Soaks. You had to wonder if they could have given the place a more appropriate name, given that days without rain there were about as rare as hen's teeth. The little town seemed to be constantly covered by a cape of clouds, and only the fact that it had been built on a mountain side had stopped the inevitable flooding from occurring. Looking at it from the car as we drove into the city, there was a feeling of disconnection, like Soaks was somehow separate from the rest of the world.
It was definitely wetter, that was for sure. I'd been warned beforehand and packed an umbrella for the journey, but even metal was only so strong. If the rain here was always this heavy, I had to wonder how many weather-related injuries the city had.
"Don't worry, honey. It's just a spring shower. It'll lighten up soon."
My mother turned away from the wheel for a moment to offer me a hint of comfort. That was just like her - insistent on consoling the people around her, and not bothering to think a single step ahead in terms of consequences. When I was four, it was a cute trait that showed how much she loved me; by the time I turned seventeen, it was just plain irresponsible.
We weren't very talkative - I'd never managed to get on with my mother very well. Maybe she was too clingy to me in my early years, and in an urge to stand up for myself I'd emotionally cut off from her. Her words reached me, but I was never really listening.
"Sakuya...you don't have to do this. You can live with your father back i-"
"Papa is insane. You know it, I know it, and I'm sick of defending him."
She seemed hurt by that. It was the truth, though - even as a child my dad had been quick to try and convert me to his beliefs. He would insist on reading me Bram Stoker's works when I was barely literate, and when I wanted to wear a cape and fangs for Halloween he grounded me instead.
My father, you see, was a self-proclaimed vampire hunter. Choosing between him and this dreary life in the middle of nowhere had been difficult, but this was the lesser of two evils. Maybe I wouldn't fit in well here, maybe I would live out the rest of my life in anonymity, but at least no-one would know me as the daughter of the local maniac. Even if it was a tiny chance, maybe now I could enjoy a relatively normal life.
I couldn't have known it then, but fate plays games with people who try to change their destiny. And when you run from it, it simply pulls you back in twice as hard.
===
How was I meant to prepare for my first day at a school I'd never visited before? I didn't know a face, a class, anything. Mother had been helpful as ever, throwing uniforms and books at me, and even going so far as to hand me a self-drawn map of the school. The writing on it was childish enough to make me wonder if she'd made this herself in her own school years.
The uniform fit me neatly, though as always there was an uncomfortable flatness around the chest area. I'd experimented with padding for a short while, but it turned out that pad jokes were more popular to the masses than flat-chest jokes. I wondered momentarily if I could pass for a man.
Then again, men didn't have hair like this. It was silver, the colour of a keenly sharpened blade, running down my back halfway down my chest in a well-tied ponytail. The colour, thankfully, wasn't an issue anymore - nowadays, it was a trend for girls my age to dye their hair ridiculous colours, so being naturally grey wouldn't earn me any snide remarks. In fact, it'd probably bring around a compliment or two.
On the stand next to the mirror sat a silver pocket watch with a chain on it. I stared at it for a moment, sighing, not sure whether it was right to take it with me - it was my grandfather's, the only present of my father's I had bothered to hold on to. Mentally I told myself that it had nothing to do with the self-proclaimed vampire slayer, otherwise I would have thrown it away long ago. After a long mental debate, I finally gave in and stuffed it into a pocket, hoping that I wasn't unlucky enough to be robbed on my first day.
It was an awkward walk towards the school, surrounded by dozens of kids my age who were busy chatting about petty things like the weather and what they'd done the day before. The cliques had been set up in my absence - everyone had set themselves up as a member of one group in particular, and didn't bother conversing with anyone outside their circle of friends.
Which left a newcomer like me with little to do but follow awkwardly, waiting for someone to care enough to look at me. Naturally, no luck - now that silver hair wasn't a big deal anymore, there was literally nothing about me that stood out. Though in a way, that was a relief - having a big deal made about me was something I was used to, and not very fond of.
The introduction to my class was about as embarrassing as could be expected. The instant the teacher decided to mispronounce my name as 'Sakooya', I knew things were going to go badly. I was ordered into a chair at the back of the room shortly afterward before English started. Fortunately, I was a good enough student, so I managed to avoid adding 'class dunce' to my ever-growing list of mockable traits. I answered questions when they came to me, but otherwise did what I could to keep low.
Next came math, and uncertain of where the class was I pulled out my mother's map for help. As usual, she had failed to plan ahead and written it in still-wet ink, so when I'd folded it up for class the map effectively destroyed itself. My hopes of keeping quiet had come to an end, so now there was no choice but to ask for help.
As it turned out, I was offered it before I could ask.
"Hey, new kid! You lost?"
