I blearily cracked my eyes open, the glaring rays of the early morning sun assaulting them. A groan escaped my lips as I raised a hand to shield my eyes, and a stale, acrid smell filled my nostrils. My nose wrinkled in disgust as I pushed off of the cot I found myself sleeping on, the haziness of first waking up slowly leaving me with the sinking realization of where I was sleeping.

"Great. It wasn't a dream." I threw myself back onto the cot, bouncing slightly on the hard mattress. My eyes raked across the concrete ceiling above my head. I pushed myself up once more to sit on the edge of the cot, taking in the bars covering the lone window of my cell. In frustration, I muttered to myself, "I'm such an idiot. What did I really think would happen?!"

"I don't blame you for asking yourself that for one second."

I turned abruptly, my hair whipping over my shoulder. I quickly looked at the man standing outside of my cell. He was clean-shaven, and his hair was beginning to show signs of greying. Though he was wearing civilian clothing, I could tell that he was no ordinary civilian. His posture and well-groomed appearance made it obvious that the person standing across from my cell door was, in fact, a member of Starfleet.

Another groan escaped me, and I closed my eyes, mentally wishing for this all to be a horrible nightmare. When I opened my eyes once more to see that he remained in his stoic position, the grave nature of my situation sank in fully. "So…. How much trouble am I in... exactly?"

"Honestly?" A slight smirk spread across his lips. "Hacking into the Starfleet database is a very serious crime." I'm screwed. I'm going to prison and my life is officially over. "Lucky for you, I was in the area. I was told to look over your files and bring you in for questioning." Yep, this is it. I'm done for. "I found something interesting in your files though. Your aptitude tests are astounding, and you have a reputation in this area. Even more surprisingly, I was told that they could barely detect your hack until it was nearly too late."

Why do law enforcement types always have to take so long to tell you what they have already decided? "Sir, I'm really sorry, but could you just get to the point? If you're going to take me to prison, just tell me already so I can stop deliberating it in my own head. You have clearly already made your decision."

His smirk turned into a grin, and a light shone in his eye. "Indeed I have. Firstly, I believe I should introduce myself. My name is Christopher Pike."

"Aurora Greaves, though I'm pretty sure you already knew that."

"Indeed I did. We have decided that you should be recruited into Starfleet, and make use of your talents."

Well, that's it. I'm going to pris-Wait a minute. Did he just say Starfleet? I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts. "Did you just say you decided to recruit me?" I raised an eyebrow slightly in confusion.

"Indeed I did. Or rather, your punishment is a mandatory 10 years working for Starfleet. That or prison." His grin continued to shine brightly on his face.

My jaw dropped slightly, and my eyes narrowed in response. Yep. I am most definitely going to prison, and my life is over.

I tugged on the bottom hem of my bright red skirt, trying to self consciously cover up a bit more of my long legs with the short skirt of the mandatory uniform. I glanced in the full-length mirror of the motel room once more and was slightly shocked to see that the glaringly red uniform did not clash horribly with my crimson hair color. I quickly braided it over my shoulder into a single plait, determining that it would not be worth the fight of keeping my waist length waves out of my way on the shuttle ride to come.

I grabbed my duffel off of the bed, slinging it over my shoulder as I walked out of the motel that had been my home for the last couple of days. My shoulder slammed into the doorframe as I left, and I gingerly rubbed it while walking across the parking lot. Mumbling to myself for my clumsiness, I cautiously looked down each side of the road, making sure my path to the yard was clear. The closer I got to the shuttle which would carry me to Starfleet Academy in San Francisco, the more I returned to my thoughts of the prison which would soon be my home.

I tugged cautiously on the hem of my skirt once more as I noticed that it had hiked up slightly due to my long stride. I lifted my foot to step onto the ramp into the shuttle, but, in my distracted state, failed to lift my foot quite high enough, and ended up clipping the tip of my combat boots on the edge of the ramp and went reeling forward. A hand grabbed my forearm just in time, however, and I glanced up at him, a sheepish smile spread across my face.

I weaved through the aisles of the shuttle, watching my steps carefully as I made my way to the seat I had spotted earlier in the very back corner. I fished around in the depths of my duffle bag, yanking my headphones out and popping them into my ears. Determined to get as much sleep as possible and to hopefully forget my destination, if only momentarily, I nodded off before the shuttle even took off.

The jarring landing of the shuttle woke me though, and I peered out the window. Awe overcame me as I glanced at the Starfleet campus. Maybe this prison won't be all that bad. Looks like it might be at least a little entertaining here. I waited until everyone else had gotten off of the shuttle before wandering off myself, carefully twisting my headphone wires around my hand so they wouldn't be tangled later.

