Marilyn sighed. She stared outside her classroom window, where rain drizzled onto the grass, the sky a gloomy color. It was as if the weather was mirroring her mood. Heartbroken, shattered, alone and despairing. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic but the point is. . . . Oh, what was the point? She sighed again. It seems like sighing is going to be a common occurrence now. Why? Because she will turn eighteen in a few days. There’s nothing wrong with the number eighteen, it is just that a person usually finds one’s soulmate when they are seventeen. And Marilyn’s seventeen was a year ago. And she still hasn’t found her soulmate.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYJUEMdvUzN
She placed her head on top of her crossed arms which lay on the desk. She glanced over at her best friend, Dalya, who was laughing and blushing with some guy. Wait, no, not some guy. Her soulmate. Her heart ached. Her best-friend. . . . and her crush. Marilyn huffed in annoyance and ripped her eyes away from the couple and turned back towards the window. It’s not like she cares or anything, she thought while muttering under her breath. She doesn’t need a soulmate!
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnARby8EuLD
BANG!
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0HLTclqa0
The door burst open and a girl marched in, back straight and long, blonde hair flowing behind like a flag. The teacher silently walked in next.He stared at the girl in wonder. Marilyn did too.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35hy84x9ig
Mr. Kennel cleared his throat, closing the door and walking over to his desk.
“Good morning everyone!” A chorus of replies filled the classroom. The blonde girl still stood at the front of the class. “So,” Mr. Kennel announced. “We have a new student. Please introduce yourself.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyomhtLchB
The blond girl stepped forward, a soft smile on her face. “Good morning everyone! Name’s Charlotte Renai. I was fifteen three years ago. I am also hungry. Also, also, I have a dog named Kitty. But nevermind me, how’s everyone doing on this marvelous day humans call Monday?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4biZEo06w
The whole room cracked up laughing but Marilyn looked away frowning. She had a feeling the blonde girl would be popular in no time. And Marilyn wanted nothing to do with popular people. It was irritating.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTjxb1ne6q
“Hello!” a voice said in her ear. She jumped away, clutching her desk. She looked up to see blondie. The girl was grinning at her while placing her stuff on her desk.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEfIEfU17F
Marilyn muttered a ‘hi’ and turned her head towards the front of the class. “What are you doing?” she asked.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGso3XbNz1
The girl, Charlotte, hummed, sitting down. “Mr. Kennel told me to sit next to you. Hope you don’t mind, Marilyn.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMdDuzCi9U
She blinked rapidly, a strange, warm feeling filling her chest. “Of course not,” she muttered. She grabbed her pen and started clicking on the top, a way to ease her nervousness.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraaqPbMDHd
“Have you found your soulmate Marilyn?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡokvfjkbHpR
“No, have you?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXZ1KjZBQI
Charlotte shook her head. “You know,” she said, staring at Marilyn, “you have a beautiful name. It suits you. You look like a total Marilyn.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAMuXhNwbf
Marilyn narrowed her eyes. “What. . . do you mean by that?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo6AEqRwzl
“Star of the sea,” Charlotte replied. “That’s what your name means doesn’t it? I mean, you sure do look like one.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H1YMO2qW4
She gawked at the blonde. What is wrong with this girl? Marilyn refused to accept the fact that she was blushing.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL74mlnS2Hu
“T-Thank you, now stop talking!” Marilyn sputtered out. “He’s starting class!”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZGzjxU9JL
Charlotte only winked back at her but thankfully, she looked back towards the teacher.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbnlAu9w88
~ - ~
It was break now. Luckily, she didn’t encounter Charlotte for the rest of the day. Marilyn picked up her tray and her gaze washed over all the tables, most of them already filled. There! She saw an empty table and she made a run for it, careful not to drop the small amount of food on her tray.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnNVrLuxKy
She placed her tray down and shrugged off her bag, seating herself and opening a packet of iced coffee. She shoved a spoonful of fruit salad in her mouth, savoring the multiple, tangy, sweet and sour tastes. Her eyes fluttered shut and she exhaled from her nose.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHEb5d7SBo
Food, food, beautiful food. What would I do without you, my love?
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFa3VPpgWS
Marilyn’s eyes snapped open when she heard a clatter. Her eyes had opened to view Charlotte Renai happily munching a mini-donut with one hand and twirling the cord of her earphones in the other.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9aUBlPeU8
“Um.” Marilyn paused and frowned. This is unexpected. “Hello?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ghkDvtosd
“Hi,” the blonde shot back with a goofy smile.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqUupfoupb
“Hey,” she said, not knowing what to say. What does someone usually say when the newbie sits at my table?
