It was night when Tala reached the forest leading to their family's manor. While her cousin next to her looked like she was tired and would want nothing more than to collapse on her bed, Tala felt more at ease. She took a deep breath, inhaling the cold night breeze, before exhaling. Her chest didn't feel as tight, letting her breathe easier. Her magic seemed to be moving better in her body, flowing as naturally as the blood in her veins. Her grip on her bag loosened, and she let go of it as she stared at the sky above.
The sky was clear, letting her see the stars looking down on them. Even the void between the stars felt as if it was also staring at her. Maybe it was just because of the way the stars twinkled, but it looked like the night sky was winking at her. Other than that, seeing other stars instead of just the sun also soothed her more. It was as if the entire space above them was acknowledging her as one of them. The more she kept her gaze up, the more she felt the energy she lost the entire day slowly returning.
She smiled at the stars above. Even when she was a little girl, they always felt like companions she could rely on.
She was just like them, after all.
Maybe in those distant lands, there were more Starblessed like her. Maybe there existed a world far away from theirs where those like her were the common people and other types of magic were the rare ones. And maybe someday, when she would be older and more powerful, she would be able to do what the first fallen stars did and return to the heavens.
The more they twinkled, the more she felt confident in herself. It was like they could read her thoughts and approve of them.
"Night really clear when Starfell's coming close, huh?" Laura said, making Tala turn to her. "Every time it's near, it always makes me feel like I could climb up the magic hierarchy and do my own star magic."
Tala chuckled, lightly nudging her cousin. "If that ever happens, let me know. I'd be happy to take you as a student. I'll make you the first third-tier person to climb up the hierarchy. Let's start with lesson number one: what is a star? I'll dump our thousands of years of history onto you before you can even learn your first spell!"
It was Laura's turn to laugh and nudge at her. "I think by the time we're halfway through, I'd be wrinkling already."
"Lucky for you, stars last for hundreds of thousands of years. You're stuck with me for a bit, then."
Laura raised a brow. "Hundreds of thousands of years? How many of those would be full of you struggling to teach me Moon magic?"
Tala paused. She scoffed and crossed her arms, turning away from her cousin. "Wow. Someone's offering to be your teacher and you decide to stoop so low? You insult me, Laura."
The two of them shared a laugh that echoed through the forest. After it died down, the gates to the Brillantes Manor appeared in their view. The hum of magic surrounding the place tickled her skin, and she could hear it buzzing in her ears. As always, stepping between the barriers felt ticklish, as if she was being zapped by small bits of electricity.
After a long tiring day of school, she could finally lock herself in her room and rest before studying again.
Once she got up the steps and opened the door, she took off her shoes and placed them on the rack. "Mother," she called out, "Father, we're home!"
"In the living room, girls."
The sound of her mother's voice made her smile and sigh. She grabbed her bag from behind her and unzipped it, taking her midterms papers out. Behind her, Laura simply crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. She yawned and brushed her silver-grey hair back, but she didn't say anything else.
She turned away from her cousin and faced her mother, who was sitting on one of the couches while reading a book. She lowered it, beaming at her. And just like her smile, her striking golden eyes emitted a warm energy that let her feel more relaxed.
"Welcome home, Tala." She lifted her head, smiling at Laura as well. "Welcome home, Raya."
Laura waved a hand. "Evening, Auntie Raya."
"The teachers returned our midterms paper, by the way," Tala said when her mother faced her again. She could feel her lips forming a grin as she showed her mother those papers and passed them to her. "Obviously, I aced them all."
Her mother scanned them. Her brows rose as she scanned them one by one, and the smile on her face slowly widened. It was moments like this where she was glad her parents supported her in her academics. Her being a Starblessed did give her an advantage against everyone, but it was still them who gave her the extra push to continue this path.
There were only five out of ten papers returned today, and her mother took her time looking at all of them. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she placed her hands behind her back. She was a little nervous, even though she was the top in all of them.
Well, most of them.
But that didn't matter. That was a one time thing. It wasn't going to happen again.
As if her mother read her thoughts, she stopped at one paper. "These are all perfect scores apart from this one," she said as she grabbed that one, stupid, cursed test paper. "A forty-nine isn't that bad, though. I'm sure you still scored the highest."
"Actually..." Tala chuckled, fiddling with the ribbons on her blouse. A sigh left her lips. "D- Don't get mad, but someone actually scored higher than me. I- If it helps, I made a mistake on the essay part! Actually, now that I say that out loud, it's probably stupid I made the mistake on the essay part."
