Emotionless: (Prototype: Zero book 1) Read online

  I couldn’t blame the parents. Any parent would be stupefied and distraught if they found that their eight-year-old son was riding on the back of a giant snowman. Any mother would despise a mage for placing their child they assumed was at risk. If anything, I was to blame for being so careless and inconsiderate on how the o-d-h look at us.

  They are afraid because our hands hold the unimaginable power that can cause chaos and destruction to their beloved world. Making it crumble into pieces, similar to a clump of dry dirt pressed between the palms of my hand. After those events, I never became close to an ordinary human ever since. It didn’t traumatise me. The uncomfortable stares of fear were the annoying part.

  “Mrs Robertson, good day.” Spenc smiled.

  Mrs Robertson is a very skinny woman with wrinkles that overlap each other, and she also smelt of the most overpowered perfume that can stun a skunk. Her eyeshadow was a densely black colour and narrowed towards me like a racoon. When she moved, she jingled with all the jewellery she has on her wrists and around her neck.

  “Have you seen Rokk?” she asked. Her voice is croaky, her breath smoke and toxic. I sense she must have been smoking a cigarette before she noticed us. Trying to be a perfect teacher, she sprayed herself to death before greeting us. It makes her more suspicious. “He was supposed to come with me so I can take him back to Mage Academy but he disappeared half an hour ago.”

  “Sorry, Mrs Robertson, we haven’t seen him at all, right, Eileen?” Spenc turned to me and smiled wearily. The worried expression of someone who doesn’t like the term ‘disappeared’ I shook my head, and he looked back at Mrs Robertson and said, “If we see him, I will be sure to contact you as well as tell him you are looking for him.”

  “Thank you. Have a nice day.”

  She left as quickly as she came. Her long stick form is elegant as she waltzed away, determined to find Rokk. Spenc shrugged and started pointing at shops again while I walked beside him, bored out of my mind.

  The sun sets earlier here. 5:00 pm and the sky darkened and turned into a silvery shining bright night. The snow illuminated on the ground with the soft cast of the moon. It made the town glow with purity. Standing at the hotel that I was staying at with Lawliet, Spenc shifted from one foot to another. He looked nervous. Even knowing that it was cold outside, his face flushed a warm pink colour and crawled down his neck well as the tips of his ear.

  “I like you, Eileen,” he blurted, and I stepped back, the hand was going on instinct when I grabbed the handle to the glass door. “Sorry! I know it is all of a sudden, but I think you’re beautiful and smart.”

  “How can you tell I am smart?” I asked. He looked up to the right for a moment, and before he tried to speak, I cut him off. “I don’t talk nor tell you what I do because you need to communicate to know if I am smart. So, how do you know?”

  “I just do,” he shrugged.

  “Not a valid answer. I don’t know you well enough for you to like me. I am sorry. Good night.”

  “Is it because you’re in love with Lawliet?” he said as I opened the door.

  I froze, and my fingers glided over the cold steel of the handle. Eyes widened the slightest, and a deep chill shook me to the core as I stared at myself through the window. I can show nothing. I am showing nothing. However, my heart was pounding erratically in my chest, and it was a loud thumping noise that may be heard outside as easily as it was heard inside.

  “No.”

  “Here, take it,” he demanded.

  Lawliet extended his arm and pushed the book to my chest. Confused, fingers laced around the rugged leather, strange texture of a large book ready to fall apart. Darting eyes down, I hugged the book tighter and ran fingers along the name engraved down the bottom left corner. Victor. All the while, Lawliet stood back and narrowed eyes tensely.

  I was hoping as soon as I walked through the door that I could drop my things and crawl into bed. When the door opened, Lawliet was sitting awkwardly on my bed and was staring down at the ground. Window open and the curtains were billowing in the howling wind outside. Golden eyes darted up, narrowed them untrustworthily, and then he stood. Awkwardly shuffling to the side and closing door, he thrust his arm out and pushed the book to my chest.

