In the land of Cryston there comes but one day in which you can find the one you love.
Valentines Day. Comes only once in your life, and if you haven't found someone by then, you are stuck with being alone for the rest of your life. I don’t particularly understand the meaning behind this; perhaps it is to make sure that we don’t exceed our population limit.
On this tiny floating island in the sky, there can only be about one billion people upon it at once. Any more than that and the natural balance between nature and Crystonions would collapse, leaving nothing but death and chaos in its wake.
But how can someone find love so quickly? It's only from puberty on until adult hood that you're able to find this one person who stands out from the rest, and there are some problems, like them not liking you.
I sighed and shook my head lightly as I sat in school.
"How on earth am I supposed to find anyone in a few days time?" Again, I shook my head and stared out the window onto the luscious green mountains, waterfalls, and lakes, sweet fairies homes and little garden gnomes.
If it weren’t for my predicament I would admire more of the scenery outside the windows of the monotonous schools, but considering the importance of the matter, I quickly directed my attention back to my note book.
"Okay, so I have three boys I possibly could love, but none of them know I exist. I think it's time I stopped hiding in the shadows and came out to say hi to some people." I smiled, determined to make this thing work out.
The bell rang before I even had time to pack up. I was going to be late for lunch if I didn’t hurry up, and that could mean less time to get started!
"Okay who first?" I asked myself as I headed out the door and started into the hallways, following the matching sets of other Crystonion teens as they all headed into the mall area for lunch. "Perhaps Harley? Oh yes, Harley sounds perfect." I smiled then dropped my bag off at my usual bench where I sat alone every day.
You see, my name was Artemis Muerte. And the Muerte family has a little 'curse'-as others say-that causes a lot of bad things to happen in our family.
Like last week, my aunt Morganna ended up lighting herself on fire via candle. She didn’t make it. My mother ended up dying from cancer, and my other cousin, Cain, he ended up getting AIDS fro his boyfriend.
Yea, not cool. But so far I was the only person in my family who hadn't had anything serious happen to me. I mean, the death of my mother was hard enough on me than anything. Maybe I would be the special Muerte who was able to break that 'death' curse on the family, though I just imagine it's all a case of Karma.
I sighed, pulling back to the problem at hand; finding myself a Valentine lover before my Valentine passes. I don’t want to be alone forever. That's no fun. And because of how lone Crystonions live for, I would NOT want to be alone.
We're like vampires in a sense, if you want to compare us to any earth bound imaginative being, in the fact that we live forever, or until killed by certain things.
We can die like any one else can, but if nothing happens, we don’t just die of old age. We continue living, choosing the age in which we want to stay at until we change our minds. Meaning, yes, I could choose to go back to being five again, but that wouldn’t help my predicament.
Now, onto finding Harley!
Well, he certain isn’t too hard to find, considering he's one of the 'band kids' of the school. And no not the school band, like his own band. Harley's the lead singer to his own band called 'Injected Suicide'. Not a title I'd name my band if it was rock, but hey, what ever. It's not my call to tell them what to name their band or not.
Harley sat in the usual section with his other band members; right outside on the benches, where all the popular people sat. This was definitely going to be something interesting
"Hi, Harley," I smiled as I walked up to the crowd. Harley looked up from his usual posse and looked at me oddly. Yea, the loner girl was finally talking to someone, and to whom? Him.
His dirty blond hair ran down to his shoulders, shinning in the light the sun was illuminating, his slightly tanned skin reminded me of a country boy; someone who spent a lot of their time outdoors, and his beautiful blue eyes seemingly stared right through mine and tried to grasp the reason behind my sudden interest in him.
"Um, hi?"
"I was wondering if we could, like, I don’t know-talk for a bit?" Obviously I wasn’t used to this sort of thing.
Some of his group gave me glares, especially the female portion. I wasn’t too shabby on the looks, maybe needed my hair combed a second time, but I was at least pretty.
"Sure?" he still seemed a bit sketchy as he climbed down off the table and stood in front of me. "What's up?" He tried smiling, but I could tell it was forced.
"Well, you see, my Valentine is coming up soon, and I was wondering if you're doing anything later, so we could perhaps get to know each other?" I smiled hopeful of his answer, but my smile diminished when the look on his face seemed almost nervous, or disgusted.
Yea, strike one. Life- one, Artemis – Zero.
