Nightingale Academy

During my freshman year in Florida, a new student came to school just before the second term of the year. His name was Daniel, which means God is my judge. He was a year older than everyone in our grade and he seldom came to class. His hair was blonde and shaggy. He wore the same jeans everyday and had a fake leather jacket that he would put on before riding his motorcycle.

One day as I sat under a tree, similar to the one back in elementary school, he sat down next to me. By then, he had been in Frank H. Peterson Academy for just over a month. He stared out onto the cement parking lot where other students were sitting around or playing hacky-sack and held a basket in his hands. I remember how odd he looked with that basket before he reached in and pulled out a pear. He absentmindedly bit into it, slurping the juice as it fought to roll down his chin.

I caught myself staring and blushed, looking away. He surprised me by sitting down next to me, within arm's length and I had stared at him, wondering if he was real or the heat was playing tricks on my mind. I turned back to my homework and pretended to work on it. My freshly drawn parabola was blocked by a ripe and yellow fruit. I slowly lifted my hand and pinched the short stem with my thumb and forefinger. The hand holding it slipped away and I raised an eyebrow in confusion. I looked back up at him, but he still absentmindedly stared at the sky, biting into his second pear.

I almost looked away but his head turned towards me slightly and a smile spread across his face. He winked at me and my heart fluttered in my chest. He turned back to the sky and this time when he bit into his pear, the smile stayed on his lips.

The next day, Daniel didn't come to school. By 10:30 everyone in the school knew that the mysterious new student with the leather jacket and motorcycle died in an accident as he turned out of Lower Hillman Road and met his fate on the bumper of a Toyota.

.:.

I held a half-eaten pear in my hand as I tried to lick the pear juice off my other hand. I licked it clean before finishing the rest of the fruit and throwing it out in the kitchen trash. I washed my hands in the sink and made my way back to my room.

Tonight was my date with Amaranth. I was home for the weekend, and since he and Azure lived just down the street, she volunteered to come over and dress me up. Not like I knew this or anything. They never bothered to tell me that every weekend I went home, they were just a few blocks away. But then again, I should have already known. Who else could stare at me with the same icy aura while I did my homework or watched movies with my family?

I sat on my bed as I waited for her to arrive. Nervous with anticipation, I couldn't think of putting on any music to soothe me. I tried reading a book but the words started spiralling around on the page and my eyes began to burn.

From the thin walls, I could hear my mum clanking her pots and pans, softly listening to Frank Sinatra, as she prepared dinner. My dad was still at the bakery and was coming home late. Knowing this, it made me guilty that I will be out too on one of the weekends I had with her. I frowned, thinking of how lonely Felicia will look as she sits down on the table with her dinner, alone. I groaned and buried my face into my pillow. As I steadied my breathing and heart rate, I felt my nerves calm.

I was shaken awake by cold hands and muttered unintelligibly to myself, swatting the intruder away. Azure's bell of a giggle woke me up completely and I sighed, pushing my upper body off the bed.

"What?" I asked.

Azure giggled again. "What do you mean, what?" she grasped me beneath my arms and pulled me off my bed. "I'm here to make you beautiful for my brother." She lightly tapped my nose with her forefinger. "Not that you need it or anything," she adds before giggling again.

I blinked my eyes several times, getting rid of the sleep I wasn't used too. Azure rolled her eyes and giggled again.

“Get up, Lilith,” she pestered on. “You're putting a fashion show on for me and your mother.”

“What?” I asked, finally up in bed. I slid off the edge and stretched my arms. “We don't have time for a fashion show. We have....” I looked over at my ihome and watched the time blink at me. “-one hour before Amaranth comes here at five.”

“That's the perfect amount of time!” Azure squealed, her arms raised in the air with bags in her hands.

I scrunched my brows angrily. “Don't tell me that you bought more clothes for me Azure.” She looked back at me innocently. “What did I tell you!? Don't you remember that I can't pay you back for all of this!”

Azure laughed and shook her head. “This is my present for you, Lilith. I spend tons of money on clothes every month. Allow me to shop for you every once in a while. Believe me, Amaranth and I have more than enough money.”

