"Sister, sister! Come quickly! If you don't hurry we'll miss the fireworks!"

Aelia sighed as she got hauled up by her sister, Aylin.

Aylin continued, "Come on! Don't be such a spiritless sloth on Lumiere's Day!"

Aelia groaned, "Ok! Jeez! I'm coming! There's no need to pull me! And what does a spiritless sloth even mean?"

Aylin turned around and retorted with a cheeky grin, "A sloth that is usually lazy but has become lazier after losing its spirit! Just like you!"

Aelia squinted her eyes at her younger sister and poked her nose, saying, "Smartass!"

They soon joined the crowd of relatives on the rooftop. Though everyone greeted the two sisters with a smile, there were occasional gazes of pity thrown at them. The two sisters were used to such gazes after the death of their mother a year ago. Aylin pretended to not see those pitying gazes and smiled back, while Aelia wore an indifferent expression.

"Aiyo! The high and mighty Aelia has finally graced everyone with her presence!"

Aelia sighed and turned towards the voice of her cousin, Leila. The indifferent expression on Aelia's face irritated Leila even more. Leila had always been jealous of her cousin. She was annoyed for all her hard work in achieving good results had always been overshadowed by the exemplary result of her cousin, Aelia. Though Leila too got good grades and was quite popular in the university as a beauty with brains; whenever Aelia was present alongside her, both her results and her beauty were overshadowed by Aelia.

While Leila had the approachable image of a girl-next-door, Aelia had an elegant presence and was nicknamed the "Ice Queen" because of the incessant cold expression on her face. Besides, Aelia had very few friends and could hardly be seen on campus. Her indifferent expression and cold attitude had always irked Leila, for she believed that it meant Aelia was arrogant enough to be looking down on others.

Sensing the awkward energy between the two, Aylin quickly interrupted Leila, "Lele, where did you buy your shoes from? They look so pretty yet practical!" Aylin hooked her arms around Leila's elbows and started dragging her away from her sister while throwing a wink back at Aelia. Seeing this Aelia gave a small smile; while Leila despite initially being a little angry at being called "Lele", soon got distracted with the complement for her shoes and started discussing with Aylin. Aelia knew that her sister had deliberately called Leila "Lele" to get revenge on her behalf and at the same time placated her with the compliment about her shoes.

"Aelia dear, come here!"

On hearing her grandma's voice, Aelia approached and sat beside her.

"Don't overthink about Leila. She's just a bit childish."

"I know Grammy! How have you been?"

Her grandma sighed, "I've been quite good. I only wish that your mother would have been here!"

Hearing this Aelia's eyes trembled for a second, but soon she again looked indifferent. She followed her grandma's gaze who was wistfully looking at her sister. Aelia knew the cause behind this, for Aylin truly resembled her mother with her waist-length straight silver hair, an oval face, misty grey eyes, and pale skin. Aelia on the other hand didn't resemble either of their parents and had blond tresses, bright like sunbeams, that curled into ringlets swirling like waves to her waist, a heart-shaped face, hazel eyes with gold flecks, and sun-kissed skin.

Aelia watched as her sister mingled with the guests. Seeing her joyfully laughing alongside her cousins, Aelia suddenly felt extremely stifled by the crowd. Noticing that one of her aunts had started conversing with her grandma, she got up and fled from the crowd.

Aelia knew that it would be quite some time before someone noticed her absence. So she returned to her original spot at a vacant corner of the rooftop and gazed at the night sky. The starless night sky with the bright full moon and the noises of the crowd in the background, somehow made her feel a little listless and lonely.

Ever since her thirteenth birthday, Aelia had become increasingly emotional. She had initially thought that it was just the regular surge of teenage hormones, but soon she found herself having a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the day. She hated herself for being so sensitive and emotional, so gradually she withdrew from most people. Her parents thought that she was just growing up and had become more mature and sensible. However, Aelia knew that she was actually always feeling out of place. When she discussed this with her best friend, she told her that it was the same for every teenager and Aelia was just thinking too much. Being misunderstood, Aelia never brought up the topic again.

However, six years later it was still the same. In fact, her intuitive abilities had also increased. This added with her increased sensitivity towards other's emotions and her own mother's death had made Aelia feel more like a freak and eventually made her a little detached from others.

As her nineteenth birthday approached in three months, Aelia hoped that she would soon be just like others having a regular happy life.

As the fireworks started, she prayed to Lumilus, the God of Light for the gloomy darkness to recede from her emotions. She wished for a companion who would finally understand her and hoped for a change that would finally lead her to her rightful place.

Aelia didn't realize at that time that the wheels of fate had already started guiding her towards her own destiny. Not only would she find her rightful place in the world, but she would also come across people who would understand and accept her for who she truly was.