"I'm sorry, really I am, and I'm honored you'd think of me like that, but I've already found my Valentine." He pointed over and I noticed her finally out of the group. She was definitely a beauty, and she smiled sweetly to me and Harley. She seemed nice too. Yea, he definitely deserved someone like her compared to me.
I smiled, trying to hide my disappointment. I didn’t have a whole lot of people I was even remotely attracted to, and if they all were like Harley, or worse, just plain didn’t want to even try, then I was going to be stuck alone forever.
He waved a bit as I walked off.
I sighed deeply then pulled the sheet of paper from my pocket and looked it over, crossing off Harley's name from the list.
Now there was only Kristopher Copper, the guy in my bloodology class, and Ethan Wolf from P.E. All of which I've already had today, and I didn’t even see Kristopher in Bloodology today.
I whined lightly.
"Guess there's always tomorrow."

****

Well, tomorrow came and so did Bloodology, but my enthusiasm and courage seem to have stayed in bed this morning.
I suddenly felt even more nervous than I had been the day before, maybe it was because I expected Kristopher to give me the 'I'm popular, you're not' speech instead of just tell me he didn’t like me.
Kristopher had a habit of hurting people's feelings, not on purpose mind you, he always apologized when he noticed what he had said bothered the person, but he was just a bit too blunt sometimes for his own good and about everything, including information not everyone would want; like WHY he doesn’t like so and so, or WHY this person's a retard.
I didn’t want that speech. I really didn’t. I wanted a straight answer. Yes, or No. That was it.
"Maybe I should just mark him off the list already. He's probably going to tell me no. We've been in the same homeroom for three years now and he still doesn’t know I exist either." Not many people did really, at least knew me personally. Perhaps he knew my name and that I was the 'loner' of the school, but that was about it. "Well, the only way I'll know is if I ask, right?"
I took a deep breath, tried to salvage up as much courage as I could and I walked over to Kristopher's table and sat down next to him. The person who usually occupied that seat was out today. That meant I didn't have to have an embarrassing moment in front of a group of people, like I did with Harley.
Kristopher seemed confused and startled as he looked over and noticed I had sat down. I wasn’t one for sitting with the class.
"Whoa, you moved. You're conforming!"
I chuckled lightly. Kristopher was a hoot.
"Not really, I just wanted to talk to you."
He seemed surprised.
"Talk to me? You've never seemed interested in talking before..." He trailed off.
"Yea, I know, but this time it's different." I took another breath to calm my nerves. My heart was racing, my hands were clammy, and I was beginning to feel like I was about to hyperventilate. What was up with all this sudden spray of nervousness!? I mean seriously!
I didn’t have this yesterday with Harley, and he was more popular than Kristopher. Perhaps I like Kristopher more than Harley? That definitely could be it.
"I was wondering if you had found your..." I paused. "Your Valentine yet."
Kristopher blinked and looked me over one time before he smiled.
"You're interesting in me being your valentine?" He seemed pleased. This was going better than I thought, and Kristopher was cute too! He had short brunette hair, the usual peach skin with cute freckles on his arms, and pretty hazel eyes. I always liked it when they turned greener than anything.
Green eyes are very pretty, especially on brunettes.
I nodded a bit, feeling the blood rise into my cheeks.
"Yea, you and Mark are the only two boys I have let really, and no I don’t mean you're like a last resort!" I desperately tried to word everything correctly so I didn’t sound like a total ass. "But I only have a few more days left, and I always imagined someone coming up to me and asking, but well, that didn’t happen so I had to choose a few who I was attracted to."
Kristopher blinked and nodded a bit before smiling.
"Well, I'm flattered. No one's asked me yet, though I have a couple more years. Girls have always had to sooner than guys."
I nodded, smiling. Good! This means I had a chance!
"So, you want to hang out and stuff after school today? We can go to the park or something." I wasn't too keen on where couples went on dates or what ever.
Kristopher chuckled lightly.
"You really are a loner, aren’t you?"
I blushed a bit more.
"Well, everyone seems scared of me." I confessed.
Kristopher seemed intrigued.
"Scared? Why would they be scared of you? I mean, you do dress a little differently, and the whole 'curse' thing, but you seem like a nice person. Shy, and have very little people skills, but nice."
"That's a compliment, right?"
He chuckled again.
