My name is Kaylen Arac.
I’m seventeen years old. My birthday is April 2nd and my blood type is B positive. I attend Rampart City High School, where I’m a member of the archery club. I love shonen manga and helping my mom cook. I can be a little clumsy, but I always try my hardest at everything I put my mind to. All in all, I guess you could say I’m a perfectly normal high school girl.
Today starts off like pretty much any other. That is to say, it starts off with me rushing through my morning routine, including bumping into my desk while throwing on my uniform and giving myself a nasty bruise on the hip. I realize my notebooks aren’t gathered together and have to find where I left them. I dash outside, still eating a piece of toast, and run towards the school. All as normal as can be. Of course, today is anything but normal.
It’s a beautiful autumn day. Sunny, but the air is cool, which is nice since I won’t get sweaty running to school. Getting sweaty would completely ruin what I plan to do. I live in a nice, peaceful middle class neighborhood, ordinary in every way, from the nearly identical houses to the cars occasionally cruising past to the man walking his dog that I wave to as I run past.
Rounding a corner, I discover that I’m just catching up to a huge, muscular girl wearing a uniform that matches my own. That’s Bessen, my best friend. She’s always relaxed and easy-going, and most of the time she talks like she’s half-asleep. She’s one of the two stars of the track team. I won’t lie, her short hair and muscles are incredibly attractive, but sadly, she prefers boys.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be running? We’re going to be late,” I say, slowing down as I near her.
“Did you wake up late again?” She pulls her phone out of her bag and checks it. “You must have gotten caught up, because we have plenty of time.”
“Wait, seriously?” I dig my phone out of my bag and check the time. “Oh wow. Guess I’m getting good at running late.”
“That’s not something to be proud of,” Bessen says.
I huff. “You can’t bring me down today, Bessen. I have big plans.”
“Finally doing it, huh?” Bessen says in her tired voice.
“Geez, you could at least pretend to be excited for me.”
Bessen yawns in response.
After a few minutes, we reach the school. If I didn’t believe my phone before, this would be confirmation that I really am on time for once. There are other students all around, most walking towards the entrance in groups, but a few are milling about, chatting. That weird girl, Nightingale, is giving someone a tarot reading in the grass. I wonder which pagan religion she’s into this week. When will she figure out that all religions are stupid? And there, near the entrance of the school and chatting with a friend, is the reason today is not normal. She’s tall and athletic, not as broad as Bessen, but with muscles larger than most of the boys. Her skin has a level of perfection normally only achieved with makeup and the way it glistens with sweat when she runs makes me and most of the other girls swoon. I have to wonder if her adorable, brown, cat-like ears make her a scientific curiosity, but of course I’m too polite to ask. And her name is the most beautiful one I have ever heard. Fiona Atalan. Fiona.
I’ve had a crush on her since the moment I first met her. It was the first day of high school. I found her at the school gates, staring up at the school and looking terrified. With her height and those ears it was impossible to miss her, but people just kept walking by. Maybe they didn’t see the frightened look on her face or maybe they were too intimidated by her beauty and strength. Either way, I stopped to talk to her. I told her that I was nervous too and suggested that we walk in together and we’ve been friends ever since. The only problem is that we didn’t end up in the same class.
However, we eat lunch together every day, under a tree on the school grounds. During those lunches I’ve gotten to know her. I’ve learned how much she loves sports, how she worries that other people are going to make fun of her, how she owns four cats named after classes in her favorite video game. And now I’m going to use that tree to ask her to be my girlfriend. Even though I get tongue-tied every time I try to broach the subject, I’m determined to today. Why? Because Bessen recently gave me a juicy piece of information. As it turns out, Fiona likes girls and is afraid to tell anyone. As long as I don’t act like I know about it, I’m perfectly safe asking her out and after all this time she can finally be my girlfriend. It’s just like a romantic movie!
“Hey, move it,” says a voice somewhere behind me.
I realize I’ve been spacing out and shake my head, then turn to look at who spoke so rudely. It was the type of girl you find at least one of at any school. The type who wears designer accessories with her uniform just to remind everyone how rich her family is. The type who manages to be popular despite her unpleasant attitude. The type who spends an hour working on her makeup just so that she can look like she’s not wearing any at all. The self-important girl who thinks that she’s better than everyone and that the entire world should cater to her. At our school, this girl’s name is Andra.
She frowns at me, looking like nothing so much as a petulant child. “Geez, Kaylen, did your brain finally shut down entirely? I told you to move.”
“Can’t you just walk around us?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “And step on the grass? Actually, you know what? I don’t have time to argue about this. I have more important things to do. Just move.”
Sighing in unison, Bessen and I step off the path and into the grass to allow her to pass. “What’s the big deal? Are you confessing to your crush or something?” Bessen asks.
“That is none of your business,” she says, brushing past us.
I spy an envelope in her hand, tied with a ribbon. “Wait, are you actually confessing to your crush?”
