The Painting and the Witch of Fate

It had become a bit difficult to meet Saya since Sunny arrived. Neo felt like there was no space for him.

Every time he tried to start a conversation, Sunny would somehow get in the way. Even though they had made peace, she was still a thorn in his side.

Walking through the school corridors, Neo happened to pass by the fashion club and saw that Sunny was there, along with Elena and some other girls. They seemed busy.
This was the chance he had been waiting for.

He ran to the library. Since he knew Saya often hung out there chatting with Natasha, he thought he might find her. Unlike Sunny, Natasha was friendly toward him.

But as soon as he arrived at the library, he looked around. He saw a girl wearing a witch's hat sitting at one of the tables reading a book, Natasha at the reception desk, and a few people scattered here and there.

He felt disappointed but didn’t lose all hope. He decided to wait a bit.

He sat at one of the tables, staring into nothingness out of boredom. After a while, he started rocking the chair back and forth. He got up, thought about grabbing a book, but didn’t find anything interesting, so he went back to his chair and rested his head on the table.

The girl with the witch’s hat moved to sit across from him, blocking his view, which made him lift his head.

“Hi, what’s your name?” she asked.

“Neo. And yours?”

“Luna.”

The girl shrugged slightly as she asked, “Are you bored?”

“Yes.”

His blunt response made her smile.

“How about we do something fun to pass the time?”

Neo looked at her, uninterested. “Like what?”

“I’m the Witch of Fate. With these cards, I can answer any question you have—for a price, of course.”

Neo glanced at the cards with curiosity. “Is it expensive?” he asked, worried.

“It’s not. Just a small contribution.”

She showed him the prices, and Neo hesitated, wondering if he should spend money on this. But he was so bored, and it wasn’t much—just enough for a snack.

“Thanks,” Luna said, taking the money.

She pulled out a deck of cards, shuffled them, and laid a few face down on the table.

“Go ahead, ask your question.”

“Do you know where Saya is?”

Luna looked at him, disappointed. “Don’t you have something more interesting to ask? Like about money, family, or maybe a hint about your future?”

“How about my future?”

Luna smiled. “Pick three cards.”

“This one, this one, and… this one,” Neo said, pointing.

Luna flipped the cards over and examined them with an enigmatic smile, her fingers lightly tracing the illustrations.

“Interesting…” she murmured.

Neo leaned forward, curious. “What is it? What do you see?”

She pointed to the first card: the Ajar Door.

“This door represents something you left behind. Something you’ve tried to forget or avoid. But doors like this don’t stay closed forever.”

Neo frowned. “Something I left behind? Like what?”

Luna didn’t answer and instead pointed to the second card: the Ghost.

“You feel it sometimes, don’t you? The presence of something—or someone—still watching you. Whatever it is, it’s following you.”

Neo looked away, uncomfortable but silent.

Luna moved on to the third and final card: the Locked Vault.

“There’s a secret. Something important, hidden and forgotten. But not for much longer. You’ll have to open this vault, Neo, even if you’re afraid of what’s inside.”

He stared at the cards, now uneasy. “And what if I don’t want to open it?”

Luna shrugged, her smile almost teasing.

“You can try running from it, but the cards don’t lie. The past always finds a way to catch up with us.”

Neo swallowed hard, frozen as Luna’s expression turned serious. She gathered the cards, stood up, and gave him a light tap on the shoulder with a laugh.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

He sighed and relaxed in his chair.

“Well, at least it was fun,” he said.

“It was. Thanks!”

Luna waved at Natasha and left through the door.

Some time later, Neo’s attention drifted back. Saya still hadn’t shown up. Maybe she wasn’t coming at all.

“In the end, it wasn’t very helpful…” he thought, resting his head back on the table, disheartened.

“Psst, hey, Neo,” Natasha called.

He slowly lifted his head and looked at her behind the counter.

“If you’re looking for Saya, she’s probably alone in the painting clubroom.”

A wide smile spread across Neo’s face.

“Thank you so much, Natasha!”

In a room filled with unfinished paintings and empty chairs, a girl sat by the window, painting. The sunlight made her golden hair glow.

Neo hesitated at the door, not wanting to interrupt.

“You can come in,” Saya said, noticing him.

As he approached, her eyes landed on the black cat keychain he had received from Carolina.

“That’s cute.”

Not realizing what she was referring to, Neo turned around, then back, and saw she meant the keychain.

“I think so too.”

Neo grabbed a chair and sat diagonally from her, looking at the canvas in front of her. It was a sketch of a woman in armor standing in a flower field.

“That’s amazing! You’re really good at this.”

Saya smiled. “Thank you!”

Looking around at the many unfinished paintings, Neo grew curious.

"Does what you are painting have any special meaning?"

Saya gripped her brush tightly, mustering courage to reply.

“I think… it’s how I wish I could be.”

“Hmm…” Neo responded thoughtfully.

Saya continued adding details to the canvas, but the growing awkwardness made her change the subject.

“Are you going to the party?”

Neo looked away, distant.

“I’m not sure…”

“Are you scared?”

“It’s not that,” he replied quickly.

“You should go…”

Neo turned his attention back to Saya.

“Sunny’s really excited. She’s in the fashion club, right? She said she’s making a beautiful dress for me, and I’d like you to see it.”

Neo pondered.

“I’ll try to go.”

They didn’t exchange more words, and Neo kept watching Saya paint. Feeling his gaze, she became a bit flustered. She turned to face him, her large eyes meeting his.

“Come here.”

Neo leaned closer, and Saya dabbed paint on the tip of his nose.

“Hey!” he protested, covering his nose with his hand and smearing green paint on it.

They both laughed.

She placed her hand on his face, brushing some of his hair to the side. She gently caressed him and pinched his cheek lightly, pulling it to the side.

“Now go wash your nose and let me finish what I’m doing.”

With no other choice, Neo got up to leave.

“Alright…”

“And don’t forget about the party, okay?”