"Yes, that was a compliment."
"Then thank you."
"You're welcome." He looked down to the desk before looking back at me. "How much longer until your time is up?"
"About two days."
He winced.
"I only get two days to figure you out?" He didn’t like that. My confidence lowered. He wasn’t going to say yes anymore.
"Yea sorry." I whispered a bit.
He looked me over a second time before shaking his head lightly.
"You seem like a nice girl and all, but I wish you would have come to me sooner. We live for a long time, and this is it. After we make our vows, there isn’t any turning back. Sorry, but I can't do something that drastic and not know you enough."
Damn't. Life-Two, Artemis-Zero.
I nodded to him and smiled the best I could for the second time.
This was it. I was really working on my 'last resorts' and nobody really wants to be those. This had to be my curse. This was it, wasn't it? I was going to end up lonely and single forever, or until I finally died from some cause.
"Thanks anyway." And with that I got up and went back to my seat. I looked back to the piece of paper and crossed of Kristopher's name. I needed to get Mark to say yes and take our vows within the next couple days, or everything was just going to be disastrous!
I would disgrace my entire family with ending up alone. This is all my fault, I told myself. If I wouldn’t have waited, then I wouldn’t even be in this mess. This is what I get for procrastinating or thinking that someone out there was going to like me.
"Hey." I snapped from my thoughts to see Kristopher waving at me.
I acknowledged him.
"I'll spread it around, okay? Maybe someone who's had their eye on you will hear about your problem and come forward." He smiled reassuringly, but I doubted it. Who would eve like someone like me?
"Thanks."

****

P.E wasn’t any better either. I couldn’t go up to Mark, and not because he was very hot, or I got butterfly feelings or what ever and got nervous like I did with Kristopher, it was because Mark was already bragging about getting the most popular girl in school, Summer, as his Valentine.
Of course!
I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream! I wanted to do ANYTHING!
Why is this happening to me!? Why couldn't things be different! I didn’t want to spend my life alone! Why couldn't we have a better system, like they did on earth! You were allowed to take your time in finding your loved one, not this sudden 'love at first sight' bull that has a catch-you have to find them before your last Valentine day, or you're stuck being alone for the rest of your long and miserable existence!
I sat out of P.E today. I couldn’t bring myself to move once I had sat down on the bleachers and just watched everyone else run around like chickens while I wallowed in my misery.
I envied them all. They all had everything easy, and they all took life for granted. This was the most important years of our lives; finding the one person we'll be bonded with for eternity and all they can think about is how popular they are, or how popular their mate will be.
Who cares about popularity, or looks, or anything like that! This is about finding that special person, and if you don’t find them, and you just choose someone because they're 'cool', then you're the one who's lucked out, because there aren't such things and divorces in this place.
You know, helps keeps the population down. If you were caught cheating on the person you loved you'd get your sex organs removed. Yea, not many people cheated on their mates. You'd see maybe one or two people on the news who had, but that's about it.

I continued to wallow in my misery until school was over and I found myself sitting outside of the school on one of the benches out back. It was the quite place on school grounds. You found most of the artists and writers; all the creative people back here. I could have been part of this group if I would have made, or would make any friends in my art class, but considering my conversation skills weren’t all that great, I didn’t talk to people much anyway.
I wasn’t like I really wanted to be a loner, I didn’t hate people or anything like that, it's just everyone's always been afraid of me, or when someone even begins talking to me, I don’t know what to say. I just clam up and I can't think of anything to keep their attention, not even parts of my life.
Most of my answers were usually one word answers: 'Yes', or 'No'. That was it. I didn’t keep many conversations going. People loose interest that way, and thus, I didn’t make any friends.
Guess that's part my curse as well: to forever be lonely.
"Good evening," I heard a soft voice whisper and I looked up to find a boy sitting next to me on the table.
He had shoulder length straight black hair, obviously dyed with the way it shined, pallor skin, almost white, with bright green eyes that were emphasized by the black eyeliner that was around them.
He was a poet. His name, oh what was it? He was in my art class, and my English class-oh yes! Judas. Judas Moray.
"Evening, Judas." I commented weakly. I really wasn’t in the mood for talking at all. I tried to hold back the tears that were coming, but a few trickled down my cheeks.
Judas seemed a bit upset by this.
"What's wrong?" He reached over and gently wiped them away.
