2
“What a dream.”
Nord pulls himself out of bed, placing his glasses where they belong—on his nose. He doesn’t think about how his eyesight is blurry at all—it’s always blurry in the morning.
He turns to his alarm clock and feels his heart drop in his chest.
He’s late.
Scrambling around his room and wondering why his alarm hadn’t woken him, he trips over discarded pieces of clothing. He has ten minutes to be at his college or he’ll be late—for his only class today. He already missed the meet-up with his friends. They were supposed to finish their Dungeons & Dragon’s characters so they can start their first expedition together as a group.
Figures.
He picks up his phone and texts an apology to the group, several messages from each person, and shoves it into his pants pocket. He isn’t sure if he wore these clothes already or not—you can never tell with a messy room. He sprints out of his bedroom and to the front door, cramming his feet inside his shoes as his mom calls for him from the kitchen.
“I’m gonna be late, mom,” he shouts back, irritated beyond belief.
“I don’t care. I need you in here, now.”
The coldness in her voice sends a chill down his spine, yet he groans aloud, ticking off the time it takes to get to the college. He’s going to be very late.
Quickly making his way to the kitchen, he turns the corner, his eyesight still kind of blurry through the glasses. He rips them off, annoyed and glaring right at his mom as she stands with her arms crossed and her own eyes narrowed. For a moment, he’s stunned to see... that he can see without help.
He pushes the revelation aside, caught up in his frustration, and sets his jaw.
“What?” he snaps. “I’m going to be late for English—”
“Who’s this?”
His mom motions to her right where a girl with light blue hair sits with her elbows on the counter, a dress like a pink lily draped over her curved frame. She’s sipping on some coffee and glaring over the lip of the cup at Nord.
Nord takes a step back, tripping over his untied shoelace, and falls to his butt, his bag somewhat breaking his fall. Is that the girl, the alien from his dream? It couldn’t be, right? It was just a dream, but...
Is she the reason he can see better without his glasses?
He stares at her, incredulous.
“Did she stay the night?” his mom presses, taking a step forward. “What did the two of you do?”
Nord glances between the girl and his mom helplessly. What does she—she can’t think--
“Mom, I—”
“I’m a friend of his, as I said,” the girl says, the sound of her voice sending Nord’s skin into a crawl. It’s exactly the same as in the dream. But—how--
“What is she doing here?” his mom asks him directly, ignoring the girl’s explanation.
“I’m his ride. He said I could come in and wait for him on the couch, so I did, but I guess he fell asleep or something.”
There’s absolutely no hint of anything in the girl’s gray eyes. They are void of emotion.
Nord’s mom scowls at him as the tile of the kitchen bites into his palm.
“Is that true, Nord?” she asks, bending down slightly to get a better look at her son. His eyes dart to the girl, who nods slightly, nothing still reflecting in her eyes.
“Uh, yes?” he says uncertainly.
His mom takes a big, frustrated breath in, heaving out an equally large sigh.
“We’ll talk about this when you get home.” She eyes the girl and then turns back to Nord. “Remember what I told you about getting girls pregnant.”
Nord’s face flushes bright red and he scrambles up, setting his jaw and clearing his throat, facing his mom head-on. After a breath, he explains himself.
“Mom, you needn’t worry about that. Someone like me could never attract someone as pretty as this girl, and I have no intentions in seeking out a relationship while I’m in college. I don’t believe any girl I meet will be seeking one with me anyway, so no worries.”
Nord doesn’t see it, but a crack forms across the girl’s face, pity and confusion shining through. Does he truly think so lowly of himself, yet in the same breath have the confidence to tell the truth of things that live inside his heart?
His mom shakes her head and finally turns to the girl, her own angry eyes tinted with a bit of sadness.
“Please be safe with my baby,” she says to the girl, trying to smile. “He can be headstrong at times.”
The girl nods and stands just as Nord rushes to the door impatiently, opening it up and holding it there for the girl. She gives a slight bow to the mother and heads to the door, Nord shutting it behind her.
They quickly make their way to the end of the driveway, Nord suspiciously silent.
“So your sight has improved,” the girl starts, her face once again void of all emotion. “Good. You’ll need it for defeating my enemy.”
Nord stops in his tracks and turns to her, his eyes alight with both excitement and confusion.
“So you are the alien from my dream!” he exclaims.
Sephira exhales. “It wasn’t a dream. I have two months to condition your mind and body for combat with my old friend. For the duration of this, you are to skip your classes and train with me.”
“No,” Nord says immediately, lifting his chin in confidence and making a fist. “I made a vow to finish college as if my life depended on it. I put it off for three years. I must finish.”
Sephira stares at him, her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly agape at his intense choice of words. Is he serious right now?
“I don’t think you understand the weight of the situation—”
“I don’t think you understand how important college is to my family,” Nord interrupts, tilting his head toward Sephira as they make their way down the street, albeit hastily. “It’s the only reason they’re allowing me to stay rent free in their house.”
Sephira frowns as Nord begins to sprint. She stops in her tracks, unhappy she’ll have to exercise to keep up with him. Letting out a deep sigh, she reluctantly follows behind, easily keeping pace with him as he quickly becomes winded, stopping and nearly hurling from pushing himself too hard. Disappointed that this is what she has to work with, she pats him on the back as he leans on his knees, coughing his lungs out.
