Burn In Violet

03: Faceboot

“Will I ever know of all the secrets that you keep?”

“Most of them, on your fifteenth birthday,” Emi replied, the playfulness leaving her tone. “It’s just over a month away.” She stood, leaving a contemplative Holly.

Holly let herself fall on the bed again, her sight on the ceiling. She wondered how easily she trusted Emi again last night. Holly had trusted her fully when she was a child. But the older she got, the more doubtful she grew. On a first glance, Emi would look like a completely sincere guardian, but Holly had been living with her for years.

Emi claimed that she had to read book after book so she would have a stock of magical knowledge to defend herself when she was old enough to be let out. But why something like eight hundred pages a day? I’m not a walking library! Besides, if it was to defend herself, reading all those books might or might not make a difference. Her magical reserve was small, enough to light a fire in a grate, perhaps, but not much more.

“Spell 495: Air Ballet,” she spoke, extending an arm. A small gentle whirlwind sprouted out from her fingertips, wobbling morosely before dissipating into nothingness.

Holly panted. That spell made her feel like she had just run across a field. Emi’s much stronger than me. If she’s serious about letting me out on my 15th birthday, why only then? I’m still as weak as ever.

Does she think of giving me powers at that time? Do I already have it in me? Does she think that the Dark Sorcerer’s minions would stop looking for me then?

What does all that even have to do with reading thousands of books?

Holly sighed. She had asked Emi those questions. Emi would only reply, “I’ll tell you when that time comes.”

Questions… Holly put a hand over her eyes.

*

After getting ready and dressed, Holly was back in her usual day attire, a set of matching black dress with long sleeves and skirt. Not that it makes much difference here; day and night look the same.

She passed by the bookcases, reaching a different door than last night. It was marked ‘Room of Illusions’.

Gently pushing it open, Holly slipped through. It was as dark as night inside. “Room, training space,” said Holly tentatively.

The ceiling, floor and walls changed color. The floor now resembled a flat desert. The upper half of the room became the color of the sky. After three seconds, there were no floor, walls and ceiling, only a desert land. Holly could even feel the desert wind blowing in her hair.

“Spell 011: Energy Burst!” she said, pointing with a finger.

With a crack, a dispirited bolt of lightning shot through her fingers. It only shot an arm’s length away before disappearing. Holly wiped her brow. She got a long way to go before she would be on par with Emi. If it was her, unlike me, she would need all this training space. She’ll pepper this room with craters.

She sat down and hugged her knees.

Suddenly the room warped. It became a street filled with pedestrians, lined by colossal buildings of glass, concrete and steel. Vehicles moving on black wheels zoomed by, vehicles Holly had never seen in real life.

But the change didn’t surprise her. After all, the room made this scene for her before, and on those occasions she was the one providing the details.

One of the pedestrians, a blonde girl with twintails and a checkered skirt approached her. “Yo, Holly.”

“Heya, Lucy.” Holly looked up.