Reflection

Who I Am Inside

"Y/n, forget the chicken! It will come back!"

Y/n, a very young girl, ran after the chicken all over her village. Passerbys looked on with distaste at a girl who ran about chasing animals.

From inside her house was her mother, M/n and younger sister, S/n. M/n sighed when she heard what was going on outside. "Please tell me your sister is not the cause of this."

She ran outside, eyes bulging or of her head when she saw her daughter on top of one of the roofs. "Y/n! Take control of yourself!" she demanded.

F/n, her father, took control. "Y/n, listen very carefully."

Before he could say anything more, she slipped off.

"No!"

When she stood, the chicken was in her hands. She smiled proudly at herself.

-

Nighttime had fallen upon the people of the village. Y/n brushed S/n's hair, as beautiful as hers.

"Y/n, what happened when you fell off the roof? You were like a bird."

She ignored her question and instead said, "Don't panic. There's a spider crawling in your hair."

Her eyes widened and back stiffened. "You know I'm afraid of spiders. This is not one of your tricks, is it, Y/n?"

"Don't worry," she repeated. "If you hold very still, I will squash it."

She hit her over the head with a hairbrush. At first, S/n was angry, but then they both burst out laughing until they heard their parents talking. Y/n went to go listen in.

"It is because I am trying to protect Y/n I say this," she heard her mother say.

"Y/n is young," she heard her patient father respond with. "She is still learning to control herself."

"You make excuses for her." His wife sighed, pacing the floors while he was seated at the edge of the bed. "You forget, Y/n is a daughter, not a son. A daughter brings honor through marriage."

"Any man would be fortunate to marry one of our daughters. Including Y/n."

"I ask you, what kind of man would want to marry a girl who flits around rooftops, chasing chickens?!" She sighed again, rubbing her temples. "S/n gives me no trouble. The matchmaker will find a good husband for her. It is Y/n I worry about. They'll call her a witch. It's time you talked to her."

Solemnly, he nodded. Y/n, seeing this, ran outside to calm down a little.

-

F/n found his daughter sitting outside on the bench. Sighing, he sat next to her. For awhile, there was silence.

"Do you know why the dragon sits at the entrance of our shrine?" he finally asked, making her look at him. "He is the emissary of our ancestors. Some say that dragon is consumed by the flame...and emerges again." He took her hands, looking deep into her eyes. "Your chi is strong, Y/n. But chi is for warriors...not daughters. Soon you'll be a young woman...and it is time for you...to hide your gift away. To...silence its voice. I say this to protect you. That is my job. Your job is to bring honor to the family. Do you think you can do that?"

She nodded. Although upset by his words, she was determined to make her father proud.

-

"Quiet and demure. Graceful. Polite. Delicate. Refined. Poised."

Y/n was now a young woman, her young age showing off her natural beauty of glowing skin and e/c eyes that shone brightly. She finished the notes on her arm.