Chapter 16: A Place I Call Home
Melody and I had just arrived back at my house. It was late in the afternoon since the sun was already setting. I walked up the oak wood stairs and reached out for the door handle with Melody by my side.
"Click."
All of a sudden, before I could even touch the door handle, it swung open.
"Nova, Melody, Okairi!"
Startled by the door opening suddenly I got into a fighting stance.
Then I realized, "...Zeph? Ah, I got freaked out for nothing."
I ruffled his hair then walked inside, "Tadaima!"
I saw both Elena and Markus sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room. they seemed to be watching television but it didn't look like the television I knew. It was spherical and projected the images in a much higher quality. It was also larger than a flat-screen that I had in my old world.
Elena was the first to greet us, "Okairi, Nova, Melody. Go wash up for now and I will start preparing dinner soon."
Melody and I walked upstairs to our bathroom and washed up. Melody decided to take a shower first so I waited in my room until it was my turn.
My thoughts drifted towards the events of today.
'How did he manage to get first?'
I thought about it but no matter how long I thought I still couldn't find an answer.
Aaron and Andrew on the other hand, were sacrificed for Cynthia. It was quite obvious that the both of them helped Cynthia by giving up their spirit animals while she was passed out.
As I laid in my twin sized bed, I stared at the ceiling like something was there but only my thoughts were in front of me. I guess some habits don't go away.
How long had it been since I left my world? two years? It only felt like a couple of weeks.
Who was that man outside my window? Why was he staring at me?
So many questions had to be answered.
I shook myself out of my deep thoughts and came back to reality.
The door to my bedroom opened and Melody came in with half dried hair.
She looked at me, "Hey, it's your turn."
I didn't move, instead I spoke, "Have you ever wanted to change anything?"
Melody stared at me clueless so I elaborated, "Have you ever wanted to change yourself or maybe others? I thought that changing everything would be for the better but it seems that somethings stay the same. If you could change something about your life, would you?"
Melody looked flabbergasted but still walked to my bed and laid down beside me, staring at the light blue painted ceiling.
She was silent for awhile, just staring into space.
She eventually spoke, "I wouldn't change anything."
I was surprised, "What?"
She responded calmly, "If I changed something without working for it, then nothing would change. Of course I want things to change but that doesn't mean that that is the right decision. If I changed something then I would change as well and I like who I am."
I thought about what Melody said and It was all true. I was so caught up in myself that I didn't care about the consequences.
What if life was different? What If I could change something?
Melody's sentiment made me think of a quote from my old world.
'"The world is not beautiful, therefore it is."'
This world may be ugly on the surface, but, if you look closely, it also contains beauty. There cannot be ugliness without beauty.
A faint smile appeared on my face, "Thanks, Melody, for listening to my nonsense."
Melody sat up, "I'm happy to listen."
She flashed that same awe inspiring smile and walked to the wooden door of my room.
She interlocked her fingers behind her back and bent over slightly, still wearing that beautiful smile, "Go take a shower before I eat all the food for myself."
She giggled then walked out of the room.
I just now noticed that, since an unknown time, my heart had been heavily racing.
'I can see why the owner of this body liked her so much.'
I grabbed some new clothes to change into after the shower and headed to the bathroom.
The upstairs was a bit different from the downstairs one. Firstly, it was much bigger. It was at least the size of the dining room downstairs. It had a very large round bathtub that could fit multiple people in it and a full wall mirror to the right of the sink that was beside the entryway.
I undressed and gave myself a once over in the mirror.
'No matter how may times I saw myself like this, I never get used to it.'
I turned the valve on and hot water began flowing from the shower head. I got in and started to wash my body. I couldn't help but notice my smooth skin as I was washing myself. It was as smooth as limestone and as soft as silk. My hair was also soft and smooth but not as much as my skin was. I washed and rinsed my hair, then grabbed a towel off of the towel rack near the bathtub. I dried myself off then put on clean clothes. First my new underwear that my family and I went shopping for, then my pajama pants and shirt.
So far being a girl had been full of new experiences and I learned a few things.
1. Bras are really uncomfortable
2. Brushing my hair everyday is a pain
3. Make up is essential for going out of the house.
Although, I don't wear makeup often because I look beautiful without it. I'm not being vain or anything but this body was almost perfect in the looks department.
I walked out of the bathroom and with the temperature difference I shivered.
I descended the nicely wooden carved stairs and entered the dining room where everyone was sitting in their usual spots.
I sat in between Melody and Zeph on one side of the table while Elena and Markus sat together on the other side.
I could see they were waiting for me since the food was all ready out on the table.
I sat in my seat, "Sorry for making you guys wait."
Elena responded, "No worries. Let's eat."
We all spoke to one another as we ate. Melody and I spoke about the test and how I had not gotten first but managed to help Melody instead. Zeph talked about what he was doing in school, which was mostly the basics of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Elena and Markus spoke about the progress of Elena's training. Elena seemed to have finally master Sound Tunnel and was now attempting to master Vocal Swipe which was the spell I used on Terra and Crystal.
I didn't know why but I liked to name spells that were unique to me. Maybe because I read too many manga in my old world.
I heard that there were a few high level song mages who were capable of manipulating other people's voices but these were all rumors I gathered off the street.
Eventually, I brought up a conversation on something related to Thorn Hill.
I spoke, "Mom, dad, If I make it into Thorn Hill I would like to be entered into a dorm, if thats alright with you. I want to experience the best this school has to offer me and by being on campus it would help me significantly with my training. They have specialized rooms for training that helps with the usage of spirit energy so one can train longer."
They both had different facial expressions. Elena looked like she would scowl at me while Markus looked pleased with my reasoning.
Markus noticed that Elena was very upset and comforted her, "Dear, I think we should let her."
Elena now turned to Markus a bit less upset than before, "Why? I won't be able to see her as often anymore and I will be lonely."
Elena puffed out her cheeks indicating she was upset.
I interrupted before Markus could respond, "I have a solution for that."
Both Markus and Elena stared at me with curious eyes.
From what information I gathered so far, this world was equivalent to the western 1800's where carriages were used and there was not much advancement in medicine. They didn't even have ways of communication besides mailing letters.
If My guess is correct, I can create a telephone with song magic!
Okairi- A Japanese phrase used to welcome someone home from wherever they went out to.
Tadaima- A Japanese phrase meaning I am home or I have returned.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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