บท 3: Cursed Emerald Eyes
THE NONSTOP rain seems to sympathize with Cent's mood as she watched the heavy rainfall from her room's window. Ever since Madame Lira died, she knew deep in her heart that it was because of that incident during the class wherein she met the professor's eyes with her lime green ones. Cent touched her bangs that obstructed her eyes from the people. She thought that it was enough to avoid the same incident that happened three years ago.
Flashback...
"CRESCENT! Crescent!" Only one person called her that, it was Steffan, the young volunteer who visited her foster home the other week. He took a liking to her 'quirks'. He meant her eyes that had always dark circled like she spent weeks without sleep or the way how pale her skin was even if she played under the sun or how her eyes were so dark like they were some kind of bottomless pit. Steffan liked it.
Cent spun her feet away from the running sunshine. She was afraid that she would get burned by his sunny attitude, no matter how crazy that may sound to her.
"Hey." He was still able to catch up to her.
"What do you want? Don't you have school or something?" She clutched her sketchpad to her chest which his cerulean eyes noticed.
The next thing Cent knew, her sketchpad was already in his hands. "Give me that!"
He must not see it. If he did, he would surely run away from her and never look back. Even though he pest her like no one else, it was hard to imagine him getting angry with her. It would truly break her heart because Steffan was her only friend, aside from the shadows.
Stretching her arms, Cent flailed to get back her sketchpad. But Steffan was too tall and too strong for a skinny gothic girl like her. She was almost in tears when Steffan's words froze her. "These are awesome! Did you draw these, Crescent? Dude, this is so cool!"
What? Did you call horned beings with ugly faces cool? Cent asked Steffan in her mind. The last time that some children of the shelter looked at her drawing, they ran away while crying. Hence, the words spread that she was a devil worshipper. It was not true though she had no religion.
Cent heard from the nuns in the shelter that every time she was about to be baptized, catastrophe would ensue thus leading to the cancellation of her baptismal ceremony. Sister Tasha proceeded to just register her, but Cent saw how the baptismal registration papers burned to ashes. Though it was kept a secret by Sister Tasha's order, some nuns and kids in the shelter called her Satan's spawn.
"You are not afraid?" Cent's wary reaction earned her a pat on the head from Steffan.
"Silly girl. This is absolute talent, I tell you. By the way, what are these? I get that these horned ones are demons, but what are these small creatures?"
Cent was about to answer him that she did not know and she only saw these creatures in her dreams, but she was stopped midway when the shadows hissed the name of the creatures. "Goblins," said Cent.
Steffan whistled from her reply. "You got some awesome imagination, Crescent. You keep on surprising me."
His smiling face was addicting, and it also made Cent's young heart smile. She lived under the shadows of doubt and fear because of what she was. She struggled to convince herself that she belonged no matter how Sister Tasha kept on reminding her that the shelter was her home. For the very first time, Cent learned the feeling of how to be accepted truly as a person and not because of filial piety. She felt happy for the first since she was born.
Steffan tilted her head as he guided her chin to meet his eyes that could b compared to the depths of the ocean. Her lifeless-looking face felt hot for the first time as she felt his minty breath against her lips. Staring at his attractive eyes, Cent realized how different she was from him.
Her heartbeat quicken, her hands clenched, and her eyes widened as Cent waited for the magical moment.
Her fairytale turned into a nightmare in front of her. Black swirls of smoke that came out from nowhere covered Steffan who was now grasping her shoulders rather painfully. Whizzing his breath, Steffan uttered his last words. "Y-You monster!" Cent rushed to him only to be pushed away by the shadows that were not her own, it was as if the shadows hated the idea of her touching Steffan.
Cent was about to rush again only to be stopped by her reflection on the shelter's windows. Her eyes were not cobalt-colored anymore; instead, they were shining lime green.
End of flashback...
CENT REALIZED that if anyone looked at her lime green eyes, that person would die. It was as if death would come knocking on that person's door. Since she could not control that ability of hers, she chose to obstruct her eyes from anyone thus her hideous bangs came into being.
Loud knocks snapped Cent out of her reverie. "Milly? Are you alright, dear?"
It was Sister Tasha, she was quite worried about Cent's behavior since the latter stopped attending classes and was now planning to skip her birthday. Though little, Sister Tasha prepared a personally baked Chiffon cake for Cent, the celebrant's favorite.
Cent walked away from her window but she did not open the door for Sister Tasha. Instead, she walked near the door. "Leave me alone, please." I don't want to hurt you too.
"All the more reason for me to stay, dear. Open the door, please."
Sister Tasha became her guardian when she was abandoned by her real parents. Though the thought that maybe, her parents were looking for her, was just wishful thinking. Sometimes, Cent would think that she was an abomination hence why she was abandoned.
"Go away," said Cent before she materialized as a flock of black butterflies, leaving the confines of her cramped room. It was her birthday today and she dreaded what ability she would get.
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