I sighed. “I'm sure my mum wont be happy about this either.”

Azure grinned. “That doesn't bother me. I'm sure your mum wouldn't mind if I got her something too.”

I raised a brow and sighed again, giving up. “Let's just get ready.”

Azure grinned and nodded. She took out all the clothes from the shopping bags and laid them out across the bed. “Mrs. Globe!?” she called out from the open door and smiled politely when my mum came in asking what was wrong.

“I was just wondering if you'd join me in dressing up Lilith for her first date.”

“So it is a date!” I blushed as my mum looked at me with a knowing smirk. “You should have told me, Lilith. Aren't I your best friend?” My mum pouted, convincingly at that, and Azure laughed.

I looked down and shuffled my feet. “You are, I just didn't want you to make a big deal out of it.”

My mum giggled. “But it is! Your first date! I'm so proud of my baby. What's this boy like? Is he handsome?” I blushed as my mum gathered me into her arms and asked me questions about Amaranth. They were so blunt and the answer to each was “yes, yes, incredibly” and “irrevocably so” but I was hesitant to say this, especially in front of his sister.

“Aren't you his sister?” My mum finally asked Azure. “If you two look anything alike then he must be gorgeous!”

Azure giggled. “He's my twin, actually.”

My mum guffawed and giggled, looking back at me. “Oh, you got yourself a good one, Lilith.” I blushed again but hugged my mum back anyway. “How about we start dressing her then?”

Azure smirked over at me and I imagined her as the spawn of the devil for that moment. My mum had a similar look on her face and I stepped back from the two before Azure pointed out which outfits to put on first and the two left.

I stared at the clothes on my bed and started to put the first outfit on. It was a white shirt with a high-waisted floral skirt to go with it. I stepped out and had Azure and Felicia gush over me before I went back in and tried on the next. This process continued until the fifth outfit. It was a white v-neck with colourful feathers along the back and reaching out to the front. The pants I wore were black harems with side pockets. I picked up a gold necklace that was matched with the outfit and put it on. I stepped out of my room and Azure grinned.

“That's the perfect outfit! You're going in that.”

“You look endearing, Lilith.”

I blushed at the compliment and looked down. It didn't look like anything I would usually wear, especially the pants because they were so slouchy but I felt comfortable in them. They were like soft sweat pants but without the angry looks that Azure gave me. I think I found my second love.

I laughed as my mum twirled me around one last time and we went back to my room to clean the clothes. Azure pulled out a pair of sandals from my closet and I slipped them on before I forgot and walked out of the house barefoot. Knowing myself, I would forget such a simple task once I laid eyes on Amaranth.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Azure lied. “I got something for you too, Mrs. Globe!”

“Please call me Felicia, Azure. In our family we go by our given names,” she smiled as she folded the jeans from one outfit. “And absolutely not. I will not accept anything from you, Azure.”

Azure pouted. “But, please? I will not hesitate to be offended, Felicia.” She pouted once more, her inhuman charm adding to the effect of innocence.

My mum crumbled under the pathetic gaze and smiled. “Only once, Azure.”

Azure giggled and pulled a bag out of another shopping bag. “This bag is pretty simple but I thought it was still cute. I hope you like it. I was going to get clothes but I didn't know what size you were and I didn't want to just assume that you were as short at Lilith, which I'm glad I didn't or else I would be in trouble now....” Azure ranted as Felicia gushed over the bag. It was the perfect size for my mum, who hates small purses, and it was great for everyday use.

I smiled gratefully at Azure and she returned my smile with a wink. I left the two women alone when my mum started to talk about Azure's name meaning and how it fit her so well due to her eye colour and walked over to the kitchen to get a water bottle. I pulled one out of the fridge and opened it easily before taking a healthy gulp. The familiar icy stare was back and I giggled.

“Maybe if you knock on my door I'll let you in.”

“Maybe?” Amaranth voice asked. It was as soft as a whisper and there was no precise area it came from.

“Okay then. I will. Now how about it?”

Amaranth laughed. “You look cute today.”

