InterLife

Chapter 12

I remember it like it had been yesterday. The soft dark teal gown, my hair curling down my shoulders and the ballerina's with the slightest heel. I remember feeling like a princess. No matter what anyone said, I genuinely believed that every girl at some point wanted to be a princess. To wear the most breathtaking dresses, a shiny tiara and twinkling jewels. Had I known what I knew now, I would have politely declined the dress and gotten out of there the second I could. Unfortunately, even though last year the VR lenses were adapted to make dreams equally intense and detailed as they did in actual VR worlds, they still remained uncontrollable. Thus, once more, I was 11 and standing in my bedroom, staring into the mirror. I could see the door opening and a young boy revealing himself. He too had bright blue eyes, just like mine, yet I liked his better.

"You look beautiful Lys," he whispered as he tugged on his tie.

"Close your eyes Cal," I turned around and placed my hands on my big brother's eyes. "I'm not finished yet!" He only chuckled as he raised his hands and placed them in front of his eyes. I sighed out of relief, grateful for just the few more seconds I had to get those stupid pearl earrings into my ears. I had never been the kind of girl to wear earrings every day, it was more like a 'once a year' occurrence. As I struggled, I heard the door open once more and an elderly lady with hair as white as snow stepped inside.

"Callum, Cælysia, are you nearly finished?" She inquired. I finally managed to push the final earring into the pierced hole in my ear and I clapped my hands.

"All done! Look how pretty!" I pointed at my own reflection as my brother removed his hands. He nodded, while the woman took a few steps closer to us. She smiled at my reflection and placed a kiss on the back of my head.

"You are the most beautiful granddaughter I have," she replied. I crossed my arms and humphed.

"I am your only granddaughter, Nana," I responded.

She laughed peculiarly, like the way a queen would laugh. Careful and modest. "It is time to go downstairs, people are awaiting our arrival."

Callum and I followed her out of the room. While we walked through the hallway, he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to whisper in my ear. "Let's play a game."

Instantly I turned my head, intrigued by his idea. "What game?"

"The first one that dances with someone with green eyes gets the others' desert for a week," he replied.

"Why green?" I wondered as we took a left, reaching closer and closer to the Hall.

"Green is the most unique eye colour," he explained, "it'll be the most difficult to find. Are you up for a challenge?" I nodded vigorously, we both loved games and challenges. Usually there wasn't a lot to do at these gatherings, so Callum and I would invent games like these quite often. It was a way to pass the time that did not involve exasperating grandma.

"I will defeat you with ease," I vowed and he laughed as he shook his head.

"We shall see," he whispered back right before we entered the main Hall. The Hall was a magnificent and extensive room, filled with people and tables overflowing with food. For these gatherings, every single person in the room wore a pair of small chips in their eyes. These lenses showed the name of each person above their heads, which made holding a conversation much easier. If you managed to remember who was who, of course.

Nonetheless, that did not matter for me. These people, which grandma had told us had been good friends of our parents, did not come here to see me. They came here for Callum, for his 14th birthday. I simply got to enjoy the food and avoid people without being scolded. I also knew this meant that many of them would be attempting to talk to my brother, making it much more difficult for him to dance with a green eyed partner.