Just a Side Character. (1)

Chapter One. Perfect, Pure, Precious.

Do you ever have those intense dreams? Dreams that are so strange and they feel alien and familiar at the same time? My dreams are all like this, mostly about old lives I’ve lived. At this point, I don’t know who I am until The Plot begins. Then I can finally fall into my role.

But when you have these dreams and it suddenly feels like you're falling? That is exactly what it’s like to be reborn. I’m falling through the sky until I’m suddenly dropped, looking up at a couple, teary-eyed and smiling.

The worst part is infancy. First, I keep all my memories, yet I have the functions of a baby. I know how to talk, write, walk, and all of that stuff. Yet, my body is unable to do the things I know. It’s horribly frustrating for someone who’s actually 400 years old.

And people act weird around newborns.

For example. My parents, Dewdrop and Thicket White Willow. A sweet couple, both with dark skin, curly hair, and glittery wings behind them. They named me Yasmin, and I was reborn as a fairy.

But baby talk. Worst. Thing. Ever.

“Hi there, Min! You look so cute today! Yes, you do!”

“Let’s get you dressed and changed for the day!”

But Dewdrop was kind, green eyes glowing with love. Thicket had dark grey eyes and had this strange obsession with petting his beard. Like the other fairies, the family lived in a large tree, had silvery wings, and loved nature. They were the perfect stereotypical fairies.

“I have some pretty flowers! Huh, what do you think, Mina?”

Well, they were pretty, I had to admit that.

It was several years later that I met the Main Character, the person the whole plot revolved around. Until then, I would have to play along with my ‘Parents’

I was twenty when I met him, just starting to learn to fly. By the Faries’ standards, I was still just a child, but that didn’t stop me from sneaking out. I was hundreds of years old; no simple door could keep me from climbing trees.

So, I explored. The trees were taller than Earthly mountains with flowers as big as Earth trees. I loved walking through the grass, they went up above my head. Everything felt so much bigger, that, or I was that much smaller. I was climbing a rock, trying to see things better, when I saw him.

He looked so pretty. Everything about him was white, his skin, his hair, and even his eyes were a clear blue. He was beautiful.

And crying.

“Hi, I’m Yasmin.” I jumped down and he curled tighter into a ball. “Are you alright, why are you crying?”

He tried to stop crying, but the tears wouldn’t stop. I walked closer, and that’s when I saw the mark.

As a Side-Character, The Writer needed an easy way for me to know who I was helping. So, they put an invisible mark on the person, MC. I had SCM on my wrist, Side-Character for Main. Seeing MC on the back of his neck, I knew the story had finally begun.

“Are you wounded?”

He shook his head and started to breathe better. By then, I was only a few wing beats away and sat next to him.

“These flowers are giant, aren’t they? I love looking up to see their magnificent petals. What’s your favorite color? I like pink, it’s so happy and bright.”

“Blue.”

His voice was soft, like the song of a bird. This Main was fascinating.

An idea hit me and I jumped up, climbing the rock once more and ripping off some grass. I slid back down to where the boy was waiting. Holding it in my hand, I made sure I had his close attention. Then, I turned the green grass a light blue color, just like his eyes.

Keeping my eyes on his face, I got to see him smile, and his eyes go wide. His mouth dropped, and he jerked to look at me, astonishment in his eyes.

“How’d you do that?”

“It’s called magic. Faires like me have a stronger connection to the land, which means we can manipulate and change things connected to it. It takes some of my energy so I can only do it in small and concentrated amounts.”

The boy stared at me, and I realized I had talked too much. Physically, I looked about nine years old; and children that young don’t use words like ‘manipulate’ or ‘concentrated.’

“It’s pretty!” I shoved it closer to the boy, and that thankfully took his mind off my words.

After talking and making the boy warm up to me, I convinced him to come home with me. He was alone in the woods and crying, it’s totally part of the plot to take him.

He clutched my hand as he walked. He was shorter and probably younger, it just made him even cuter. The boy would trip every once in a while, and I had to hold in my coos of adoration. I just wanted to squeeze him!