Her mother paused, one brow raised as she looked at that part of the test paper. She simply hummed and returned Tala's test papers back to her. She gave Tala a head pat before grabbing her book again. "Don't think too much about it. As long as you still scored high, that doesn't matter. So, who was the one who scored higher than you? Was it that one Flameblessed child who used to be second to you? Roxas, was it?
"Actually, Roxas has been the top three since junior first year. The secondtop two right now is Noctis Nakawaga. He's a Moonbleslsed." She scoffed and scowled. "An annoying prick, too. He's been nothing but a pest since I met him. I think I've mentioned him before."
As her mother drank her cup of tea, she froze. It was subtle, but Tala noticed the way her eyes widened. She slowly lowered her cup and book, brows furrowed down as if she was in deep thought. She turned to Tala. "Noctis Nakagawa?"
"Y- Yes." Her brows furrowed down as she took a step back. Behind her, she could hear Laura taking a step in the living room, reminding her that her cousin was still with them. "Mother, is- is something the matter?"
"Nothing," she replied. Maybe it was just Tala, but it felt like the reply was too quick. More of a snap if anything. "Nothing. I remember Nakagawa. You've talked about him before, yes. You said he's the one who scored higher than you?"
"Yes..."
She sighed and hummed. "I see. I'm sure it's just one test. I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. You've been at the top since you were in first grade, right? I'm sure this one is just a single time and it wouldn't happen again. As long as you continue your studies, I'm sure you'll remain as the top student."
Tala frowned. Something was strange with the way she said those words. It was the same thing Tala would tell herself, sure, but it didn't feel convincing. Well, maybe it didn't feel convincing to her. It sounded like it was her mother trying to convince herself.
At least she wasn't wrong.
A part of her wanted to take a peek into her mother's mind, just see what she was thinking of right now. Was she just nervous that Tala scored lower than someone for the first time in a long time? Did she know Noctis or his family? Just as he narrowed her eyes and held her hands behind her, she mentally shook her head. No, it wasn't worth it. Besides, her mother was a powerful woman. Her parents were the one who taught her how to read minds and how to counter them. She was a Sunblessed, just a rank below Starblessed and on the same level as Moonblessed, but she was still older and more experienced.
So instead, Tala nodded and bowed. "I understand, Mother. I... won't let this happen again."
Her mother laughed. Like every part of her, it was warm. "Don't look so down. I'm sure you can do better next time."
She nodded once again. After that, Tala turned around. As she thought, Laura was still in the living room, too. Laura casted a quick glance at her mother before placing a hand on Tala's back, guiding her out of the living room and to the stairs, heading to her bedroom. Once they were inside, Tala stretched her arms and sat on her windowsill seat, while Laura was the one who sat on her canopy bed.
"What was that about?"
Tala shrugged. "No idea. I'm surprised she even remembers my classmates' names. Father barely remembers any of them. Do I talk about Noctis that much to make Mother remember him that well?"
"I can't remember. You've definitely talked about him to me, and I remember seeing you talking to him a few times. But as for Auntie and Uncle, I'm not sure." A smile formed on her lips as she clapped her hands. "Speaking of which. Did you know he's popular in my class? I always hear people talking about him. In fact, there's this group of mostly girls who's crushing on him. It's funny sometimes."
Tala furrowed her brows. She grabbed one of her pillows and leaned against her window, and she felt her lips curl down into a scowl. "I'm sorry. Did you just say that there are people in your class crushing on Noctis?"
Laura nodded. The smile on her face turned into a fulblown grin, and she crossed her arms while raising a brow. "Is someone jealous?"
"Gross." She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I'm simply flabbergasted at the fact it's him of all the people they're picking. I'm over here! Or how about our seniors? There's better people out there."
"I'll be honest. I've only seen him a few times, but don't you think he's also—"
"Don't you even try finishing that sentence. And don't you have a partner?"
"Just because I'm taken doesn't mean I can't appreciate someone's looks." Laura giggled, and she crossed her legs before leaning forward. "Alright, jokes aside. I'm serious with my words. I can see what my classmates mean when they say he's got good looks. I'm sure there's at least some features about him you find admirable, right? It doesn't have to be that deep. It can be as shallow as his looks."
She scoffed again. "If people are after Noctis simply for his looks, they'll be very disappointed."
"But he's beautiful, isn't he?"
"Beautiful?"
She narrowed her eyes. Perhaps to some people, Noctis was beautiful. His white hair and red eyes made him look ethereal. But she would be more surprised if people would keep staring at him rather than turning away. There was something about his sharp eyes that sometimes felt like he was telling people to leave him alone.
