The room around him was stuffed with creaky, oil-stained shelves overflowing with books. He was slowly flipping through the faded, yellowish pages, scanning the words with care. Running a hand through his dark hair, he sighed.
"Man, it's a lot."
The sound of the doorknob turning bounced around the room. He quickly shoved the book into the drawer under the desk and acted like he was lost in thought.
"What you doin'?"
She was staring at him with those honey-colored eyes.
"Nothin', Nova. Just thinkin'."
"Were you readin' a book?"
He flicked his dark eyes up at the girl.
"You think I'm into books or what?"
That was a straight-up lie. He'd devoured every book in that room and had every word locked in his brain.
The girl smirked and strolled over to the desk.
"Oh, really?" she said, pretending to be shocked, yanking a chair out from under the desk and plopping down next to Tai.
"You're gettin' more interestin' every day," she mumbled, all casual-like.
The girl turned her head away at his words.
"I ain't *that* interestin'," she muttered, faking a sulk.
"Marry me."
The girl snapped her eyes back to Tai.
"No way."
Tai let out a dramatic sigh and dropped his head on the desk.
"So cruel."
---
A day went by.
Ever since they found out he was Level 5, people wouldn't leave him alone. In a honey-colored room in the swanky new mansion he got just for being a prodigy, he was sprawled on the bed next to Aya.
"It's kinda crazy, right?"
The girl turned her head toward him.
"Yeah, it's wild."
She wrapped her arms around the boy and whispered in his ear, "My talented boy."
Then she planted her lips on his, kissing him deep.
After a few minutes, she pulled back and locked her dark eyes on the boy, who was still catching his breath.
"You taste so good," she said, brushing a strand of hair off his face.
"Let's get married."
The boy said it with a steady, hopeful vibe.
The girl's eyes got a little wider, and a big, happy grin spread across her face.
"Y… you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
The girl looked away, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks.
"If you're sure… then…"
She looped her arms around his neck and started kissing him again.
---
She'd had a happy life, living in a cozy little house with her parents, a sister, and a brother.
Her mom always told her people were like flowers—beautiful and pure. She believed it.
Her mom passed away from some illness, but she still clung to those words.
One day, she was cooking while her dad, sister, and brother were out grabbing groceries. Days went by, and they didn't come back.
Worried, she sat waiting in the house when her eyes landed on a piece of paper.
When she read it, her eyes went blank.
It was a letter from some fortune-teller, blaming her mom's death on her dark eyes and hair.
Days dragged on, and she scraped by on whatever food was left, but that wasn't gonna last.
She left the house and wandered to a hill covered in flowers.
She stared at the flowers, her mom's words about people echoing in her head.
But she saw it differently now: people were like flowers—empty. They just took whatever crap life threw at them, waiting for someone to stomp them out or let them rot.
She took slow, tired steps forward and spotted a boy with gray hair in the distance, sitting on the ground, surrounded by yellow flowers.
She walked toward him, and when she caught his eye, she spoke.
"You think they're pretty?"