She halts and wheels on us. “If you must know, yes. I am.”
“Who do you like?” Bessen asks. “I never imagined you liking anyone aside from yourself.”
Andra huffs. “Isn’t it obvious? The second-most attractive girl in school. Fiona Atalan.”
I feel my chest tighten. She likes Fiona too? I know just about everyone in school does, but Andra has a reputation for being ruthless. I don’t exactly find the idea of her as a rival exciting. Maybe there’s a chance I can turn her down another path. I don’t have to guess who she considers the most attractive girl in school, but there may be another possibility.
“Shouldn’t you be dating the most attractive guy instead?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “The guys here are all a bunch of losers. There’s not a single one who comes even close to comparing to Fiona.”
“But… but…”
Andra huffs again. “I don’t have time for this.”
She turns and walks away. Walks towards Fiona, resolutely.
“Oh, bad news,” says Bessen. “If she asks Fiona out first and Fiona says yes…”
I can’t let that happen. But I also can’t think of anything I can do to stop it. At least nothing rational, which just means that I have to try something irrational. I dash forward, lowering my head to put all my weight into tackling Andra. She shrieks and the two of us smash onto the pavement.
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Suddenly my vision is filled with her foot, followed by a flash of color and a whiff of her way-too-strong perfume as she somehow manages to kick my face. Stunned, I let go of her and clutch my nose.
“What the hell is wrong with you,” she shouts, pulling her other leg out from under me.
I feel my face. Thankfully, nothing seems to be broken, and I don’t even have a bloody nose. The pain is quickly receding.
“I can’t let you ask out Fiona,” I say.
With as much dignity as she can muster in this situation, she stands and brushes off her skirt as she looks down on me. “And just why can’t you?”
“Because… because…” I try to think of a lie and can’t, so I decide to go with the truth. “I like her.”
Her frown twists into a smirk as she processes this. She holds her hand up to her mouth and laughs that ever-so-cliche laugh. “You think she’d go out with you? When she could go out with me? Or, hell, anyone else for that matter? When it comes to dateable girls in this school, you rank all the way at the bottom.”
I can feel my face heat as I scowl up at her. “I’m her friend. Don’t you think she’d prefer to date me over some rich brat who spends all her time looking down on people?”
Andra leans down to stare directly into my face. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Of course, I’ll be the first one to ask her out, but even if I wasn’t, she’d drop you in an instant to date me.”
Before I can respond, she turns on her heel and looks up at the school’s entrance. “Looks like she’s already gone inside. Oh well, good thing I’m lucky enough to be in the same class as her.”
She walks away.
Bessen helps me to my feet and tries to offer some comforting words that don’t quite penetrate. Andra’s right. I mean, I know she’s not right about me being the least dateable girl in school, but she’s right that she’s going to be the one to ask her out first. And Fiona has a romantic streak. She’ll definitely be so excited that someone finally worked up the nerve to ask her out that she’ll say yes right away. I feel like my hopes have crashed onto the pavement just like I did a moment ago.
I allow Bessen to lead me into the school and to our first class. I slump in my desk and prepare for the news that Andra and Fiona are dating.
“So someone finally tackled Andra,” says a voice from behind me.
I turn to face the speaker. Unfortunately, I’m unlucky enough to sit in front of one of the weirdest students in the school, a boy who goes by the nickname of Sever. There’s no way to dance around what makes Sever weird. He wears a girl’s uniform. I’m not really sure how he gets away with it, but that’s how it is. And don’t get me wrong, I know all about trans people, but he says he isn’t trans. He describes himself with a different word. A four-letter word that begins with a T and which I would rather not describe any further than that. I’ve tried pointing out to him that that word applies specifically to those who are attracted to men whereas he prefers women, but he won’t listen to me. In short, he’s kind of embarrassing to talk to.
At least he looks good in the girl’s uniform. He’s small and slight and his long hair is beautiful. His makeup is always perfectly even, if a little on the heavy side. His round glasses make him look like a shy, bookish girl, an image that’s helped by the fact that he’s usually carrying a fantasy novel with him. As a result, his actual personality tends to surprise people at first.
“You saw, huh?” I ask, not really wanting to talk about this further.
Sever shrugs. “She definitely deserves it, but what specifically did she do to you?”
I look at Sever and I can feel my emotions bubbling to the surface. It’s either talk or start crying, so I start talking, the words cascading out of me faster than I mean them to. “I was going to ask out Fiona today, but Andra told me that she’s going to ask her out too. I tackled her to stop her from asking her out before school, but the two of them are in the same class and she’s definitely going to ask her out before lunch and there’s no way I can stop them.”
Sever blinks, surprised by my frantic speech. He takes a moment to think about it. “Well, why don’t you just text Nobody?”
