books, or unused for ages. She read it quietly to herself first, and a shining, almost revitalising aura was radiating off of it, and into Isla's soul. She didn't know what to feel, what to do. She was frozen. The aura travelled everywhere through the gaps in her porous skin. The note read,
Isla, I see something in you. Something special. I got you that light. I know it looks like a dud, but it's not. You'll figure out its purpose in time. If anyone finds out, I beg you to run. Run for your life. Come to me.
Sincerely,
M.S.
"How about I read it?" Abbey says, making a face. She handed her the note, and that unique emitted material stopped at once, making Isla slump down. The paper tingled in her hand, shape shifting at its own convenience. It had changed entirely.
Hi darling! It's Miranda here. I just took a look at your friend. She'll need practice. At the moment, she sees something in you, and only you. Something special. I sensed that in the power of the light. You know what that means. I'm sure she's looking for at least one other friend, and I've gauged it's a boy!
Abbey gasped, before continuing to read. Isla was fast asleep at her bed, head face down on the pillow.
I know what you're thinking… not that kind. A mutual friend.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Travel by her side. Don't reveal yourself at the school. She discovered your hair. Good tactics, honey! :) Just remember your goal. Your secret mission. Bring her here to me, our homeland.
Stay safe,
M.S.
"Oh, thanks Miranda!" She lowered her voice as some other kids stirred. "I'll do my best." Abbey placed the letter on the table, hearing the overt noise of mystical change. She tried pressing the button herself, and the space turned pitch black. Her friend stirred, but only slightly, making a sound between a gasp and a wince. She wanted to watch her further, but tiptoed back to her side. It was safe there.
In fact, her friend was the safest person present, safer than even the adults, for she possessed a gift that could only be discovered by the right person. The girl watched the other, who continued to turn, and formulated a plan, before dropping dead tired, but her mind processed everything like clockwork. Body resting, mind in overdrive, and Abbey at this moment had never felt more alive.