The girl who spoke up to me was one of the...slower members of the class, with short blonde hair and a red ribbon tied in it. She seemed to be living in her own little world, arms outstretched like she was trying to fly.
"It's my first day, isn't it? That should hardly be surprising."
"Is that so~? Well, name's Rumia, and I can get you where you need to go. We have classes together, so maybe we can talk as well?"
Her helpfulness was saccharine-sweet. It reminded me too much of my mother. At the same time, I had to make it to my next class, so I accepted as begrudgingly as possible. She introduced me to several friends of hers, each of them equally smothering and condescending. The leader was a determined looking girl with bright blue hair, who declared me to be the newest member of the Super Study Club.
I asked if membership was mandatory, and received several puzzled faces. Apparently none of these Study Club members had ever sat down with a dictionary. Would I call them friends? Most likely not, but it was better than being absolutely alone.
The first few periods went surprisingly smoothly. No notes being passed on calling me a lunatic, or Moon Struck Jack, or the incredibly inventive Sakuya Belmont. It was dull by normal standards, but that was exactly what I needed.
Lunch was where things all began to fall apart. Sure enough, I was invited to the table along with Rumia's Super Study Club, who were now discussing their plans for the future. It was during a long, dull monologue about running a lamprey stand that I turned away from these 'friends' and examined the cafeteria in full.
It was then that I saw the table pulled away from the rest, made separate from the rest of the school, and the five girls sitting at it. They sat in silence, looking at their lunch trays like science exhibits without having taken a single bite. To the left sat a tall-looking woman with flowing red hair; across from her, a slightly nerdy girl in glasses whose hair was slightly short, but a similar colour. To the nerd's side sat a girl who looked like she belonged in a hospital bed - her eyes were dreary, her lips pale, her skin ashen white. In spite of this, her violet hair ran behind her back looking like it was in the pinnacle of good health.
And then there were the two sitting in the middle. They looked younger than their counterparts, too young for this school in fact, but the severe looks on their faces wouldn't have looked out of place on my grandmother. There was a slight difference in age; the younger sister seemed the least distracted of them all, playing slightly with her food and running a hand down her blonde hair; the elder sister may as well have been a statue, glaring at nothing in particular, and with blue hair that looked almost natural.
But most disturbing of all was their eyes. I had never seen eyes that colour - crimson red, as if they were bleeding. It felt like a stare from those eyes would be enough to chill my bones, and I quickly looked back to the Study Club members. I did what I could to keep the panic from spreading onto my face.
"Um. Who are those people over there?"
Rumia took a moment to glance in the direction I was pointing, then offered a laugh.
"Oh, them? They're the Scarlet sisters. Remilia and Flandre, the scary looking kids in the middle, anyway. Moved to Soaks a couple'a years back, and the other three girls 'round the table apparently work for them. No-one really hangs around them, though - I'm guessing you picked up on that whole eerie jibe everyone else gets whenever you look in their direction?"
I nodded vehemently in response to that. There had been a fear running through me as I looked at that one table in the middle of nowhere, a fear I'd never experienced in my life. Even turning my gaze in their direction felt like a crime punishable by death, so I took a sudden interest in my 'friends' for the rest of lunch.
There was still a feeling of unease as the bell rang for next period, though. I looked vaguely in their direction once a few minutes before the end of lunch, and the table they'd been sitting at was completely empty. The cafeteria was small enough that I should have been able to hear them leave, but there had been no sound at all from that direction.
At least I was rid of them now. It made sense, didn't it? Every school had one or two oddballs. Or five. No point dwelling, I had to move on and think about anything else other than the Scarlet sisters. My interest in the upcoming English class was stronger than I'd had for any class so far.
It was not a pleasant surprise to find a certain blue-haired young girl sitting next to me.
Unconsciously, I shuffled my seat a few inches to the right, away from the girl who'd been introduced to me as Remilia Scarlet. She didn't seem aware of my discomfort; in fact, she didn't seem to be aware of much, with her eyes glazed over while she stared at the board and her hands making strange gestures in midair. I let myself sigh a little.
"OK, class, this is a group assignment. I want you to work with whoever is next to you."
A pair of crimson eyes fell on me. Dammit.
"Alright, now I want you to recite the following passage with your partner. The first speaker will be whoever is on the left."
Scripts were handed out to each student, an ornate-looking exchange between two aggressive sounding men. No names had been given, and from the nonsensical first line it was clear this was not the beginning of the conversation. Fortunately English had been one of my stronger subjects - the last thing I needed now was to embarrass myself with a slip-up in from of an intimidating creature like her.
"I'm to start, then?"
