First Gift

The wind was blowing stronger that day. Normally, people would only take it for granted, and move on.

But things were different with the girl under the large window. She seemed to enjoy every minute of swaying trees and falling leaves just outside of her classroom. She was trying to calm down and pass time. After all, it was only a few minutes until the semester ends. And she had something to do with a certain someone.

"Alice, can you tell us the fourth state of matter, please?" Said the teacher. Half of the class stared at her. He seemed to recognise how Alice wasn't paying attention.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"The fourth. State. Of matter." He repeated, closing his eyes.

"Oh.. Um... Plasma, sir." She answered.

"Good. That was a close one. Pay attention next time, or you'll fail to notice things that are... Directed at you." He said with a pressing, slow speech that seemed to went past her head. His tone went from being serious to a little loose and turned his gaze. "Alright class, that is for today, don't forget to turn in the assignment next week. Take care of yourself in this short break, or maybe little holiday, if you wish to call it that. So, yeah, see you next week."

The rest of the class went loud with each of their own conversations after the teacher had left. But the girl began to pull out a colourful box, packed her belongings, and left the classroom without a single word.

Will this be enough, she thought to herself. She wanted to go to the other classroom as quickly as she could while trying not to drop the gift she carefully wrapped.

But as she came, she couldn't find him. Where is he, she wondered. She couldn't see his bag, so she went outside and looked for him.

In the garden of the school, just near the entrance, she could see him, talking to a teacher. "Good, I can give this to him." She muttered quietly to herself. But then she looked down and found that the wrapping had became undone. And while trying to be careful, she quickly sat down on a bench and redo the wrapping.

"Sorry cat, I don't have time for cuteness right now. I have to hurry." She said, focusing on her wrapping. "I wish I could catch up to him before- Hey hey! Come back here cat!"

She panicked as the stark white cat stole her gift. It was an hourglass. She chased it but after a while, she gave up as the cat disappeared into the bushes.

She was shocked and confused. She didn't know how to fix this, as she bought that hourglass with her entire savings, which wasn't much, and had no spare money to buy another gift for her friend.

Then after a while, she decided to go home. As the sky was almost dark, her frown began to get lower and lower. She looked sad, tired, and as if the only thing she saw was the path she walked on. She just wanted to give her dear friend a gift.

"Why am I going through such lengths just for him?" She muttered behind her breath, annoyed at the situation. She looped a few strands of her long, black hair between her fingers, twisting it and playing with it. "Maybe I just feel indebted to him. Maybe I just feel okay to give him gifts. Ah.. I don't know anymore.."

The girl continued to walk, and continued to think. Maybe she actually liked the boy. Maybe she felt that she just wanted to make him happy, or maybe because she felt like she had seen him before. She wasn't sure of her own thoughts at that time. But one thing she knew for sure, was that she would make him a gift. That is if she couldn't find the stolen hourglass.

Thirty minutes have passed, and she finally arrived near her home. It was a long walk, but she often tried to make the walk a little bit longer. Just long enough so that she could enjoy a little time of her own. She didn't like her home, and it was something very understandable.

"I should prepare myself. I'm about to be yelled at really bad this time." She talked to herself. "If I could escape, I would be so happy. If I was allowed to be myself and find my own happiness, I would be so happy. I wish... If I could be with him.. I would..."

She slowed down her pace, then she stopped. She couldn't say anything. She didn't remember having stair steps made out of stone, jutting out of the ground in front of her house. She froze, then slowly looked up to find the stark white cat, 50 steps from her, holding the hourglass with its mouth.

The air changed, the wind stopped blowing, and the sun had set. She swallowed her breath and slowly took a few steps up the stairs. She could see her house behind the platform, but the next thing she saw was the grains of sand in the hourglass. It was almost empty.

The horizon gave a reddish hue, everything became quiet, then she heard a voice. A quiet, soothing voice.

"Alice..." Said the cat.

She couldn't believe it. She tried to step back, but things went darker, and the cat ran.

"Oh no..."

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