YES. I'm a JERK. I should be UPDATING not CREATING new stuff to torture you with! But this all popped out so fast! I didn't even have to think, I just typed! So I didn't waste time I could have spent writing something else. I was actually supposed to be writing a Shakespear paper, but this kinda came out instead. Whoops!
So no stabbing me, got it?
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At lunch, I sat at the jock table. I didn't play sports myself, but it was somewhere to eat. And it wasn't even that I went and sat with them, it was that as soon as I sat down they'd line up to join me. Miroku said it was because I was naturally cool. That the guys just wanted to get me before anyone else did. I said he was an idiot.
She always sat by herself. I think that's why I started noticing her. Girls usually travel in groups, herds sometimes, and they do everything unanimously. They laugh at the same time, stare with the same intensity, and swoon simultaneously for the same reasons. They're irritating. And they followed me around way too much.
But she never followed me. She never giggled with a group of clones. She'd find an empty table somewhere in the back at lunch, eat her food, and then leave to go to the library. I know that's where she went because sometimes, when I could think of an excuse to leave, I followed her.
A lot of girls liked me. It was a fact, so I wasn't really the egotistical jerk a lot of guys labeled me as. I was popular enough with the other students. Everyone knew who I was. It was probably hard not to. Miroku was my best friend (only because we'd known each other forever) and he was the biggest playboy in school, which probably drew a lot of attention to me from the start. But people like money too, they like the package. And if Miroku was anything to go by, I had the package. Not just money, but looks, attitude, stuff like that.
She had friends, it wasn't like no one ever talked to her, but she didn't always want to be bothered with them. Before and after class, she'd probably comment on the homework, but other than that, she'd just smile and turn her attention to her notebook. I think she liked to read. She always had some book or another jammed into her backpack. People knew her name too, she was always at the top of our class, but no one really seemed to care that much about her.
We were exactly the same.
That's why I watched her. Except she could make everyone leave her alone, create this shield around her that no one could penetrate, and I got pulled this way and that by crazy fangirls and testosterone high guys. But when you got past all the stupid social rules and standards, we were the same.
After school was over, and nearly everyone was gone, I would go to the library too. Maybe not to study, but just to be alone. I think that's why she did it too. The world was crazy and messed up, but the library was always the same, somewhere that was in a stasis between reality and something else. Anyone could go there, but no one did. It was a part of our school, but it felt separate. I wasn't just another 'package' and she was something more than the aloof girl sitting in the back of the room.
I wanted to talk to her.
But I couldn't help but think that if I did, it'd ruin it somehow. I wouldn't be able to watch her like I did before, and the library would somehow change its purpose, her spell might break, and the world could come crashing down. Or worst of all, she'd think I was an idiot.
So when school was over, I'd go to the library. She'd sit at the table in front of me and all I ever saw was her back. Her hair was always perfectly straight, never tangled or messy. And she sat up straight, holding herself in a way that no one else did. Her presence filled the room.
Of course she never saw me. I wasn't a stalker, but I didn't exactly want to be caught watching her. At four o'clock, same as every day, she'd get up and slide her books into her bag. Following her routine, she'd check her watch a second time when she walked out of the room. She'd pass by me, like always. I'd pretend to study, like always.
She wouldn't even look at me.
Like always.
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"So? Did you talk to her today? Or did you just stare at her back again." The last part wasn't even a question. Miroku might have been my best friend, but he was definitely a guy people loved to hate. He looked at me expectantly, knowing I couldn't deny it.
"I didn't talk to her." I muttered. He had a way of making me sound like a pervert. Which was amazing, since he was the resident hentai at our school. "Why do you care?" I asked for the millionth time. He knew I regretted even mentioning her to him, but he didn't let that stop him from tormenting me.
"Because!" He tried to look innocent, but failed miserably. Not even he was that good of a liar. "She's the only girl you've taken an interest to in the 17 years I've known you! Albeit, a scary, stalker-ish interest, but hey, you gotta start somewhere."
Idiot. I didn't bother denying it, we argued about it often enough, but cuffed him in the head to remind him how stupid I thought he was. He shrugged me off, of course. Sometimes I figured that was the biggest reason why we were friends. He could take my abuse. Which was good, because if he ever married, it'd be to someone violent. That's the only kind of person that could stand him. Nice people just gave up after a while. Or he got bored with them.
I changed topics, mostly because I couldn't stand it when he talked about her. It brought her to our world, and I liked to think she was above that. "How come you don't have a date today?" It really was surprising. Usually he didn't go more than an hour without a girl hanging on to him.
He shrugged. "I was planning on seeing a movie today with Eri, but she was too excited. She brought her friends to show off that she was going with me. I hate that." Yeah. Poor guy. He could treat girls like a commodity, but he couldn't stand being a boy toy. Don't ask me where he drew the line. "So I told her I changed my mind and left."
