NO NAME

“Will it come today?” Avery asks her father meekly.

Even with a beautiful dainty pink lace dress and a delicate and gorgeous necklace against her pale chest -a gift from her father for her 17th birthday, the one thing she wanted hadn’t come yet.

Her name.

No not her name, but the name.

“No-name or name, I will love you the same,” Her father replies softly, taking in his daughter’s sparkling eyes that resembles his late wife’s as she chuckles at the lame rhyme. His left hand immediately goes to his right wrist unconsciously where her name was, still there but faded -that no longer glowed and pulsed everytime that they were together.

If his precious daughter weren’t to get her name by tonight, he wouldn’t know how to explain to their relatives, who judges his every move as a single father or his colleagues and subordinates that would use this as a chance to bring him down at any time. Despite the warm and reassuring smile his lips hold, all he can think about is how to protect his daughter.

However, if she were to present a name -any name in fact, he will make sure that she will only to walk on flowery paths in her life, and that the name a higher power has chosen for her will treat her well with the gentleness and care that he had treated his late wife. He will make sure that the name will only bring her happiness and the love that she deserves.

Avery’s features light up as she takes her father’s cold hands, sensing his uneasiness. “Don’t worry dad, everything will be okay!”

Even though she knows in her heart that it isn’t her choice to make, and that she has no power over such things, she can only do what she does best and smile in front of her beloved father.

He nods with a soft playful smile. “Get back to your friends dear and don’t worry about such things right now.”

She nods enthusiastically, before sprinting back into the backyard where her party is being held, with fairy lights wrapped around every nook and cranny of the garden and gates to create a soft glow and warmth in the dark starless night.

“Aves!” Her eyes immediately goes to her flamboyant best friend, Sumi whom is flailing her arms around madly. With her hands clutching her mesh flowy dress to avoid tripping, she hurries to where her friends are sitting around a table in the center of the garden, each table containing a vase full of tulips -her mother’s favourite kind of flowers.

Before Avery can even completely reach the table Sumi grabs her arms almost too roughly and pulls her into a tight hug. “Aves, Jace is here!” She hisses to Avery’s sensitive ears.

Avery’s face scrunches up in confusion. “Yeah, I already told you he’d be here. Here, I’ll call him over…”

Before Avery can even spot Jace Evans in the sea of people, Sumi clamps a hand to her mouth, smearing her sparkling gloss all over her face. “What are you-”

“Avery.”

Sumi pushes Avery to turn around to immediately face Jace, her childhood friend -more like an acquaintance. A friendship formed by exposure from being close neighbours and having both of their fathers being business partners.

Jace can hear Sumi hiccuping behind Avery and his lips quirk up into a small smirk at this, his amber coloured eyes, glowing from the candles on the tables, surrounded by a frame of long lashes that seem to stand out the most beneath his ash blonde hair.

He knows the power he holds over these airhead girls, and he knows that they are nothing to him. All girls aren’t anything to him except for one. His name. Her name -the girl that haven’t shown up yet for years. The day he got her name was when he was only 12 years old, it came to him when he felt the most hopeless and pathetic, the day his mother told him to keep going, to keep fighting against his brothers -more like his enemies, even if he’d be leaving his true identity behind. When she told him to rise up to be the heir of his father’s company even if he has to become only a shell.

But then the name came to him, a warm and tingling sensation to his left wrist. It had melted on his flesh, the name consuming his heart and soul, bringing a sense of hope in him at a time where everything around him seemed grey and dark.

Her name- Julia, glowed. But even till now, she had never shown up.

He shoves a bouquet of assorted flowers to Avery. While he never had any interest in these girls, Avery was at least tolerable, except for when she’s all bubbly and being a nuisance to Jacob, his best friend who can’t seem to stop complaining about this small girl who seems to have such a big impact on him, good or bad -it’s more bad.

“Happy birthday,” He says, his bored facade never dropping.

Avery clasps the bouquet from his grip and takes in the sweet aroma before sneezing.

Jace smirks at this, shaking his head, his serious and sharp eyes softening.

