That letter.
There was certainly something odd about it, far beyond the fact that it had just so happened to arrive the morning after Liliana discovered her power to manipulate time. Was that just a quirk of this place, though? Was there some sort of... mystical detection array, maybe one that tripped an automated message system, when it sensed things like that? And beyond that, the fact that she had never so much as -heard- the name 'Starlight Academy' before. One would think, when she has lived locally for so many years, that she would've caught wind! But alas, a few moments from now she would make landfall, and that would be her first time seeing its campus. She had been able to find nothing so definitive as a 'brochure', so seeing things with her own two eyes would have to suffice.
She leaned over the railing of her ship, watching the sun descend in silence. It was a rather poetic visual! ... before the anachronism of her cellphone came into the picture, at least. She stared at its screen a moment, her eyelids drooping by some method that could just as easily have been seen as disinterest or solemnity, before she took notice of a new message:
Mom [1]
Her eyes narrowed further. On the one hand, it may have been a heartening message — one she could have used, on that ferry full of people she did not, could not know. On the other, though, it might have been comprised of the same rote, trite nonsense as always. Apprehensive though she might've been of the latter, she eventually manages to press the icon and open the message, which reads:
Good luck in the new school, honey! We're so proud of you! We hope that you can make some new friends! Send us lots of pictures, okay? We'll be up to see you around August!
- Mommy
Sigh.
The latter.
She knows that her parents have 'responsibilities'. She knows that her siblings don't want to leave their friends in Warsaw. But isn't she allowed to be the least bit perturbed, the slightest bit annoyed, when messages like that are the only communication she has with her family for months on end? She shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans, looking back over the water. Her hands close into fists.
... but soon after, they release. It isn't their fault. It's her illness — that's what keeps her from living in Warsaw. And now, at least, she may have... a better reason to be here. She has high hopes for this 'Starlight Academy', especially if it can help her learn more about her powers. There are things that she wants to use them for, after all; people that she wants to help. She's already helped someone using her time manipulation, hasn't she?
Suddenly, she felt a bump at her shoulder — a pawing at her hair. Amadeus. Just a few days ago, she had saved him, this little black cat, from dying in a car accident. Or maybe it would be more right to say that she had 'resurrected' him? ... that doesn't matter so much. What does matter is that, since then, he had been following Liliana around as if she were his owner, and she might as well of been considering that he was probably a stray. Still, he had already given her his due gift of gratitude: companionship. Because of Amadeus, she didn't need to make this journey alone. Because of Amadeus, she might very well have a friend to take with her everywhere she goes from now on. Showing just the hint of a smile and gingerly scratching at his ears, she muttered, "Good boy, Amadeus." In response, he delivered but a soft 'meow'. What else could a cat have said? ... earnestly, after the past few days, she could not have known. The pair of them remained like that on the boat, watching the sea, until the moment the bridge of the ferry lowered and the visage of the campus was clear.
She's here.
There was certainly something odd about it, far beyond the fact that it had just so happened to arrive the morning after Liliana discovered her power to manipulate time. Was that just a quirk of this place, though? Was there some sort of... mystical detection array, maybe one that tripped an automated message system, when it sensed things like that? And beyond that, the fact that she had never so much as -heard- the name 'Starlight Academy' before. One would think, when she has lived locally for so many years, that she would've caught wind! But alas, a few moments from now she would make landfall, and that would be her first time seeing its campus. She had been able to find nothing so definitive as a 'brochure', so seeing things with her own two eyes would have to suffice.
She leaned over the railing of her ship, watching the sun descend in silence. It was a rather poetic visual! ... before the anachronism of her cellphone came into the picture, at least. She stared at its screen a moment, her eyelids drooping by some method that could just as easily have been seen as disinterest or solemnity, before she took notice of a new message:
Mom [1]
Her eyes narrowed further. On the one hand, it may have been a heartening message — one she could have used, on that ferry full of people she did not, could not know. On the other, though, it might have been comprised of the same rote, trite nonsense as always. Apprehensive though she might've been of the latter, she eventually manages to press the icon and open the message, which reads:
Good luck in the new school, honey! We're so proud of you! We hope that you can make some new friends! Send us lots of pictures, okay? We'll be up to see you around August!
- Mommy
Sigh.
The latter.
She knows that her parents have 'responsibilities'. She knows that her siblings don't want to leave their friends in Warsaw. But isn't she allowed to be the least bit perturbed, the slightest bit annoyed, when messages like that are the only communication she has with her family for months on end? She shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans, looking back over the water. Her hands close into fists.
... but soon after, they release. It isn't their fault. It's her illness — that's what keeps her from living in Warsaw. And now, at least, she may have... a better reason to be here. She has high hopes for this 'Starlight Academy', especially if it can help her learn more about her powers. There are things that she wants to use them for, after all; people that she wants to help. She's already helped someone using her time manipulation, hasn't she?
Suddenly, she felt a bump at her shoulder — a pawing at her hair. Amadeus. Just a few days ago, she had saved him, this little black cat, from dying in a car accident. Or maybe it would be more right to say that she had 'resurrected' him? ... that doesn't matter so much. What does matter is that, since then, he had been following Liliana around as if she were his owner, and she might as well of been considering that he was probably a stray. Still, he had already given her his due gift of gratitude: companionship. Because of Amadeus, she didn't need to make this journey alone. Because of Amadeus, she might very well have a friend to take with her everywhere she goes from now on. Showing just the hint of a smile and gingerly scratching at his ears, she muttered, "Good boy, Amadeus." In response, he delivered but a soft 'meow'. What else could a cat have said? ... earnestly, after the past few days, she could not have known. The pair of them remained like that on the boat, watching the sea, until the moment the bridge of the ferry lowered and the visage of the campus was clear.
She's here.