CHAPTER 3
1082 Words
Years passed by normally. They just live like they usually do, with only the two of them in the comfort of their home. In those years, they met and befriended a lot of people in the village.
“Do you want to come with me, sweetheart?” her auntie Ladia asked.
Nathalia hurriedly tied her hair with the ribbon her aunt gave her on her 10th birthday. It has been with her for a long time. This is her favorite hair tie after all.
“Yes, auntie. Wait!”
“Faster! I’m going to open the library at eight!”
“Yes! Wait, auntie! Please!”
Nathalia messily wears her shoes and kneels down to tie the shoelaces. When she notices her shirt getting crumpled, she lets out a frustrated groan and faces the mirror again, this being the third time this morning. She fixes her dress and grabs her sunglasses to hide her eyes.
“I’m coming, auntie!”
They walk through the peaceful streets of the village of Mysteria.
“Hi, auntie Ladia! Hi, Nath!”
“Auntie, please take good care of her!”
“I will. Don’t worry.”
Aside from that, Nathalia is really cared for in their village. They know her as a blind teenager. With her daily usage of sunglasses, to avoid mishaps, her auntie suggested that they should just make it look like she is blind. It is hard and cruel, but if that is what it takes to protect Nathalia from harm, she will do it.
The library is just a walking distance. That’s why it took them around ten minutes to arrive.
The library is coloured in pastel brown, with bricks as the wall type outside. It has a big “Fantasia Libraria” on top, coloured in gold and is laced with LED lights, which makes the library attractive to one’s eye. The interior looks like what an actual library is. There are shelves with different sections : for mathematics, sciences, history, bibles, and even fiction. The people in the village label it as the Library that has it all.
Nathalia sits in her favorite spot, a room her auntie customized for her, the one in the corner where the chair is like royalty’s. Not if anyone is free to sit on it, her auntie customized that area only for her. She has shelves, tables, flowers and even decorations that are styled like what you see in a castle. She doesn’t go to a regular school because they find it weird if you always wear sunglasses, they assume that you are blind. She cannot also go to school for the blind, there is a monthly eye check-up. She can not let anyone see her eyes.
“Your 18th birthday is coming, sweetie. What do you want to have for your birthday?”
This is what she has been anticipating to hear today. In her 17 years of living, she has this one thing she wishes to have on her 18th birthday.
She glances at the book hidden at the bottom of the shelf. Her auntie said she couldn’t read it until she turned eighteen.
“Can I now read that?” she asks.
Ladia takes a look at the shelf where the book is and sighs.
—
“Antonio, oh my God! What happened to you?!”
Anton enters the cottage, his hand clutching his arm, blood dripping from what looks to be a stab from a sword. His knees go weak and so he kneels down, tears are visible in his eyes.
“Anton! Anton, what is going on? Let’s go to the doctor!”
“T-this can’t be helped, Ladia,” he says.
“P-please take this book with you and don’t lose it, sister. Okay?” he says as he hands her a brown book, kind of dusty and worn out like it has been through a lot.
“What is this?” Ladia asked back, crying so hard. She pities her brother for experiencing this. He does not deserve to go through this and…
“P-please. T-that will help her save h-herself, y-you and her m-mom. Please save yourselves. T-the book will open itself once she turns eighteen.”
Ladia just nods as he tries to stop the bleeding on his chest.
"I need to go back and save El."
“Please no! Just hold on and stay. I’ll take you to the doctor, okay? Ant-“
Anton just holds her hands as his lips curve into a sad yet contented smile. And with that, he slowly turned around, his hands gradually falling from her grip.
"I need to save my wife."
“Antonnn!” she cries her heart out.
He has never come back since then.
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“Auntie?” Nathalia called for her attention the second time.
“On your 18th birthday, sweetie. I promise,” she says back.
Nathalia nods and turns away, going back to her seat. She had tried to reach out for that book when she was young because of its very mysterious aura. It is like she is drawn to the book. She shakes her thoughts away as he faces her textbook, answering a few math problems which everyone calls basic calculus.
As she is solving it, she then spots it in her peripheral view and she can’t help herself but be curious again as to what is inside the book and why her auntie does not let her read it till she is eighteen.
She wonders what books could possibly be f*******n for 17 years old and below to read.
Her eyebrows even meet as she digs her brain for the possible answer. And then it hits her.
She covers his mouth with both of her hands, her eyes growing wider and wider as each second passes by. She could not believe it for 17 years of her life. She has been very eager to read..
A rated-18 book?!
She immediately closes her eyes, trying to cleanse her mind from all the very unnecessary thoughts. So that is why her auntie never fails to remind her that she can just open the book when she turns eighteen.
“I’m so sorry, auntie, for causing you trouble,” she whispered under her breath.
“Huh, what are you sorry for?” Ladia appeared behind her.
“Nothing, auntie! Uh-uhm I’m just going to uh go out of this room and drink water hahahah.”
“Weird,” Ladia says.
- Writer