Remilia's voice was confident but soft. From the look in her eye she knew full well she was starting first; she wanted to simply test whether I would argue with her. I didn't give her the pleasure.
With everyone speaking at once, I was the only one who could make out Remilia Scarlet's performance. Perhaps that was just as well, because there was a tone of foreboding in it that made it feel like it was beyond simply reciting a foreign language. Beyond acting, even. The words slipped out of her mouth with perfect fluidity, as if she meant every last one.
"Oh, but this world invited me. Your own kind called me forth with praise and tribute."
Who was she performing as? Some sort of monster? Demon? The role suited her disturbingly well, but supposedly it was my job to stand up to her. I responded with all the conviction I could muster.
"Tribute? You're a thief. You steal men's souls, their freedom!"
"Freedom is always sacrificed to faith, good hunter."
She leaned over the desk towards me, smiling confidently. I wasn't sure if the threat behind her words was aimed at my character, or at me.
"Or are you truly here by choice?"
I bit my lip. These words hit home a little harder than I would have liked, so my response was more violent than confident this time around.
"All I'm here for is you. To hell with your heresy! You're nothing but a blight on mankind!"
Remilia added a little laugh, a proud 'hah!' that wasn't in the original script.
"Mankind?"
This time I knew she was staring at me, not whoever I was acting as. My heart began to pound uncontrollably.
"A cesspit of hatred and lies."
She spoke as if the words didn't apply to her, as if she wasn't a member of this petty race of humans. But that was impossible, wasn't it? It had to be.
"Fight for them, then...and die for their sins."
The passage stopped abruptly there, presumably to signal the start of combat between the two. We obviously weren't meant to act that part out, but so help me I wanted to. The smug look in Remilia's eyes made me want to punch her, but at the same time I knew that if I laid a finger on her I wouldn't live to regret it. She didn't even look physically strong, but her eyes glared at me so powerfully I wondered if they were looking through me at the next desk along.
The bell signalling the end of class was a welcome relief. I almost jumped out of my seat, running up to Rumia to claim that I was lost and had no idea where the next class was. I could still feel Remilia's eyes glaring at me, even when I looked away, and as I glanced back I found her still in her chair, waving me farewell.
The wave had a disturbing sense of finality to it, like she knew she was never going to see me again.
-----
After that encounter, the rest of the day was thankfully uneventful. Occasionally I bumped into the tall-foreboding redhead - was she Chinese? She didn't look like she was very local - or the anaemic purple-haired girl, but neither of them seemed to be any more welcoming than their so called mistress. The bell rung at last, and I would have run for the doorway if Rumia hadn't pulled me back and insisted on talking some more about the weather or whatever it was people spoke about to pass time here in Soaks.
Walking out into the car park presented me with the usual display of pouring rain. I groaned as I realised I'd have to walk home in this, pulling out the umbrella in my backpack I'd prepared for just such an occasion. Rumia decided to borrow my cover, holding her arms out still damp in the rain.
I felt a familiar pair of eyes falling on me, and this time I couldn't help to look up to it. The Scarlet sisters were standing along with their companions next to their car - an archaic, ancient model, something that must have been decades old. The tall redhead was holding an umbrella over the entire group, and all of them were staring in my direction.
Panic started to flood my brain.
"Hey, Sakuya-?!"
I didn't realise I was running until Rumia called out for me, but I still didn't stop. I couldn't be near them, I knew that much. Every brain cell in my body was screaming at me to run, and I did nothing to resist. The gateway was open, and when I made it out there I was home free-
"SAKUYA, WATCH OUT!"
A scream. A skidding.
I looked to my side, and saw a ton of metal on four tires driving towards me. The driver had hit the brakes hard, but everyone watching knew there was no way he would stop in time.
The umbrella flew out of my hand. I didn't even have time to scream. I put my hand over my face, unable to bring myself to watch my own death rain down on me. I waited for the sound of the collision, to feel my body fly across the car park and land lifelessly in the rain.
Nothing happened.
"...Huh?"
The world around me was silent, save for an ungodly ticking noise in my ears. I worked up the nerve to move my hand away, looking at the car that would inevitably kill me. It stood still, having come to a stop only inches away from my chest. I thought for a moment that I'd just been wrong, and that he had managed to stop the car in time to avoid hitting me.
Then I realised that the car wasn't the only thing that had stopped. So had everything else.
The rain hung in mid-air, as if gravity had been forgotten. A dozen faces were watching me from the side, Rumia and her friends screaming in vain for me to get out of the way. In the distance, Remilia and her companions looked on with uninterested faces.
"...Hello?"
