Context: Sometime in the summer of 2019 (which doesn't exactly make this story "new") I came up with an idea for a fantasy story. Only, it revolved less around a plot or concept and more so around the characters I'd created for it, so it didn't get very far. I also really never got around to titling the story, but if I ever did go back to it, I'd have to think up something creative. This is the only set piece of writing I ever composed for it. Lidiya was meant to be somewhat of a self-insert (though it's more complex than that) and Nyx was just one of those characters who's prone to pay attention to things everyone else ignores. This part of the story wasn't meant to be in his POV, but I got interested in writing it at the time because (mini-spoiler?) I really wanted to play with the idea of a main character's sometimes inaccurate perception tainting a reader's idea of what's actually going on in a scene. While there are a few mild critiques I have for this and a few concepts that could stand to be described a bit more, I really like how it turned out. 

***

Nyx was slipping through the hallway undetected when he caught sight of exactly who he was looking for.

It's her.

Silently, though it didn't matter if he made a sound, he crept by the groups of high-schoolers who were talking and laughing as if they'd never encountered a real problem in their lives. Just one look at all of them and he knew they had no idea what it was to be broken. Idiots.

And then he saw her. Clearly.

Lidiya. That was what she'd called herself. Bouncing curls edged her shoulders, as if she didn't have enough bounce to her already. Unlike everyone else, she was practically skipping. She definitely seemed not to have a care in the world. It was almost easy to think that she was... normal. But he knew what he'd seen. There was a lot beneath the surface.

The one thing that astounded him about her was her eyes. Both times he'd seen her, he'd had to fight to look past the shining, amber pools of sun that were unlike any other eye color he'd seen before. The bright shade almost seemed to fit her. It was shocking that not many people had noticed her, especially when she had an orange stare that wasn't unlike being hit with rays of pure light. Even without his abilities, she stuck out like a sore thumb.

But how to get her alone?

He couldn't deny it. He had never seen someone so oblivious in his entire life. She was constantly aloof. Her head was always somewhere else. It was a wonder she'd skipped a grade at all, with the way her mind constantly seemed to drift. So he had a feeling that it'd be pretty hard to get her alone, especially with her overprotective friend following her everywhere.

At the moment, Lidiya seemed to be alone- for the second time since he'd met her. Her usual companion didn't seem to be flanking her and whispering in her ear, like usual, but he figured she was probably nearby. The girl was around the same height as her, but her hair was straight and jet-black unlike Lidiya's dark brown. Icy blue eyes tended to glare his way, and even though she'd never spoken a word to him, the intended message always got through- back off.

It made his head spin to wonder where Lidiya could've possibly found and accepted that kind of friend in her life. She seemed toxic, the way she never left her side. He'd seen those kind of girls before, and the way they gossiped and rumoured and influenced others around them was sickening. Their type was usually conceited, too. This one was no different, and he knew it. At least now she was gone.

Eye on his charge, Nyx slipped between the friendly bantering and mock wrestling of students until he finally found himself at Lidiya's locker. She was already occupied, though, talking with some redhead girl who he didn't recognize. I'll wait until she's done, and then take her somewhere we can talk, he reasoned, taking a few steps to reside in a shadowy corner next to a doorway.

"You're just trouble," a voice muttered from off to the side.

Nyx turned to see... her. Lidiya's dark-haired, blue-eyed, and rude acquaintance. He sighed. He didn't have time for side comments from clueless nitwits who managed to catch him unaware. It wasn't like she'd remember him in a few minutes, anyway. "She can decide that for herself," he informed crisply.

And the girl froze. She literally stopped moving in front of him. Her eyes, filled with shock, were glued on him, as if she were flabbergasted that someone would dare snap back at her. Nyx rolled his eyes at the idiocy. He could drag her off of whatever high horse she sat on, and he could do it quickly.

He almost laughed when she gave a discomfited, "E-excuse me?!"

"Lidiya not yours to control, stupid," he retorted. "Let her be her own person, for Heaven's sake."

Oh, he'd made her angry now. She was trembling, and her eyes were wide with rage. She seemed like she was about to snap, but with a flush of her cheeks, the girl contained herself. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave her well enough alone," she hissed warningly.

He snorted. It was obvious the jerk thought she could intimidate him. He rolled his eyes again, this time right in front of her face so that she could see. "I do what I want, thanks."

