Location - Usige Kingdom of Waves
Not attending another History lesson didn't seem like such a good idea. Yet Anaya couldn't bring herself to care. Not when her mind was plagued by her most recent dream. Or was it a nightmare? She hadn't been able to categorize the it yet since she hadn't felt scared, which was what one felt after a nightmare.
Or so she had heard.
The dream had made her feel uneasy. And even a dip in the lake hadn't chased away that feeling. It was strange how dreaming of the violent seas hadn't put her off of swimming in the cold lake. What was strange was the fact that her unconscious mind knew what the sea looked like when she had never seen one before.
It was bizarre, as Daniyal had commented. It was his favorite word these days.
The wind blew softly, carrying the scent of flowers the students at Lectio had planted as part of their gardening club activities. Anaya had tried her hand in gardening, but had only made things worse by mistakenly digging out some of Master Tuin's rare plants. She had not been happy. And since then, Anaya had stayed far away from anything remotely related to gardening. Good thing too, since she had no interest in it anyway. She had wanted to be on the swim team but that had been at full capacity.
However, Headmistress Direktrisa had made an exception. When asked why, she had simply stated that a busy Anaya was better then an Anaya with free time on her hands. And given her penchant for getting into situations which required some help getting out of, Anaya had secretly agreed with her.
Anaya liked the Headmistress. She had a fiery personality, and was quiet active for someone her age. She had never asked, but Anaya knew the woman had to be older then the oldest Master at Lectio. Another thing that made the Headmistress appear in such a good light to Anaya, was the fact that she was kind to both her and Daniyal.
Especially considering their status as orphans.
The Headmistress had told them that how she had found them both at the steps of Lectio when they were only a year old. She felt they were her responsibility, and so she had taken them into the institute and with the help of the old gatekeeper, Malcolm, had raised them.
The halls of Lectio were the only home Anaya and her brother knew. And with only half a year left at the institute, her brother was already beginning to worry what the future would bring once they had to leave. Assuming they had to. They couldn't stay here their entire lives.
Well at least Daniyal could.
Given the choice he would stay at Lectio and busy himself with working at the library. He loved learning about everything and devoured books as if they were a sweet treat. Anaya, on the other hand, wanted to get out and explore. She would pore over maps for hours at a time, and simply let her mind wander. Wander about what lay beyond the horizons. To the Kingdoms that made up their world.
Her brother had to often tell her off for getting too lost in her fantasies. For that was all they were. Nothing but fantasies. There was no way two penniless children could ever make it in the world.
"Anaya!"
Speaking of!
She sat up from where she had been partially hidden by the shrubbery and picking up the seed of the lychee she had been eating, chucked it straight at her brother. Her aim was true, and it hit him in the back of his head. With a small cry he turned around, already raising a hand to rub the back of his head.
"What was that for?" He grumbled as he stomped his way over to her. She grinned, throwing a bunch of shredded grass in his face as she did. "Because I like annoying you." She responded. Daniyal gave her a deadpanned look.
Anyone who met them for the first time could see they were siblings. They both shared the same dark brown hair, though Anaya's reached well past her waist, and tanned skin. With their wide hazel eyes and slightly upturned noses, and lanky figures they were the very definition of twins. However, there were some signs of small differences here and there. Like the fact the Daniyal had to wear glasses and was a few inches shorter then his younger sister. And if Anaya did not wear such loose clothes people would see her slowly developing figure.
"Master Staire noted your absence. I told him you weren't feeling well." Daniyal said, sitting down next to her with his legs crossed under him as he opened the large tome he had tucked away under his arm. Anaya let out a puff of air before falling on her back once more to lie in the grass.
"I owe you." She said, to which he gave a snort. "You owe me more then just this once Anaya. I think I've lost count." He muttered, turning his attention back to the tome. Silence followed his words, with Anaya staring at the clouds moving above as the sky changed color.
Ever the restless soul she soon sat up once more. Turning her head, she gazed up at the institute.
Lectio was truly a magnificent building. While there was an outer wall that surrounded the large gardens, the actual institute lay in the middle. There was nothing special about it, but it was the sheer massiveness of it that had the power to overwhelm any newcomer. Hosting more then a hundred rooms, not counting the stables and armory, it could take a person days to explore the entire institute.
"Thinking about leave again?" Daniyal asked her, prompting Anaya to roll her eyes. Sometimes she hated the twin thing, where they could both read one another easily. "Maybe." Best to keep her answer as vague as she possibly could.
"You still hearing that song?" She asked, in a bid to change the subject. Daniyal sighed, closing his book and pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Especially when the wind is strong. When it's a slow day, I can barely hear it."
He had described the song to her. A cacophony of instruments he had never heard before. They were chaotic, and yet he could understand the underlying emotion behind the song.
One of longing and yearning.
"Any luck getting rid of those dreams?" He asked, turning to look at Anaya. She shrugged. "Not really. They're the same every full moon." Daniyal had been the one to figure out when they occurred after finding his sister awake and alert after a dream in the past few months. They shared a room, so it was easy to keep an eye on her.
"Maybe we should speak to Headmistress Direktrisa about this?" He mused to which Anaya gave him a sharp look. "And only be pitied further for beginning to loose our minds?" She spoke harshly. She hated the way people would look at them sometimes. Masters and students alike. Even the people at Blue Pond when they would venture into town.
Pity and curiosity. As if wandering what was so wrong with them that they were abandoned by their parents. Daniyal had the good sense to ignore those looks. Anaya, on the other hand, was always ready to pick a fight and had a word or two to say to anyone who stared too long.
Daniyal held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. "Just a suggestion. No need to bite my head off." He said to which Anaya rolled her eyes. "As if I could do that. Who else will be able to keep me on a leash around here?" She jested, wrapping an arm tightly around his shoulders and hauling him in am embrace that was more of a choke-hold.
"Anaya! Let go!" He exclaimed, struggling to get away. His sister laughed before releasing her hold on him. Daniyal huffed as he straightened his glasses and tried to flatten his mussed up hair.
"Must you be so boorish?" He grumbled at which she stuck her tongue out at him. "Must you be so hoity-toity." Giving her shoulder a shove he glanced at the sky which had started to turn pink as the sun began to set.
"We should head back; they'll be serving dinner soon."
"I think its potato night."
"You love those don't you?"
"Only when they're fried in lard."
"You're a glutton."
"Takes one to know one."
Daniyal was about to reply when he stilled. His head tilted back and he gazed up at one of the many windows of the building. Anaya followed his gaze.
"What?"
"I thought I saw someone looking down at us." He said, eyes still fixed on the window. She rolled her eyes. "You're being paranoid." With that she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and all but dragged him through the doors and into the entrance hall, his words or protest falling on deaf ears as she went.