Noir

The V mind

Chapter 1

I can tell you now, I have what a common mortal from Earth would call "superpowers".

Yes, I have powers, powers beyond your imagination and understanding. But yet, I do not want them.

It's not that I am burdened with responsibility or that my life is in danger every once in a while. Well actually, it is, but this is not the reason I would easily give up my gifts.

You see, as any young girl, slowly trying to adapt to the transition between adolescence and adulthood, I have had my ideals for my powers, if I was destined to receive some after the world turned Final Fantasy. Sadly, the world was already a Final Fantasy, and that revelation was my power.

I wanted powers in the likes of magic, the elemental type where ice bursts out of thin air after I cried out Blizzaga. In fact, that was all I really wanted, living in a fantasy world like those in a video game or a fantastic novel. But sadly, reality, after years of disappointment, threw its final attack at me, and "blessed" me.

One day I awakened to the frightening image of someone else staring back at me in my mirror. And that revelation extended to others too. As my mother, worried about the emotional outburst that I had presented as I was woken up, ran into my room and into my field of vision, I discovered that her reflection wasn't the same as her physical appearance…

On that day, I was blessed with the power to see the truth about others, about things, about life.

People have perceptions about themselves. A person doesn't see him or herself the same way he or she looks. Our physical appearance has nothing to do with our, let's call it, spiritual appearance. This "spiritual appearance" is based on a mix of our personality, our personal vision of ourselves, and a strange variable that is unknown to us.

This perfect mix is our true self. A "self" that exists on a different plane than us, a plane that the majority of people don't even know about. All the people in the world exist on both planes of reality simultaneously, even though they do not realize it.

My gift, my gift was the blessing of the Double Existence. I can see those "other selves" that exist in the people. I can tap into the second realm and use some of its… advantages.

But yet, I would have been happier with "normal" powers…

- - -

I was staring at the mirror again. Even though I have had these powers for two years, I still found the girl who stared at me from it strange, cold, and distant. She was supposed to be me, so you could say that she was a stranger to herself. I call her Ceres, in honor of the manga: "Ayashi no Ceres". In that story, a girl called Aya was the reincarnation of a divine being called Ceres and they were two different entities living as one. I know that my "Ceres" is actually me, no other personality involved, but yet I still call her by the name of the being that changed Aya's life forever.

Ceres was staring at me the same way that I was staring at her. It had been two years since I last saw my own reflection. It is more annoying then you can imagine. I stare at an extremely thin, yet not skin-on-bones, figure, small breasts, about five foot nine, too pale complexion, glasses wearing, black eyed, twenty year old female with, to top it all, short purple hair.

Every time I look at Ceres, I can't help to think: "Dear God, I look like a Mary Sue…"

The funny part is that if you look at others, you would realize that they all look like Mary Sues. Even if the person has a self that looks like a prisoner, a hobo, or even something in the likes of werewolves or any fantastic creatures, they all look like a Sue-ish version of it. I have seen a great share of multicolored eyes, skin tones, and hair. It's funny in a way… They don't even realize it.

Yet, a person might think that her self is a tall, slender, blonde elf from the Lord of the Rings, and yet, her self is a petite, shy girl with her hairline showing her real color of pink over her bleached head.

After a while, you start to understand what it means. That girl, she wishes to be great and respected, but her self is telling us that she only wants to be that because she feels trapped in a conformist world. Her hair tells us that she is starting to become that respected person, she doesn't care that she's not blond, she is an individual: respect that.

It's strange what you can learn from people. The funny part is that I'm still trying to figure out why I look that way.

I wish Ceres could leave, I wish I could stare at my reflection for once, instead of relying on digital pictures every morning to see what I look like.

It takes a long time getting dressed in the morning with this problem. In the beginning, I would sometimes leave the house looking like, well… let's not be politically correct here, a slut. There are things a small-breasted self can wear that does not look decent on your big-breasted physical appearance. Yes, I have a D cup… And before you drool all over your shirt, let me tell you that they are more annoying then it looks…

Not to get into a medical discussion her, but these things hurt your back, plus you can't do any physical activities without having them move around and leaving you with the feeling that they are about to rip off. If I believed in cosmetic surgery, I would the first one on that table…

Going back on subject here, I used to think that my model-like looks were based on the fact that I resented my gift and wanted to be like everyone else. But it made no sense, I didn't want to be like everyone else, I wanted something… different. Plus, last time I checked, who really has a model figure? Then you have the glasses, the eyes, and the hair. I though people wanted to be blue eyed blondes… And purple? Where did that come from?

I guess it's that variable I was talking about…

I saw the door spring open in the mirror and noticed a dark-skin woman rush in. She looked like any other dark toned person you found on the streets: black skin, black hair, dark eyes… she had that beauty common to every self in the world.

"We have a problem."

I flipped around to find myself staring at the complete opposite of the mirror.

"Calm down Lolita"

Ha, she hates it when I call her that!

Morgan, my roommate, was actually an eccentric girl. You couldn't guess from the mirror, but she actually had normal white skin and normal brown eyes… her choice of hair color though…

"Don't call me that!" she spat, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder in a mess of green hair, "And get your stuff!"

"Oh, do you sense a disturbance in the force?"

And she threw the first thing she found, which happened to be my cellphone by the way. Morgan isn't too good with geek-type jokes. I think she takes this whole Double Existence thing too seriously…

Well, at least I kept my day-job…

And in case you are wondering, I work weekends at a video rental store.

- - -

When I said she takes it too seriously, I mean it. She was waiting for me, dressed like some Matrix reject. And I'm supposed to be the geek…

The whole all-black fashion is really overrated.

But, you have to admit the sunglasses are a necessity. I mean, you have to focus to be able to see between the appearances and sometimes you look at things that aren't really there…

Its better to have your sunglasses one, at least nobody sees you starting at things they can't see. A trip to the insane asylum is not my life-goal you know.

Morgan also had her earphones on, even though nothing was playing. It was meant to look like if she was listening to something in case she heard noises that only we could hear. Said she wouldn't look crazy…

I think she's crazy…

"You know," she started, "You really should try to blend in with the crowd."

Of course, all black mixed with a long leather coat and a multi-layer ponytail that reached your butt is really common these days… Not to mention the green hair…

I'm trying to figure why her self looks the way it does. It's strange, I can figure out the personality of any stranger, but as soon as I get to know someone, I can't dissect the self.

"I'm driving" I shouted, knowing too well that Morgan's driving style was more suited for movie stunts, or going down with a bang prior to commit suicide.

"No need, we can walk."

That's strange… why would it be this close?

At that moment, Morgan kicked the door open and I saw the entire corridor explode with ruptures forming in the air. This could only mean one thing.

"Here it comes!" she said a few seconds before being hurled into the air by an impressive force of nothingness.

I really need to find myself a new night job… this "superhero" gig is killing my sanity.

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Well, welcome to the first chapter of Noir. How do you like it so far? Drop a small review on your way out, you know, I'd like to know how you like (read, dislike) this thing.

Don't worry, stuff will pick up, this story won't be about the constant whining and interior troubles of a twenty year old.

This makes me think, I never named her… Ohh, I might have a Kill Bill / Final Fantasy X thing going on here!

Ciao, Taiga out!