Knock! Knock!
Very early in the morning, when the sun had just started to rise, Hope stood before a door made of brown oak wood. She lowered the hand she just used to knock, her eyes briefly drifting to the metallic name plaque despite having seen it dozens of times over the years.
which just knocked it, with her eyes momentarily reading the metallic name plaque ahead of her despite having seen this dozens of times across the years.
Dr. Emma Tig, Ph.D. – Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Guidance Counselor
From the moment Hope knocked on the door to when she noticed the knob turning, her wait wasn't longer than a few moments. Enough time for her to gather certain thoughts.
When the door opened, the figure of a beautiful woman of brown skin, black hair and sweet honey eyes presented herself. "It is good to see you, Hope." The woman said, her accent from the British Isles still a little bit too heavy despite her years in America.
"The same, Miss. Tig." Hope said as she stepped into the room. "How've you been?"
"Good." Emma said, closing the door. "Nothing beats having a three-day break."
"Am I your only one today?"
"Possibly, no one else confirmed for today. They are probably too wasted to reply to my messages." Emma lightly chuckled as she walked away from the door.
Emma's office wasn't anything extravagant. It was simple, refined but elegant. It had three wingback armchairs, two facing the third one. Two bookshelves rested by the wall behind the chair Emma was sitting on. Right now, the place was illuminated by a white-light bulb since the sunlight coming through the window was still not enough to perfectly illuminate the room.
"Well…" Crossing her legs and resting her back on the chair, Emma offered a gentle smile to Hope. "Shall we begin today's session?"
"Yes." Hope nodded, having found comfort on the chair as well.
"Then, let's start with the mandatory question. How was your week?"
Ever since she woke up this morning, Hope knew this would be a question directed at her. And even then, she wasn't sure of her answer.
For a few seconds, Hope looked down at her legs, thinking over the question until an answer came to her mind.
"It was enjoyable."
Emma blinked in mild surprise, raising her eyebrows involuntarily. "Quite a difference from your last, isn't it?" She smirked. "I think it's the first in many years that you didn't respond and I quote 'the same as the last one'." Emma's lips curled up in amusement. "Why is that? What occurred through the week that changed your usual answer?"
"Outside influence."
"Remember, Hope. Be more specific in our conversations." Emma reminded the girl.
Hope took a deep breath. "Okay…" After a quick snort, the girl parted her lips to answer. "I believe the reason is for the new relationship I've come to have." Hope said.
"Ah, I see." Emma nodded. "And you must be referring to John, I believe."
"Yes."
"Um, and this new relationship you have brought enjoyment and happiness into your life." Emma commented, making reference to Hope's previous words. "What you have announced is good news, Hope. You made a friend, that's a good thing."
"You make it sound like I am a fourth-grader with social issues."
"One of those parts in your phrase is true, isn't it?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "To be honest, I find myself surprised by your words. It's been years since you've talked with me about anyone you call a friend, Hope. We both know that."
Momentarily, Hope's eyes felt distant. "It is, hasn't it?"
"Yes. Which leads to my next question." Emma brought her hands together. "Why? Why befriend someone now?" She asked slowly. "What was the deciding factor for you to add someone new into your life?"
There was a beat of silence followed by Hope profusely exhaling, thinking over the question.
"Truthfully, I don't know…" Hope delved deeper into the chair. "There wasn't a moment, I think. And if there was one, this moment probably was right when we met. It was strange, you see. Right when I saw him, for a split moment, I felt something. Like–I don't know–as if a voice inside me whispered that he was different, and that intrigued me."
"Was this the trigger for you to open yourself to befriend him?" Emma asked.
"It was more his way. He can be annoyingly convincing in a good way."
"How exactly?"
"Tsk… Right at the start, despite this sensation I had, I didn't want to be hopeful. I know how things run here. So, I tried to scare him away from me right off the beginning."
