Fortune-Something New

Chapter 3 - Something New


"Students, there will be visitors coming from Beta tomorrow, so please be aware."

Now both of Ariko's friends knew of her decent, and it made her much different, an outcast, here in Tano. People didn't like the idea of a foreigner around them, around them to cause 'the end'. But what they don't know, nor Ariko, is that just because it's the end doesn't mean it's not a new beginning. Just like each and every day.

The morning starts like any other, a new beginning, with the end of the last day not so far back. Stirring from the bed, Ariko's eyes squinted, just as they had not to long ago, last morning. Dressing, repeating the same choices, repeating the same walk, going everywhere she had before, but in a new 'light'. Walking down those stairs, Ariko's home was clouded and darkened by something, something new. Ariko stared upward to the roof of her home, and the something new, in bewilderment and at a loss for words she stood speechless. A loud humming noise filled all of Tano.

"What was that?!" Ariko shouted, pouring milk into her bowl.
"Ak, stop pouring now," her mother said, as Ariko's cereal was near the brim. "I don't know..." She replied to the question, confused at what had happened as well.
"At least the lights are back on, and that humming gave me a headache."

Spooning up the circle-shaped cereal pieces, and sipping up the milk then devouring the soggy cereal pieces. Staring off to space it went, silence filling the bowl that was the room, both Ariko and her mother not speaking, due to both events from just a few seconds ago, and yesterday morning. Neither was willing enough to talk.

Eating the last of her cereal, Ariko put her dishes into their proper place, she softly walked over to the doorway and slid it open and softly shut it as she headed out into the world, or well, school.

The sky still dark, Ariko's worries grew. What could be going on? Himeka and Yumichi had apparently left earlier, or rather Ariko just woke late. Either way, she was alone for the walk to school, worries and confusion rising. Her eyes fixed upon the shadowed ground; people with no shadows walking amongst one another upon this shadow-less land, She thought of all the things, her mind ignoring her teacher's words from nearly twenty-four hours past. Confused at all of these new happenings, Ariko completely ignored the simple answer to all of her curiosity.

Walking though the door into her school, she failed to notice the biggest difference in the area, Men. This being Tano, the home of the female gender until they find some love of their life from Beta, or are forced into marriage, and sent off to live happily... Or so it is said, being Ariko's parents don't agree with one another, and she no longer sees her father. But it is also said that some people from each planet find love in a person from Beta and Beta alone, often causing conflicts.
With the dim lights, it still seemed to Ariko that she might just as well be outside, though she does realize she is inside the school, for it is the only place she knows that has light-brown-gray colored wooden planks for flooring. Having her view being only of feet, she failed to notice the small quantity of men around the building, a much new thing to the girls whom went to school everyday. A pleasant something new at the very least, very pleasant indeed.

Walking through another pair of sliding doors into the classroom, Ariko's finally looks up, shocked. "Boys..." she whispered under her breath, forgetting that that is what was going on. Himeka and Yumichi must have come early to see. Looking around the classroom, low and behold, there's Himeka, flirting with one of the visitor boys. Ariko, having her seat nearby Himeka, walked over that way, and Himeka hears the tpts of her footsteps. "Ariko! Hi! You woke up late today?" cheery words came from Himeka's mouth and mind. Ariko, giving a slightly annoyed look at the boy standing next to her friend, nodded slightly to Himeka's question, and pulled her seat out with a quiet creak.. Pulling her chair in with small scrtz sounds, she turned around to look over her shoulder at the two of them, half annoyed, half jealous.

~~~ Lunch time, once more another repeated feature of the day. Himeka, bringing her newest friend to the table, had arrived late and didn't stand in line with Ariko as usual. "Hey Ariko, Mind if Kei can sit with us?" Himeka asked, and sat down along with the boy, Kei apparently, without waiting for a reply from Ariko. Ariko truly wished she did not have to sit with her friend and have an intruder on their regularly happy lunch. Ariko, feeling left out, having first off forgotten about today's big thing, and second, not arriving on time to enjoy the small time she would have had to meet any boy, she would have rather eaten alone then with her best friend. If anything, gossip going on behind the now three would have been a welcomed change back to the days of before, and Ariko would have loved to see Himeka's usual response to such words of unkindness behind them.

The lunch went by with little words coming from Ariko's mouth, and rarely did she even pay any attention to Himeka and the unwelcome visitor into Ariko and Himeka's entertaining lunch. Broken by something a simple as a boy, Ariko didn't want to speak, in fear of saying something rude towards the boy, and causing uproar between her and Himeka. Left out, depressed, alone, now her fortune seemed to make sense.

~~~ "Ariko?" Yumichi said, seeing once again into Ariko's soul through her eyes.
"Hm?" Ariko said, locking away her soul's doorway with a quick shake of the head.
"Something's bothering you... What is it?" Yumichi inquired, with a tilt to her head.
"No, nothing is." Ariko denied her true feelings.
"Then where's Himeka, did you two fight?"
"Ah! Why would you think such things? Of course not" Ariko stuttered, half believing herself, half not. She waved her hands and arms back and forth in front of herself.
"Then why is she not here?"
"Well, I think she's with Kei."
"Who?"
"Oh, he's one of the boys who's visiting from... ahh... um..." It was on the tip of her tongue....
"Beta " Yumichi finished Ariko's sentence.
"Yeah, that place." Ariko lowered in happiness and opened the soul's doorway again, an open book for anyone to read right there in her eyes.
"You're doing it again." Yumichi said, looking into Ariko's eyes.
"What?" Ariko questioned, turning her focus to Yumichi, half closing the doorway.
"Your eyes," Yumichi pointed towards Ariko's eyes. "I can tell how you feel just by them. You tend to open the door to your soul with you're sad about something."

Speechless, Ariko looked over to Yumichi, trying to toward her eyes, but Yumichi's sapphire eyes seemed as if made to hide her soul, instead of open up to it.... or Yumichi kept her soul locked up inside, along with her feelings. She didn't seem as open with Ariko as she might have hoped. Staring into the sapphire walls inside those eyes, Yumichi's mouth moved, but Ariko wasn't listening.

"Huh?"
"I said you can't read mine. My eyes. It's a talent. I can read others, but I've learned to hide mine from others... It's hard to explain," Yumichi stated, confusing Ariko even more.

Staring into the icy eyes that once seemed only as sweet innocence, Ariko realized there's more to Yumichi then meets the eye.