Sumi’s cheeks quickly heat up at his weird reaction to her best friend. Sumi can’t help but be jealous. While she also finds Avery endearing and absolutely adorable, she also can’t help but be protective of her fate. Her right hand reluctantly yanks down her left sleeves, desperately covering Jace’s name.

It is embarrassing.

His name was etched on her arm ever since she was little, it came to her naturally and fast, right after her young bright eyes had laid eyes on this blonde boy that looked way more mature than a 6 year old should. She thought it would hurt when it came but what she didn’t know was that it would hurt even more after. That his name would not bring her the love that she would dream of as a child, watching Cinderella and the Little Mermaid, but it would bring her only hurt and jealousy, making her seem more like the villain than the princess.

“Thanks, Jace. Is Jacob here yet?” Avery asks, although she already knows the answer.

Jace only shrugs. “I’m not sure. I have another appointment after this.”

Sumi reluctantly steps up. “Wait, Jace… The cake, we haven’t even sang happy birthday yet!”

Jace scoffs, his golden eyes darkening, now looking dull again. “What are we, six?”

And with that he takes his leave, and leaving Avery annoyed and Sumi, filled with more emptiness as she peers down at his name glowing and pulsing more than ever.

Avery huffs out a puff of fury before paying attention to her best friend again, knowing full well how hurt she must be. Sometimes she really can’t stand how the boys are so arrogant and such jerks. But being in the same circumstances as them, she can understand their miseries. While she can’t empathise -having an encouraging father herself, she’s aware of the family conflicts and struggles that these boys go through daily.

Sumi stomps a foot to the ground, her full brown locks bouncing around and even hitting Marcus, our other close friend in the face, causing his circle framed glasses to drop to the ground

He groans at her little tantrum. “See look at her, she goes crazy for hot looking guys like that.” He crouches down from his seat to pick up his glasses just as Sumi slumps down on her own seat, causing the table to shake and hit Marcus on the head.

“Sumi you crazy b-” He stops mid sentence. After all, this was the girl that was supposed to be his fate. What a darn and ill fate he has with this crazy girl, obsessed with the hottest and richest heir in school. It doesn’t make sense, but he has learnt to ignore it. After all, no one knew he had her name, no one would know he has a name at all if the name detectors didn’t exist to check at their school. But it was on his back, close to the nape of his neck.

Her name stuck to his hair like a piece of gum.

“Sumi, it’s okay Jace is always like that,” Avery tries to comfort her friend.

“I know!” She groans shaking every limb on her body. “But this is so unfair! Who is this Julia anyway and why hasn’t she shown up yet!”

All Avery can do is shrug, looking at her best friend with pity even. While Sumi can be vain and insensitive sometimes, Avery knows the real her. The one that’s insecure and puts her full efforts and beliefs in the name she has. Avery could at least understand that.

Sumi senses her friend becoming too quiet and straightens up, realising that this surely isn’t her day to sulk. “What about you Aves…. Are you worried?”

Marcus inches closer, pushing his glasses up again but remaining silent.

Avery can only smile sadly. “About what? My name?”

She huffs out an empty sigh. “So what if my name doesn’t come by tonight. I will still have my name won’t I?”

“But…. you’d be in a complete campus from us. A whole district away!” Sumi exclaims esperatedly.

Avery looks down, but she had already prepared her mind for this. Same school yet miles apart from each other to isolate and divide the names with the no-names. She wonders where she will end up after their summer break. She is prepared to lay her pride down, to sink and to blend in with the no-names and to strip herself of all the benefits that Seulli Private School provided for the named. While the school treats all their students from admission till they’re 17, with the utmost care, like they were shining treasures of the world, after that, the black pearls will have to be sorted from all the shiny gems.

Avery, born as that glowing pearl, became more dull as time went by that she didn’t present a name. It was strange, all her ancestors had names, so everyone including her family and relatives were so sure that she’d be named even before puberty.

“I-I can always visit. Jace can you know -pull some strings…” Avery is already shaking her head, before she can finish her sentence. While Jace’s parents do own more than half the shares of Seulli, it is still less believable that someone like Jace would even care to do anyone let alone her, -a favour.