"Maybe you can say that. But if that's the case, then I'd say he's more like snow. Beautiful, sure, but more importantly, cold."
She gritted her teeth as she recalled the interactions she had with him in the past. There were times back then when she tried to be civil. Tried. She couldn't exactly remember how she and Noctis met, but she knew there had been bad blood between them for a long time. But when she tried to be nice, he would always snap back at her with that cold and snarky personality of his.
And their interaction at school earlier was just another reminder of that.
Laura hummed. She was silent for a long time, and Tala almost asked her what was wrong. But before she could, she shook her head. "Well, if you don't think he's good looking, is there something about him that you think is commendable?"
Tala crossed her arms, brows furrowing down. Something admirable about Noctis? She had been competing against that moron ever since they were kids. In fact, she loathed the fact that they had been sharing classes ever since, what, first grade? It was as if fate was cruel and wanted nothing but to make her suffer by always putting her in the same room as him.
She'd known him for nearly ten years now. Maybe if she tried hard enough, she would know something?
She cupped her chin and hummed. "I... really can't think of anything. He's the type of guy that doesn't try. There are things I can admit he'd be a good candidate for, but he just never pursues or chooses them. It's like he'd rather sit down and relax than do anything."
Her cousin furrowed her brows. "Are you saying you're having a rivalry with a guy who's barely even trying? Are you sure this is a competition, or is this something you made up between you both?"
"That's the thing. You've seen what I'm doing. You know there are times when I barely sleep just to maintain my position as the top student. He doesn't even try, and yet he's second in the ranks. Second to me. He scored higher than me in a test I've prepared the entire semester for. If I let my guard down, what do you think will happen next?"
She turned her head to the window. The moon was high in the sky today. It was as if it was mocking her, too, subtly reminding her that it was a Moonblessed that beat her today. Her hands balled into fists once again, magic resurging in her veins. She had to take a deep breath. She didn't want Laura to see her like this.
Not again.
"It'll be embarrassing if the top student in our class is someone who doesn't even try to study," she said as she closed the curtains. She headed to her bed, lying down next to Laura. "It'll be even more embarrassing if all my hard work loses against him."
Laura sighed. "You're too focused on those academics of yours."
Silence passed between the two of them as they stared at her starfield- painted ceiling. Some specks of stars glowed in the dark, mimicking the night sky outside. While Laura hummed a soft song under her breath, Tala's brows were furrowed down as she closed her eyes.
Of course she'd be focused on her academics. She was a Starblessed. She was at the top of the hierarchy. Including her, there were only six Starblessed people in her school, and two of those were teachers. Where else should a star like her go if not the top?
"Starfell," Laura said, breaking the silence. She sat up, making Tala sit up as well. "I just remembered that. The dance is in... two months? Do you already know what you're going to be wearing?"
"I'm sure there's a dress somewhere in my closet that would suit the occasion. I don't want to think about Starfell just yet. It's just going to remind me of the extra stress my Star track classes are going to put me under."
"Come on, a little dressing up never hurt anyone!" With a smile, she grabbed her hands, making Tala scream from surprise. "Besides, it's better to be prepared in advance than panicking about what to wear. If we can't find anything, we'll get something made."
"I'm pretty sure dresses and gowns take more than two months to make—Ate Laura, wait!"
Alas, her cousin wasn't paying attention. Laura dragged her towards her closet. Once she opened it, Tala could only sigh. Still, she did smile as the two of them scanned her dresses for one to wear.
I don't want to think about Starfell just yet. That was probably one of the biggest lies she told herself. At the end of everything, she still had Stafell to look forward to. And once the Starfell Fest Dance would be done, she'd have her finals to complete. Hopefully, she'd get a break before her senior first year.
She shook her head. She could think about that later. Right now, she and Laura had some dressing up to do.
Word Count: 2802
Total: 8382
man this book is getting big already.
Fun fact: I had to redownload The Sims just to build the Brillantes Manor. I say build but more like I scoured the internet and found a decent looking manor and then did some small recolors so it'll fit what I envision it to look like.
anyway another year another me getting annoyed with the wattpad wordcount. why is it inconsistent. why is the total number different from separate chapters and from chapters merged in a single chapter. why is the onc making us use the wattpad word count again.
Sorry for the delay of the chapter. College was being college. This close to dropping out (I say that during any minor inconvenience). But we've hit the 8k mark now, whoo!
See you all next week! Or maybe sooner to make up for the delayed chapter.