No-one reacted. No-one responded to anything I said. Was this all some sort of dream? A near-death experience? It had to be, the alternative was something absurd. I stepped out of the way of the car, first of all, walking back to Rumia and clicking my fingers in her face. She didn't so much as blink.
This was insane. It couldn't even be a prank against me on my first day, because no prank could stop rain from falling. The world around me had literally frozen in time, and I was the only one aware of it.
I took a few seconds to realise my hand was in my pocket. I gripped its contents tightly, and suddenly everything clicked into place.
I had no idea why I had done it, or how it had worked, but my hand was clasped tightly around my grandfather's pocket watch.
"...So, then if I..."
I let go of the silver watch, removing my hand from my pocket.
The world exploded back into life.
"Oh, god! Sakuya, are you okay?!"
Rumia wrapped her arms around me the instant she could, sobbing along with the rain. I'd frightened her, and her friends were joining in the embrace as well.
"...Really, I'm fine, guys...it's alright..."
It was anything but, and I knew it. I couldn't explain what had happened, and from the looks of things none of my classmates were even aware of what had taken place. I felt alone again, and I knew there was no way I could explain what had just happened without being written off as a maniac.
I was forced to stay behind until the police arrived to file insurance claims. The driver was as dumbfounded as I was, swearing that I'd been in front of the car one moment and gone the next. He was written off as suffering from shock, and his testimony given no credit. My friends moved on to go home, offering their well-wishes and heading out the entrance.
Watching them go, I caught one more look at the Scarlet family, expecting to see them remain as emotionless as ever. Instead, I caught a look of Remilia Scarlet looking at me with utter shock. Whatever charisma she'd had before had been completely broken.
I won't lie, it was satisfying to see.
-----
It took a good hour to get through the paperwork the police needed me to fill out. The school was empty by the time I left, and I earned myself the pleasure of walking home, in the rain, completely alone. My umbrella had been trashed by the car - I'd forgotten to pick it up and leave with it, so now I was simply left to hope I didn't get too soaked.
The route home was easy to remember, at least. I'd probably be due another lecture from my mother about how I was being incredibly dangerous and how I should look both ways and blah, blah, blah. The difference was that right now I was desperate for her maternal clinginess - I wanted someone to hold me, explain what was going on, look at me and believe me when I claimed something absurd had happened to me in the middle of the car park today.
I didn't expect someone to be waiting for me on the way home. Especially not that diminutive figure, on her own for a change, holding a petite pink umbrella to shield her from the rain.
"You are a strange one, Miss Izayoi."
She spoke with a more respectful tone this time, and I shuddered for reasons beyond the cold rain. Was she aware of what had happened? Was that even possible? And if so, what did that make her?
"Fate is typically a fickle mistress, and one whose hand moves both swiftly and without relent. And a little bird informed me that you were fated to die today, Miss Izayoi..."
She looked on me with something combining wonder and confusion.
"And yet, here you are. Perhaps I was too hasty in my judgement of you."
Her words were solving nothing - if anything, they just made the situation even more confusing. Every emotion I was feeling now spilled out in one shout, one desperate cry for answers that rung through the street unheard by anyone beyond the two of us.
"Tell me, please! What's happening to me?! What did I do?!"
Remilia smiled. She clearly knew something, and I didn't.
"Now, I shouldn't have to explain a thing to you in that regard, should I? You should know of your lineage."
My face froze. My family wasn't noble, and it certainly wasn't magical. The only descendant of note was my maniac father, convinced that there were vampires in the world that had to be sla-
Oh.
Oh god.
Then...that would make Remilia...oh, god, no, that's impossible, that's insane...
Before I knew it, I was on my knees. The water from the puddles flooded into my socks, but I was too numb to feel the cold. I could hear Remilia's steps trailing into the distance as she left me to ponder.
"Farewell, Miss Izayoi. Perhaps the next time we meet, it will be on...less friendly terms. Assuming that your father's wishes are dear to you?"
With that, her footsteps disappeared. I was alone, and more than I'd ever been in my life - I was being asked to accept a truth that no-one else believed, and live in a world no-one else thought existed. In fact, 'asked' was too nice a term - there was no backing out now, and I was facing this fact whether I liked it or not.
I don't remember how long I stayed there on my knees in the street as the rain beat down on my cold, soaking body. Nor do I remember how long my tears had been falling along with the raindrops as I silently wept for the normal life I'd been trying so hard to live.
I'd done everything I could to escape my father's insanity, but instead I'd only proven that he was right all along. Vampires were real, and they were among us.
And now one of them was very, very interested in me.
-----
And so, by writing a Touhou edition of Twilight, I have earned myself an exile from Librarianhood, MotK, and indeed the entire Touhou community. It's been fun, guys, and I wish all of you the best. o/