I would have told him that was harsh, but he already knew that. And I didn't really care. Miroku's no angel, but when he was with a girl, he treated her right. Sometimes I thought he was a stupid playboy, out for a good time, and other times I didn't think any of them deserved him. No matter who he got, he'd be a prize. He was another 'package', a label he hated, but lived up to with a passion. When I was in a really deep mood, I wondered if he was just trying to get by until he found something meaningful.
Finding him in a back hallway with a girl I didn't even know usually banished that thought.
"So I'm stuck with you?" I clarified, stretching out on his bed in feigned annoyance. He was a pest, but he was interesting.
"Only for a couple hours. I have a dinner date with Yumi at seven." He shrugged. "She was my backup, Eri wasn't really that promising."
"You're sick." I told him. He already knew what I thought, but I had to say it. Habit, I guess.
"Says the stalker." He smirked. I hit him again, but he just shrugged me off and turned on the radio. We spent the next two hours talking about music, movies, girls (he talked, I insulted), and school. We never had those animated conversations a lot of teenagers do. Miroku said we were too cool for that. I think we just didn't care enough. Why get all worked up over it? Music and movies changed every few weeks, girls every few days (hours, sometimes), and school was a temporary inconvenience.
I left early enough so that he had enough time to get ready for his date. He walked me to the door, probably because it took so long to get there from his room. His house was huge. His dad was one of those fast talking politicians who had been popular for a few years now. On the way, we heard voices coming from one of the rooms. They weren't talking.
"I guess Dad's home." He sounded as though he didn't care. I was pretty sure he'd liked his dad once, but he never talked about him anymore other than the usual complaints.
"Who's he with now?" The girls voice wasn't familiar. It was a game for us, to try and recognize who she was. Usually he was with someone famous enough for us to know.
Miroku shook his head. "No one special. I think she's a secretary or something. She just started working today."
"And she really puts everything into her job, doesn't she?" My voice was dry. He shook his head again, but with a small smile. "Man, your dad moves fast." It was a fact, not an insult.
"It's hereditary." He winked at me. "And it gets stronger with each generation."
"You wish." I scoffed. He didn't really want to be like that, if he did, he wouldn't have treated his girls so nice. And I knew he'd never use them the way his dad did. It was just his way of life. We all had our roles. When we got to the door, I punched his shoulder, jock style. They'd been a bad influence on me. "See ya."
He waved. I left.
.
I knew the house would be empty when I got home. It was always empty. Maybe that was why I liked solitude so much. We never had servants hanging around, like Miroku. Ours did their job and left. That's what they were paid for. Dad was in Europe somewhere, maybe. I hadn't seen him in a few weeks, so he could have been anywhere. It didn't matter. Who saw their parents anymore?
My driveway was one of those really long ones, one that took you on a stupid tour of half the property before you reached the garage. I hated it. It was pointless, and a waste of time, but of course no one consulted me when it was built. It showed off how rich we were, so of course it had to be there. To make myself feel better, I generally raced through it, not feeling the least bit guilty about the skid marks I'd leave.
The garage was open. Half the time I forgot to close it when I left for school, and the servants never bothered with it either. Who would rob the Taisho family? Or rather, who was stupid enough to try? No one would ever get away with it. My father had enough connections to ensure that.
I swerved into the garage, letting the tires screech against the pavement and then burn into the cement. When I finally stopped it was by slamming the breaks seconds before I hit one of our other cars, making my care jerk forward and then back again. I loved that. I shut off the engine, anticipating the dead silence that was supposed to follow.
But the sound of someone's quick intake of breathe ruined that for me.
"Who's there?" My family's suspicious by nature; it's what made us good businessmen. I got out of the car, not bothering to take out the keys (I never did). My eyes scanned the room for any possible threat, for anything at all out of place. What I found was something blue. Medium height, slim, female blue.
"Hi!" The blue was scrunched up against another car, her back pressed against it as if to get as far away from me as possible. "What's up?" She smiled, showing her teeth, making her look more like a girl and less like a color. I didn't say anything, just stared at her.
Her eyes were outlined heavily with a dark azure color, the actually eye shadow a lighter shade. Her lips were painted thickly with the same intensity as her liner. Even her eyes were blue, a piercing stain against the paleness of her skin, making a mockery of the make up. It wasn't until I blinked that I took in the rest of her. Her outfit was the same as her face, all blue. The skirt was made of a gauzy, thin material that clung to her small waist but floated around her ankles. The top made me think of a cartoon character, only covering the upper half of her body, held up with two inch long straps that were both falling off her shoulders.
"Are you not going to answer me?" She seemed to have recovered herself. She was standing tall now, as if refusing to be intimidated by me. She crossed her arms and stared at me with that piercing blue gaze.
"I asked first." I said. "Who are you?" At that point, I couldn't have even tried to guess. It was all too weird.
"I," She drew herself up proudly, sticking her chin in the air to give her those few extra centimeters. "Am a Wishbringer." I was nonplussed and she seemed a little put out. In any case, she let her chin go back to its normal height and looked at me rather than down to me. "I grant wishes." She explained in a reasonable voice.
