Chapter 11

Once we were done, Xiaolian stood up, and I followed her out of the room for dinner. I dreaded going down, but to my relief, Madam Faber was nowhere to be seen as we entered the cafeteria.

I tried to ignore the giggles from the other students at Xiaolian’s onesie and just picked up my food and sat down at the table, but the embarrassment made me lose my appetite once again. I glanced at her and sighed. I knew she only dressed like that so that one of her parts could feel real, even if it meant seeking whatever attention she could get, no matter how bad. It wasn’t her fault, but that fact didn't really help my embarrassment when someone saw us together.

I sighed. Maybe I was unfair…? Somehow, despite her weirdness, she felt more real than any of my former classmates. Just like Farah… I glanced at the door. She hadn’t come down, and I didn’t know how I felt about it or her in general. She wasn’t as weird as Xiaolian, and there was something about her that I couldn’t name, so I was torn between relief of not seeing her and...something else.

I shook my head. Soon the semester would start, and things would settle into their usual routine. I just missed my routines of lessons, study and homework, that’s all. It felt safe and reassuring to wake up every day knowing exactly what I would be doing, and even though education here was demanding, not having much time for trivial distractions had its merits.

Soon, everything would go back to normal, I tried to tell myself. In a few months, I would probably have forgotten how weird and unsettling these first few days were, and in two years, I would enter university. I wanted to be a scientist just like my aunt. We could work together on unlocking the true human potential hidden in our DNA. I smiled at the thought. Creating a better world was such a beautiful dream, and I felt privileged that she wanted to share it with me.

The thought made me smile, and I suddenly realised how hungry I was. Madam Faber was right, I needed to take care of myself.

“Xiaolian, what do you want to study at uni?”, I asked.

I guess I should get to know her better if we were to spend this year together, after all.

"Genetics…"

I smiled. Not so far from the bioengineering I was almost settling on. For a moment, I wondered what Farah wanted to study. I knew the Institute had other higher-education facilities, and that by finishing high school through their programme, we would definitely have a head start on admissions.

I pushed away my plate and leaned back when, for a brief moment, Xiaolian’s face flashed with emotions, and she turned to me.

“Yuna… There is an open-air observatory. The sky will be clear tonight. Do you want to come and watch the stars with me?”

I blinked. These things only happened in anime, but one look at her empty face reassured me she meant only what she said.

"Sure…”

Why not? I felt better now, and having slept through the day meant that I probably wouldn’t fall asleep easily if I went to bed too early.

We left the cafeteria and went back to our room. I wasn’t really into astronomy, but getting away from the oppressive and claustrophobic mansion felt like a nice prospect for the evening. I put on my jacket, remembering how chilly it’d been in the morning, and turned to her. At least she had put a jacket over her onesie, but her feet, like always, were bare.

“Are you sure you want to go out like this?”

I still remembered my morning walk and couldn’t imagine anyone choosing to do it voluntarily. Even now, my feet felt sore.

“It is okay. I got used to it.”

I hesitated.

“Do you do it because it helps you… You know, …"

She looked down.

“Sneha likes it, and I...I don’t really mind it anymore,” she whispered.

I awkwardly put my hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some comfort, and she stepped closer, filling the air with the soft scent of roses.

“We can go,” she said slowly.

I followed her out, and we continued down the empty hallway. I could hear the faint voices from the recreation room as we walked down the staircase and entered the hall, but Xiaolian turned to the main entrance and opened the heavy wooden door, and I followed her out.

The air felt fresh and smelt of pine trees as we stepped out and I lifted my gaze and looked up.

“So many stars..." I whispered.

I had never seen so many of them, having spent most of my life in the city, where light pollution hid them from view. But here in the countryside…

“Do you like it…?”

I nodded and turned to the path. It was illuminated by small LED lamps carefully hidden between the plants, giving just enough light to see. It was so peaceful, and for the first time in a long while, I felt I could breathe with ease.

She led me down behind the mansion and towards a small hill in the distance. Just like the paths, it was illuminated by small lights forming a ring around its top, further amplifying the elegant design that seemed to go into all public spaces here at the institute. I took another deep breath, enjoying the sudden ease with which I could breathe again.