“You know what?” Avery throws her hands up in defeat. “I’d die before asking Jace for anything.”

Sumi and Marcus can only muster up a weak smile but still nod in agreement. “We’ll still love you either way you know that right?” Sumi whispers, close to tears, causing Avery’s fingers and toes to already cringe.

“You sound like my father.”

Marcus takes a look at his watch. “Well, we have two hours left for your name to come.”

“If it does….” Sumi mumbles sadly.

“Any guesses to who?” Sensing the somber atmosphere, Marcus attempts to liven up the mood and addresses the surrounding table filled with their classmates. “Let’s bet on it! Who’s gonna be the lucky fella that’s gonna be Avery’s name!”

Someone shouts Jace’s name, making Avery roll her eyes even further as she leans on the table tiredly with her elbow.

Once Marcus starts, he doesn’t stop.

“Maybe it’s you!” One of the neighbouring table hollers.

Both Marcus and Avery make the same face. “How grotesque,” Avery scrunches her nose in disgust.

“Hey! It’s not my fault I don’t live up to the superficial high standards of male beauty!” Marcus spits back.

Avery pokes a tongue out playingly whilst Marcus stands up. Even though he has a short stature, he does ooze some kind of charisma when he’s acting all like this -like he’s mc-ing the birthday party.

He is in his element.

He makes his way to the front on the top of the steps back into the mansion, facing the audience, the sea of people all with names either hidden or full out on display.

“Our Avery here is the last to receive her name! Everyone bet on a name and the winner-”

He suddenly feels a stinging slap on the back of his head.

Jacob Knight appears with an automatic scowl permanently etched on his perfectly proportioned face, his eyes piercing, shooting lasers at everything and everywhere. He doesn’t need a sign to know that he clearly has a chip on his shoulder.

Literally.

Because her name really is like a scar to him, a wound that can never heal. It burned into his left shoulder three years ago and ever since then, she became nothing more than a tool and he became nothing more than a pawn for his father. He cannot stand her bright smiles while he’s always in pain because of the man he calls his father.

Appease her. Shower her with flowers.

His father would teach him how to take advantage of this ignorant poor girl that just so happens to have a weak heart and body.

It was too close to his mother’s legacy. How his father immediately remarried his name -a no-name money leacher right after his mother’s death. Like his mother never had even existed, and that her death was actually a blessing for him to fulfill his fate. While even on her deathbed, his name still glowed and shined like crazy.

What a bullshit fate.

And he could see the same shitty fate for himself.

Ever since her name had burned his flesh, he was burned with the same fate as his father’s. He was going to become the very thing that he hated. He felt he had become more of a monster day by day because of her. And that’s why he hated her, hated the thought and the sight of her.

The smell of the hospital, the sounds of beeping from her watch makes him remember his poor but pathetic mother. He took his mother’s hands once before she had died, now he will never make the same mistake again and take Avery’s hands or embrace their ill fate.

“Stop with this bullshit now don’t we?” He says lowly through gritted teeth.

Marcus only gulps and nods frantically, stumbling back to his table, whilst Avery rises from her seat, her eyes training on Jacob’s empty grey orbs as she approaches him.

“Here,” Jacob hands her a small black box that matches his black matte looking suit. Even though he’s in front of her, his eyes are elsewhere, distant, cold and detached.

Avery hesitantly accepts the gift with a small frown, slightly annoyed at his attitude but no longer surprised. Ever since three years ago, Jacob became mean and they no longer maintain a good friendship, yet they have seen each other more and more through their fathers’ dealings and partnership.

Avery opens the box to reveal a new fit bit -it only reminds her of how easily sick she would get as a child, and how weak her body and heart is ever since she was little. Her father actively reminisces of her childhood a lot and how she would cause such a big fuss for her parents by being a picky eater and for always crying as a baby. From Jacob’s view, she can see that he only sees her as an inconvenience, a weak hearted little girl with a sob story.

