You know how every fairy tale starts off something along the lines of, “once upon a time…”? Well, I got some news for you… this one is no different.
Once upon a time…. Just kidding! This is a fairy tale of modern times, not that same old “damsel in distress, evil stepmother-witch, prince-meets-princess, falling in love, riding off into the sunset, happily ever after” crap you’re used to. That’s just way too commonplace! I’m going to tell you a fairy tale that’s a little more…realistic.
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Not long ago, in a little town (probably much like the one you live in), a little boy was born to a young couple just starting to get a foothold in the world. He was tall and chubby, and his head was covered with thick black hair. The only imperfection the two could find were his strangely colored eyes, as one was emerald green and the other was silver. Ecstatic about their tiny miracle, they named him Kiile and showered him with gifts and love galore. Afraid they would lose their darling son, they kept him away from most society in fear that he would be kidnapped or something worse would happen to him.

Because of the fear of his parents, Kiile, though he grew up quite handsomely, had no friends after being homeschooled his whole life. When he would walk through the town with his parents, he would trail behind a few feet, shy as ever since he had no experience in making friends. The girls would flock near him, flirting and giggling about how handsome and sexy he was, but Kiile would just ignore them and keep walking through the crowd, unaware of the compliments they were throwing at him.

Kiile was, undoubtedly, the single most attractive guy in his small hometown. At 6’, he towered above most everyone else his age. He had let his black hair grow out so that it almost reached his shoulders in the front, and in the back he kept it wild and untamed with gel. The young man knew what would happen if he ever let anyone see his silver eye, so he drug his hair down in the front to cover it. The last someone saw it, they had called him a freak and hit him repeatedly across his neck and arms with a briar vine until his mother had come and saved him. Pale scars interrupted milky skin, the almost non-existent evidence of his misery. His clothes were dark and tight, and every pair of shoes he owned were Converse. (Yes, Kiile was, in fact, an emo kid.)

It came the time that Kiile finished his homeschooling and was preparing to leave for college. Even though his parents tried their best to change his mind, Kiile decided that he wanted to finally experience what the real world was like. He packed up his things and drove off, leaving the life he had behind him in the rearview mirror.
Kiile drove for miles through the mountainous terrain until he finally reached the small, single-story house that his parents had bought for him to stay in through college. Stepping out of the truck, he shivered as an icy breeze whisked through his thin shirt. He sighed as he fumbled through his pocket for the key to the front door, barely able to clasp onto it with his frozen fingertips. As he unlocked the door, he felt a harsh, ominous presence behind him, as if Death were standing there to harvest his soul. Slowly he turned to face the monster, only to be shocked by its form.
Leaning against his truck was a girl, average height, no more than 5’ 7”, he guessed. Her dark, wavy hair was tangled around her face, and yellow contacts hid the true color of her eyes. Her facial piercings slightly intimidated Kiile, but he was drawn by her still-immense beauty. A heart-shaped jaw drew her face to a long neck, broad shoulders, long arms. She wasn’t skinny, but nor was she fat. Average in build, her body intoxicated him, a feeling he had never experienced before. Her milky skin seemed paler than his own, but even from a distance, it looked so smooth. Her yellow contacts popped under neon green eyeliner, and her full lips shimmered with clear gloss. The purple shirt boasted of a band he had never heard, and dark blue jeans clasped her legs tightly, as her knee-high Converse were decorated with various doodles, obviously of her own design.
“Umm, can I h—help you…?” Kiile stuttered, still in awe of the girl’s strangely addictive attractiveness.
“Huh? Oh, nah. I was gonna ask you the same thing,” she laughed, seemingly at ease, as if they were old friends meeting again. “I heard there was gonna be a new student moving up here, so I figured I’d come meet you and all that good stuff.” Kiile cocked his eye, and the girl laughed wholeheartedly. “I’m Mystery.” Kiile couldn’t help but chuckle at the girl’s strange name, but surprisingly, she didn’t seem offended.
“That’s a strange thing to be named,” the boy spoke quietly. Mystery chuckled lightly before explaining to him that her parents had always been into being super unique about everything, including the name of their daughter.
“Eh, apparently they named me pretty well, ‘cuz all my friends say that I’m a total mystery to them, even after all these years.” The girl giggled, an adorable sound that touched Kiile’s heart. He couldn’t help but smile at her and all the ways she seemed to be so carefree. I only wish I could be that careless… the boy thought silently.
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mystery. I’m Kiile,” he replied, sticking his hand out to shake hers. Shaking his hand, she repeated his name quietly, and Kiile loved the way it rolled off her lips like the morning dew off the petals of a rose. The two chatted, and Mystery offered once more to help him bring his stuff into the house. Nodding, Kiile gladly took the opportunity to spend more time with his new acquaintance, as he, for some reason he couldn’t explain, wanted to get to know anything and everything about this strange young female.
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Months went by as the two slowly became inseparable friends. They would spend practically all their spare time together, helping each other with projects and visiting each other at work. Kiile’s feelings continuously grew stronger with each day, but somehow, he had managed to avoid telling Mystery that he had never had a girlfriend, let alone been in love. If I tell her, maybe she won’t like me anymore… maybe she’ll leave me and forget about our friendship… I guess I’ll just keep hiding it from her, he thought day after day as he let his love for her go on in silence.

