She swore to be a good child but everything keeps challenging her resolve.
Sierra woke up late because she stayed all night writing a diary she keeps hidden behind her bed. No one knew it was there except her. She ran up to the door trying to catch to her father after the door slammed strongly and ask him to stay. However, as soon as she reached the door and opened it, he was nowhere to be found. She called him but it was in vain.
In the next few hours, she had to go to school and spend another fruitless day there. Her father would return after she isn't at home so better leaving him something as usual and also for the dog buried in the garden. Offering for the deceased to appease their anger and show them love like in their living period. Sierra liked dogs and she had one for her birthday when she was young.
They were lovely moments but the dog's life soon fleeted away. She returned from school one day and found it decapitated by her mother. Sierra didn't say anything. She just asked what happened and buried him alone. When her father returned and asked about it, she told him he had an accident. Until now, her mother didn't know why her daughter lied.
School started usually after nine AM. She still had a long hour to do everything. Considering the fifteen minutes of the route, she would have to cook something easy for the mind and stomach. After being done with her clothes and hair, she moved to the kitchen.
She thought of the gravy and her mouth immediately started watering but there wasn't enough time so she moved to a simple egg recipe. After a few minutes preparing the whole thing, she carefully placed them on a table in the middle of the house downstairs. The house had a first floor and the ground floor. It was pretty luxurious for the usual ones people have; it was bigger and larger. Being a fifth rank had many privileges. However, money didn't make happiness, especially for the ones who couldn't shut down their feelings.
Sierra threw aside her thoughts. She mustn't think of the additional stupidities and focus on surviving till death greeted her. She walked outside starting another day of ignoring the fake smiles and kindness people show her. She was a fifth rank and it had privileges, money, having access to all the clubs and attractions the previous ranks couldn't have… She knew everyone approached her for them and not for herself.
As seconds turned into minutes, the fragrance in the room intensified. There was the allure of the rolled egg mixed with the refreshing scent of the onion and the rich small of potatoes. After more than an hour with the house empty, the door finally opened and the father came inside. His footsteps resounded in the whole house signalling its emptiness. The man smiled at the carefully made meal and sat down enjoying it.
"If only you weren't like this, I would have gathered my courage and left this world early. Maybe you would find someone better than me to care for. However, you have this kindness that even my wife doesn't have," his eyes shimmered with sadness.
His daughter's kindness was the only thing that kept him going after he lost everything. He still had his job but he was doing it poorly. It was just a matter of time until he got fired. The delicious meal made him regain some confidence and he decided to fight a little longer, to hold on till she reaches the age of marriage. He wanted to be there and choose the best husband for her. A smile already stretched on his face as his imagination worked for the first time in a while.
"Good morning! I am glad to see you well. Did you decide to attend high school like a proper student?"
A tall girl with grey hair and black eyes approached a familiar seat, Sierra raised her head, staring at the unwelcome silhouette that annoyed her with her presence. She was one of those girls that showed her kindness but schemed behind her back. Nevertheless, she sighed not knowing why they kept bothering her. It wasn't like she was popular.
"What's the point of studying when I can marry a rich man? I only learn the important and keep the rest for the likes of you to work hard and move the fifth rank," Sierra gave this fake friend a perfunctory response and began putting on the appearance of an arrogant girl worth her rank. However, the girl didn't buy her act. She knew Sierra too well to accept her poorly made actions. After all, she was a better actor than her.
Sierra believed she was an outcast and everyone thought of mocking her. She is used to skipping her classes and because of her rank, no one questioned it. As long as she had average results and didn't fail, it was good. She attended sometimes to show she was well and good then returned to her routine on top of the roof. The gazes always followed her wherever she went and gossip started as soon as her presence was known. She hated it, staying on the roof was better.
Adam Wright, the teacher who proposed to do counselling sessions to her, flashed inside her mind but she quickly dismissed him. She didn't have to know about all teachers. Every day, all students and teachers had to sing the praise of the Empress, an anthem that everyone learnt by heart. The principal was the one who mentored it. Each time she sang the anthem, she was reminded of the teacher who died. It was the same principal.
He reached out to her and showed her that life also had beautiful moments to share, that everything existed in double. It all depended on the way the eyes see. She regretted knowing those feelings and losing them.
I was all her fault.
She was a burden to everyone.
"You are rude, Sierra. Aren't we friends?" she clasped her hands tightly but it was soon hit by a slap pushing it away.
"Alicia," Sierra frowned. "You can't force a lie to be a fact. We aren't friends so don't get ahead of yourself and assume that. By the way," her head leaned closer to the silhouette. "I saw your girls pouring oil on the stairs. Such old-fashioned way to bully someone! If you want to bully someone, at least be creative."
"I don't know what you are talking about."
Alicia returned to her seat, showing a pitiful face that Sierra couldn't believe no matter how hard she perfectly made it. She forced her ears to only listen to the sound of imaginative singing birds inside her mind and the wind playing with the tree leaves. The next few hours felt like an eternity, but she pent them sleeping. The sleep only kicked in when you are so unfocused in class.
By the end of it, she moved upstairs, going up the roof. As she moved further up, the light diminished. The roof door wasn't open and there was no fire light so it was normal the place felt dark. As she approached the last stairs, she counted her steps and arrived at the roof door. Her hand moved searching for the knob.
"One drop pf blood, two drops of blood, three drops of blood…" She counted whispering to herself as if she was the only one there. She always counted this way since she saw her teacher's blood flowing endlessly in front of her.
A sense of dread crawled her spine but she quickly brushed it off. "It's dark and I need to be careful to not trip and die," she said as she found the knob. Unfortunately, the door didn't open. It was unusual to it to be sealed with keys. She sighed and searched for a box of matches in her bag and found it right under her books.
She moved to the closest unlit torch and sparkled it with the ignition of the match against the rough part of the box. The flame danced and cast shadows behind her dancing as well. Her eyes turned to her shadow flickering under her and smiled. She raised her head as a familiar silhouette caught her eye. She froze seeing the boy sitting not far from her, watching her every movement. It felt like he could see her in the dark.
She sighed of relief and fixed him with a dark look.
"If you were here, just warn me. You almost caused my heart to fall to my knees."
Her hand moved to her heart like a shy girl but she wasn't shy. She almost fought the urge to make fun of him the first time she met him. Duncan watched her amused by her frantic moves; he felt as if she could sense he wasn't a human. However, he shook the thoughts away as humans weren't able to see them as they were.
"Aren't you going to open the door?" he jumped from his place and darted next to her, enveloping her with his own aura. "I have the key here. In fact, I wasn't here that much longer. I was waiting for you to show up. I can't enter a place without the permission of its resident."
Sierra felt her heart slamming against her ribcage and her mood shifted to annoyance real quick. "Did you close it? I never find it closed. How come you have the key?"