BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
My alarm had been ringing for several minutes, and although I wanted with all my heart to stop it, I knew it would just be followed by my other ten alarms, so I got out of bed still very tired.
"Mmm…"
I got up stumbling, wishing to get back to bed as soon as possible, but I couldn't do that, not today. In this rather silly way, I approached a wall and, with a determination worthy of someone who clearly wasn't fully awake, I headbutted it.
"Ah! I'm awake now!"
"What was that noise?!"
Quickly, a woman much older than me entered through the door, startled when she saw the huge bruise on my forehead.
"Did you hit your head against the wall again?!"
"Sorry, Aunt Elisa! But there was no other way, today's my first day at a new school!"
"And that's exactly why you have an alarm, covering bruises isn't easy, you know?"
"Sorry…"
"Wash your face and finish getting ready. I'll help you hide the bruise downstairs."
"Thanks."
After saying that, my aunt left the room, leaving me alone. Although it was a somewhat violent way to start the day, at least now I was fully awake.
My name is Lucia Silva, I'm sixteen years old, my favorite color is red, and my favorite food is honey cookies. Although I've been going to the same school for many years, it's my first time not only at a new school but also in a new city, so to say I was nervous would be an understatement, but at the same time, I was excited.
"Let's see…"
The reasons I left my old school were secondary, what mattered was today, a day completely ready to give me a new shine... Sounds like a good phrase, doesn't it?
When putting on my uniform, I thought about whether I wanted to stand out or not. Although, like in many schools, there were rules about the uniform, mine was quite permissive regarding how students looked. You could wear either the winter or summer uniform, have short or long hair, even hairstyles usually considered rude or dyed hair were allowed. If I wanted to make an impression, I had to do it now.
"I should have dyed my hair a little... No! Think less about what you didn't do and more about what you're going to do!"
Although it was hard to decide on a hairstyle, I finally chose the classic loose hair, but seeing it a bit dull, I added a white ribbon, giving me a more striking impression.
"Perfect."
Once I finished with that, I moved on to the uniform. Even though it was a somewhat hot day, I chose to wear the winter uniform, which had long sleeves that covered my arms perfectly.
"I could decorate with some other things... Oh, I think I should hide the bruise first."
I quickly went downstairs to the first floor, where my aunt was having breakfast and watching TV, while my breakfast sat in front of an empty chair.
"Starting again without me?"
"I feel more comfortable starting right away."
"Still, that's rude."
After sitting down, I started eating quietly while my aunt continued watching TV. Since it was just the weather, she turned to me in a calm tone.
"Do you feel ready to go today?"
"Yes, it's just a bump, it's not the first time I've hit my head on a wall."
"You know what I mean, leaving the place you've always been since you were little, not everyone can handle that overnight."
"Don't worry, I've been in the city for about a month, I can manage."
"Being at home, helping with cleaning, and playing my console don't count as knowing the city."
"Well... The other day I went out to buy notebooks."
"I really wonder if you'll be okay…"
After finishing her breakfast, my aunt pulled out several cosmetics from behind the TV and began trying to conceal the bruise on my forehead.
"If you have any problems, you can call me."
"I already told you, it's fine."
Several minutes passed until my aunt finally took a hand mirror and showed me how it looked. Not only was my forehead perfect, she had also made my face look quite nice in general. Although I didn't usually wear makeup, it didn't feel bad to wear it once in a while. It was thanks to that that I got an idea.
"That's it!"
I quickly went back to my room and put on a white bracelet that, combined with my ribbon, gave me the image I was looking for.
"I'm ready."
I grabbed my bag with all my notebooks and school supplies and rushed downstairs.
"I'm leaving."
"Remember what I told you."
"I know, I know."
As I left the house, I ran, thinking about everything I was going to do. Since my aunt's house wasn't very far from the school, I slowed down a little so I wouldn't arrive sweating. When I felt calmer, I pulled out my phone to check the time.
"It's still early, maybe I rushed too much."
Out of boredom, I started fiddling with my phone since I wasn't used to it. Well, I don't think anyone in my generation is used to using a flip phone.
"So this is how contacts look... Only two, how sad."
As a long-term goal, I planned to multiply my contacts by ten. If I managed that, I could proudly say I had settled in.
"After four blocks, I turn left... There it is!"
Although I still had a bit to go, I could already see the school in the distance. It was imposing, like any big building, but it was pretty. Everything was going to be fine.
"Okay, here I go."
When I entered, I searched for my classroom for several minutes. Although I had made a couple of visits before, I was still somewhat lost. Luckily, I didn't take too long to find it.
Naturally, it was empty, so the first thing I did was look for a place to sit.
"My seat will be... that one."
Taking advantage of the fact that I had arrived relatively early, I claimed the last seat by the window. Normally, that's the protagonist's seat, so it would be a big responsibility, but I was ready for it.
"Now to wait."
To kill time while waiting for my classmates to arrive, I practiced different ways of greeting, from the classic "How are you?" to a more extroverted "How's it going?", determined to practice that greeting with the first person who walked in.
SHRR
When I heard the door open, I knew it was time. I steeled myself to seize the opportunity to approach the person who had just entered and ask how they were.
TAP TAP
The person walked in and, to my fortune, sat in front of me. She had the female uniform, so she must have been a girl. Her short black hair looked good, and she looked quite nice from behind. Since this was the opportunity I had been waiting for, I decided to start talking.
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"..."
"I see we both arrived early. My name is Lucia."
"..."
"Um... I hope we get along."
I didn't fully understand what was happening. Maybe she hadn't heard me, maybe she was wearing headphones that her hair was covering, either way, I wanted to talk to her, so I took a more direct approach and stood up to get in front of her.