She whirled around furiously, stalking away. Nyx thought she was just leaving the conversation, but when he saw the direction she was headed, it clicked in his head what she was up to. "You better not be trying to get Lidiya to stay away from me! You can't do that!" he called after her.

Halting, the girl turned just for a moment, her swaying black hair coming to a standstill. She basically spat out the words. "Try me."

"Do anything and you'll be sorry," he threatened.

This time, he watched in shock as she rolled her eyes at him. "You couldn't keep that promise if you wanted to," she answered sharply.

Nyx knew that it wouldn't matter anyways. He knew that in mere moments, she'd probably forget the interaction completely. But he didn't want her getting in the way of the person he'd been sent to speak to. That, along with the burst of irritation she'd set off in him, prompted him to act rashly. Before he even planned it out, he grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards. She was more than easy to pull, and she quickly stumbled back, yelping.

He didn't care who noticed him basically attacking a stranger. All of it would leave the minds of everyone later. With the girl right in front of him and a firm grasp on her arm, he whispered, "Don't even think about getting in my way. I have my ways of subduing you, got it?"

All he expected her to do was scream at him to let him go, so when she didn't say anything to him, he was mildly surprised. Then suddenly he felt something. He looked down at his hand and noticed that it was jerking all over the place. And then he realized why. He was holding her arm, and it was shaking. She was shaking madly.

Looking into her eyes, Nyx only felt a tiny stab of guilt- yet guilt nonetheless- when the girl seemed purely petrified. Oh. He probably should've toned it down a bit, but it was too late now. Besides, it wasn't like she'd be able to remember him. And she had been a jerk, to him and to Lidiya. Honestly, Lidiya's friend group wasn't his business, but he really didn't want this kind of obstacle in his way every time he tried to reach her.

Even though it didn't relate whatsoever, he found himself studying the person in front of him. He took her in. Her height was average, her skin was pale, but her heart-shaped face... it had a striking resemblance to someone he couldn't put his finger on. Straight, black hair almost reached her hips, shiny and flawless. Her eyes were a perfect frosty blue, like they were circles of ice taken right from a winter day. The color was striking.

Immediately upon looking into her eyes, Nyx let her go. For a moment, she didn't budge. She just looked at him, shaken. Like she didn't know what to do.

And then, like that, she made up her mind. She turned heel and ran... back in the direction she'd been running in before. Desperacy tainted her steps. "Lidiya!!!" She was practically screaming, her face flushed red.

Nyx swallowed an expletive and chased after her. I should've known she wouldn't listen. This complicates things. He tried to run, but surprisingly, she was faster. It was as if she'd navigated through crowds of people effortlessly all her life.

To his sheer disbelief, Lidiya was too busy humming to herself to hear the call. That girl is the only person on this earth who could be in earshot of a scream of that volume and ignore it, he noted with annoyance, though it worked in his favor.

The dark-haired girl didn't grab Lidiya and drag her away, much like he'd anticipated. Instead, she started passionately whispering something in her ear. Ugh, girls. Lidiya made no outward sign of even listening, and she continued to hum under her breath, but... she definitely caught something, because she turned in Nyx's direction and spotted him. If she was pretending to be oblivious, she was being smarter about it than he thought possible. I almost don't believe it. She does have a brain.

As he got closer, Nyx caught snippets of commands from the girl doing the whispering- "don't trust him for anything... stay alert, don't let down your guard..." He also frowned when he heard something else that related to lions or escaping, and it made no sense. But by that time, Lidiya's comrade knew he was in earshot, so it was most likely an attempt to throw him off of whatever stupidity they were trying to hide. It wasn't like he cared about secrets and stuff. Heck, he wasn't trying to ruin their friendship. But this was necessary. It wasn't his or Lidiya's fault that she was potentially more powerful and dangerous than she realized.

"Hey, Nyx! It's you!" Lidiya greeted brightly as soon as he was close enough. "Nice to see you again!"

He was taken aback by her warmth. No hostility, no glares, nothing. No sign that her friend had just insulted him and warned her to stay away from him in front of her face. Just pure excitement from her. Was she... acting? Just pretending to be happy to see him? No. There was no way anyone could do that good of a job playing the part. Not even girls who were talented fakes and liars could pull off this kind of sincerity, could they? Questions buzzed all around him. It clicked then and there. Something's off with all this.

Nyx intended to find out what it was.

"Hey," he muttered, "can I get you alone for a few minutes?"

