This is in no way related to Love Arrows AU
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Lisa first learnt of her ability when she was really young, back when she last saw her biological father. It never occurred to her what it all had meant, only that the little girl in her found it to be both jarring and beautiful.
It was first a dozen black insects— which she later learnt in class to be butterflies. These dozen black butterflies had landed on her father's shoulder up to his head – but of course the young her never found anything peculiar about it. She has once pointed this out to both her parents, but the two adults merely thought Lisa was just imagining stuff – like how all adults normally treat children when the younger generation says something out of this world.
Then a dozen multiplied to three, and young Lisa started to grow worried.
"Pa, why do the butterflies love you?" Lisa had once asked her father.
The man merely chuckled and messed up her hair, "Hmmm, I guess I'm a flower to them." he answered, though a bit confused as to where her daughter picked up this question.
Then the butterflies had started to take up her father's whole body, and the man grew weak.
Lisa, of course, thought that it was all the butterflies fault – so she tried to nonchantly whisk the buggers off her father, but no matter how many times she'd do it – they'd still continue to flock and land to him.
Then her father grew ill, then bed ridden – and Lisa lost count of the hundreds of butterflies that lingered on her father. It was horrifying, to see her father covered with black fluttering wings— and when her father took his final last breath, all the butterflies disappeared.
It was then that Lisa realized, the black butterflies were attracted to the stench of death like they were to flowers.
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Years had passed, yet the butterflies never disappeared – instead, it multiplied in numbers.
Lisa had come to learn that the black butterflies only come to those when they are near their death bed. The more butterflies that lands on you, the more likely that person is to dying.
But the black butterflies doesn't just choose human beings, they are not picky. Those who has the capacity to die, the butterflies will come and land. Like once, Lisa and her mother had adopted a cat— and like her father, black butterflies had landed on the animal like it did to him.
Lisa was horrified to say the least as she watched more butterflies flock around their cat – and a week later, their cat would be run over by a car.
None could see the black butterflies but her, and it was uncomfortable— she wished she didn't had this ability... The ability to see and predict death in front of your very eyes.
Lisa doesn't know if she could change the events or prevent it from happening – she had tried once, and the experience brought her a deep and gouging trauma that she no longer tried again. It was painful to see someone you've interacted with close to dying, but it was downright heart wrenching to not have the power to seemingly stop it.
Death was unexpected as it was inevitable – though it is more unexpected to those who don't have her eye, but Lisa can still see those black insects fluttering around the sky – almost enveloping the light with it's dark wings, and this brings a spike of fear to Lisa's heart sometimes.
It was already late in the afternoon, school had already ended but there were still a few students lingering inside the campus. Lisa opted to stay and help those in cleaning duty, she had nothing to do back home so doing something productive would ease her boredom and creeping loneliness from her mother's absence due to work.
The setting sun caused the sky along with its sun rays to blanket orange and yellow hues along the building. Lisa placed a couple of her belongings inside her locker and she slams it shut, the loud sound echoed around the empty hall.
Lisa let out a deep sigh as she leaned her forehead on the cool surface of her locker— earlier as she was watering the flowers on the garden, a black butterfly had landed on one of the yellow daisies. Seeing this, the girl froze like she had seen a ghost – it was no surprise that when she returned a couple of hours later, the daisy had been barbarically rooted out of the flower bed and a few of its wilted petals had fallen down the the earth.
Lisa was cut off her musings when she felt a soft tingle, a caress on her cheeks. Her hazel brown eyes snapped open, she looked down to see something black fluttering pass through her belly.
A feeling of dread formed on the pit of her stomach, her head whips to look on her left – and her the sight caused her breath to hitch on her throat.
There standing just a few feet away from Lisa was something— or someone, covered entirely with black butterflies. The girl couldn't even comprehend if the person standing in front of her was a man or a wonan – the black butterflies were all over the person, all over the place, just fluttering around as if visibly enjoying on feasting the person's life force.
Lisa just stood rigid as a stone, looking at death standing right in front of her eyes. She could see the movement though, she could see this person fidgeting right in front of her— but Lisa can't comprehend why, why this person would die or how this person would die.
Lisa wanted to turn to her heels, run away just before she'd caught a glimpse of this person's face – she doesn't want their face to be engraved in her memories for it will be a part of her nightmares yet again in the night.
Just before Lisa could silently walk away, the person covered with black butterflies spoke.
The person's voice was meek, visibly shy and bashful as if they were afraid to even speak, "U–Um... Lisa...?" The voice was soft and light, a girl no doubt.
Lisa just stared at this person garbed in death, the hazel eyed girl had no clue if this person was someone she knew— or a classmate perhaps, but it was highly unlikely that this person was her classmate for no one in their room wore any black butterflies with them... just yet...