It didn’t take long until we reached the foot of the hill, and the wind picked up as we began to climb. I pulled my jacket closer around me and glanced at Xiaolian. Wasn’t she cold with her bare feet? I didn’t dare to ask, not knowing what my question might bring in her, so I just followed her.

As we reached the top, she began setting up the stationary telescope, and I glanced around the semi-lit surroundings. The trees in the distance were almost indistinguishable in the darkness, but the smell of pine was so intense I could almost imagine them in my mind’s eye.

“We’re ready,” she whispered.

She crouched down, and the light on the hill and the nearby surroundings went out, plunging us into darkness. I suddenly shivered. I knew she had to do it, but the abrupt darkness made my mind come to life, imagining all kinds of things.

I glanced around when I suddenly felt something cold and damp brush against my legs. I flinched and looked down, but there was nothing there. I suddenly felt so exposed, and I couldn’t shake the creeping feeling that something was watching me.

“Yuna, do you want to see Cassiopeia?”

Her quiet voice broke the silence. I shuddered, somehow hoping the silence would have hidden us from whatever was watching. I turned to her in the darkness. She didn’t seem to have noticed anything. I shook my head. No, my mind was simply playing tricks on me. I didn’t like the darkness, that’s it.

I forced myself to lean over the telescope and look through the lens, and for a moment, I forgot about what had happened. The constellation looked so beautiful, shimmering orbs in the dark void, all alone and so far away.

“It's beautiful”, I whispered, and a strange longing filled my heart, reminding me of something I had lost a long time ago.

I straightened up to give her a chance to have a look when I felt something inside me rip wide open. The veil of light split open before me, and I could feel myself fading into the void. I gasped for air as the core of my being began to dissolve and drift from my body, and the low drone filled the air. Others were watching along with me as my body… No, Yuna’s body, stumbled…

“What are you doing here!?”

I gasped for air as Farah’s voice rang through the air.

“We were watching stars, but Yuna… She may be ill. I shouldn’t have asked her to come, but…”, I heard Xiaolian's anxious voice. “I am sorry…”

I blinked, suddenly seeing my surroundings clearly again. Farah was standing before us, watching us with a frown. What just happened…? I slowly flexed my fingers. They moved just right. I still felt a little lightheaded, but nothing more than that. Xiaolian glanced at me, but she stayed silent as Farah watched us, seemingly deep in thought. What had happened, and…how had she known we were here…?

“Maybe we just should go back,” I hesitantly ventured.

Madam Faber was probably right, I was just having a fever.

“I guess I should have rested longer,” I concluded.

I glanced at Farah, but she shook her head, and her face softened.

"I...I will show you something," she said hesitantly.

She turned to me, and our eyes met, but to my surprise, I wasn’t afraid of her this time. I reached out and brushed some loose hair from her cheek, and she stepped back with a frown.

"Yuna…?"

I stepped forward with a smile.

“You are not scary, you know it…”

She grabbed my wrist and jerked me towards her.

“Yuna!”

A quiet growl escaped her throat as she pulled me close enough for me to feel her breath on me, forcing me to gaze into her menacing yellow eyes. I tried to scream, but she covered my mouth with her hand. I couldn’t breathe… I gasped for air as she slipped her other arm around me, pulling me even closer.

“It’s okay, Yuna, it’s okay," she suddenly whispered, and the scent of mint and lavender filled my senses. “It's okay, I will not hurt you, but we need to be quiet, okay?”

I stared at her, her face so close to mine. Her yellow eyes were gone, and her face was soft and full of concern.

“We need to be quiet, okay?”

I nodded hesitantly, and she took her hand from my mouth, and I could finally take a deep breath. I shivered and glanced at her.

“What… is happening?”

She looked away.

"I...need to show you something first…for it to make sense."

I cautiously nodded, remembering her words from this morning. Who was she? What was she…? I glanced at Xiaolian. She stood, leaning against the railing, rocking back and forth.

“Are you okay?”

She didn’t look at me or even acknowledge my presence.

“It’s okay...", I tried, really wanting to believe it.

Farah silently walked over and put her arm around us, pulling us closer like we were kids, but before my mind fully realised how awkward it was, she said,

“We need to go.”