  Dumbfounded, not having any words to say, I stared at Lawliet as he moved to his bed and slouched down on it.

  Some part of myself knew I was lying but couldn’t elaborate on what I was lying about. As the words of doubt moments ago, swirled on the inside, I leant forward and instantly didn’t recognising my surroundings. For one, I seemed to move without knowing I moved. Second, Lawliet’s face was close to mine. Third, his eyes widened significantly as my lips pressed against his temple. I felt the pulse of life thump wickedly against my bottom lip.

  “Thank you,” I murmured as I pulled away.

  “For the book?” he asked, the look on his face is more than confusion. He looks lost, almost like a puppy that was missing its owner, distraught on the street. It seems cute.

  “For being a friend,” I answered.

  “I don’t think friends do that,” he tweaked an eye and lip weirdly as he thought.

  “Ok?”

  “They shake hands,” Lawliet raised his arm. I blinked slowly.

  Reaching out slowly, we shook hands firmly. A broadened grin reached his face while I looked back at the book he bought me. The fascination of it was taking hold of me, but there was a place I wanted to be, something I had to do before I indulge myself in reading.

  I needed Lawliet to trust me.

  Chapter 17.

  Eileen – trust goes both ways.

  I balanced up on the railing. My feet were going numb. Maybe it was because I placed my boots against the spiky wall. Leg goes up, moves forward, and plants on the fence only to repeat. It would seem that simple if it weren't dark, there wasn't any violent wind, and I had a balance rune to stabilise myself from tipping sideways and over the edge.

  If I did fall, for a period it would feel as if I was flying. Raising arms, I stretched them on either side and tilted head back. I twirled on the railing, felt the butterflies swirl and fell backwards.

  I am not insane, nor is this attempt of suicide. I don’t merely fall off a tower for fun either. I want to trust in someone as much as I want that person to trust in me. I want to trust in a friend, not only for me but also for my grandfather.

  There were no static nor streams of magic that swirled around as I began to fall. It was the mainly bitingly cold wind that was pressuring me down. But as soon as I tipped over, I jolted back up. Feet kicked from underneath me, slid across the jagged edges of the tower and curled around the splinters of ice that were striking out. The pain hit my shoulder blade and tore along my arm as well as the dull throb hit right after.

  “Are you fucking insane!” he cried out, an arm outstretched towards me while the other held onto the railing. We both were dangling along the wall. With the wind and gradual fall of the snow, Lawliet looked as if he was in his element. He stared down at me, and those watery eyes swirled with confusion. “First Mage Academy, now you’re falling off of things here. Why would you do that?”

  “Trust me,” I said. My voice was carried away with the wind and flakes of ice were clustered around eyelashes. I planted both feet against the wall, and warmth slipped around my feet as I reached up with my left hand and moved it towards Lawliet. Touching his cheek, I glide them along the bone and felt my face flush as I said, “Please.”

  He stiffened, those eyes dilated, hardened gold liquid was peering through the storm. A battle was being fought in his head. I could see it in his eyes, as he struggled with the debate. Can he trust me? The longer I waited, the more my heart churned as I began to figure out the answer.

  “. . . This is stupid,” he muttered and let go.

  Sucking in a breath, I began to fall. The pressure of wind whipped my hair around. Snow danced around, curled round skin only to spiral up in the darkness. They gleamed and created more stars in the
night sky that disintegrated. Right in front of me as I fell was a distraught mage who made his first step into trusting someone else. Hands on either side of my waist, we began to fall, and it was exhilarating.

  “Bubble, activate,” I said, and a blue orb popped up. The both of us slid down to the bottom and clunked our heads on impact. “Ouch.”

  The bubble floated up in the air, bobbed softly, the layers of the bubble are silky. It looked similar as to looking out of a glowing ball that was constantly having running water that creates a blue effect.