I pouted. “Just today?”

I didn't get an answer back but a knock on the door instead. I capped the water bottle and put it back in the refrigerator before answering it. Amaranth leant down and cupped my cheek with his palm. He gazed back at me with our noses touching, a smirk on his face. I smirked back and tip toed a bit to reach him better. “I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Lily,” he whispered. “You always look beautiful.” His lips subtly touched mine and he kissed me lightly before my mum and Azure popped out from my room.

My mum grinned. “So this must be Amaranth,” she said as she offered her hand to Amaranth. “My name is Felicia.”

Amaranth took my mother's hand lightly and elegantly bent down to kiss her hand. Azure chortled and I rolled my eyes. Seems Amaranth has an uncanny ability to turn his charm on when it's least needed. My mother was already in love with him, not to mention so was I when he first introduced himself. in a similar fashion.

“Oh, what a charming boy!” Felicia complimented. “But you can't possibly be Lilith's or Azure's age. You're much to handsome for you features be anything but a grown man's.”

Amaranth smiled. “I get that a lot.” Not a lie. “It seems I developed fast.” Such a blatant lie. It almost made me roll my eyes. Amaranth winked at me quickly as my mum chuckled.

“Well, that doesn't matter. Take care of my daughter. I don't care when you bring her back but my husband wont be happy if you bring her back late before he's met you. So have her back before the sun starts setting.”

Amaranth made his promise to bring me back at a decent hour that would please both her and my father and gently slid my hand in his. I blushed as my mum grinned at the two of us.

“Have fun you two and stay safe,” she told us, almost throwing us out of the house. She turned back to Azure. “How about you stay a while longer Azure? Dinner is almost ready and I would love the company.”

Azure smiled back at my mum. “Sure, Felicia. Smelling your cooking has made me hungry as well.” She waved at us before closing the door and leaving us outside my apartment door.

Amaranth laughed and held me above the ground as he started descending the stairs. “When did you first notice?”

“Notice what?”

“Notice that I was...watching you.”

I almost scoffed at him not wanting to admit that he was stalking but instead I blushed. After his kiss, I completely forgot everything the happened before it. “The first day I moved to New York.”

Amaranth stopped walking and almost dropped me. He stared at me wide-eyed. “You knew the whole time!?”

My lips puckered out in an 'o' as I realised that he meant today, not always. “Y-yeah.”

Amaranth blushed and looked away from me. I must be having a lucky week. This is the second time I've seen him genuinely embarrassed and blushing. I giggled and placed my hands on his torso. “I thought you knew.”

“I didn't know that you knew!”

I giggled again and Amaranth relaxed but nervously ran his fingers through his hair. “You didn't think it was creepy?”

I shook my head. “Not really. I knew that it was you.”

“But before that.”

I shrugged. “I didn't feel in danger.”

Amaranth raised a brow thoughtfully. He smiled down at me and bent down on his knees so he was my height. “I believe that we were meant for each other, Lily.”

I blushed at his blunt words but smiled. “You think so too?”

Amaranth laughed and he gently kissed me again. I ran my fingers through his hair as he trailed kisses from the corner of my mouth, along my jaw line, to my ear. “How about we leave before I can no longer control myself and ravish you right here and now.”

I laughed as he stood up but secretly I wouldn't have minded even though I was happy he wasn't forcing anything on me, nor was he trying to kiss me after we made a promise. He held me up by one arm again and glided us down the rest of the stairs. We stepped out of the apartment building together, with my feet finally on the ground. The sun shined down brilliantly and I had to cover my eyes for the first few seconds after stepping out. Though I disliked the city, I couldn't lie and say that it wasn't in fact a beautiful today.

“So, where are we going?”

Amaranth grinned down at me. “We'll go for food first and later we'll figure out what to do before your mum wants you home.”

I smiled and looked back in front of me. I was amazed how even though we weren't in school, people on the streets still went out of their way to glare at me. I sighed and Amaranth tightened his grip on my hand for a moment. I looked up and he smiled. I forgot about the glaring girls and, ever so often, the boys, and let myself become excited over the evening with Amaranth.