part I

It is the first time, in a very long time, that I have felt alive.

She stares at the board, a restless beauty. The curls in her hair, a labyrinth of twists and spirals, fall into her eyebrows and frame her face. She is imperfect, but she is beautiful.

Arabella.

She is light, and I am shadows. But I cannot exist without her. I have known this for months now, since I first saw her, since she told me her name in her confident, jarringly open voice.

"Arabella."

The girl made of outer space. The girl more stunning than any sunset I have ever seen. The girl who is the reason for my best days.

Arabella.