A Peak Between Realms (Short Story Collection)

Girl Next Door

It was a gloomy day, the sun was covered by gray clouds and of course it had to rain. You wouldn't have believed me if I said that the day had started out beautiful, warm and sunny but alas, Mother Gaia had other plans. I was inside at school as the rain made little clicking sounds against the window. “Lee Yuna?” A male voice says and I perk up “Yes?” I say “your mother is here to pick you up.” he says and I get up. I excused myself from my class before I left for the office.

“I heard my mother is here?” I asked “yes she's here” the person at the front desk said and I smiled when I saw my mother -Inoue Honoka, now Lee Honoka- she had soft light beige skin, monolid amber colored eyes and a thin stature. My mother was wearing a long light red dress that hugged her waist and was off shoulder with bell sleeves. “Hello Mother” I say as she smiles, “Come on Yuyu lets go to the doctors” she said, her voice was soft like the fur of a cat and smooth like honey.

I nodded and followed my mother out after she signed me out. We got in her car and left for the doctors office, they called me a medical anomaly because my blood was toxic when mixed with this creature's blood but when ingested someone could become this thing called a chevalier. I don’t age nor do I gain weight, and I am always thirsty so they give me special medicine to help my thirst. I looked at my pale reflection in the mirror at the doctor's office. I had beautiful brown eyes with long eyelashes, an oval-shaped face with thick bangs covering my forehead, my hair was thick, long and the color of coal.

“You look so pretty today Miss Yuna” my nurse, Mrs. Ok says “thank you” I say “did you do your makeup?” she asked and I shook my head. Mrs. Ok smiled and nodded before continuing to draw my blood, after she was done and she took the needle out it healed quickly. “Alright you’re good to go” she says and my mother and I nodded in unison before leaving and getting in the car. “Did you hear we’re getting new neighbors?” my mother asked and I shook my head “no, I didn’t” I say.

When we arrived home the old home next to ours had a moving truck in front of the house. We quickly got inside and after I kicked off my shoes at the door I took my special medication before I went up to my room. I closed the door behind me and changed, I was wearing a black tight dress and thigh high black socks, but soon I noticed something, my window was open.

••••

I quickly closed my window and locked it, but in the haste I smashed my finger as I closed it. Before I could even scream in pain my finger had healed and I saw the girl next door staring at me through the window. s**t, what if she saw my healing abilities I thought as I quickly shut my curtains and ran downstairs.

“Mother! The neighbor was looking in my window and I think she saw my healing abilities!” I said in a rush as I was panicking “Yuyu, calm down. Are you sure she saw that?” My mother said and I nodded in a panic. “Ok, we’ll go with the act of welcoming them here then you’ll check to see if she actually saw anything alright?” she said and I nodded.

Soon we were heading over with a batch of freshly baked cookies and fake smiles. We knocked on the front door and a tall very thin and pale woman who had double lidded round eyes the color of polished nephrite jade and greasy hair dyed the color of acid opened the door “I presume you’re our neighbors?" She asks, her voice was hoarse like she had been misusing her voice and I nodded “oh do come in I have a daughter your age” she says and my mother and I enter.

“Just leave those there, Elisabeta is in her room, go up the stairs to your right, it's the first door.” The woman says and I nodded, leaving the dish on the coffee table. I went up to the door on my right and knocked, “Hello? I’m the girl next door Yuna” I say as the door opens revealing the slightly chubby, olive skinned girl with eyes the color of emeralds. Her hair was long and the color of obsidian, she was absolutely beautiful, “I’m Elisabeta” she says and slightly bows.

“I-um I’m Yuna and I saw you looking in my window did you see anything odd at all?” I stammer out “yes, but I won't tell anyone.” she replied and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Good, well um may I come in your room?” I asked and she nodded but as I was about to enter I smelled iron. I soon began to grow thirsty, my throat burned and itched like I needed whatever this scent was. I soon began to go down the stairs which made the smell get stronger and stronger.

When I finally reached the end of the stairs I saw it, my mother bleeding from her abdomen and the neighbor standing over her “Finally I’ve found you” she says, I looked in the reflection to see that my eyes were glowing a bright gold. What happened next was all a blur and before I knew it I was known as 'The Girl Next Door'.