"Hope…"
"I know, I know. Not exactly the best thing to do considering what we are working here." Hope said, knowing what Emma muttering her name meant. "But this time, I didn't want this expectation at all. Truly, I for a moment feared letting this seed grow even a little just for it to wither." She paused briefly. "Thankfully, I am happy that I didn't succeed." A faint smile bloomed on Hope's lips.
In response, Emma smiled as well. "It really is. As we can see–or at least I do–I haven't seen you like this for a long time, way more than I wished." She briefly paused between words. "When I pass by you, I see that phantom of a smile threatening to surge. Sometimes, I hear you laugh in the corridors or see you smiling from a distance. This is a good change for your life." She added, uncrossing her legs and then putting the one previously under the other now over it.
Under the woman's words, Hope demonstrated a rare moment–almost unperceivable–of shyness. "Is it that obvious I am in a good mood?" She asked, glancing down at her legs.
"Very much. It even elicited…some questions from me." Very subtly, Emma hinted at something. It was more through her tone than her words.
Hope, as smart as she is and being at the end of insinuation, slowly understood what her counselor possibly meant.
Cupping her own hands together, Hope had a vacant look as most of her attention was put into this idea. "Maybe… I don't know yet for sure." She muttered. "I mean… there is something, but how far it goes I'm uncertain."
Emma chuckled, clearly humored by the girl. "And what impedes you from being certain about it?"
"… Maybe it is fear." Hope answered. "Or maybe I'm a bit apprehensive. It's been some time since I've been like this with anyone… and I think I've never bonded to anyone this fast." Resting her back, Hope threw her eyes up at the ceiling. "And it felt so immediate–so sudden. Almost like…"
Hope didn't continue her words, for she didn't know if the ones crossing her mind were the correct one.
Emma, however, said the first word that she thought of when looking at the indecisive girl. "Like love at first sight?"
"I don't know if it's love." Hope said, bringing her eyes back down. "I know that I like to talk to him, and listening to his voice is pleasant, just like it is to be in his presence." Hope's eyes became distant, the memories of the past few days flooding her mind. "I just love how his eyes literally glow when he laughs. I find it cute when he gets impressed at almost anything or just by showing his curiosity…" At the end of her words, Hope snorted sharply and stared at Emma. "I like him, right?"
"You think so?" Emma replied with a smirk.
"But, isn't it too…"
"Fast?" Emma cut in, uncrossing her legs and leaning a little bit forward. "Hope, let me share a little bit of knowledge of someone who lived more than you. Sometimes, love and interest do not necessarily require time to be built. It can be spontaneous–immediate even. You just need a little sparkle to ignite it and bam."
Listening to Emma's words, Hope felt them resonate in her mind, the words leading her to the memory which best fit into the description. Right to the beginning.
Damn, this is so cliché. Hope thought, finding her situation a little bit comical. Love at first sight? This is too much fable-like to be true, even for someone with a life like mine. But… Snorting deeply, Hope felt her mind racing with the idea. If it's not that, what else is this?
"It seems you find yourself with a lot of questions and doubts right now." Emma commented.
Getting pulled out of her thoughts, Hope weakly smirked at those words. "And here I thought these visits were supposed to help me sort them, not create more."
"For you to see how much work we have ahead." Emma replied, hands resting over her knees. "I am here for this, Hope. To help you through, even if your doubts become minor ones that we still have to figure out."
"I guess it is a good thing we have the entire morning to sort through things, right?"
"Well, considering there isn't apparently anyone else coming, I can allow you thirty minutes more, but no more than that." Emma said, looking over her watch. "I guess this was a nice introductory moment for our session, don't you think?"
"I think so." Hope nodded, adjusting herself on her seat as she prepared for the next hour.
…
Closing the door to Emma's office, Hope took a deep breath when going through what was discussed behind the wooden structure.
'Love and interest do not necessarily require time to be built. It can be spontaneous.' Hope recounted the words in her mind, walking down the hallway back to the Main Hall.
