14 An Even Newer Start

I feel the sun shine through my eyelids as my alarm clock begins to blare its daily wake up call at me. I slump up from my bed, letting my head rest on the headboard.

It's my 16th birthday today and I'm feeling so conflicted with many mixed feelings. For one, it's my birthday and I should be happy to spend the day with my friends and mom. For another, I'm ecstatic at my new ability. To be honest, I can't wait till I can continue practicing it. Minjeong also said that she'd be in my dreams every night so maybe I can learn a thing or two with her, especially since she had the same ability. There's just one last pressing matter I can't seem to get out of my head, that being what matter I got myself into that I even got my ability for, along with the hinted involvement of Jun and Seoyun from Minjeong. I'm quite a clueless person who's slow to catch on, so I hope Minjeong can guide me well enough.

I climb out of my bed dazed and unsteady, holding onto my bed frame for dear life. I always have the worst balance whenever I wake up in the morning. If I don't hold onto anything, I stumble over my feet and sometimes collapse on my legs, tumbling to the ground. My legs happen to be quite weak in the morning and today is no exception.

I begin my trek all the way to my bathroom, slowly letting go of the wall as my legs stabilize. The mirror spanning the wall of the bathroom was streak-less and had a sheen to it. I reach my hand out for a toothbrush while grabbing toothpaste with the other. I proceed to turn the sink on to run the toothbrush in it. Bringing the toothpaste to the brush, I let the fluid squeeze out onto the bristles, watching closely as the white paste leaves the bottle in a cylinder shape. I take a final examination of the finished product before popping it into my mouth to brush away. Thousands of thoughts fly through my head while my body remained occupied. I don't fight the urge to suppress these thoughts and let them run.

Why'd Minjeong choose me of all her descendants? If she's a great-great-grandmother, surely there's many people other than me she had a choice of. If I had to think about it, how exactly am I even related to her? If she's my great-great-grandmother, shouldn't I have been born in the enlightened realm? I could sense that there was something I was missing so I decide not to press further on the issue. At the moment, I should be focusing on figuring out how Seoyun and Jun are involved in the realm of enlightened and the history behind them. I know I told Seoyun that she could tell me whenever she felt comfortable, but I have no choice but to press for answers when I see her at school without Dahyeong around, obviously. I don't know if she even is involved in this too and frankly, I don't want her to be, seeing as how she turned out in my dream.

I snap back to reality, noticing that my gums were slightly bleeding from the sheer amount of pressure I was putting on my toothbrush. I immediately stop and pull the brush from my face, examining the blood closely. My gums have always been prone to bleeding so it was nothing new. It never hurt either but getting bleeding gums from brushing my teeth like any other day was out of the ordinary.

After rinsing my toothbrush, I place it back in its cup and skip out of the bathroom to my dresser. I reach for an a-line skirt and a cinch v-neck sweater lying at the bottom of my dresser. Once done changing, I catch sight of my schoolbag leaning against the wall by the door. Taking a mental note, I quickly scramble myself into the clothes I pulled before making final adjustments to the outfit. Satisfied with how it looked, I dash over to my door, grabbing my bag and scurrying down the stairs while holding onto the railing like always.

Reaching the end of the stairs, I take quick glances around the house. The kitchen looks relatively untouched from yesterday while the living looks spotless. I don't see my mom anywhere in the kitchen or living room, meaning that my mom is probably either out of the house already or is still sleeping. I don't mind since having the house to myself in the morning is just as liberating as a plate of pancakes, though both would be the best of all.

I toss my bag off my shoulder to the ground and pull out my comb. My hair has always had a habit of becoming tangled up unruly knots. Rarely, they get so bad that I'd have to cut them off. I brush my hair to one side using my hands before bring the comb up to my hairline. I yank the comb down with enough force for it to trudge slowly through my hair but not too much that I'd become bald. I arrive at the tips of my hair, ensuring that I grab onto my hair firmly before using all the strength in my arms. Brushing my hair is so hard that it might as well be considered a sport and the best arm workout there is.

I grab my compact, snatching it from its pocket to examine my hair in a mirror. I always found it funny how my hair would be wavy right until the moment I combed it. My hair fell in a straight flat form from around my head all the way to my shoulders, draping over them and ending at the small of my back. I grin to myself in the miniature mirror, tossing my hair back with my free hand. Every time I look at myself in the mirror after I ready myself for school, I look like a princess. Unfortunately, by the end of the day, I look more like a drowned rat. My face subconsciously winces at the thought. I snap close my compact before cramming it and the comb back into my bag.

I hoist my bag on one shoulder as I reach down to grab a pair of sneakers, cramming my feet into them. I manage to slip my feet in after stomping on the ground to get them in properly. Readying myself, I lift my hand to the door and push it, letting myself walk through to the other side and down the front steps of the porch.

The weather this morning must have been the best I've ever seen, as it was fully clear with streaks of light peppering my vision from the bright sun. It was decently warm from the sunlight yet not scalding because of the breeze. There wasn't a single cloud to be seen and the trees dotted across the neighbourhood looked ever so slightly more full than usual. Everything about the scenery from just outside of my house seemed more vivid and colourful. The feeling of butterflies engulf my stomach from the sheer excitement of the moment.

Now I am truly ready.