Imrie is many things, a morning person was not one of them. Nor was she an afternoon person or a night owl.
Truthfully she's barely a person at all. In all forms but physically, she's basically dead. Or as her roommate would call it, a human doll.
Which would be considered quite odd for someone of her lineage. If anyone even noticed her long enough to note her last name. Her teachers seemed to be the only ones that acknowledged that part of her.
It was a skill, talent, to be nobody in a world full of somebodies but it came to her naturally.
Born blessed with the gift of invisibility would normally be met with great fanfare. She might have even been of note in her parents eyes since she was the only child to be born alone. But no, she was a Nightingale, so having a blessing that made her invisible was barely passing to them.
It didn't help that she was followed by four more siblings with legendary abilities. So she was often left to her own devices.
Which is how she knew that when October 11th rolled around, there would be no party. It hurt when she was seven, but now at fourteen, it just seemed like a normal day. So normal that when she made it back to her dorm room, the present and cupcake on her desk shocked her.
She had to think about what day it was before placing why she'd been gifted anything. When it finally clicked, it was her birthday.
Vivian stood in between their beds, looking sheepishly at her feet. Her roommate was the only person on campus that seemed to remember. Something that even the birthday girl herself couldn't recall.
"I thought you might ... like something for your birthday." She laughed awkwardly. "Even though you don't seem to celebrate it. A fourteenth birthday is special in Arcadiom, right?"
It's weird to see her like this. Vivian is a tall and statuesque, a beauty in their year. She confident and sporty and everyone knows her by name.
"You... remembered?" Imrie whispered, astonished.
Her roommate looked up and gave her small smile. "Yeah ... I remembered."
Imrie couldn't keep herself from grinning at her. A sight that not many get to see and even fewer find genuine. It took Vivian's breath away, the way it lit up her entire face and made her whole body hum reminded her off a kitten given its first tuna.
"Thank you!" She exclaimed, launching herself at Vivian and wrapping the taller girl and bear hug. Imrie let out a small squeal of joy before rushing over to her desk, leaving her roommate standing there in shock.
Her hand hovered over the small box wrapped in green. "May, may I open it. " Her turned her head towards the gifter, her dark eyes swimming in anticipation.
"Sure!" Vivian chirped, attempting to ignore the lump in her throat as a cold realization hit her. One that settled deep into her core.
An ache the grew when Imrie opened her present and gasped in delight. It was a simple, leather bound journal that she could fill with all her thoughts and dreams. Something that barely costed two coins to aquire.
She knew then that her dollike friend wasn't born unfeeling or broken. It was branded into her, learned. Vivian was the only one to remember, despite knowing that her roommate has siblings that attend this very school. It had never occured to her that she might be the only one to remember this occasion.
Until right now, as Imrie savored every bite of the chocolate cupcake.
It was disturbing to think about. How someone who went to such a prestigious academy could be so neglected emotionally. The thought made her feel a little sick, she couldn't stand for this. It was wrong, which meant she had to make it right.
What was Imrie's last name again? Nightingale?