As simple as a choice

Chapter 1. Losing spirit

The hot, irritating weather beat my scorching back like a whip. I sweated and groaned as I struggled out of my dark, linen jacket. Why did everything have to be dark at our school? Why did I even get into this school?, I thought as I finally slipped out of my sweaty, sticky uniform. Today’s the last day of school - the day I’ve both been looking forward to, and dreading.

My thoughts started to drift off to my sister. My sister just had to get everything. She got enrolled into the best witch, and wizarding school for the good. I got stuck in a lower class witch and wizarding school for beginners. But the worst part? My parents were both royals, from the top witch and wizarding school, passed with all A’s in a school for learning GOOD magic like my sister. 

But I got landed in a school for evil witches and wizards. There was no going back. I could improve all I could, begged all I wanted, but I would stay in the school for evil. Why? Because I got the direct audience of the council of spells. 

They control all magic, balance all magics, and create all spells. Naturally, they get to decide everything. I was going to get into a top school to learn good magic, but no. I just had to be the special case in my family. No matter how much my parents paid or begged, I was going to a school to learn evil magic. I don’t know why I had to learn to be evil. The elders peered into my very soul, and they seemed so sure that I could do well in the evil side. But I overheard as I headed out of the councils room, She is the one. 

I wondered for years what that could mean. “She is the one to die?” “She is the one to fail?” “She is the one to prevail?” (I doubted the last one, but I needed some hope).

So, now I’m in the gym, after a long, tiring game of spike-ball. As always, it was Good against Evil. I changed into my comfy wear, ripped jeans with a silver t-shirt, and I headed out of the gym. I got my wand (yes, I have a wand), and I got my uniform. I stuffed everything except for my wand into my locker, then I sealed it with my wand. Finally, the sound I was waiting for rang in my ears. DIIIIIIING!!! School’s OVER!!!

I dashed out of the gym, feeling irritated, frustrated and annoyed despite the fact that school was over. I couldn’t find out what I was angry at. I just felt it. I plummeted past thousands of students, and dodged a few teachers that glared at me. I saw two familiar figures in the distance. Finally, I slowed down as I met my parents’ eyes. I teared up as I looked up to see them, and before I broke down, I pushed past them. The last time I saw them, they looked furious and disappointed. And as I just saw them, they showed fake sympathy. Maybe even a hint of disappointment in their eyes. I hated that. I hated everything!!! Nobody cares about me, I care about nobody. As tears streamed down my eyes, I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I wouldn’t stop - I couldn’t. I slipped past the border of Good and Evil Schools, and I ran toward the place I used to call home. 

Chapter 2. The life I wish I had

I shot past the familiar roads and buildings, I stomped to the beautiful gardens, and I threw fits along the way to the place I have once called home. As I headed toward my “Home”, I caused flowers to wilt, trees to tumble, and rain to follow. The place was reacting to my mood. And I felt angry. At everything. But there was one thing I needed to see. I needed comfort, and I knew what I needed. I stormed (literally) to the perfectly well maintained, and well decorated room of my sister. 

I am Melody, but nobody has called me that in years. Even my sister only called me sis. If others addressed me, they called me ‘Miss’, or ‘Hey, you there!’, or even, “Miss Perfect’s little sister” . My life was a shadow in my sister’s.

She had the life I wish I had. She had all the natural beauty, the neatness, and strength of a true huntress. She had silver bows hung around her room like casual charms, she hung thousands of trophies all around the room, and a fresh coat of paint was applied to her nicely cleaned bathroom. 

She used her wand all the time to do even the smallest things, like cooking an egg. But I resorted to charms with hands, and vocal charms. I do ordinary things by myself like, getting a ladder to reach something. Not flying up in the air to get something (like my sister). Just now, she was drying up the paint around her closet. 

I just stood in the doorway, and when she finally turned around, I gasped. All of my anger subsided for a moment. She was about the same age as I, but she was so much more perfect, still. Her eyes were an amber brown, and she had the fluffy, blonde hair trailing behind her like clouds. She did a little trick with her magic, I bet. She was much more advanced in magic than me. I couldn’t even transform a crow. But she could transform a flock of crows to a flock of pegasi or even doves pulling a chariot. 

She was the other life that I wished that I have. But one thing changed about her. A small detail - her eyes. They seemed sad, and even weighed down. Her eyes carried so much sadness, concern, and burden. I didn’t understand. 

But, I remembered all of my anger, and nothing else seemed to matter. She finally stopped casting spells, and as she met my eyes, her expression softened. My anger slowly dissipated, little by little. Soon, my thoughts overwhelmed me, the words that have haunted my life, the words that made my world fall apart, She will be learning evil magic. She is the one.

Chapter 3. Goodbye, sister

I sank to my knees, overwhelmed and exhausted.

“Hello, there!”, my insufferably perfect sister called. Her tone was bland. Not furious, not disappointed, not happy, not relieved. No emotion was shown, and my doubt started to spark.

“Hi”, I gasped. I couldn’t get over the fact that she was so perfect, yet empty from emotion. Then, I felt my anger creeping up from nowhere, and I lunged at her.

“WHY DO YOU GET EVERYTHING??? WHY DO I ALWAYS GET PICKED ON??? WHY MUST I ALWAYS LOSE!?”, I screamed and charged to tackle her.

