The words he said

The week move on like cloud over a quiet sky days brushed with laughter, notebooks and silent stares.

The sun filtered in through half-open windows, soft golden lines crossing over desks. Girls sat on one side, boys on other -as if drawn apart by an invisible line. The seats creaked now and then, but the room was mostly filled with that kind of silence that only schools morning know.

Sirelia sat quietly with her friends - Viviene scribbling in her notes. Rhea doodling cartoons, Letita whispering jokes to Aurora.Sirelia fingers were tracing the margins of her notebook, where a small snowflake was sketched. She hadn't drawn it consiciously - it has just appeared, like a whisper from her thoughts. She hadn't returned Caelir pen .But how can she ? He had said something odd when she tried - something that still replayed in her mind.

The school bell echoed like a soft warning, pulling students out of their daydreams.

A tall figure of a women walked into the room. Mrs Grayson, the english litrecture teacher.

" Good morning class."

"Goodmorning ma'am ," the chorus came ,mixed with yawns and sleepy voices.

Mrs Grayson then said ",Settle down everyone . Lets warm up with a few questions."

She looked around and spotted Aurora." Aurora , can you tell me the defination of a metaphor?"

Aurora blinked and stand up."Um... its when you compare things without saying like or as."

She nodded."Close enough." She scanned the classroom."Vivienne."

She stand up. "A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unrelated things by stating one is the other."

"Excellent .Now for example , Letita."

"Time is theif," Letita said with a grin."Because it steals your sleep ,your snacks and your free time."

The class giggled .

Mrs Grayson smiled ,amused. "Thats a very real example Letita .Now Lucien."

"Her laughter was a mealody." He said

"Lovely . Caelir ?"

He tapped his pen against the desk once and said," She was the storm he never saw coming."

Mrs Grayson paused."Thats ... poetic. Did you write that ?"

Caelir shrugged , eyes briefly flicking toward Sirelia. "Maybe."

She looked at his direction meeting his eyes .She quickly turned away.

"And Sirelia ?"

All looked at her. She hesitated. All eyes felt like needles to her. "Books are mirrors of the soul." Her voice though quiet , rang clear.

Mrs Grayson gave her a warm nod." Beautiful. Thats enough for today."

As Mrs Grayson moved to the board , chalk squeaking across the surface . Vivienne leaned in whispering,"You okay?"

Sirelia gave a small nod. Her mind, however, wasn't on the topic. It was on the strange feeling building since that pen incident, the way her fingers still held onto it days after. And the words Caelir had just said - Why did they feel like they were meant for her ?

When Mrs Grayson was teaching, Vivienne whispered,"That Caelir guy answers are kinda poetic don't you think?"

Letita grinned." Forgot that - did you see how he looked at Sirelia."

Aurora smirked."Like she is a question in his favorite subject."

Sirelia, pretending not to hear, flipped her page, her ears slightly pink.

"I think he's weird,"Rhea chimed in."Cool, but weird."

Meanwhile , Caelir tapped his pen on the desk and scribble something in the margins of his note . Just a few lines - but written like he meant every word .

Caelir note:

In the hush between questions , I saw her- Not the girl, but the pause she carried, The silence she wore like snow on shoulders , I wonder, if I melt it , Would it whisper back my name.

When class ended , the hallway filled with scattered footsteps and echoing chatter.

Caelir leaned sideways."Told you. She got stories in her silence."

Oriven rolled eyes."And you are planning to became part of them."

Caelir didn't answer, just smiled to himself as if poetry hadn't ended with class.

Sirelia and her close knit group found their usual spot on the back stairs.

Rhea opeaned her lunchbox with a proud grin. "Dumpling today. Praise my mom's mood."

Letita immediatly snatched one."This is your tax."

Aurora sipping her mango juice, pointed discreatly towards boys." Guess who's glancing over here."

Sirelia didn't even look up." I don't care."

"You do", Vivienne said gently, smiling." Just not yet."

Caelir sat under the shadow of the tree with Oriven, Lucien and Eryndor. Oriven was laughing at the joke of Eryndor, while Caelir absentmindly turned his pen between his fingers.

"She writes poem", he said suddenly.

"Who? ",Eryndor asked confused.

"His snowflake." Oriven said.

"Now who is his snowflake ?" Eryndor asked.

"That girl Sirelia,"Oriven said pointing .

"The quiet girl, Snowflake," Eryndor chuckled. "You gave her a perfect name, small and cold."

"She is not cold." Caelor said looking at Sirelia. "She is just careful. Like ... she is guarding something."

Lucien , the silent one finally spoke, "You are talking about her like she is a book."

"Maybe," Caelir smirked. "Maybe I want to read her."

The last bell echoed through the halls like a sign of relief. As students flooded out of classrooms, laughter and footsteps filled the corridors, but Sirelia moved quietly, her thoughts tangled with the days memories. Caelir presence lingered in her mind - his pen, his voice and the strange warmth when he called her snowflake.

Outside the gate, Vivienne waved and called her. "See you tomorrow!"

Sirelia smiled faintly, nodding, then turned around and walked home.

The sky outside had already turned amber when Sirelia reached her home, her bag slung lazily over her shoulders. The scent of turmeric and milk tea greeted her at the door. Her home was small, quiet and wrapped in the kind of peace that can make you forget about the outside world.

"Back already?"her mom, Maia asked coming from the kitchen.

Sirelia nodded, taking off her shoes." Mmm , long day."

Her mom raised an eyebrow, catching the subtle lift in her daughters tone."Something happened?"

Sirelia didn't answer immediately. She dropped her bag beside a chair. "Nothing."

Maia walked over with two streaming cups of milk tea and placed one in front of her daughter. "You have been scribbling more poems lately. Let me guess another one today ?"

She looked down slightly." Maybe."

She sighed." Write if you want but don't let it disturb you studies, okay."

Sirelia nodded and bit her lips.

"There's a boy." She finally whispered, almost like she was scared to hear herself say it.

Her mom looked at her, calm but guarded." Is he bothering you?"

"No. Its .... not like that. He is just .... strange. He talks too much, smile too much and he ....",she paused. "Not only that, but he called me snowflake."

Her mom blinked. "Snowflake."

She nodded.

There was a long silent before Maia gave a small laugh. "Well at least he is creative."

Sirelia rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept up on her lips. "He is annoying."

"Annoying people have a strange way of becoming important," her mom said, sipping her tea." Just don't let any boy turn your heart into paper. Keep your ink for yourself until you are sure it won't bleed."Her voice became gentler." I have seen what school love can do to people. Especially girls who give too much of their heart too soon." She paused. "Like me."

Sirelia stared into her tea.

"Not saying you are in love,"her mom quickly added." I just want you to be careful. You're soft inside even if you pretend to be sharp."

After dinner, Sirelia sat at her desk. The quiet night pressing in gently. She took out her poetry notebook and begin to write.

Unseasoned Snow

Why did the snow fall in the spring ? Why did it shimmer when everything bloomed ? A flake that shouldn't be here, Yet here I am .... melting to soon.

That night, Caelir stared at the stars outside his window. In his hand, he held a small torn paper from his pocket - a doodle of a snowflake he'd secretly copied from Sirelia's notebook, when it had peeked out of her bag.

He smiled to himself and scribbled something in his journal.

She doesn't speak to me, But her silence sounds like music. A snowflake in spring, Wrong season, Perfect moment.

He titled it in corner; To the quiet one.

His mom, Cilvia called him for dinner.

He said," Coming mom!"

He hurriedly added, just one word: Snowflake and went for dinner.

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