But from her point of view, she sees the same for him. The reason she tolerates him is because they are somewhat alike -they both lost their mothers too young and their fates are weirdly intertwined as he is always in her life whether she likes it or not. They are classmates, neighbours, family friends, business partners. It has always been like that from a young age.

She wonders: could he be her name?

“Thank you, are you staying for the cake?” Avery only asks because she already suspects he’d be going out to do whatever the boys do with Jace.

Jacob can be seen rolling his eyes, but then his face tenses, his jaw lock as he tries to maintain calm. “Do I have to?” He asks through gritted teeth.

Avery can’t help but scoff at his attitude. “Jesus Christ, you and Jace don’t have to be such jerks.”

But Jacob chuckles darkly, his eyes turning even more steely and he inches his face so close to Avery’s that she can even guarantee he has no blemishes on his pale skin. “Why do I have to even be here in the first place?”

Avery takes a step back, fazed by the fierce hatred in his eyes. “Why should I even care about a no-name?” He hisses.

“What?” Avery is fuming, her chest heaving in and out heavily. By now, others have caught on and spectating the situation. “Don’t talk like it’s already over. It isn’t”

Because the night isn’t over yet.

Sumi rushes to turn the tense atmosphere around by gathering everyone to the center table for the cutting of the cake. “Everyone, everyone!”

Avery feels Marcus tugging at her wrist not so discreetly, hauling her to the front of the table and the three tiered pink frosted cake, but her eyes never leave Jacob’s glare.

“Aves, there’s only an hour left!” Avery feels Sumi whispering in her ears, whilst patting her shorter friend on the head, feeling as though it was already over just like everyone else. Sumi can only help by having this party come to an end quickly, and fast before all their classmates can all confirm her best friend’s name or no-name status.

But it was inevitable, they would all find out by the start of school when the initiation will weed out the no-names, and all will be out in the open.

Marcus hurriedly lights up the seventeen candles, but failing miserably as the fire keeps dying out.

“Ugh!” Sumi smacks Marcus in the arm and snatches away his lighter to do it herself, while Avery continues to glare at Jacob’s receding back as he heads back into the mansion.

Everyone begins to sing happy birthday, and Avery finally feels a sense of defeat leaking into her heart, her thoughts now cloudy as everyone else’s voices become muddled and muffled. She feels light-headed and spaced out, but tries her best to concentrate on something to still remain conscious, and that something is Sumi’s loud and high-pitched voice as she tells Avery to blow out her candles.

“Aves, it’s already 11pm…” Sumi hisses through gritted teeth.

But she can barely listen now, unable to focus as she frowns at the weird sensation creeping on to her wrist, starting from her shoulder, built from deep within.

She looks down to see her wrist bare, and pale, not even red or having a rash of any kind that can explain this strange feeling. The fire on the candles now feels hotter on her face, and there is now even a sheen of sweat on her forehead.

She quickly blows out the candles to hopefully alleviate some of the heat, and as soon as the lights are out, the heat is gone, her mind is now clear and her hearing is now no longer muffled as all her friends and classmates claps and cheers.

No one tells her to but she is compelled to look down at her wrist again, where the sensation had spread before. But this time, her wrist wasn’t bare anymore.

She is marked.

Jacob’s name -in small and intricate lettering, like a sparkling tattoo.

She immediately pushes past the crowd, and ignores Sumi’s calls and sprints into the mansion to catch up to Jacob. She nearly trips going through the clear tiles in her heels. The house is dark and as she comes outside to the patio, it feels like she’s entering into a new realm, leaving the warmth of her party in the garden and now only relying on the white light of the moon to find her name.

Jacob isn’t gone yet. He’s still standing in front of her house, his tall silhouette leaning on a marble railing with his hands in his pockets.

Avery rushes to him with hot and heavy breaths.

“You!” She huffs out as she reaches him. She takes some time to compose herself, as Jacob straightens up with still an indifferent expression on his face. “What name do you have?”

Jacob can only smirk, as he wonders why she would ask him this question now.

“Shouldn’t you know by now?”