Throughout the entire way back, Hope held a thoughtful expression. Her eyes kept looking at the floor, rarely looking up so as to ensure she wouldn't bump on anything or see if anyone was walking her way–something she quickly dismissed when noticing how empty the school felt.
Just when she arrived at the Main Hall and gave a look around the place, Hope briefly raised her eyebrows in surprise, a good one. For when her eyes fell on one of the armchairs stationed in the room, they immediately glued to the boy sitting on it.
He just sat there, a book laying on his thighs while holding a pen up to his face, inspecting it thoroughly. And strangely, this common and unspecial moment seemed enough for Hope to come to realize one thing–his mere presence soothed her heart and the sight of him brought calmness to her spirit.
Yep, maybe I like him. With a sentiment she hadn't confirmed before, Hope walked at steady steps towards the young man, the soles of her shoes softly cracking against the wood.
When the tribrid was just a couple meters from reaching out to the boy, John slowly turned his head in her direction. And quite immediately, a smile bloomed on his face when noticing who was approaching him.
"Hello, Hope." He greeted her, the corner of his lips not going down.
"Hey." Hope greeted back, stopping right by the chair's side before she slowly sat on the chair's armrest.
A little surprised by this, John was momentarily quiet before he passed his arm around Hope's waist and brought her closer, just enough to give her a short hug.
However, as he was about to retreat, the boy found himself surprised again when he felt Hope's lips right above his head. She just kissed the top of his head.
"Good morning." She said, her tone carrying an unusual sweetness and gentleness to it.
Amused by her actions and words, John snorted weakly before nodding at her. "Good morning." He said, forgetting to retreat his hand from her waist. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did. It took a little while to get back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night, but it worked in the end." She replied, leaning half of her back on the chair's back. "And you?"
"Stayed up all night after waking up." John said, thinning his lips.
Weakly, Hope furrowed her brow when listening to this. "I think I shouldn't have woken you up."
"Nah, it's fine." John shook his head. "I should be thanking you for helping me to get some sleep. Although I wasn't tired, it sure as hell was good to experience some sleep after some time." He said, smiling at her.
Seeing his expression, Hope nodded shortly. "Okay." She said. Giving a quick look over the boy's hands, Hope took notice of the pen again and thus a bit of curiosity rose. "Why were you looking so intently at that earlier?"
Tracing where her eyes looked, John raised the pen in the air. "Ah, this? Penelope Park handed it to me a few minutes ago. Said it was a welcoming gift." Holding it, John spun the pen between his fingers in quick movements. "I'm just trying to figure out what exactly she put in it."
"What do you mean?"
Before answering, John handed the pen to Hope. "Here, take a look at this."
Taking hold of the pen, Hope took a long look at it. "It's just a normal pen. It's actually the same one she handed to everyone during the school's Christmas party."
"Is it really?" John asked. "Try to infuse some of your magic in it." He suggested, laying his back on the chair.
Despite her doubts, Hope followed John's words and did exactly what he said. Enacting a bit of her will, the magic in her flowed out of the tip of her fingers and invaded the pen, trying to take over it. However, nearly immediately upon her attempt, Hope narrowed her eyes when she noticed a great amount of resistance, and not just the normal kind of resistance.
Normally, if objects were infused with magic, someone only needed to infuse their magic into it to override the energy in them. During this process, there were some factors needed to be taken into account for the magic to be replaced and the most prominent of them was simply if the user's magic was stronger than the one already found in the object. If it was, the process of replacing the magic would be a simple one.
It was for this reason alone that Hope was surprised by finding resistance against her magic. Because, in simpler terms, her magic wasn't the least to be laughed at.
Throughout her life, Hope was aware of one only entity having magic stronger than hers–and it was dead right now. And even if that witch wasn't dead, Hope wouldn't let her magic escape her senses, for she was one of the people who most suffered under it.
From being certain in regards to this, Hope was fast in realizing what was happening with the pen she held. Even more so when she sensed how organized and structured was the energy found inside the object.