"Yes...?" Lisa sounds rather unsure as her eyes continue to flicker anxiously at the numerous black butterflies flying around the place – it felt suffocating to see so much in this space.
"Uhh... I'm sure that this may sound weird or this sounds rather upfront, especially. Uhm... But I tried to like get the courage to uhhh do this and well, this was the only chance I could g–get uhh—" the person sounded nervous, even stuttering in their own words as Lisa listened at the person with mild curiousity.
"I'm sorry for blabbing—" the person moved their arms and the butterflies that was idling on her body, fluttered around.
"But, but I just—" the person cleared her throat, "I just wanted to say that I really look up to you very much and I know you don't know me and I probably sound stupid right now—"
Lisa's eyes widen when she realizes where this was going.
"I adore your dancing, a–and your singing... I also love how brave and well— how smart and determined you are... And I just— I really adore watching you enjoy yourself during competitions and smiling— and I..." Her voice trails off, and Lisa could hear it quiver just a little.
"I really... like you... a lot..." It sounded like it took everything in her power and courage, just to spit out those words.
"And I wanted to ask if... If it's alright with you to go out with me... on a date?" The person's voice sounded hopeful, though there was an edge to it – like she knew that she shouldn't expect much, and this was already a loss cause.
Silence encompassed them both, with Lisa continuously staring at the person engulfed with black butterflies – and this person seemingly squirming on their place. Lisa really didn't need to think her answer through, because this wasn't the first time that someone had asked her out of the blue.
The voice of rejection was just at the tip of Lisa's tongue— but something was preventing her from voicing it out.
What's the point of rejecting or accepting her proposal? A voice quietly whispers on Lisa's head, She would die either way. Why not just give her this single memory of acceptance, of happiness just before death finally stakes their claim on her?
Finally coming to a conclusion, Lisa answered with a second thought--
"Sure, I'd be glad to go out with you on a date." She smiled.
And the following sequences, Lisa didn't expect to happen. It was like time stood still, the frantic fluttering of the black butterflies halted along with Lisa's bated breath. There was a second long pause until the butterflies fluttered their wings-- and flew away, out from the windows and through the doors.
Lisa's eyes literally grew wide open as she watched the black butterflies disappear right in front of her eyes— like they weren't just about to claim someone else's life.
"I'm so happy..." The girl spoke.
Now without the butterflies hindering Lisa's view, she can now see the petite figure of the person in front of her. The girl was a few inches shorter then her, with porcelain white skin, silky brown hair, and dark feline eyes hidden beneath round spectacles.
Lisa's throat dried up as she looked at the girl in awe, this had never happened before – she was so sure that anyone that had the black butterflies on them already has their fate sealed.
The girl looked at Lisa with glossy eyes and her lips upturned to a shy smile as she said, "I thought I was gonna die if you were to reject me."
A soft laugh of disbelief escaped Lisa's lips from the irony of the girl's words— so she was set to die in maybe a couple of hours from this interaction but it all changes just because Lisa agreed to date her. The hazel eyed girl doesn't know how she should react to that, nor does she want to think about what could have happened if she pushed through in rejecting the girl— but she can't deny the intense amount of relief and joy that blossomed on her chest from the meaning of this whole situation.
The black butterflies were gone, not a single one lingered in the hall – it was empty, like it hasn't been overrun by hundreds of it earlier.
Lisa doesn't know what possessed her to take a step forward and engulf the girl in her arms— to give her a hug. She could hear the girl let out a surprised squeak from this sudden action, and she can't help the delighted laugh that escaped her lips.
The warmth of the girl in her arms were comforting to Lisa – it really was. It meant that this girl somehow escaped the black butterflies kiss.
"I'm... glad that you're still alive." that I made the right choice.
Lisa whispered under her breath as she hugged the girl tighter— the said girl could only stutter out a confused "H–Huh?" from Lisa's puzzling words. But you can see how she still had that bashful smile on her face along with her pink dusted cheeks from embarrassment and maybe happiness for being in close proximity with the person she likes.
Lisa finally released the girl from her hold when she realized she had been dragging the hug for so long, she herself let out an embarrassed laugh as she took a step back to give the both of them space and said, "You never mentioned your name."
"Oh..." The girl gasped, only now that she noticed that she had never introduced herself from the very beginning, she had her hands behind her as she shuffled on her feet— a bashful look crossed through her feline eyes as she finally introduced herself, "I'm Jennie, Jennie Kim..."
"Hi..." Jennie looked at Lisa with a bit of adoration masked on her dark brown eyes along with giving the girl one of her sweet gummy smiles.
Lisa herself could not stop the smile that blooms on her face. The girl looked utterly cute, adorable, and beautiful— especially now that she looked lighter and happier, void of the presence of death once lingering at her.
Lisa's brief hesitation changed Jennie's fate from the black butterflies.