Chapter 1
I had this nightmare when I was really young. I was standing in the backyard of my house, the trees looming taller in the dark, their leaves casting harsh silhouettes like claws. In this movie that replays so vividly even now, there is a girl hanging from the tall branches by a noose, her black hair covering her face. The rope pulls as the girl rocks, swaying with the wind. I stand frozen in fear and surprise. Each sway brings her closer and closer to me.
The smell reaches me first, a putrid stench like that of a dying stray dog. Each touch of the wind feels like cold hands tracing my spine. Before I know it, she is in my face, and I see her face hidden behind her matted hair. Then, I awaken.
The knowledge that it was a dream doesn’t bring relief immediately. I am still stiff from terror. In the darkness of my closed eyelids, there are bodies all around me, ready to pounce as soon as I open my eyes. For some reason I have never forgotten any of my dreams.
It was always night in our corner of the world, the skies a dark shade of purple in the mornings, losing color as the day progressed until it was nothing but pitch darkness. The nature of our days meant that we were generally pale by nature and quite by preference. The hustle and bustle that characterized other places was foreign to the people of darkness.
Sometimes, in the quiet, it is easy to forget the sound of one’s own voice. In my silence, I am certain I could pass eternities without speaking to another. It was a contagious thought; perhaps this ease with solitude is the reason most of our kind prefer to live without a companion. However, this is not the case with everyone, as I am slowly starting to learn.
I softly caress the callous on my ring finger. I am habitual in writing, simply to watch the ink mark the pages. I am an engineer by trade, fresh out of one of the few campuses in Ebonveil that offered a course in the subject. Now, far from home in pursuit of higher education, I have ventured into one of the most sociable places on the planet.
Here, the sky is a pale blue, brighter than any color I have witnessed, changing into various shades of orange and pink. Even at night, the darkness is lightened by pinpricks of lights that peek through blankets of night. The heat is another stark difference between our places; it brings a light pink hue to my otherwise pale face.
It was much noisier here too. Even strangers found it necessary to make some sort of greeting in passing. Though technologically far more advanced than ours, this progress meant more noise even in the streets. It was my dream to ease the lives of my people with my vocation, and I wanted to do it with minimum pollution. All this sound was as distasteful to my kind as it was to me.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the earthy scent of rain and soil. The weather here was quite unpredictable. Cold winds softly caressed any exposed skin as I made my way to class, taking in the stark green of the leaves and the wet gravel. If I were a painter, nothing would have sent me running to easel more.
As predicted, one of the residents of my campus greeted me as I passed.
“Hello, the weather is quite dark today, isn’t it?”
I made a noncommittal sound and quickened my steps unconsciously, but he kept pace beside me.
“You’re quite aloof, aren’t you?”
The directness of his statement made me glance at him. His straightforwardness invited a response, and he used the opportunity to introduce himself.
“I’m Yuri Takahashi. It’s nice to meet you. We share design classes.”
I stopped and shook his hand, taking in his appearance. Yuri was tall, though not significantly taller than me; my height was typical for my kind. He had a deceptively kind face, which seemed to mask a more complex personality. His dark hair was neatly styled, his nose was smooth and slightly raised, and his lips were the kind that often curved into a smile. In short, he was quite different from anyone I knew.
I exhaled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Yuri Takahashi. I’m Karina Moreno.”
“You can just call me Yuri,” he said as we resumed walking. I adjusted my pace to be more accommodating, recognizing his intent to keep me company. While I wasn’t particularly sociable, I wasn’t inclined toward hostility either.
“As you say, Yuri.”
He walked leisurely, seemingly pleased by the simplicity of the act. He grazed his fingertips on the dew drops hanging on the leaves and gazed at the heavy clouds with a pleasantness that contrasted with their gloominess.
“So, I take it you’re not from around here?”
I wondered if I should be offended. Though I didn’t care much for it, the thought crept in: was I too different from my peers? I shook away those thoughts as quickly as they came. Blending in wasn’t suited for certain people, and trying for it would only make me drown. But standing out starkly could also be a hassle, as people generally feared what was different. It was always easier to ostracize what raised fear.
“No, I am from Ebonveil.”
“Oh, I take it you are adjusting well to all the brightness. It must be quite overwhelming for you, considering it’s always dark where you come from. Perhaps that’s why your kind prefers to stay to yourselves.”
“You’re right. It’s hard to get used to all the noise. It’s not just the colors but all the sounds that are toughest. It’s impossible to hear yourself think with all the constant racket.”
He was quiet for a while, and I wondered if my remark had offended him, it would be just like me to do such a thing. Back home, my family used to say that I had a way of looking at people that made them shrink into their own skin.
“I understand where you’re coming from. It is hard to find a quiet corner around her, but...it’s not impossible. I can show you these places if you like?”
I was taken aback by the offer, wondering why he was trying to show me around. My suspicions rose, searching for some hidden motive behind his words, but I decided to let my hackles down for the moment. I had been advised to be more trusting, and he seemed genuine. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to create some sort of connection with somebody.
“That would be really nice of you, Yuri,” I replied with a faint smile.
He watched my face for a bit, making me wonder if he found my features too foreign.
“Well, I hope to see you after class,” he said finally, his feet on the stairs and his back to the door. I hadn’t noticed thar we had already reached campus as I took in the corridors. “When do you leave?”
“My classes end at four,” I replied, already making my way inside. I always had to be at least fifteen minutes early; there were some habits of mine that felt uncomfortable to break.
“Meet you behind the canteen, at the benches?” he shouted behind me. I cringed at the loud sound and raised my hand in affirmation.
Corridors were another seemingly insignificant feature that haunted my memory. I remember every lost hallway of my childhood, and they stretch in my mind until they exceed the bounds of reality. Grappling with my own sanity, I navigated these labyrinths of my own making. As I braced myself and emerged from my thoughts, I made my way to class.
I preferred sitting near windows. While I didn’t find pleasure in gazing out in a daze like others often did, I simply preferred it to being seated next to someone. In perfect order, I assembled my belongings and waited for class, my thoughts drifting to the image of dew drops on fingertips.