One day Mystery didn’t show up to any of the usual places that they met. I’m worried…but maybe she just didn’t feel well today… if she doesn’t show tomorrow I’ll go check on her, Kiile thought, her absence bothering him greatly. Sure enough, when the next day rolled around, once again she didn’t show. Worried sick that something had happened, Kiile walked down the street to her house after his classes to check on her. He banged on the door, but receiving no reply, he started to walk away. Something in his heart wouldn’t let him go though, and he turned back to the door, twisting the knob just to see.

The door slid open silently and smoothly, and Kiile stepped cautiously into the dark house. As he looked around, he could see no signs of life. The house was in perfect order, but the aura warned that something just wasn’t right. Mystery’s bedroom door was cracked open, and he could hear strange sounds coming from the room.

“Mystery, are you…” he started, opening the door. As the door swung open, a masked figure stumbled off her bed, leaving her exposed and the reason for her absence revealed. Blood covered the bed and her pants were torn where the intruder had rushed to get them off. He quickly pulled his own pants up and fumbled for his gun. But it was too late…

The moment Kiile saw the woman he loved being raped, he saw red. Though he had never genuinely fought before, Kiile was willing to risk his life to try and save Mystery. Running over to the intruder, he grabbed hold of his throat and squeezed tightly until the masked man was rendered unconscious. But he couldn’t just leave him alive, not after what he did to her. Grabbing the other man’s gun, he pointed it at the chest of the man on the floor, shooting him three times in the chest to assure he was genuinely dead.

The gun fell from Kiile’s hand as he looked over at his friend. Kicking the body out of the way, the boy rushed to her side, where she was floating in and out of consciousness. His heart was bleeding as he watched her writhe in pain, and he stroked her face gently.

“It’s okay, Mystery…I’m here now…I’m here…” he whispered, the tears flowing from his eyes. Brushing the hair out of her face, he carefully picked her up and gently carried her to his truck. As he was laying her in the seat, she opened her eyes momentarily, just long enough for him to see the true color of her eyes. Green and silver! It…it can’t be! She really is my soul-mate… Kiile thought, remembering the story his mother had told him about how the girl he was meant to be with would have eyes that matched his. He closed the door and climbed into the driver’s side, and rushed to the hospital.
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Mystery stayed in the ICU wing of the hospital for three days before she finally opened her eyes. During that time, Kiile refused to leave her side, constantly holding her hand the whole time. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Kiile clutching her hand to his chest as he slept. She watched quietly until he woke, when she whispered his name hoarsely.

“Mystery! You’re awake!” Kiile squeezed her hand lovingly as he kissed the back of it.

“You saved my life…” she whispered, smiling weakly.

“Mystery…” he whispered in reply, a tear rolling down his cheek. “Mystery, I love you…” Kiile said softly, pressing her hand to his chest.

“I love you too Kiile…” the girl replied, stroking the hair out of his eyes. “I knew you were the one from the day I met you…my mom used to tell me that one day, I would meet a wonderful man with eyes like mine, and we would fall in love… I knew it was you when I saw your face… even though you always hid your eyes, I could feel it… I love you Kiile, I swear I do…” she breathed, and tears streamed down his face.

From that moment on, two lost souls found each other and became one, proving that love is the most powerful force of them all…