I know about Nobody, of course, everyone at our school does. Most people think they’re a student or a group of students, but some rumors state that they’re a teacher or someone else entirely. All that anyone knows for sure is that if you text a certain phone number with a request, you’ll find that request fulfilled for you, no matter how ridiculous it is. It’s like magic. Of course, magic isn’t real, don’t get me wrong, Nobody can’t break the laws of physics, but they seem to come close. You can get a test cancelled, make a teacher sick, get just about any item you might need, even arrange for someone to be at a specific location at a certain time. However, it comes at a cost. Nobody exchanges favors for favors. Sometime after your favor is completed, you’ll receive a text. And no matter how strange or ridiculous or illegal it is, you have to do it or you will face consequences. The nature of these consequences seem to vary from student to student, but they’re always harsh. You might find sentimental items missing, or friends turning against you or maybe even find your own misdeeds exposed for all to see.
“I’m not sure if I can really trust Nobody with this,” I say.
Sever rolls his eyes. “Come on, Nobody’s a good person. They even get me spironolactone and estrogen. Of course, I don’t even want to think about what kind of favor that’s going to cost me.”
I cock my head, momentarily forgetting about my own problems. “Wait, you’re taking hormones? Why don’t you just admit you’re trans and change your name already?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not trans. Trans girls actually feel like girls even before they transition. I’m just a pervert with a kink that compels me to feminize my body. Totally different.”
I stare at him for a moment, trying to come up with a response. “You know what? Screw it, I’m texting Nobody.”
I don’t have to ask the number. Everyone knows it by heart. I remove my phone from my bag and type out a text.
Make sure Andra von Ekko doesn’t ask out Fiona Atalan before lunch.
“There. Done,” I say. And I feel better. Everyone agrees that Nobody is reliable. And whatever the cost ends up being, I’ll worry about later. Maybe I still can go out with Fiona.
“Do you think Riven is a good name?” Sever asks.
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The first half of the school day proceeds with relative normalcy. I have a little more trouble than usual concentrating in class, being far too busy thinking about Fiona and Andra and whether Nobody is pulling through. I also find myself repeatedly checking the clock, begging for the minutes to pass faster. When lunch finally does arrive, I grab my lunchbox and rush from the room without even pausing to talk to Bessen or Sever.
I barely make it out into the hallway, however, before something crashes into the side of my head, sending me stumbling to the side. The object lands with a thud and I see that it’s a book. I look up to find that it was thrown by a furious-looking Andra.
“What did you do?” she demands.
I grin nervously and try to play innocent. “What are you talking about?”
Andra glides forward until she’s standing way too close and holds up one finger at a time, counting her points as she talks. “First, my letter disappears. Then, every time I try to get close to Fiona, someone trips me or grabs me or has to talk to me about something oh-so-important. Finally, when we’re partnered up in cooking class, she burns herself right away and has to go to the nurse’s office.”
“They weren’t supposed to hurt Fiona,” I blurt out, then cover my mouth when I realize what I said.
“That’s what I thought. You texted Nobody, didn’t you?”
Suddenly a thought occurs to me. I lower my hands. “Well, so what if I did? You’re a mean, self-centered monster. Fiona would be miserable if she dated you.”
“Just because you don’t like me, you think you have the right to take her away from me?” Andra replies. “When are you going to get it through your head that it doesn’t matter what you think? I get what I want.”
“You need to learn that not everything is about you,” I hiss back. “You’re the villain of this story. I’m the hero.”
“Fiona is going to be my girlfriend. I don’t care if Nobody or anybody tries to stop me.”
With that, she shoves me back, causing my back to hit the wall hard, then turns and starts to walk away. I grab her shirt and pull her back. She tries to push me again and for a moment we stand there struggling, other students staring, before she manages to break my grip and starts running. I run after her, quickly catching up and grabbing her shirt again, this time pulling myself ahead. She grabs my arm and once again we’re pushing and pulling at each other, this time me trying to break her grip.
Our entire trip to the entrance proceeds like this, with short bursts of running followed by long periods of struggling. In the end, it would have been faster walking normally. She manages to break away from me as we reach the final stretch and dashes to the door, throwing it open and running through before I can stop her. I follow so closely on her heels that I run into her when she freezes on the stairs.
Looking over her shoulder, I follow her gaze to the tree where I eat lunch with Fiona. Fiona is there as usual and with her, dressed in a girl’s uniform and wearing glasses, is Sever. The two of them are talking to each other, staring into each other’s eyes. And then, Fiona leans down and kisses Sever on the cheek.
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In the prayer room at the temple of Sanguis in Rampart City, Kaylen blinked. She stared at the sage slowly burning in front of her and tried to remember where she was, and who she was. It took a moment. She was Kaylen Arac. She was a priestess of Sanguis, not a high school girl. She was twenty-four, not seventeen. She was in the middle of her morning prayer, not trying to ask out a girl. Smoke rose from the sage as she tried to remember where she was in her prayer.
“What the fuck just happened?”