"The Breeze Carries the Seeds Away"
[Day of the Test- Caelum Wahkan]
*Yen*
I walked into my room and groaned as soon as I found my triplet brother still asleep on his side of the bed. We would be late if he didn't wake up soon.
I stomped over to him and shook his shoulders. "Wake up! We're going to be late! Come on, Lei. I don't have your time. If you're going to sleep in, then I'll go ahead of you."
"Just nine more minutes," the sleepy boy murmured, drawing the blankets closer to his face.
I put a hand under his back, lifting him up. Next, I wrapped my arm around Lei's neck, effectively grabbing him in a chokehold.
"Gah!" Lei cried out as his turquoise eyes snapped open. "Fine, I'm awake! Now please don't wrestle me awake again!"
I smiled victoriously. "Good. Now hurry and get cleaned up. I'll be waiting for you downstairs." Hopefully, Hikaru had woken up early. I might've not given him much time to rest. While I was tough on him and Lei, I did so for them to pass. Both of them needed to grow a lot. Especially Hika. His magic might've been strong, but using it came at a huge cost to his prana reserves.
*Lei*
I moved my long honey-brown bangs away from my eyes. "I need a haircut," I said, noting it in the notebook next to my nightstand. Putting it back down, I rushed into the bathroom. As soon as I did, I felt something wet underneath my feet. Squatting, I picked up a towel from the blue-tiled floor.
'That Yen,' I thought. At school she might have had an image of a good and neat student, but in reality, she was quite the slob.
Sighing, I threw it into the laundry basket along with my clothes and entered the shower.
I turned the water knobs on and hoped for warm water. Instead I got struck by a blast of cold liquid. At least I hadn't turned the showerhead on yet.
"Again? I got a test to go to!" I yelled at the thing. "Come on you stupid thing, I don't have the time to be dealing with you!"
My hands curled into fists but I knew hitting it would've made things worse. I turned the knobs on and off again until I finally got something closer to what I had wanted.
'That's more like it!'
The water singed my light-brown skin as the room was quickly enveloped in a cloud of steam. I closed my eyes and drew the hot vapor deep into my lungs, allowing the patter of the hot water to drown out my anxiety.
The warm water always made my lungs feel better. Felt as if I could run around and participate in sports like the rest of the kids.
I shook my head and berated myself for allowing my thoughts to take some of my valuable time. I had to make it to the test on time.
I turned off the shower and wrapped a green towel around my body. Dashing out of the bathroom, I left a trail of water in my wake.
Despite feeling refreshed, the shower had done little to quell my nerves. I couldn't afford to fail the entrance exam into Kyuu Seishin's Nine Petal Academy. That school was my first step toward becoming Magus Maximus, the 'strongest mage' in the known universe!
Opening the closet, I searched for something to wear. I threw several pairs of clothes onto the bed in my mad rush to find something appropriate to wear for the occasion.
They were all old clothes from middle school. Most of which were too worn and even a couple of things that I'd outgrown. 'Middle school...'
I shook my head. Middle school ended months ago. After tomorrow, I could finally put it behind me once and for all.
After a good couple of minutes, I finally settled on a new white button-up-shirt that complimented my eyes. I paired it up with some khaki shorts that Mom had bought me last fall but I'd never gotten the chance to wear.
I laughed. The clothing choice made me resemble my dad. Well, more than usual.
"Big brother, you're awake!" Shandian called out from the kitchen as I descended the stairs. His blond hair was braided into a ponytail, making him look a lot like Dad.
I smiled at my kid brother. "Good morning, lil bro." My turquoise eyes darted throughout the living room and kitchen. It was no longer as loud as when my big brother was alive. "Where are Yen and Dad?"
"They're waiting for you outside," a woman responded as she dried her hands on a towel. I turned to look at Mom. Her hair was styled in a short bob cut but with long lavender bangs that were reminiscent of butterfly antennae. "Your sister told me you stayed up last night playing video games, again."
I grinned nervously and ran toward the door. "Bye, Mom, lil bro!"
Mom held her hand out. "Wait!"
I flinched, coming to a halt. Slowly, I spun back around, closing my eyes slightly to avoid looking directly at my mom's deep garnet-red eyes.
It was funny, I was afraid of angry Mom, despite her rarely getting mad. It was only when I did stupid things that she would show that unique side to her.
Mom rushed back into the kitchen and returned with a piece of toast with freshly homemade lemon curd. "Don't you want to eat? At least have a snack?"
