Elianna stared at a fortune-telling box on the teacher's desk, horrified. There were bloody fingerprints on it like it was used just recently. There were two choices in front of her; whether to go hide in a corner and wait for someone else to do it and fix the whole thing or be the one to make the change. There wasn't any good choice, both had dangers. She fixed the box for a few seconds before grabbing it between her hands.
She felt the skin of her hand hurt then blood started coming out from the pores of the skin; a fortune-telling box could predict where the game was going and the moon didn't move from the sky, at all. She pulled a small slip of paper that was carefully folded into two. Emmanuel approached her from behind and tried to snatch the box away but it fell on the ground and the content was scattered. As Emmanuel picked one that flew next to his feet, the other ones turned to awful tongues that were cut using a scissor.
"Oh my God!" Eliana stepped back, vomit rising in her throat. She tried to swallow it back. It wasn't good to lose what she had in the stomach, especially when there were no foods around. "What's this?"
"Don't look at it! Look at me! I am better looking than those stupid tongues," his stare was soft and reassuring. It didn't look like the tongues belonged to animals. "Do you want to read yours? I am interested in your fortune. I am confident you will have a great fortune."
Elianna smiled at his unfounded optimism. Her hands shook as she unfolded the paper; she prayed it would be something good to look upon. She felt like a child going to a temple with her father. He was a superstitious person; he believed in the unlucky number thirteen and the avoidance of black cats… It felt she returned to being a child again. She screamed and put a hand over her mouth hiding her surprise when the paper stated great fortune.
(The clouds disperse, revealing the moon in the sky. Whoever draws this slip will receive great fortune. You will have what you ask for and your wish will be heard loud and clear. Whatever you choose will be the safest road. The reason everything seems optimistic is because your heart knows the path to take.)
"See, I told you. I know you are a luck person," his finger touched her nose playfully and she giggled. "I always knew that. You always get away from the most troublesome situations and you will get out from this as well."
His smile stretched to his eyes and she felt her heart skip a beat. She was curious why he talked to her as if he knew her inside and out. She tucked the paper inside her chest and turned her eyes to him pointing at the slip of paper he was holding.
"No, I won't read it. I don't believe in such things."
"But it's funny. Give it to me! I will read it for you; if it's fortune I will tell you about it, if it's misfortune, I will change it into fortune."
He considered her offer and found it childish. A fortune in the dimension meant something big and he didn't want to know about it. Deep within him, his heart told him to toss it aside and keep going because forcefully, there would be nothing good in it. He spent so much time in his thoughts that he didn't notice her hand snatching the paper and unfolding it.
"Give it back, Elianna. I can't have you read mine."
"You said you didn't believe in such things so… it doesn't matter if I read it, right?"
His heart knew what was inside it. Great misfortune.
(A day spent feeling empty inside can lead to a dangerous path… The problems you may face might touch and deepen your wrath. Everything is futile in a sense and what you seek will be lost beyond oblivion. The dead cannot turn to life and nothing can be created from emptiness. If you encounter emotions that may lead you to your doom, it's best to cut something out of your life like a lizard.)
Elianna looked at the word doom and strangely thought of herself. Her fingers wrinkled the edge of the paper from pressing hard and her heart raced uncontrollably. It wasn't meant to turn into a horrific discovery. Fear crawled inside her veins. Strangely, she felt as if he would have to cut her off when his doom arrives.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to read it," she returned the slip of paper inside his hand but he let it slip and fall to the ground.
"I told you to not read it but it's fine. I told you. I don't believe in such things," her smile was meant for both of them. For her to reassure her heart and for him, because he always found her smile satisfying to the eyes.
They said the eyes were the mirror of the soul and that even when you try to hide something so badly, the eyes always hint what you hide. However, what she saw in his eyes was only emptiness. They were expressionless. The first sentence of the fortune slip came to her mind and she stepped back, trying to hide her fear. She realized she feared him. After the bloody words that said someone would come to her, she feared who would come.
"You don't have to fear me, Elianna," he stepped forward with each step she moved back and stopped when her back hit the cupboard. "I am not a bad man. I am the only one who is on your side. Don't look at me with those eyes. I beg you."
"I am not scared of you… I just," she stuttered. "I am really not scared. If you say it then I will trust you."
"You don't say it from your heart. I am not dumb," he leaned his forehead on her shoulder. "I will prove it to you. I will prove I am the only one on your side and no one else."