☆ BOOK ONE OF THE "SPELLBOUND" SERIES ☆
On a not-so-ordinary, magical-day, Rani Crossfire receives an invitation in the mail graciously inviting her to attend "Spellbound Academy"-the last place her missing grandfather was seen alive--and is asked t...
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July 31, XX30
RANI POV
I'm so exhausted that I can barely lift my eyelids. All night I've just been having this intense, reoccurring nightmare. Reoccurring, in the sense of me continuing to experience it even if I wake up from it and go back to sleep.
I silently stare up at my ceiling.
"So annoying..." is all my dry mouth can muster.
I rub my tired eyes before grabbing my glasses that were sitting next to my bedside table. Black and square-rimmed; I didn't have that many complaints about them. The only issue was that wearing them was such a hassle. Cleaning them, making sure not to break them, having to always wear them because I can't see otherwise. I groan, massaging my temples. Just thinking about is giving me a headache.
I crawl out of bed, despite me not wanting to, and grab some clean clothes to throw on for after my shower.
Even though it's pitch-black in my room—due to my dark curtains—I can still tell that it's morning.
You're probably thinking that the reason why I can tell is because I've conditioned my body to wake up at these abnormally early times. You know, like a normal person. And honestly, I wish that that were the case. However, the only thing that is ever able to wake me up is either my father shaking me—or, (more effectively)—the smell of my mother's cooking.
And, to be honest, if I had it my way, I'd just go downstairs and eat immediately after waking up. Of course, that's not possible since my mother gives me a few rules to follow if I want to eat. Doesn't it sound like I'm some sort of slave? Well anyway, I decide to go ahead and take an ice-cold shower. Before I step in I lay my glasses on the corner of the sink. I often forget I'm even wearing them and they end up getting drenched in the shower.
The freezing water soaks into my hair and then drips down my face, then neck, then torso and so on in an orderly fashion. I use a face-towel and a bar of soap to aid the water in bathing me. I scrub and scrub until I feel that I'm clean enough. Once I'm done, I step out of the tub and onto a rug that instantly absorbs the water that was on the soles of my feet. I hurriedly grab a towel and wrap myself in it.
I take a step toward my sink to get ready to brush my teeth. As I brush, I stare absentmindedly into the looking-glass that was reflecting my exact actions. My reflection didn't make me feel any sort of way. It never really did. I guess I don't necessarily care about my appearance that much and, if I had it my way, I would've already cut this annoyingly long hair.
"Keep that hair long, Rani!"
His words rang distantly in my mind as I combed through my dark wet hair. It reached about halfway down my waist. And while it was long in the back, I also had blunt, shorter sections on either side at the front of my head that stopped a little below my chin. Earlier, I mentioned something about a strict set of rules that my mother forces me to follow to be eligible enough to eat. The thing about those out-of-the-way chores--I'd much rather call them--is that brushing my teeth and washing my face were a part of them. Since apparently, I didn't make any effort to fulfill them before.