"It is enchanted." Hope muttered, the narrowing of her eyes not receding the least. Truthfully, it only hardened, doing wonders to hide the budding anger in her eyes.
"It is." John nodded. "Though I don't know what it exactly does." He said, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, I know pretty well." Hope said, the tone of her voice shifting. "I can pretty much see what some parts of the spell she cast in it does. From the looks of it, whoever writes with this pen, their words or drawings are recorded and sent somewhere." The grip Hope had on the pen tightened. "That bitch!" She threatened to break the object.
However, before she could do this, the boy snatched it from her hand. "Hey, calm down, lady." John said, holding the pen. "I know you are pissed, but don't break my gift."
Hope furrowed her brow. "You heard what I said, right? This is basically a magical spying tool." She fixed her eyes on the pen. "If it comes out, it is certain Dr. Saltzman will expel her."
"I know. Even in a supernatural school, this is way above the simple invasion of privacy." And I say this having just recently read over Alaric's list of contacts. John thought, taking one more look at the pen. "But I like the pen; I like its blue barrel and the golden 'S' printed on it. A pity I won't be able to use it for the foreseeable future for what I want."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, she gave it to me with the intention of getting something out of me, right?" There was a wide smile on the boy's face. "I will play with it a little bit. Tell her some information that might blow her mind. Heheheheheh…" John creepily laughed, the ideas in his mind surging.
Seeing the boy like this, Hope softly laughed. He is a little cute this way as well. "I guess you can consider yourself lucky. I didn't write anything about you with the pen she gave me."
Listening to these words, John wisely caught onto a possibility in them. "Does that mean you wrote things about me?" He asked, lifting up his curious eyes at her. "Should I be worried or honored about it?"
"Hm…" Hope mischievously hummed. "Maybe a bit of both." She said, trying to get a reaction out of him.
And she successfully achieved that.
"Hey, it's wrong to make people anxious about this kind of thing." John said, pinching the side of her torso very slightly.
"No, that tickles!" Hope said in a slightly elevated voice, stifling a laugh midway as she tried to back away from the hand that just poked her. However, by doing that, she lost her balance.
In her loss of balance, Hope fell into the chair with John, her back falling over his lap while her legs hung outside the armchair.
When noticing the position she ended up in, with her eyes looking up at the face of the young man just over her, separated by an insignificant distance, Hope found herself memorizing every feature of his while her smile slowly retreated into a more reserved one.
Hope laid there for seconds, admiring his soft-looking hair and cheeks, how clean his face was and imagining how sweet his lips were. And above all that, Hope was awed by how bright and lively his eyes were.
A hand of hers reached out, and without the boy interfering, Hope gently rested her fingers beside his eyes. She carefully caressed the skin around and under them, with John not flinching as she did so.
"They are beautiful, you know?" Hope's voice carried warmth despite her voice lowering in tone. "The gold in them… seems like a field of wheat, calm, serene and simple, waiting for the day to be harvested." Her hand slowly stopped over his cheek, cupping it. "But they also remind me of the sun–a majestic and immortal existence that watches over us all, granting us the warmth to survive in this cold universe."
The words echoed in John's mind, with them urging the corner of his lips to tremble, threatening to open in a smile. "That sounds poetic and romantic."
"Maybe it is." Hope promptly replied.
Lowering his head, John's eyes not once averted Hope's. "Is that so?"
"Hmh."
"Then…" When their faces were just a few centimeters from each other, close enough to feel the hot air coming out of their breaths, John halted his movements. "what would happen if I continue?"
"What do you think it's gonna happen?"
"I hope the memory will be one I shall never forget."
"Then, you can approach." Hope said, guiding his face closer to hers.
When the last line of distance was about to be closed, they closed their eyes. And then, both felt a sweet taste welcome their lips, accompanied by a softness and warmth that made them wish to experience more.
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A/N
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