"Everything," I didn’t want to tell him I was just being a little baby over not finding anyone. Some people were better off without a mate, but if I wasn’t very good with gaining friends, then how was I supposed to exist in the world?
"I see," I trailed off then became quite. Judas was always a quite boy. He was like me in that aspect.
I looked to him, wiping a couple tears away as more fell.
"What do you want?"
He shrugged lightly then looked away and back over to his group of friends. They all seemed to be egging him on or something or just giving him weird hand gestures and being completely abnormal, like most writers and artists were.
I shook my head lightly before getting up and started to head off campus. Dad wasn’t coming to pick me up today, and I could use the walk to clear my head and figure out how I was going to tell him I wasn’t able to find someone, and that no one wanted his loser of a daughter.
Tears sprang to my eyes again. I was the weakest link.
"Hey, wait!" Judas called after me and quickly jogged over and walked beside me silently for a moment. I couldn’t reply because of the lump in my throat.
He rubbed the back of his neck a bit as he looked around then looked back to me a couple times.
I was beginning not to like his behavior, if he had something to say to me, then he better come out and say it! I wasn’t in the mood for his lagging, or for him even being there really. I wanted to be left alone. I wanted to be able to cry without someone standing right next to me with tension.
"What?" I finally was able to snap at him. "What do you want? Just spit it out, I'm not in the mood for games!" I hissed, wiping my face for the second time.
Judas took a deep breath then looked down into my eyes. I felt a warm flutter in my stomach as he smiled down to me. Now that I really got a look at him, Judas wasn't bad looking, and he was really nice; quite and shy like me, but still very nice all the same.
I suddenly felt bad for yelling at him and I sighed, rubbing my eyes a bit.
"I'm sorry, just having a really bad day."
"I heard."
I blinked and looked up to him.
"Excuse me?"
"Kristopher Copper said something to a couple guys in my Latin class about your Valentine coming up."
I blushed lightly. Oh dear Goddess, he wasn't joking about actually spreading that information!? Wonderful. Now everyone was going to know I was an unwanted loser.
I felt my heart sink.
"Oh that's just freaking perfect." I grumbled and continued to walk. Judas followed.
"Wait, I'm not d-done yet!" He stuttered, taking my wrist and I turned, stopping.
"You're not done? Done with what? Making me feel more like a loser? Oh thanks." I hissed and tried to pull my hand away, but his grip was stronger than my pull.
He shook his head; "No, that's not what I'm trying to do here."
It was amazing how oblivious I was to his true intentions before he finally knelt down on one knee before me.
My eyes widened as I watched his body move in slow motion before he looked back up at me, a faint blush over his nose and cheeks, which was considerably noticeable because of his pale skin.
"Artemis Muerte, I would be honored if you'd be my Valentine. I know I'm a little late, and we never really got time to know each other a whole lot, but ever since elementary school I've had my sights set on you and no other girl. You're different from the rest of them, you understand things that no other girl your age would begin to even process, and you're very kind. I know you don’t know me that well, I've always managed to stay out of sight when ever you were around, but I'm willing to give myself to you indefinitely if you're willing to try."
I couldn't believe my ears, or my eyes! Judas moray wanted me to be in Valentine, and wait; he had been watching me since Elementary school? I always thought he was afraid of me also; he always did run away when ever I came into the room or near him on the play ground.
So that was his reason?
I smiled lightly.
"I'd love to take the time in tomorrow to get to know you better, Judas. And I would be honored to spend the rest of our lives together figure you out as well."
Judas's smiled brightened like crystal stars as he leapt up and hugged me tightly.
At first I was not only startled, but a bit nervous...I really didn’t get hugs often, so it was a bit awkward when I hugged him back at first, but the feeling felt so...right.
I smiled a bit. I wasn't a failure, or a loser, and I was definitely wanted, but jeeze! Why couldn’t he have done this sooner!? I wouldn’t have been so worked up and worried for the past two days if he would have just come out and asked me before hand!
I sighed lightly before Judas took my chin in his fingers and planted a gentle kiss upon my lips. I felt fireworks light up my very soul with just that one kiss.
My eyes closed almost instantaneously as I returned the favor, pressing my lips into his and deepening the moment.
This is all I ever could have wanted really. Love at first kiss; Love on my very last Valentine.

[The end]