"You're crazy." I corrected, already turning to leave. "And you're trespassing." Before I even realized she had moved, she'd managed to grab hold of my arm.
"I'm serious!" Her voice sounded desperate enough. That alone made me want to believe her. But it was crazy. And I was sane. And she obviously wasn't. "Do normal people go around dressed like this?" She gestured towards her clothes.
"No," I nodded agreeably. "But I don't think you're a normal person." She started to look relieved. "I think you're insane." Her grip tightened, and she stared at me with those surreal blue eyes.
"Isn't there something you want that you can't have?" She persisted, holding me with her eyes. "Something you see in front of you every day, something that's so close it seems like all you have to do is reach out just a little bit further, push just a little bit more. But every time you try it moves farther away. And sometimes you don't want to try, because if you screw it up, you might never get another chance." She paused to take a slow breath, calming herself. "And if that happened you'd just die." Her voice was soft.
I stared at her.
My mouth wouldn't work. My mind flashed back to that day at school, and all the days before, all the time I'd wasted thinking about her, knowing that I'd never actually do anything. There was no way this girl could know about that. "Of course not." My voice finally obeyed me. I tried to look convincing.
She kept staring at me. I didn't move. Maybe I was waiting to hear her verdict. "I don't believe you." She said, after a pause. I let out the breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. "I don't believe you." I didn't say anything. It felt like she'd read my mind, like she'd somehow seen exactly how I felt. I wasn't sure I could argue with her anymore. I wasn't sure I wanted to.
I needed to say something. "So you're magic?" I asked, trying not to think about how ridiculous I must have sounded. Her eyes widened for a minute, and then her face fell. When she spoke, it was haltingly.
"I was never," She stopped, not sure how to continue. "I was never one of the best of us. I had a knack for," she scrunched up her nose. "Screwing things up." I didn't like the sound of that. Maybe I didn't want her granting my wishes. "It wasn't my fault!" She hurried to explain, seeing the look on my face. "It's that my spells just wouldn't work! Apparently you have to know how something works without magic to be able to make it happen with magic later. And I guess I don't have enough practice with that." She scuffed one bare foot against the cement floor, looking down as she spoke. "So you're my practice." She finished.
"What?" My voice came out harsh, but I didn't care. There was no way I was going to be practice for a wannabe genie. "I'm not going to wish for anything if you can't get your magic right." I told her bluntly. "I don't want a defective . . . whatever you are."
"Wishbringer." She supplied helpfully. "But you're not paying attention. I'm not going to use my magic to help you. That's what I need work on. I have to make your wish come true as if I were a normal human!" She smiled brightly. "See? So I can't possibly screw it up too bad! At least, no one will get hurt . . ." Her voice trailed off and I found myself pitying whoever had been unlucky enough to find her while she'd still had power.
"And don't worry!" She added, guessing what I was about to say before I'd even opened my mouth. Or maybe she wasn't guessing. Maybe it was something all Wishbringers could do. "I can still help, even without spells! We train for this kind of thing you know." She nodded wisely. "Now," She sat down cross legged on the floor and looked up at me as if expecting me to do the same. "Tell me about this wish of yours."
To my amazement, my body sat itself down across from her. And my voice started talking.
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I didn't believe in magic.
But that didn't matter, because she wasn't going to use any.
I didn't like being around girls.
That was irrelevant too, she wasn't even human.
I thought she was weird.
She didn't care.
Like it or not, I was stuck with her. After I'd confessed enough for her to understand my problem, she'd clapped her hands together once, as if to jump start her brain. After a minute of thinking, she told me not to worry, and that she'd take care of everything. Plans had to be done in stages, she'd said. She'd find me when she was ready with the first one.
And then she left. On foot. Which I thought was strange for a genie, Wishbringer, whatever. But she assured me that it was only to get a feel for the human world again. And when I told her it wasn't safe for a girl to go out dressed like she was, she gave me a look. I guess magic people have their ways.
In any case, I had a Wishbringer named Kagome.
And she was going to help me get Kikyo.
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Woooooooo! Short chapter, I know, but first chapters are always short for me for some reason. But what's this? Do you have questions? You should you know. And I won't tell you the answers! Because I have a few surprises for you! And some you won't find out for simply AGES! Sorry about that! But yeah. Don't worry, I'll still keep Kinda Weird as my focus. This is just really easy to type since it's in the first person. It's like I sit down and jooonk! There's a chapter! So I did that today. And chaching! It's like magic!
Whoa that was cheezey . . . even for me.
And there's something funky going on with the tenses at the beginning cuz it was all present tense then it needed to be past but not PAST past, but still a kind of past. Does that makes sense? I may have screwed it up. There was also some of the conditional future stuff too. oops.
Anyways, you know I love comments, so send me some please? Even the mean stuff as long as you're honest! Cuz I want to make you happy too!