  The town underneath illuminated. With the blizzard, chaotic, I couldn’t necessarily see the homes and shops, only the vibrant orange and yellow lights that gleamed and mingled with the white snow that whirled the wind. It is as enchanting as the rune that was throbbing and glowing with power on my top. As soon as it activated, the bubble warped around me and I was certainly a little surprised by the fact that it let Lawliet in. For a moment, I was expecting the bubble to push him back and bounce off towards the ground. Luckily it didn’t. I was the one who told him to trust me. It would be ironic if the rune did the polar opposite as to what I said.

  We sat in silence, as we enjoyed floating around, looking at the blurred scenery from below. After a moment of debating, I decided to uphold the bargain I formed in my head and handed him the note. He glanced down, cringed, and I was reminded of what he thought the letter was at first. A love letter from Spenc. Highly unlikely would I accept a love note from anyone, especially a sports mage who can like someone at the drop of a dime. It is uncommon and nauseating to think about ever accepting a note in the form of admiration. Not unless there was something about runes in there, I was merely not interested.

  Opening the note as quickly as someone would peel a Band-Aid off, his eyes moved to the writing and narrowed further with suspicion with every word he murmured from his mouth. When he was finished, his eyes rolled back up, and he reread it. It was the fifth time when he pressed his lips into a thin grimace, folded the paper and handed it to me.

  “Was this stupid thing to see if we can both trust each other?” he waved his hand around the bubble, and I nodded firmly. “You could have said it. I would have listened and agreed.”

  “Would you have?” I leant forward, and he averted eyes and cast them along the ice sea that we floated across.

  “Probably not,” he admitted, and I leant back and puffed cheeks. “You’re annoyed,” he said with a tug of a smirk. I felt my eyes widen, however, it was a slight widening, and it was a struggle. Dumbstruck, I wiggled back when he leant closer. “You puff your cheeks when you’re annoyed. ‘Ok’ is usually a question. You wanted to cry when we were walking up the stairs after you found out they called you droid. Your eyes were watering a little as well as the time when I dragged you out of the cafeteria in the middle of the night. When you look down at your feet, you’re mainly thinking about runes, types of runes or trying to tune out conversation to think about runes I guess, haven’t figured that out. Sometimes you get embarrassed, that is easy. Your face turns a delicate rose red. Now you’re surprised that I know all this. Fate would be cheesy, so I will truthfully answer. Mika taught me how to analyse faces when I was younger.”

  “I see.”

  “Now you’re mad and want me to shut up.”

  I am mad, but not necessarily towards him. I am angry at the fact that Lawliet has figured me out within two weeks then my family has figured me out my entire life.

  “The reason I was mean to you when you were first assigned to my room was that Mika told me about what you can do with your words. How persuasive you’re.” I nodded glumly. If anyone knew about that, they would never trust me. The constant doubt of wondering if I manipulated them into doing something for me going through their minds. It would be an acceptable thought. “You tried once, it made me angry, and I walked out only to realise I didn’t do what you said, it was of my own accord. Fortunately, it doesn’t work for me; however, it makes me wonder why it doesn’t work on me. Except it is not as interesting as you popping up randomly where you shouldn’t be. You were hit by moving out of your room before any of us realised your door was open in the first place. You appear in places that you couldn’t possibly get to, and the way others react around you makes them wonder how you even got there. I don’t know the answer, and if you don’t either, I suggest you try and stop doing it until you know what that is you really are doing and if it is safe.” He leant forward, a warm hand placed over the patch on my cheek. It didn’t hurt. It may be even completely healed. “You made me your friend. I protect my friends and help them out when they need it. This note is from your grandfather I assume?” I nodded slowly, and he leant back to look out of the bubble. “Now I really wish we didn’t go on this fucking excursion.”

  My heart lifted. Raising legs to chest, I wrapped arms around them and stared out to the sea frozen into crystallised ice.

  It is humorous in a way because I was thinking the same thing.

  Chapter 18.

  Eileen – jumping into your memories.

  If I could imagine a hostile dragon. A vicious dragon that is overprotective and was circling around. Its golden eyes narrowed, dilated and raw. What it is enclosing itself in is a thick slab of the wall. Brick by brick the wall got thicker, blocking out the slithering sunlight and was succumbing him in dripping shadows.