By the time we got to the Home Tree, the boy was rubbing his eyes and yawning. The sun was starting to set, and he must have had a long day. I had to get him home and in bed before he fell to the floor.

Reaching the Home Tree, the boy was dangling off my arm. There was no way I would be able to climb or fly all the way up with him on my back. And even Grammi Meadow wouldn’t be able to hear me calling. It would be up to me to get this boy to me my family’s level. I bent down, pulling him easily onto my back.

“I need you to hold on, okay?”

I received a week nod, and the boy tightened his grip around my neck. With one hand holding the boy, I climbed up the small pebble and to a nearby flower bud. I should be able to get to Grammi and Grampa, and then they could help me get further up.

Closing my eyes, I tightened my grip on the bud. I hadn’t done anything this complicated, and never with someone on my back. The worst thing that could happen would be us falling off to our deaths. Yeah, that doesn’t make me nervous at all.

Grow.

Sending my energy through my hands and into the flower, we started to climb. It was small at first, barely reaching above the roots. Eventually, we were higher in the sky and reaching Grammi’s level.

Reaching the landing platform, I fell against the flower petals. I could hear my family, but I was too drained. I couldn’t even open my eyes. But I did it, I made the flower grow to reach the first level of the Home Tree.

~~~~

I woke up alone. At first, this wasn’t a worry or concern. All my siblings were gone, so being alone wasn’t strange. Then I remembered the boy.

I jerked up, scanning the room for the bright white. Seeing the fluff of white next to me on the bed, I took some calming breaths and laid back down.

The boy was turned to me, light eyelashes gracing his cheeks. He was like paper, fragile, and delicate. I would have to train this Main Character hard, keep his kind heart but give him armor for the said heart. He would be fierce and sweet, the perfect Main Character.

His eyelashes began to flutter, and a smile grew on his face. Soon after, his eyes opened, revealing pale blue eyes.

Seeing my stare, pink spread across his face before he disappeared behind the covers. He was just so cute!

“Hi there, what’s your name?”

He mumbled something that I couldn’t hear. I could barely even see his hair and hands.

“I’m Yasmin White Willow,” I got a giggle, and I suddenly remembered that I had already told him that. It was worth it, though, for the giggle and grin.

“Can I know your name, please?”

It took some time, but the boy finally moved the blanket enough from his face so I could hear his words.

“Sorata.”

“Sorata...”

He gave no response or any sign that he understood my words. Did he not know the importance of family names? Without a family name, you are nothing, no family, no job, or reputation. At least, that's how it worked in this world.

“What’s your family name?”

Sorata just shook his head, he really didn’t know. But I did find him alone and crying in the grass, something terrible must have happened to him and his family.

“It’s okay, we can talk about that later. You hungry?”

A light entered his eyes, and I let out a laugh. Grammi would see his small body and shove food down his throat. Hopefully, that wouldn’t scare him away from my family or me.

“Let’s go find Grammi!”

I leaped out of bed, landing with a thud. Sorata, on the other hand, delicately got up, slid to the floor, and fixed the bed behind him. What a strange child, and that’s coming from me.

Walking out of the room, we were greeted by Grammi and Grampa sitting on one of the ledges. Both fluttering down to pinch at cheeks and coo. Another annoying thing about being reborn.

Sorata didn’t seem to know what to do with all the attention. The traumatic backstory is defiantly crucial in this story. If I had to guess, he was the last of his kind and his parents died to protect him, somewhat cliché, but this was what the Writer wanted.

“Now, let’s get some meat on those skinny bones of yours. What do you like meat, vegetables, sweets, sour? Anything you want, dear.”

He just smiled and ducked his head, avoiding eye contact.

“Grammi, don’t bother my new friend!”

She just leaned down and pinched at my cheeks again, she was always doing that.

“I won’t little Mina. I promise to not scare him. What shall we treat him with, though?”

“Sweet Grass!”

Grammi laughed and glided over to make the treat. I have no idea what goes into it, all I know and care about is that it’s the sweetest thing Grammi has ever given me. And Chi Chi and Ren Ren hate it so that just adds to the taste.

