Ayume Archives

First Day

Dylan's shoulders rose as she took a deep breath. The nurse giving the checkup smelled like lilac and antiseptic wipes. The cold circular piece of metal of the stethoscope pressed on the thin material of Dylan's shirt, making her shiver. She rolled her shoulders back slowly. "No need to pop the wings out here," she thought to herself or maybe it was Adrian telling her. It was a miracle the nurse didn't register Dylan's irregular heartbeat. Adrian, Dylan's twin, was sitting across the room in an uncomfortable plastic chair fidgeting. Looking at Adrian was like looking in a mirror for Dylan. They both had dark brown hair and navy-blue eyes. These features stood out against their pale ivory skin.

"Ok, Dylan, you're set to go," the nurse said while scribbling her signature on the school registration form. Dylan smiled sweetly and thanked her, tugging Adrian out of the room. As soon as they were outside, Dylan made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat.

"If only it wasn't necessary –!" she stopped in her tracks to screech angrily, a sound that could scare any normal human into madness. The checkup she just suffered through was needed because years ago, someone had brought a disease into the school. It ended up mutating and killing half the population. When their mother had sent them to the clinic to get the form signed, Dylan complained the whole trip.

"Sis, let's fly home. I heard we're not allowed to fly on campus. So, shall we?" Adrian suggested, seeing Dylan's ache to allow her wings out. They shrugged off their jackets, deployed their wings, and took off into the evening air. The wings were the only way to tell the twins apart. Dylan's were black at the top fading to brown in the middle and eventually white at the bottom. Adrian's were the pattern reversed.

As they flew, the stars revealed themselves in the night. Dylan flipped to face the sky. She pointed out to her sister the different constellations such as Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, and the Archer. Her thoughts strayed to a time when she might one day join them there in the heavens. Dylan took a deep breath, enjoying the night air more than daylight. The house loomed into sight. The twins brought their wings, gliding into a smooth landing.

Sharie, their mother, motioned them inside, "I've just finished making supper; we've got to talk about tomorrow." That's when a carriage would arrive to take the girls to Ayume.

"Mom, we're packed, ready, and exhausted. Could we please put this off until morning? The carriage won't be here until noon at least!" Dylan griped loudly. Sharie sighed and left, allowing the girls to finish eating.

"You didn't have to be so rude," said Adrian quietly. Dylan sniffed, too exhausted to make a comeback. The girls finished eating and cleaning up, then went upstairs. Changing into her pjs, Dylan made sure everything was set up. She wanted as little hustle as possible. The next day's outfit was a red t-shirt with a denim vest, black leggings, and combat boots. A thud on the other side of the wall indicated her twin had hit the sack for the night. Dylan turned on her music softly and slunk under the covers. It wasn't long before she passed out.

Late in the night, a bird settled on the external sill and tapped on the window. Undisturbed by the small noise, Dylan rolled over in her sleep. The little raven with sky blue eyes cawed once and flew off. Her music timed off, having come to the end of the last track. Night slowly faded to day, allowing sunlight to filter through the cracks in the window's curtain. The room's silence forced Dylan's thought process to wake up as she opened her eyes. With having set up everything the previous day, getting ready became an easy task. The finishing touch to her look was a cute pin holding her hair out of her eyes. Adrian was already downstairs eating breakfast when Dylan finally made her way into the kitchen. Standing in front of the sink was their mother. Sharie's wings were spread in offense as her intense gaze watched something outside.