It wasn't until we had finally sat down that both our parents simultaneously turned to us, chorusing a jolly "Happy Birthday!" in unison. Slightly too synchronized, it almost sounded rehearsed. We thanked them, nonetheless. I attempted to behave normally: to smile, to fit into the warm and cozy family atmosphere filling the restaurant. But something drew my attention.
Instinctively, I turned my head to check if Sahasra had taken her seat beside me. Before I could even finish looking, she turned toward me as if she knew I was going to look at her. And that was when everything stopped.
Her eyes, normally soft and warm in color, were ablaze with streaks of gold swirling through them like molten metal. At the center of each pupil was a rising red dragon coiled, as if ready to tear free. My breath hitched. Something deep inside me recognized the symbol, though with absolute certainty I knew I had never seen it before. A strange chill began to crawl up my spine.
I was about to jerk my head away, to pretend I hadn't seen anything, when her hand shot out. She caught the front of my shirt and pulled me toward her. Before my mind caught up, her lips landed on mine.
My whole body froze.
Shock, confusion, warmth, fear-emotions crashed into me like waves during a storm. But under all that, there was something more. Something I couldn't explain. A sense of. familiarity. As if we had done this before. That kissing her was something I had always known how to do, even though it was my first kiss. The strangest part was how a part of me wasn't surprised at all. It felt like a memory I didn't remember having.
When she finally pulled away, the world felt unreal, as if everything had shifted a little to the left. I sat frozen, my mind desperately trying to process what had just happened. And then the pain hit.
A stabbing, splitting pain tore through my skull, sharp enough to make me grab my head instinctively. My vision blurred.
"Are you okay, Vicky?" my mom inquired, the tone of her voice tinged with concern.
"I'm fine, Mom," I managed to say, although my voice sounded far away, even to myself. "I just… need to wash my face."
I excused myself and hastened toward the restroom, trying not to stagger. The moment the cold water made contact with my skin, the pain began to dissipate, like a tide drawing back into the ocean. Shakily, I exhaled and lifted my head to peer into the mirror.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
I leaned in. My pupils— normally a dark brown—now were fully black, with that same rising dragon symbol burning faintly at their center, just like Sahasra's. A cold realization washed over me.
So this is what she meant… "wait till the time comes."
I stared at my own unfamiliar eyes, heart thundering.
It's time, I thought.