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBRrEe6l25
“Hola,” Charlotte replied in spanish.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8Zv0HS3Lh
Marilyn, silently agreeing to go with the flow, returned, “Salut.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJAeBUIRgH
“Je suis mauvais en français. J'espère que vous ne connaissez pas le français.”
She stared at the blonde. “Uh, arigatou?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf1skc4Uv9
Charlotte burst out laughing and Marilyn noticed how her eyes curved into moons. “Guess you’re as bad as I am,” she said. Marilyn laughed nervously along with Charlotte. Needless to say, she was confused. Her day is going like nothing as planned.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf5dtd9Xik
“Uh, why are you sitting with me? I’m pretty sure there are more seats,” Marilyn said, looking around.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMr154lg06
“Just because,” Charlotte answered, deciding to remove her earphones. “I want to ask you a question.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TDjz3KHSO
“Go ahead,” she said curiously.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPa5eaYHKG7
“What do you think about soulmates?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwYBYKaMi9
Marilyn blinked and placed her drink down. This was an interesting turn. “Well, I certainly would like one. I don’t really have many friends and I don’t have siblings either. Heck, I don’t even have a dog or a fish. It would be nice if I had a soulmate. Then I wouldn’t be so. . . . lonely.” She clenched her fists and looked away at the last part.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtN2i3CEJT
Charlotte chuckled. “Guess what?” Marilyn raised an eyebrow while watching the blonde entangle her fingers and putting them on the table. “I was fated not to find a soulmate. Ever. I will never find my soulmate, let alone receive a soulmark.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAYudrnMZB
Marilyn clasped her hands on her mouth. She reached a hand and put it on top of Charlotte’s. Stranger or not, something like that was terrible. Never finding your soulmate?
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW38hSqG64V
“I- I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUc1xrPked
Charlotte laughed again and waved her off. “It’s fine, it’s not much of a big deal.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAP5qo2Rm7
“Charlotte,” she said, looking concerned. The girl looked at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdBvq1w5NC
The blonde tilted her head, watching the other curiously. “Why did I tell you? I honestly don’t know. I just wanted to.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQfB9hLEWq
Marilyn could only reply with an ‘Oh’.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAIML4PNje
~ - ~
Charlotte walked through the library, her hands skimming over the covers of books. Obviously, she was in the fantasy section glaring at the books so that she could find one that would interest her. She wasn’t much of a reader but her mother always forced her to read one, whatever it is, as long as she read. But then again, if she opened a book, a face would still distract her focus. She met the most beautiful girl today. Raven hair pulled back into a bun, a constant frown on her pretty face, and clear green eyes like the meadow on a sunny day. Marilyn was just gorgeous.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9TRIK789Ma
She sighed and picked up a book in the far corner of a shelf. Throne of Glass, the cover read in big, silver lettering. There was a pale-looking girl on the cover with white hair flowing in the wind. She hummed.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YYakBwHLo
I remember reading this, the girl wondered. Wasn’t there a girl named Aselyn or someone?
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUU7yVyf7t
She heard a gasp from in front of her. Her eyes snapped up to see Marilyn peering at the book with a shine in her eyes. A smirk quirked up on Charlotte’s face.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglxd1VSUOZ
“Have you read this?” she asked the raven-head.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGL0m6y0aJ
“No,” Marilyn replied, still gazing at the book. “No, I haven’t actually.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsijrXbPEwU
“Why? You seem to like it.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TVhna5CkK
Marilyn frowned again. There it is, Charlotte thought in amusement. “I couldn’t find the book. I searched everywhere in the section of the series but it wasn’t there! How did you find it?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fzNIzXFJv
“It was in a far corner of the shelf. Picked it up by chance. Do you want it?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys6y8CTLAI
“H-huh? Me?” Marilyn pointed at herself, blinking rapidly.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuA5gNNhqnc
“Who else? I’m talking to you aren’t I?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh090nBca6
“Um, right, okay. Me. You’re talking to me,” Marilyn murmured. Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh at the other.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1w4YQCpJ53
“So do you want it or not?” she said, thrusting the book at Marilyn.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2gjoaILXw
“Well, if it’s fine with you then. . . .”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRrG7wyZAr
“You can have it.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp1cf6vqxT
“Oh, thank you Charlotte!”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSZqTz9zq25
“But.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwfMSscBu1
“But?”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6J9fQDYuoO
“You have to read a chapter to me everyday.”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUMWXK2zEV
“H-huh?!”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6mG35k46H
“Yeah! ”
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVlHBWmKtz
Marilyn huffed, deciding to agree. Anything for her precious book. Charlotte smiled. Life ought to be a bit interesting now, she thought.
164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx7LJH6jdg
