Why?
When people turn eighteen they usually get a brand new car, a huge party, or any kind of tech they want at the moment. Key word: usually.
In this particular case, there was no party, a car nor a new phone. In this case a girl, who had absolutely no idea who her real parents were, inherited a curse. As soon as the clock hit 9am, the time she was born, she woke up from a terrible dream.
She was a not too short, but not tall either. Her hair was brown, eyes the same color as well. A few freckles walked freely on her face. Nothing outstanding, but she was unique in her own way.
It was a warm summer night. The girl got up to catch some air. When she stepped outside what she saw was horrible. Outside people would see grass, butterflies, sun and all types of things. While before here eyes was the death of all the people who died on the spot she was standing at that exact moment. Horrible sounds blasted in her ears. She saw people dying, something she hasn’t seen before. And she saw so much of it and for so long.
Maybe it was some kind of way the souls made it to her head and passed through.
The pain was excruciating and she felt like her head was going to explode. Luckily, it didn’t. Every little step she took, every breath, every slight movement was now filled with sorrow and pain. Poor thing. I pity her sometimes, I really do.
Oh, where are my manners. You’re probably wondering who I am. But that you will find out later on. I can’t tell you yet. Promise I’ll give you a hint.
Where was I? Oh, yes. The girl. Her mother, stepmother, I mean, came into the room with a cake, interrupting the tormenting images. It looked delicious. Blue, which was her favorite color, and purple. The cake had roses filling up the empty spaces. And no, I don’t mean those miniature roses that don’t look like roses - I mean roses as big as real life ones. But made of candy.
That was supposed to put a smile on your face.
‘Happy Birthday, Victoria!’ was written with darker purple. Her mother put a lot of decorations and details. She was a baker after all. At that moment she wanted to be happy, she really did. But she couldn’t. This doesn’t mean she didn’t try, though. I guess I have to stop saying ‘she’ now.
Victoria’s mother sang a song, her step dad by her side, but she couldn’t hear a thing. The sounds in her head were too loud. She panicked. The girl smiled, closed her eyes for a second to desperately try and cast them away.
I think that’s the right time for you to meet Victoria’s mother. Her name was Linda White. She was about 160cm, a slightly bit shorter than Victoria. Her bangs were always long and always in her eyes. A not very skinny woman in her 40s. She had blonde hair and brown eyes. She would help anyone with anything and she’d do anything for the ones she loved, the woman had a big heart. She managed to buy a small bakery near their house and went there every day to prepare delicious croissants, pies, sweets and many more. Linda’s mother was a baker and had a couple of notebooks filled with family recipes, that helped her get into the business quite easily. As expected, her mother had prepared the cake.
Her stepfather was a tall, 45 year old, grumpy-looking man, whose smile lit up his face. He rarely smiled, but when he did everyone around him did the same too. His name was George White. He was about 170 centimeters tall, just enough for Victoria to bury her face in his neck when she needed a hug. He came from a small village, his childhood wasn’t easy at all, so he wanted to make Victoria’s life as easy as he possibly could. He worked as a bus driver, which didn’t bring him a lot of money but there was nothing else he could do. His education wasn’t great. Sometimes he went to help in the bakery. He couldn’t cook that well, so of course he did other random things his wife told him to do to keep him busy. He was persistent, determined and stubborn. Once he started doing he wouldn’t settle until it’s done.
When Victoria opened her eyes, her best friend, Nathan Moore, had walked in. With balloons. His tall figure walked towards her. His tall figure, standing almost 20 centimeters above her, towered over her with his long legs. A basketball player he was, but that didn’t stop him from smoking from time to time when his nerves were on the verge. He had hazelnut, shining hair and green eyes. They were so intensely green, she sometimes thought they glowed in the dark. But they didn’t. Sometimes she had nightmares or was feeling sad, he was there to hold her. His eyes didn’t glow but she wished they did. Nathan was raised kind, thankful for the small things in life and just to everyone as he had only a mother. His father used to drink a lot when he was little and he would abuse his mother, Ava. That is why she left him. Sometimes Nathan would get picked on for not having a father. And it hurt him but he was glad he did not have anything to do with him. His neck was long, long enough to hide in completely for an embrace and for her to imagine kissing every time. Lips, pink and big, with a jaw that resembles a square but not. Somehow, whenever she was feeling down he would show up and make it all go away. And that smile. Oh, the smile. She loved it so much.
All of a sudden, she noticed the sounds were gone. When staring into the boys eyes all her worries seemed to be swept away.
The girl could hear her mom laughing when she didn’t blow the candles and typically for him, Nathan screaming playfully for her to blow them. She felt thrilled for a moment, letting out a sigh, smiling right after it. Victoria made a wish and blew the candles. Her heart fluttered, the corners of her mouth curved up even more as she smiled at them sincerely.
What did she wish for, you’d ask. I can’t tell you. Only me and her know. And remember, if you say your wish aloud, it may never come true. I’m not that cruel.
Everyone was clapping and laughing. Linda said:
‘You should get dressed, I will go cut the cake. Come downstairs when you’re done, okay?’
Her mother was so sweet she wanted to cry. Victoria nodded excitedly and Linda walked out, along with George.
Then, it was just her and Nathan in the room. The tall boy hugged the tiny girl and wished her a happy birthday. They didn’t have to stay like this for another 5 minutes, but they did. Standing in each other’s embrace. Just enjoying the company. Soft and steady breaths could be heard from both of them. Although, their hearts were doing the exact opposite. She didn’t want this to end, afraid that the sounds were going to come back and block every sound he made. The girl wanted to be there every second of every hour of every day. Just hearing him breathe calmed down her nerves and made the broken pieces restore themselves. He pulled away first and she wanted to smack him on the head for doing so. They talked for a bit, then he left her. Alone. With all these souls and sounds.
She stood there, on the bed, enjoying the silence before they return. In this moment she knew she had to learn to control it.
The day went by pretty fast.
She thought she found her salvation.
And she held on to it, the one thing that was able to save her.
Until it didn’t save her anymore.
