3: Skylar, A Light-Elf

After taking some groceries, where I accidentally bumped into Aimer, which I'm not happy about, I went back home and arranged all the things I bought. As usual, Kenma was still lying on his bed while playing on his phone. I didn't bother to call him for help, as I knew he would just ignore me.

It's been the same routine every day since we came here to the province, but now it's a little bit different. It's my birthday today, and luckily I can celebrate it with my brother this time. I usually celebrate it here in the province since I want to do it with my grandma even after she dies.

And right now, I have been preparing a simple homemade pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese. I also prepared some cookies for late-night snacks and some roasted chicken and wine. And can I even forget my favourite pizza? While waiting for my chicken paella to cook, I already ordered 6 large supreme pizzas. Oh well, I know I can eat all of it.

"Are you done?" Kenma asked me while leaning against the door.

"Hmm? Not yet. I'm still waiting for this to cook, " I answered, referring to my paella. He just shrugged and continued walking inside the kitchen. I didn't bother to ask him after that, as I saw him take some drinks from the fridge.

I just finished my cooking and took it to the table. I finished everything at exactly 4 pm, as I started doing it in the afternoon. After eating and washing the dishes, I went back to our room and sat on my bed.

As usual, Brother Kenma is outside the living room, playing his game console again. I slowly looked at my things and slowly smiled when I noticed my retort pouch inside my cabinet.

"Found it!" I smiled as I took it out and slowly opened the pouch.

I also sat down on my bed and put my feet on the bed. I excitedly took everything inside the pouch.

It is a broken piece of mirror.

Ever since my Grandma died, I have been keeping these pieces of broken mirrors that I always see in front of our door. I don't know why or if this is right, but ever since she died, there is a part of me that keeps me awake every midnight of my birthday. I always hear a strange knock at the door, and even if it's already midnight, I never hesitate to open the door and look at who or what is causing the knock.

With my brother sound asleep, I would always go and check who was there, only to be met with nothing but a small piece of broken mirror.

Ever since that time, I have always thought that it was my Grandma who was putting it in front of the door. Who else could it be?

No one.

I believe that it was her gift to me. It is like a broken piece of mirror that signifies my memories with her. And it will always be the same.

I slowly looked at the ceiling. I wonder if she will knock at my door again tonight. I shook my head from my thoughts.

No.

I know she'll come again tonight. Maybe she'll bring another piece of broken mirror... hmm. I always wonder what it means, but I feel like I need to collect all the pieces first before I can see the real form of this mirror. I wonder what this mirror would look like if I had all of the pieces. I smiled at all the thoughts that kept wandering around my mind.

It's already 9 p.m. and I'm still waiting for the time.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Kenma asked me while chewing some pizza in his mouth. I looked at him from the couch.

"No, I'm waiting for someone," I answered.

"Someone? Don't tell me.." he asked while looking directly at me. Yes, he knew about the broken pieces of the mirror and even the strange knocks at the door every night. But he doesn't believe me that it was Grandma. Oh well, it doesn't matter either. We're not that close to each other anyway for him to believe me. I just nodded at him.

"Hmph!" He said to me, "Suit yourself," and he went back to the room. "Turn off the lights before you go to sleep; don't take too much time waiting for nothing," he added before he closed the door. I let out a big sigh before I turned my eyes back to the television. I took some chips near me and ate them.

Maybe I'll just watch some series while waiting for the time. It's already 10 pm, but my eyes can't take it anymore. I feel sleepy already. My eyes flickered into darkness due to boredom. I feel my consciousness ebbing away, and my thoughts, which were clear and concise as they were when I was watching moments ago, are now becoming hazy and sleepy. Moments later, I didn't notice that I was as good as asleep, snoring, and only the sound of the television could be heard.

Meanwhile, Kenma, who was still playing his games on the phone, went out of the room to get some cookies that his sister made when he saw Aria peacefully sleeping on the sofa. He raised his eyebrows and slightly rolled his eyes afterward.

"I already told her not to wait for nothing, tsk!" he said and clenched his jaw before he went back to their room and took a blanket. He carefully put it on his sister's body while looking at her face. His eyes widened when Aria suddenly moved. He immediately took a step back and walked away from her.

"Tsk!"

He walked towards the kitchen to get some cookies and juice. He even looked at his sister one more time before he closed the door. Aria, who was sound asleep, was even snoring while smiling in her dreams.

[Aria's POV]

I suddenly felt like someone was looking at me, that's why I woke up. I am abruptly awakened with sharp, clear thoughts. My eyes catch every ray of light coming from the ceiling, and I am certain that I haven't slept enough. Even though my eyes are open, I can't explain why; my mind is blank and my heart is racing.

When the gentle ghosts of my soul have led me along a new path, waking up unexpectedly might be like tremendous enlightenment or a eureka moment. That's the first thing that came to my mind.

I stared at the ceiling for some time when I heard a knock at the door.

A knock?

It only took me two seconds before my eyes widened and my soul suddenly fully woke up. I jumped from the sofa I was sleeping on and ran towards the door. I even slipped on the floor because of my excitement. I stood up immediately and opened the door. I could hear the rushing noise from the padlock and a gentle click was heard.

