Tiana Fanfic

By @marellaesthetics

By @homebickles

Biana studied the room as she waited for her first matchmakers list.

Pretty curtains with embroidered roses.

Light. Shining through the windows as if it were the happiest day of her life.

But it could all be a trick.

After all, light caused shadows to form.

She was having second thoughts. Again.

Everything about her life was currently ridiculous- she was getting a list full of names she knew she didn’t care about. But she had to get it, or else her parents would worry.

The thing was, the only name she might have wanted to be on the list was Tam Song.

But he had been in the Neverseen- and he had died a few years before.Biana bit her lip, regretting it when she remembered that she had just glossed it. Oh well.

She studied the room again.

How long had they said it would wait?

The floor kind of floor that made your shoes click even if you weren’t wearing heels. Crisp and somehow professional.

Also a danger, because everyone knew you were coming. Dangerous, because it told people how someone walked- or ran. And there’s a lot you can tell about a person if you know the way they carry themselves.

Sophie, for example, was extremely clumsy. But determined.

Biana shook her head at herself. She wasn’t in danger. She took a glimpse at the white scars on her arms.

The danger was far away. With the one person she had once thought-

She rolled her eyes at herself.

Sophie had told her before- how the matchmaking process was stupid. And the more she sat her, staring at the ridiculously happy looking windows and the secret-revealing floor, the more she wanted to walk away or ask Marella to burn the list before she even opened it.

But she knew she couldn’t do this. And not just because of the judgment she would bring upon her family, or the way her mother’s betrayed look on her face would make Biana feel evil- but because matchmaking had always been something she looked forward to.

Something that was basically part of who she was.

It wasn’t just a stupid process. It was what Biana has dreamed about when she was a child.

It was what Biana had thought about when she was 12 and still crushing on Keefe.

It was what Biana had held onto- unknowingly whenever there was doubt about people’s feelings for her.

Because she had had doubts. Lots of them. And yet somehow- knowing that the list she had always dreamed about would have meaningless names in it ruined everything.

Biana blinked the tears back from her eyes. She couldn’t cry over this. That would be stupid.

But she had looked forward to this forever.

She was still glaring at the light from the windows when the click click click of someone approaching made her look up.

“Please sign here, and here,” the lady said offering Biana a sheet of paper.

“To confirm that I got my first list?” Biana asked.

“Yes!” The lady handed her the scroll.

Biana looked at it as if it were going to jump out and attack her.

“Don’t be afraid,” the lady giggled, “everyone always gets so nervous. Just because someone is at the top of your list doesn’t mean you have to go with them.”

The lady continued to talk, but Biana didn’t hear her. She managed to mumble, “thank you,” before she walked out, clenching the scroll a little too hard.

She didn’t even care who’d be there first, second, or last.

It didn’t matter. So when she was out of the building, she looked around for a good place to open the scroll and laugh.

A tree- lavender colored like the ones at Everglen.

She looked around again, before she sat down, took a deep breath and opened her scroll.

She ignored the top few names and studied the bottom ones.

No one she knew very well.

She began to look up, skimming her eyes carefully to take it all in.

And somehow, second on her list to some guy she didn’t even know, was a name that made her laugh- not because it was funny. But because she had not expected it.

Not because it was funny, but because it was impossible.

There had to be some sort of mistake. Tam Song had never registered for matchmaking- had he? And even if he had- why would he still be on the list?

Some cruel joke?

And yet, Tam Song was nearly displayed next to a very curvy number 2.

“Is my name really that funny?” A familiar voice asked from behind her.

Biana jumped, turning around, already prepared to attack.

And there he was.

“Tam?” She whispered.

“I just said it was my name,” Tam reminded her, but Biana was not ready for sarcasm.

She started at him, her eyes wide in shock.

“Who- who are you?” She asked suspiciously.

Tam crossed his arms, “I’m not sure if you’re deaf or blind, but-“

Biana walked up to him eyeing the scars on his face and his arms.

“Hey look,” Tam said when she took his hand to inspect it, “we both have scars in the same spots.”

“You- you’re alive,” Biana said, finally pulling back to stare at him.

“I am,” Tam agreed.

“Where- what-“

“Look, take me to Linh and then I’ll explain everything.”“Tam?”

“What?”

“Why is your name on here?” Biana pointed to her scroll.

“Because I signed up.”

She glared at him, “what-“

“Because I think I really like you Biana Vacker.”

Biana closed her mouth before she could retort something stupid.

She was usually never this bad at conversations. She left that to Sophie.

“So?” Tam took the scroll from her, “what about you?”

“I think I really hate you, actually.”

“What?”

“Because, Tam SONG. You- you were DEAD. A few MINUTES ago. I thought I was NEVER GOING TO SEE YOU AGAIN.”

Biana could feel the hysteria and the tears all building up.

This had to be fake. Some sort of prank.

But Tam grabbed her hands and his silver eyes met hers. They were very serious.

And somehow calming.

“I thought-“ Biana continued, but she was stopped as Tam pulled her into a kiss.