"Nah, I'll just eat out," I responded, patting my right pants pocket. "I made sure to bring my wallet this time in case I need to pay for food."
Shan jumped out of his seat and walked over to me, holding out his own piece of toast. "Eat, silly!"
Sighing, I took the toast. I patted his soft head. My lips crested into a solemn smile. In only a few days, I would no longer be able to see that gentle smile. "Thanks, Shǎn. Well, I'm off!"
"Wait!" Mother yelled again.
I sighed and rolled my eyes before spinning around once more. "What's wrong now?" I asked, trying to not sound irritated.
Mom took out a light purple talisman with three butterflies drawn over it from under her apron.
"You'll be able to summon a maximum of three highly potent potions with this. Only utilize them when you're seriously injured, alright?" she said, her eyes watery.
My heart sank to my stomach. If only I could take back the bitterness that I had felt a moment ago.
I embraced her tightly. "I will! Thanks a lot, Mama!" I said. Not daring to look back, I turned away as I slowly let go of her. I forced myself to sprint out of the house as I devoured the toast.
***
There was no car in the driveway. Had they left to get something while they waited for me? They couldn't possibly have left me without saying a word, could they?
'I'll just wait for them,' I thought, stepping away from my house.
In front of our small purple and green house was a white sandy beach littered with multiple tropical trees such as palm, sea grape, and papaya.
I snatched one of the low-lying pink papayas from the closest tree and rubbed it with my sleeve before taking a bite.
Beyond the trees was an expanse of vibrant blue that seemed to go on forever. The only things that broke the illusion of an everlasting sea were the small spots in the distance, smaller inhabited islands.
At least they would've looked small to most people. Unlike most, I could make out the outline of the islands with ease and even see some of the skyscrapers of the cities on them. The view was soon ruined by my bangs being pushed back over my turquoise eyes by a gentle sea breeze.
"I reaallllyyy should get that haircut before going to Kyuu Seishin," I told myself, pushing my bangs back. I took out a yellow hair tie from my wallet and tied my hair back into a ponytail. "Much better!"
"What are you doing?" Yen asked, walking over to me.
My face flushed. "Ahh, sorry. I sort of got lost in the view." I glanced at the pine-green car parked behind them. "Where did you two go?"
"We went to pick up Hika!"
My eyes darted back to the car. A scrawny, black haired boy with hazel eyes waved at him. Sitting next to him was a red haired girl with eyes reminiscent of stars.
I avoided looking into the girl's radiant eyes, feeling my face redden. "Why is Yuzu here?"
Yen snickered. "Come on, don't tell me that you're afraid of her?"
"I'm not!" I whispered, kicking sand into the air. I marched to the car without her, taking the front seat.
"Hey! That's mine," Yen yelled, banging on the door.
I rolled down the window, and stuck my tongue out. "You should've said something."
She grumbled. "You know I always take the front seat when Mom isn't around."
"Don't start arguing," the blond-haired man seated in the driver's seat said. Energy radiated from his electric blue eyes, causing Yen and I to gulp. He leaned his head back against the black velvet seat and smiled victoriously. "I thought so."
Yen pouted as she sat down next to Hikaru who was seated in the middle backseat.
"Well then, let's get you to that test!" Dad said, driving off.
I snuck a look at Yuzu. She flashed me a pearly smile, causing my face to redden.
"Uh... why are you here?" I managed to say after a short stutter.
"You'll see soon enough," she said with a wink.
I tilted my head. What could she possibly mean? What could a second-year Nine Petal Academy student possibly be doing at the entrance exam? Wait, don't tell me we had to retake the exam every year. Ugh, it was bad enough to take it now. I couldn't imagine having to take an even harder version next year if that were the case. My nerves were already bad enough.
'Well, I can worry about that later. Right now, I have to focus on passing it the first time.'
*Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed seeing Lei once more :3. With the next chapter is the start of the second arc! The Nine Petal Exam Arc!**
*Character Section*
(Images are for visual purposes only. The following pictures aren't mine (unless otherwise stated). All credit is given to whoever made them)
Lei Lan- Age: 15 Birthday: September 29th, 2186 (Pic is owned by me. Made for me by Fay )
Yen Lan- Age: 15 Birthday: September 29th, 2186
Hikaru 'Mikado'- Age: 15 Birthday: March 19th, 2187
Yuzuki 'Mikado'- Age: 16 Birthday: February 19th, 2187