Lidiya looked confused, a bit intimidated, and not in the least bit suspicious. "Um, sure, I guess?" she answered after a while, an eyebrow raised. She didn't seem to notice how her friend behind her shot daggers at him with her eyes.

She gestured for him to follow her down the stairs, and he groaned. Kids were crowding the staircase, both moving and standing around. Nyx hated being in crowds when he could be spotted. Lidiya gave him a lingering look, and then ran into the fray. She jumped down the steps, almost unaware that he wasn't close behind. His eyes narrowed. If she was trying to lose him, it wasn't going to work.

He raced down the steps, dodging kids left and right and trying his hardest to stay under the radar. About three-fourths of the way down the stairs, though, he nearly tripped as someone rammed right into his shoulder. A muffled squeak sounded from in front of him. He righted himself, rubbed his shoulder, and glared.

A mass of a girl's wavy, bright blonde hair practically got into his eyes, temporarily blocking his view. He waved it out of his sight. "Excuse me," he murmured impatiently, not in the mood to push her out of the way where everyone could see. He was tempted to shove her and leave.

"Aaah! I'm so sorry!" she squealed, running right past him without so much as another glance. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

He shook his head with a momentary flash of anger. And I thought Lidiya was the most absent-minded person in this school. Then, it hit him- Lidiya. Because of the setback, he had lost her. Anxiously, he looked around as he hurled himself over the banister of the steps and landed at the bottom of the staircase. There was no sight of the girl he had been searching for.

His hands curled into fists. You. Have got. To be kidding me. All that for nothing. If she had been deliberately trying to escape him, she was probably long gone by now. It'd be near impossible to find her again in the mass of students.

"Is that you, Nyx?"

Nyx's head shot in the direction where he heard the familiar voice. Lidiya was waving to him from across the hall as she skipped over. He had just started to bask in relief when he noticed something.

His blood turned to ice as she got closer.

"I think we got separated," Lidiya said apologetically. "That was my fault. I should've paid more attention."

He moved his hands behind his back in case they had started shaking. This shouldn't be possible. I can't be seeing what I'm seeing. I don't understand. His mind was going everywhere at once. His heart felt like it had stopped beating altogether.

"Nyx?"

Weakly, he replied, "What is it?"

She tilted her head. "You said you wanted to talk to me alone. Where do you think we should go?" Her hands took a place at her hips.

"I- not now," he stammered. "I, uh, forgot. I have something I have to do. Come back tomorrow. Or something like that. I don't know." The words came out in a rush, which was unusual for him. He couldn't speak. His head refused to focus.

By now, Lidiya looked completely perplexed, but she paused, and then laughed. "Alright then," she concluded. "That's... weird. But alright. I'll see you around."

She walked away with a wave, and Nyx took a moment to process before leaning against the wall in pure shock.

No one told me I would be facing something like this.

He couldn't shake the image of her from his mind's eye. Lidiya had been kind to him. She acted like her intentions hadn't been to escape his line of sight at all. She was bright, cheery, and a bit unpredictable. But all that was normal. Relatively, at least.

It wasn't her actions that unnerved him. He could see right past all that now- it was the last thing he was thinking about. Her face was clear as day in the memory of what had just occurred, and it had scared him half to death when he'd seen a change in her facial features that he'd never witnessed on anyone else in his life.

Her amber eyes certainly were not amber anymore.

Somehow, in the course of a minute, they had turned blood red.

***

There is a WHOLE LOT going on in this that's meant to be hard to grasp at this part of the story. There is the element that, in hindsight, this whole scene is a little more rushed than it should be, but it was also meant to be difficult to understand.

Nyx's entire character arc is founded upon his ability to see... well, the unseen. The part of his character I absolutely adored at the time (and still do!) is his ability to completely negate that with his unending ignorance and quick judgement. He's a smart guy, but he can jump to really inadequate conclusions... especially since he's prone to being biased and unreasonable. So, he's basically made to be a walking oxymoron; he's able to see more than most, but painfully unwilling to really NOTICE most of it.

I swear Lidiya has character. She's not just a bubbly, oblivious person. It's just... hard to see past that at this point. But also quite simple. Hahaha. Like I said, a lot going on.

Oh, and for the record, her eyes are grey to the rest of the world (besides people like Nyx). If this helps at all :DD

Anyway, without much more prior context besides what's up top, I'm pretty sure this doesn't make much sense. But if anyone is curious (or has any guesses) as to what happened in this whole exchange, leave a comment. It's super fun to explain, too!