"Nice to meet you, I'm-"
Just as I was about to reintroduce myself, I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing her face. Her expression left me completely stunned, or rather, the lack of it.
Although she had a couple of remarkable facial features, looking at her was like looking at a lifeless doll, as if her mind lacked any thoughts or emotions. Even though she was undeniably beautiful, I couldn't shake the feeling of fear. I had never seen anyone like that before.
"I-I guess we could get to know each other more."
"..."
"Maybe we could eat together or something."
The rest of my words were mostly out of politeness, as I wanted to distance myself from whatever it was I was seeing. I returned to my seat and waited for more people to arrive.
TAP TAP
"Good morning."
"(FINALLY, NORMAL PEOPLE!)"
Although that first impression had been uncomfortable, I didn't give up on trying to talk to more people. Fortunately, after several minutes, I had managed to talk to about four people.
The rest of the day passed without anything remarkable happening. The more time passed, the more I felt like I was becoming a part of the place. I didn't remember it being so fun to talk to people.
When lunch finally arrived, I decided I had to talk to one of those people and get to know them better. With great determination, I got up and approached a small group.
"Hi, does anyone want to-"
GAF
"Eh?"
I was a little startled when I felt something grab my sleeve. Looking to my right, I saw the girl I had noticed when I arrived. She was holding me, and only then did I notice she was quite a bit shorter than me.
"Ehhh."
"Let's go."
"Eh? Where to?"
"To eat."
"Eh?"
Without waiting for my opinion, the girl started walking, still pulling me along. I tried to resist, but she was strangely strong for her size. One of my classmates, seeing this, addressed me.
"Did you ask Aisha to eat?"
"That's her name?"
"Yeah, sorry to tell you, but you're doomed."
"Eh?"
"Aisha is pretty weird. She doesn't bother anyone or say much, but she always does whatever anyone asks. It's kind of like she's a robot."
"So..."
"You're completely trapped. She won't bother you, so for now, just let her kidnap you. When she's done eating, she'll let you go if you didn't ask her for anything else."
"Eh?!"
Completely resigned, I let Aisha drag me through the school all the way to the cafeteria. Although it didn't bother me to hang out with an attractive girl, being forced to hang out with her was not in my plans.
"So... your name's Aisha?"
"..."
"How long have you been studying here?"
"... Four years."
"Wow, so you do answer questions... I've been here one day."
"..."
"And if... could you also answer me when I don't ask questions?"
"Okay."
At that point, all I could do was try to figure out how to interact with this girl until she eventually let me go. When we reached the cafeteria, we grabbed trays with food and sat in a corner completely isolated from everyone else.
"Wow, it's big. I like the atmosphere."
"Yeah..."
"So, what's your last name?"
"Wood."
"Interesting last name. Where's it from?"
"My dad was born in the United States."
"Cool."
Although Aisha's answers were monotonous, I could somehow keep up. I felt like I could survive this.
"You could ask me a question too."
"... What's your type?"
"Eh?!"
I nearly choked when I heard such a question from such a quiet girl.
"W-What type?"
"Your romantic type. It's what people usually talk about, right?"
"S-Sure, it's a conversation topic... But you shouldn't ask that to someone you've just met."
"I see, I'm sorry."
For a moment, I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Still very nervous, I started to stroke my arm, making sure not to move my sleeve. The last thing I wanted was to talk about my love life. Just, no.
"In that case... Do you have pets?"
"Well... I used to have a dog, but he now lives with my parents."
"I see..."
"And you?"
"A cactus."
"An unusual pet."
"It's easy to take care of and doesn't need much affection."
Aside from the first question, the rest of our conversation followed a fairly calm tone. Although Aisha faltered when it came to questions about preferences, it was easy to talk about things like her dominant hand, daily routine, or subjects she excelled in.
When we were almost done eating and I was finally about to be free, I thought of getting a little revenge for almost giving me a heart attack at the start of our conversation.
"As an apology for your first question, you'll let me ask you an intimate question too."
"Was that an intimate question?"
"YES!"
"Okay, ask whatever you want."
"Okay, do you have any reason for acting like that?"
I braced myself for a response like "I'm just like this" or "It's comfortable for me," or really anything. I didn't expect anything elaborate, just something that would at least annoy her a little, but nothing could prepare me for what she said.
"What does it mean to exist to you?"
"Exist?"
"I need you to answer that to answer your question."
"Well, being in a place, interacting with the environment, and reacting to it."
"Good answer."
I didn't quite understand where she was going, but for a second, I thought maybe she was trying to divert the conversation to avoid answering. But she continued.
"I don't know when it started, but I've never felt close to anything."
"?"
"You know, people laugh or cry for certain things. I know what leads to laughter, what causes tears, I understand the concepts, but I'm unable to feel them."
"So... completely?"
"I know what a pleasant sensation is, I know what a small discomfort feels like, but that's it. To me, everything feels distant, almost as if it doesn't exist."
"... Doesn't that hurt?"
"Maybe. I haven't bothered to try anything. If I just let everything continue as it is, I won't have to worry about missing things like that."
"..."
After finishing her meal, Aisha stood up and grabbed her tray. As she left, she passed by my side to say goodbye.
"Well, thanks for the company. See you-"
GAF
"Huh?"
Aisha looked at me with her unchanging expression, but if I had to guess, I'd say she was surprised at that moment. After all, I was holding her arm.
"Do you need anything else?"
"Yes…"
"What would that be?"
"... Let's be friends."
"… Okay."
I wasn't entirely sure why I asked that. Maybe Aisha seemed nice to me, maybe pity was controlling my actions, or maybe I was more empathetic than I thought. I only knew one thing for sure: right then, I didn't want to let go of her.
And that's how we met.