Nord pulls himself out of bed, placing his glasses where they belong—on his nose. He doesn’t think about how his eyesight is blurry at all—it’s always blurry in the morning.
He turns to his alarm clock and feels his heart drop in his chest.
He’s late.
Scrambling around his room and wondering why his alarm hadn’t woken him, he trips over discarded pieces of clothing. He has ten minutes to be at his college or he’ll be late—for his only class today. He already missed the meet-up with his friends. They were supposed to finish their Dungeons & Dragon’s characters so they can start their first expedition together as a group.
Figures.
He picks up his phone and texts an apology to the group, several messages from each person, and shoves it into his pants pocket. He isn’t sure if he wore these clothes already or not—you can never tell with a messy room. He sprints out of his bedroom and to the front door, cramming his feet inside his shoes as his mom calls for him from the kitchen.
“I’m gonna be late, mom,” he shouts back, irritated beyond belief.
“I don’t care. I need you in here, now.”
The coldness in her voice sends a chill down his spine, yet he groans aloud, ticking off the time it takes to get to the college. He’s going to be very late.
Quickly making his way to the kitchen, he turns the corner, his eyesight still kind of blurry through the glasses. He rips them off, annoyed and glaring right at his mom as she stands with her arms crossed and her own eyes narrowed. For a moment, he’s stunned to see... that he can see without help.
He pushes the revelation aside, caught up in his frustration, and sets his jaw.
“What?” he snaps. “I’m going to be late for English—”
“Who’s this?”
His mom motions to her right where a girl with light blue hair sits with her elbows on the counter, a dress like a pink lily draped over her curved frame. She’s sipping on some coffee and glaring over the lip of the cup at Nord.
Nord takes a step back, tripping over his untied shoelace, and falls to his butt, his bag somewhat breaking his fall. Is that the girl, the alien from his dream? It couldn’t be, right? It was just a dream, but...
Is she the reason he can see better without his glasses?
He stares at her, incredulous.
“Did she stay the night?” his mom presses, taking a step forward. “What did the two of you do?”
Nord glances between the girl and his mom helplessly. What does she—she can’t think--
“Mom, I—”
“I’m a friend of his, as I said,” the girl says, the sound of her voice sending Nord’s skin into a crawl. It’s exactly the same as in the dream. But—how--
“What is she doing here?” his mom asks him directly, ignoring the girl’s explanation.
“I’m his ride. He said I could come in and wait for him on the couch, so I did, but I guess he fell asleep or something.”
There’s absolutely no hint of anything in the girl’s gray eyes. They are void of emotion.
Nord’s mom scowls at him as the tile of the kitchen bites into his palm.
“Is that true, Nord?” she asks, bending down slightly to get a better look at her son. His eyes dart to the girl, who nods slightly, nothing still reflecting in her eyes.
“Uh, yes?” he says uncertainly.
His mom takes a big, frustrated breath in, heaving out an equally large sigh.
“We’ll talk about this when you get home.” She eyes the girl and then turns back to Nord. “Remember what I told you about getting girls pregnant.”
Nord’s face flushes bright red and he scrambles up, setting his jaw and clearing his throat, facing his mom head-on. After a breath, he explains himself.
“Mom, you needn’t worry about that. Someone like me could never attract someone as pretty as this girl, and I have no intentions in seeking out a relationship while I’m in college. I don’t believe any girl I meet will be seeking one with me anyway, so no worries.”
Nord doesn’t see it, but a crack forms across the girl’s face, pity and confusion shining through. Does he truly think so lowly of himself, yet in the same breath have the confidence to tell the truth of things that live inside his heart?
His mom shakes her head and finally turns to the girl, her own angry eyes tinted with a bit of sadness.
“Please be safe with my baby,” she says to the girl, trying to smile. “He can be headstrong at times.”
The girl nods and stands just as Nord rushes to the door impatiently, opening it up and holding it there for the girl. She gives a slight bow to the mother and heads to the door, Nord shutting it behind her.
They quickly make their way to the end of the driveway, Nord suspiciously silent.
“So your sight has improved,” the girl starts, her face once again void of all emotion. “Good. You’ll need it for defeating my enemy.”
Nord stops in his tracks and turns to her, his eyes alight with both excitement and confusion.
“So you are the alien from my dream!” he exclaims.
Sephira exhales. “It wasn’t a dream. I have two months to condition your mind and body for combat with my old friend. For the duration of this, you are to skip your classes and train with me.”
“No,” Nord says immediately, lifting his chin in confidence and making a fist. “I made a vow to finish college as if my life depended on it. I put it off for three years. I must finish.”
Sephira stares at him, her brow furrowed and her mouth slightly agape at his intense choice of words. Is he serious right now?
“I don’t think you understand the weight of the situation—”
“I don’t think you understand how important college is to my family,” Nord interrupts, tilting his head toward Sephira as they make their way down the street, albeit hastily. “It’s the only reason they’re allowing me to stay rent free in their house.”
Sephira frowns as Nord begins to sprint. She stops in her tracks, unhappy she’ll have to exercise to keep up with him. Letting out a deep sigh, she reluctantly follows behind, easily keeping pace with him as he quickly becomes winded, stopping and nearly hurling from pushing himself too hard. Disappointed that this is what she has to work with, she pats him on the back as he leans on his knees, coughing his lungs out.
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