  Then I imagined a mage that was standing in the presence of the dragon who is about to breathe fire and burn them. At this time, the mage is afraid and has believed that they are an o-d-h. Having no power against the beast.

  Can the mage slay the dragon or save it?

  I find it overly dramatic that I am describing Lawliet and me as a dragon and a mage. To make it realistic, Dragon and droid. However, the reason that situation played in my head was that there was a saying, ‘take caution to the wind.’ One wrong move, step or even look and the dragon – Lawliet in this case – will revert into his castle, not lurk out cautiously as he is. I am so daring as well. To step towards the fire-breathing dragon and wait.

  Wait for the burn.

  Conversations are the flow of a topic, any topic. Conversations build friendship unless you’re I. Conversation is a bad way to become my friend. Frankly, I find any discussion to be nauseating but comply politely enough because I was brought up that way. In this place, encased in a tight bubble with Lawliet, we both want to revert to silence and enjoy the scenery, but we know we can’t. At least, we have to try to understand a little more about each other. And what we’re going to do when we get back to Mage Academy.

  Unfortunately, the questions we ask tend to let us retract and lapse back into subtle silence.

  Parents: Avoid.

  Brothers: Diabolical masterminds. End of discussion.

  Mika: Annoying. Short. Little shit. In your face, little shit that doesn’t know what’ leave you alone is’ until you evidently get pissed off and break things you’re not allowed to. End of heated discussion of Lawliet and himself while I sit there and tilt my head, not overly surprised that he said it.

  Bunny: Evil . . . with fluffy ears that I constantly want to touch.

  Parents again: Avoid. Abort. Destroy and remove the ashes because this subject for both is out of bounds.

  “This is stupid,” he muttered and turned his head the other way. “We both don’t know how to hold a conversation.”

  Nodding, I stared down at my feet and noticed that I had left my shoes back up at the tower and now I am icy. Not only that, but there was a speck of blood on the bubble, so I leant down to touch it when Lawliet grabbed my foot. Sucking in a breath, I tensed at the tingling warmth. Snapping his fingers, a rune on his thumb bone lit up a brilliant blue along with his white veins. Green orb of light swirled around my foot and healed the injury I made. Feeling my heart flutter, I leant against the bubble while my foot was resting on his leg.

  “Thank you,” I murmured.

  “Why didn’t you heal it yourself? You have a rune.” I shrugged, and h
e grimaced. “You don’t run. Your brothers tend to you a lot. Is there something wrong with you?”

  “When I was nine, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. I find it ironic that it is an unknown incurable disease unless you take prescribed medicine or . . .” I trailed off and touched the pendant at my neck. “Hopper was kind enough to ask Mika for this.”

  “Your parents never did anything about it?” he asked.

  Silence.

  That was the flow of our conversation. A sentence the most and then silence for a few minutes. I find that we’re both strange mages that haven’t necessarily had a good conversation nor will bond with another so dabbling too quickly burns like dragon fire.

  The bubble began to slow down, and it weaved through the stick Twiggy trees that have no leaves, fallen off weeks ago when the snow began to fall. Jacko Lanterns that floated close by brushed by the bubble bobbed awkwardly and wanted to stay on its route. The bubble had to move. Snowflakes that have fallen at a rapid pace over the top of the blue bubble, mushy and wet began to disintegrate. Either it was over time or from the wind and snow that was hitting it all the time to make it break. Both options are logical as the bubble burst, and I thumped down in a heap of soft wet snow beside Lawliet who got the raw end of the stick. When the bubble burst, I slipped to the side while the snow atop of the bubble came down over the top of his head. A burst of laughter racked my insides while on the outside I was cool calm and collected. If he didn’t move, he would look like a heap of snow. If he didn’t glare at me as if I was bursting into tears of laughter - which I can’t – he would look nothing more but a poor excuse of a snowman.