Crick!

I immediately opened the door and looked at the rubber floor mat in front of the door, expecting that I would see a broken piece of the mirror; just the usual thing, just like what I was expecting. But I saw nothing.

Nothing at all.

But instead, I saw a pair of weird shoes stepping on the mat.

"Huh? Wh-What is that? " I asked myself. But even I couldn't tell what it was until I slowly looked up, following the path from its toes until I saw his face.

Yes.

Instead of a broken piece of mirror, I saw a person.

A person?

Is it?

My eyes widened as I saw a good-looking guy standing in front of me. He, well, was different from all the other guys I had seen before. He might not be handsome in the traditional sense, but he had a look that might make him stand out in a crowd. He was light-colored, nearly white. His light-toned face contrasted brilliantly with his unfathomable, golden-brown eyes.

I stared at him for a moment, but I felt that his eyes could make me lose myself in them since they were so expressive and profound. He had that expression on his face that is indescribable in words.

The young man greeted me, "Good evening." I was surprised, and my face turned red because of embarrassment.

"G-good evening," I greeted him back.

I looked at him again when I noticed his height. I kept looking up at him. Maybe he's around 6 feet tall? Or even taller than that? He seemed too formal standing in front of me, but he was wearing weird thin clothes. I could even see his chest from my direction, especially when he moved toward me. I raised my chin and thought about him.

"May... Can I help you?" I asked.

He's not familiar to me, to be honest. And if I look at him, it seems like he lost his way.

"You're Aria Watt, right?" he asked me.

"Y-yes…" I answered and looked at him again. He's just smiling at me while giving me time to inspect him. Then suddenly, I noticed something.

My eyes turned round when I noticed his sharp ears and a strange light coming from his hands when he lifted them in front of me.

"I'm Skylar, a light elf from Elfheimr. Nice to meet you, Aria," he introduced himself.

HUH?

I shook my head at the thought that I had heard it wrong.

"E-excuse, what are you again?" I asked him again.

"A light elf from Elfheimr," he answered me, without a doubt, while smiling.

I raised my eyebrow, thinking that he was just joking. Is he nuts? Does he think I'll believe him? But I don't see any hints of lies in his eyes. I was stunned and unable to speak, so I took the time to look at him closely. I pressed his biceps when I felt the hot yet firm skin he had. I can even feel the smoothness of his skin. It's more soothing than my skin!!

Next are his clothes. I touched the cloth. How old is it? I feel the excitement in my heart. This is the first time I have touched a cloth like this. I went in front of him but he stood still and let me touch him. I stared straight into his eyes, but he didn't even flinch.

As I stare at his eyes, I can feel a strange urge to be drawn into his deep and expressive eyes. I can feel the deep and mysterious eyes he has, yet there is something about it that envelops me with calm.

My face blushed before I took my eyes off of him.

The next thing I see is the strange light coming from his hands. I slowly put my hands on it, still being cautious about if it was hot or not. He didn't say any words while looking at me curiously, touching his light. As my hands entered the encircled light on his hands, my eyes widened in surprise.

I could not feel any burning heat from it, but instead, it felt warm. I was carried away by the calm sensation I'm feeling right now, and I didn't notice that I was already holding his hands. Until I came back to my senses.

My jaw went slack while my eyes were wide open.

"Ah-I, I'm sorry. I didn't me-"

"It's fine, Aria," he interrupted in the middle of my sentence.

Because of embarrassment, I can't now look at him. I can still feel a different yet exciting feeling inside my heart. I don't know why, but I'm still hoping that this isn't a dream.

"Are you... really an elf?" I asked him again, still doubting what he said. Who could even believe it so easily?

He only smiled at me and nodded. I was stunned and didn't know what to say next. Later, I noticed a small thing in his hands, as if he was giving it to me.

"Take it, Aria," he said.

"What is it?" I asked, but he didn't answer. Instead, I took it from his hands and looked at it.

A broken piece of the mirror

I immediately looked at him out of surprise. Why did he have this thing? Is he...

"Are you the one who's putting all those broken pieces here?" I asked him. He just smiled and simply nodded.

"But... but why?"

"You'll know it at the right time," he answered.

I was left dumbfounded while looking at the broken piece on my palm. Then I noticed that it was much bigger than the last time.

"Why are you giving this to me? I want to know, Skylar," I asked him.

I'm really curious. Why does it seem like it's pretty natural to me? There are so many things that keep wandering around my mind, but I can't even tell him directly.

"I can give the answers to you, Aria. But not today, "he said.

"What do you mean?"

"On the third day of your birthday, you shall go to the secret garden of your grandmother, in your backyard. I'll be waiting for you there," he said while wearing his sweet smile.

"On the third day?"

"Yes, but this is it for now," he said.

"Until we see each other again," he added, and bid his goodbye. I was still looking at my palm when I noticed him walking away from me.

"H-hey wait!! I'm not done yet! Come back! " I shouted at him, but he just stopped walking and slightly looked at me.

"Happy Birthday, Aria," he said, and slowly vanished from my sight.