Grampa helped little Sorata get onto a stool while I managed to fly the small distance. Swinging feet and sharing looks, the two of us waited somewhat patiently.

Sorata kept looking around the house. Since Faries can fly, storage went all the way up to the top. Ledges lined the wall, and that was where most Faries kept chairs or other furniture. Depending on where Sorata came from, this whole place could be the strangest thing.

“Here we go, two sticks of Sweet Grass for two sweet children.”

We accepted the sticks, and I turned to watch Sorata eat.

Sweet Grass was frozen, and it was green, thus naming it after grass. It was all on a stick, meaning you could lick or bite at the treat. Testing it out, Sorata gave a hollinhog lick, and his whole face lit up.

I ate my treat after that, watching him every so often. While I ate mine rapidly, Sorata didn’t do anything other than lick. His Sweet Grass was going to melt before he even reached the stick!

The first drop landed on his hand, and we all laughed at his shock. After that, he licked faster, never biting and getting the treat everywhere like a small child.

“Now, you two go up and explain this whole thing to your parents. It’s been a whole day since they’ve seen you. I told them you were staying the night, but they were not happy.”

Grampa talked as he took Sorata off the chair while I leaped off. Grammi gave us both kisses once more before pushing us through the open doorway.

“Make sure you don’t fall off the branches, it’s a long way down.”

Sorata, of course, looked over the branch to the ground below. Jumping away from the edge, he grabbed my hand and stayed close to my feet. Gramps let out a laugh as we walked away, staying clear of the edge.

It was a long way down, Grammi lived the closest to the floor, but that was still a long fall. Connecting each house were the tree branches, and of course, they didn’t have any sort of protection.

Since Chi Chi was the third of five, we live several flights up. Usually, we would fly, but I’m not that strong, and Sorata doesn’t have any wings. It wouldn’t be too long, but it would be near lunch when we arrived.

As we climbed up the spiral, family members would wave and say hello. Sorata didn’t say anything, only tucking him closer to me.

The sky began to darken when we reached Chi Chi’s level. Any longer and I worry, Sorata would have ended up falling asleep on the way.

“Yasmin White Willow, where have you been!” And that was Chi Chi.

They flew down the small distance, Chi Chi with her hands on her hips. Ren Ren stood behind her, wearing his own serious frown.

“Explorin’ Chi Chi!”

She let out a groan while Ren Ren gave me a secret smile. He loved my adventurous side and often distracted Chi Chi so I could run off.

“Did Yasmin go out again?”

Kyan came from nowhere, little Erissa, as always at her side. At two years older than me, Erissa acted like an adult, scolding me. “Don’t you know you’re supposed to stick to your Chitera, little Yasi?”

Kyan folded her arms and Erissa copied her as if she wasn’t just two years older than me. She could barely even lift herself off the ground.

“Shut up, Erissa.”

Erissa took a step as if to challenge me. I was about to respond, when Sorata tightened his grip on my hand, halting me.

I looked back at him to see his eyes darting around, and his breathing fast. He was scared, this was all too much for him.

“Can we please go inside Chi Chi? Sora is sleepy.”

He looked up at the nickname, face flushed. I gave him a grin before looking at the woman with my famous dove eyes.

Ren Ren broke first, smiling and placing a hand around Chi Chi’s waist.

After getting a smile from Ren Ren, Chi Chi finally let out a sigh, rolled her eyes, and set her feet down on the tree.

“Only because your friend looks exhausted. But after dinner, we will have a chat young fairy.”

I gave her a beaming smile, feigning innocence. Tugging Sorata along, I ran up the short distance to the house and into my bedroom. It was large since I was the youngest and my siblings had all moved out. There was plenty of room for him to rest in my bed.

He followed me in, climbing into bed after me. He slid under the covers and was asleep within minutes. I tucked him in and slowly left the room. A scolding was waiting, I wasn’t in any hurry.

And that was how I met the Main. After a lecture, he woke up and told Chi Chi and Ren Ren that his family was all killed in a horrible fire. Chi Chi and Ren Ren happily accepted him into the family.

And this is where Sorata Irin's story begins.