My sister, fast to react, shot out her hand and created a shield charm. I got face planted into an energy shield which, I can tell you from experience, does not feel good. I fell, and I groaned.

“How naive can you get? You are such a disappointment sometimes, and I think you know what I mean. You couldn’t even deflect a simple shield charm like this one!”, her voice was teasing, and playful. With a little, graceful wave, she allowed the shield to shimmer away.

 Although she said the words calmly and playful, I still felt pain from her words. I couldn’t get anything right. I cupped my hands together, and I blew into them ejecting all of my anger. I was planning to create an exploding charm, but all I got was a few sparks. Beads of sweat popped from my forehead.

“Come on! I thought you could do better than that!”, teased my sister. 

Finally, I lost control. I screamed. I unleashed years of worry and anger. Days of annoyance, and disappointment. My cupped hands held a glowing orb of darkness, of evil and anger, full of all the emotions I couldn’t control. I tossed it at my sister, her eyes wide. Then, she closed her eyes and formed another orb of energy. Her ball was like a protector, just like mine, yet white and sparkly unlike mine which was red and black, glistening with hate. My sister’s orb expanded, and easily dissipated all of my magic. I screamed in frustration.

My sister could fix anything, even my most powerful spell, with quick movements, and simple magic. I worked up all of my emotions on that ball, and all she had to do was a flick of her hand. I would never beat her to anything. I was a failure to the world - and myself.

Chapter 4. Starting to lose control

I turned around to hide my tears, as I stood up to leave. Once I got up, I looked my sister in the eye one last time. All I saw was a, teasing, sympathetic expression that irritated me so much. The words, How naive can you get? echoed in my head, replaying like a broken record. I finally clenched my teeth, and stormed out the door.

I thought a talk with my sister would help my emotions stay under control. But, all it did was decrease my stableness, and I felt like I was starting to lose my control. I couldn’t stand it! My control started to slip away once I started to think about the scene that just happened. I honestly couldn’t remember much. I only felt the powerful orb that my many emotions have conjured.

All of that power - I couldn’t have controlled it. I almost felt glad that my sister dissipated it. I wouldn’t have known what to do without her. I clenched my teeth, and balled my fists. I hated to think that she had saved us. I started to feel frustrated again, so I decided to head toward the one place that I have feared to go since the council of spells made their decision… 

Chapter 5. Choosing the meaning of hope.

I hesitantly trudged up the million stairs, refusing to use magic to get to the top. I remembered the last time I’ve used magic in this hallway. My parents were not happy that day. That is one of the factors that have boosted my parent's disappointment, as well as the sprinkles on top of the recipe of Imperfect, Silly, Stupid Me. I might as well have blown up the house. I was not going to revisit the moment. 

I finally got so tired that I risked a speed spell. I quickly zoomed up the stairs, and right as I was chanting a spell to slow myself down, I hit a wall and collapsed.

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My eyes slowly opened, trying to focus themselves, as I struggled up from the floor. I saw my parent's disapproving faces, as they watched me lean against the wall to balance myself. I was conscious enough to think, My parents? What are they doing here? How did they get here so quickly?  Then the obvious answer came to me. They knew I would come here. They used magic to get here before me. They would stop me from contacting the council of elders at all costs - no matter what.

***********************

I stared at them, aghast, in fear of what they would say. Their pale, blank faces showed a hint of annoyance - even anger. I turned my back to them. I didn’t know what to say. I made a quick split-second decision: I cast a small sleeping charm on my parents, and ran. But right after I made the charm, my parents waved away the spell, and my feeble charm dispelled. Now they only looked angrier. 

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?”, they both screamed in unison, their voice magnified with both anger and magic.

I couldn’t speak. I ran. I dashed back down the million stairs, even risking a speed-flying spell. I didn’t care about ruining the hallway anymore. I was never coming back. I ran past my sister’s room, casting a destroy charm stopping on the way screaming, “I HATE YOU! WHY DO YOU GET EVERYTHING THAT I WANT!?”. My last glimpse of her was a shocked and surprised witch, yet she managed to just ward off my spell and aimed it toward me.

I dodged my own charms, anger supplementing my strength. My only motive was to leave this place.

I busted out the castle, and I cast a feeble storm spell on the whole city around the place I have once called home. Home was never a complicated word, but now I didn’t have one. I didn’t know the true meaning of home anymore. And I promised myself, I will never come back. No matter what my home may be, or mean, this is not and will never be it.

Chapter 6. My decision

I have all the choices in the world now. I have nobody to pressure me. No one stands in my way. All my worries were at the bottom of a hole inside a mountain that nobody will ever try to dig up, or even dare to climb. I could go anywhere, make any choice, and I would never be stopped as long as my breath is withstanding. 

I refused to cry, to show any weakness. I envisioned my sister laughing at my decision, my parent’s disapproving expressions. I let out a guttural cry, echoing across the land. I was quite lost, but I needed to make a decision. 

And I am choosing to run

Run not because I am a coward

but run because I am brave

To turn away from the mess I have made

To turn away from my mistakes

Run away from this life of unfairness

away from a life of anger

away from a life of fear

away from a life under a shadow.

And right then I knew

I was the one meant to end

the false perfection

running through the blood

of the ones I once called my family.