Summary - Rumi wants to see the world but is kept hidden away by Celine, a voice calls to her to embrace her power and she leaves her home for the first time to explore, but she soon finds the world to be a complicated place of good and evil.
Smiling wide even before she opened her eyes, Rumi was bursting with excitement, an energy her body could barely contain. Today was the day, nothing, not rain or thunder or the most malicious demon that ever crawled through a breach, would stop her from going to this show. Having saved up the money, spent hours waiting in online ques and holding onto her tickets for almost a year-tonight was the night. There was only one problem, she hadn’t asked or even told Celine, she wanted to go.
That's why she jumped out of bed bright and early making sure to get all her chores completed. Starting with the garden she tended to the vegetable patch, picking anything ripe then watered and dropped feed on the rest.
Nothing knew she was used to days like this, pottering around the small country house alone, she found her fun dancing or singing as she mopped, dusted, even replacing burnt light globes and fixing broken appliances. It was all done, every task Celine's list and more, but it was only noon. The accomplished smile on Rumi’s face quickly faded as she looked around the empty house. A place that never saw visitors and that she rarely ever left, only on special occasions to the local market. But Rumi had never been further than a few miles from her home.
Isolated it made her stronger-at least that what she was told, that the sheltered life in this little house protected her. That the world beyond these rolling hills and fresh air was dangerous, filled with people to exploit her or demons that wanted to kill her. Celine had told Rumi this so often, she believed wholeheartedly. More than that it changed the way Rumi saw the world, not afraid, but angry, at all the people that couldn’t accept her.
Sitting at her desk Rumi rushed through her coursework and assignments laid out for her to increase her chances of going out tonight. The time only seemed to pass slower and her thoughts wandered, daydreams filled her mind. Visions of an angelic face reaching out a hand beckoning her to join it, in the darkness. Despite this she felt a warmth and stepped forward taking the man's hand but his expression changed to a sadistic grin, with eyes that were fiery orange.
“Rumi?” Celine's concerned tone woke her from the dream.
“Your home? What, oh” Rumi questioned a piece of paper stuck to her face, she pulled it off with a sigh stretching her strained neck.
“What were you doing?”
“I finished my assignments”
“Already? Rumi, are you getting enough rest?”
“Yes, um of course”
“If you're getting enough sleep, then why have you fallen asleep at your desk?”
“Never-mind”
“Ok, well I got us some tofu, and I know what your going to say we had that yesterday-but I found a new recipe for dinner tonight”
“About that-”
Celine stopped unpacking the groceries, locking eyes with Rumi. She let out a deep breath.
“I was thinking-you know, the show tonight, in the city”
“What?”
“I want to go”
“I don’t think there’s still tickets available, Rumi” She chuckled, brushing it off and continuing to unpack.
“I already have one”
At this Celine’s head snapped up and she looked at her not with concern, but fear in her eyes.
“You got tickets?” Celine’s soft nonchalant tone vanished, now harsh and stern as she stepped closer.
“I brought them online”
“Rumi, how will you get there?” Celine shook her head as if she could just come up with enough excuses, that Rumi would drop it.
“I already figured it out there’s a bus that comes by, just up the road from here” Rumi placed a timetable in front of her “Then it's just a short walk to the train station and its stops right outside the arena”
There was a long uncomfortable pause and she saw Celine's mind was racing, trying to find a reason she couldn’t go.
“I’ll be back before midnight” Rumi stepped closer but Celine backed away.
“R-Rumi maybe another time, it’s late notice”
“I’ve done all my chores and homework, I’ve got my jacket and long sleeve shirt, no one will see my patterns”
“Events like this, draw demons in, it’s not safe” Celine turned around, pulling her sleeves down over her patterns as she stated this.
“Please-I’ll be good, no one will even see me” Rumi’s eager tone did not fade in fact her voice heightened.
“I said. No!”
Towering over her now, Rumi felt small slinking back slightly in the face of Celine’s anger. In moments like this, she was frightening as the very monsters she warned Rumi against. Rumi’s heart raced and she swallowed hard but didn’t dare move or recoil away, in fact she reached out wrapping her arms around Celine for comfort.
Lingering for just a moment too long, before Celine embraced the hug by patting her back lightly, this touch, the only love Rumi had ever known and she squeezed even tighter, relieved to still have it. Celine took a step back looking down and placed her finger on Rumi’s chin forcing her to look up at her.
“Don’t ever ask to leave-again”
Nodding her head in silence Rumi couldn’t speak knowing if she did it would come out in sobs, with that Celine gave a satisfied smile, pleased the subject was dropped.
Before the tears fell Rumi rushed to her room slamming the door shut and slumped down the floor as if she could no longer carry the weight of her grief. A life spent in solitude she mourned every experience she already missed. Playing in the park as a child, learning to ride a bike, birthday parties, her first day of school-making friends, most of this was already lost to her.
Looking up, the concert ticket was still there on her dresser and she inhaled deeply hearing the sounds of the music, like it was energy flowing through her. The tiger striped patterns along her arms began to glow, a beautiful array of reds and purples. Getting to her feet she clenched her fists and took the ticket and her long sleeved jacket, zipping it up tight.
“Now what?” Rumi questioned herself already having made the decision to leave, but she didn’t know how to do so undetected.
“Go,” an unknown voice demanded.
“Who’s there?”
A sudden realization washed over her: the voice was coming from inside her head whispering and she had heard it before. In moments of peril or deep depression it had pulled her out. Was this just some broken part of her or something more-something she needed to embrace.
“The window”
Nodding her head Rumi walked over to the window opening it up but she was up on the second floor and there was no way she could get down and cross the yard without being detected. Knowing this she still stepped out to the ledge, standing up straight she didn’t jump down but reached up, gripping the roof she pulled herself up and over.
“Wow” Rumi gasped at the sight of the sunset of the vast world around her waiting to be explored.
“Jump”
Rushing forwards with a smile she leaped off the roof, but she didn't fall to the ground instead vanishing in a puff of red smoke.