"Cadet Greaves, here is your room assignment. Your roommate should already be there. Tomorrow is orientation, and you will determine your class schedule after orientation with your advisor. Good luck, Cadet, and do try not to get into any more trouble while you're here."

"That's the problem, sir. Trouble has a habit of finding me." I grabbed the paper from Pike and took off in the direction of the dormitory, a lightness in my step that I had definitely not expected when first being informed of my recruitment to Starfleet Academy.

When I finally found my room assignment twenty minutes later, I was greeted by the harsh electronic beats of one of the newest songs to be released as I opened the door. The electronic music that was popular lately had never really pleased my ears, and I frowned, my nose wrinkling slightly as I fought to drown the music out. My side of the room was a bare white while the other side was filled with color. In the middle of the room, a girl was dancing wildly, her blonde hair whipping through the air as she threw her head this way and that.

"Ummm… Excuse me. I believe we're roommates now?" I chimed softly, not sure if I really wanted to interrupt the girl just yet or not.

The girl stopped, her hands flying to her hair to throw it out of her face. "Are you Aurora?"

"Yeah… And you are?"

"Oh, sorry! I'm Naira. I thought you would be blonde." She rushed over to shake my hand, but I simply stared at her hand.

"Why did you think that?" I looked into the blonde's ocean blue eyes.

"Well. Your name is Aurora, and it just made me think of that princess from the really old kids' movies. My grandmother loved making me watch those. She was blonde, so I just thought you would be."

I raised an eyebrow at the lengthy explanation. "Oh."

An awkward silence egged between us, and my new roommate broke it once more. "Oh, my! Look at the time! There's a welcome party in twenty minutes, so we should be heading out."

A grimace spread across my face, and I sat at the foot of my bed. "Parties really aren't my thing. I'll just stay here and unpack. You should go though."

Naira sat on her own bed across from me, a smile playing across her face. "Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to let you hide in this room your whole life. Get ready for a night out!" She hopped off her bed and bolted for the bathroom, a pile of clothes in her arms.

I closed my eyes and laid back on the bed with a thump, my hair fanning out lazily behind me. Just what I need. A party-loving roommate to drag me into even more troublesome situations. I rolled over and reached lazily into my bag, withdrawing the only dress I owned before throwing it on.

Fifteen minutes later, I was finishing applying the mascara to my full eyelashes, and Naira burst out of the bathroom, looking immaculate. "Let's go!" Naira cried, grasping my hand as I set the mascara on the desk and dragging me out of the room.

I slowly glanced around the crowded bar, cradling my chin in my left hand. The bar was close to campus, but still far enough that I was not entirely sure where we were. I swished my drink lazily with my right hand, and I was no longer trying to stop the frown from spreading across my face. Three drunkards had already approached me, and my patience was wearing thin.

I caught a glimpse of blonde hair flaring out wildly in the center of the dance floor, and my nose wrinkled in disgust as I quickly realized it belonged to my new roommate. She and I could not be more different, I thought as I threw back the rest of my drink. When we arrived, Naira had bee-lined to the bartender, dragging me along behind her. She had ordered two shots for us, throwing hers back the moment it was set down. Two drinks in, and it was easy to tell that my roommate was a lightweight. She had stumbled out onto the dance floor and proceeded to dominate it with her drunken dance moves. I, however, swished my third drink in its glass, and fully regretted my decision to allow myself to be dragged here.

The seat in front of me was suddenly occupied and I groaned. His baby blue eyes sparkled with mischief, and his blond hair was messy, making me question whether he had already found someone to occupy his time earlier in the evening. He ordered himself a drink before turning to me, a grin spreading across his face. "You don't look like the type of girl to frequent these kinds of parties."

"Or any kind of party at all, really," was the dry response that slipped past my lips.

He laughed heartily, his grin becoming a genuine smile. "That isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm Jim, by the way." He reached a hand out to her in greeting.

I reached out to shake his hand, and I was a bit shocked at how at ease I felt with him despite his playboy attitude. Although I was cautious, I realized something made me inherently trust him. As I wrapped up my mental argument, I realized I was still awkwardly grasping his hand. "I'm Aurora."

We both let go of each other's hands, and his smile had never ceased. "Like Aurora Borealis?"

"Uhh. Yeah, I guess?"

"Aurora Borealis." I heard laughter erupting next to me, and glanced over to see Naira clutching her side. "I think we should call you 'Alice' from here on out," she squealed through peals of laughter.

Jim's grin seemed to take over his entire face it had grown so large. "I think that suits you perfectly! And, who," he wrapped an arm around Naira's shoulders as he peered into her eyes, "might you be? I hardly believed I could be blessed with the presence of two stunning beauties tonight." Naira giggled and snuggled into Jim's side. I rolled my eyes at the display.

"The name is Naira." She leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes meeting his own. "I had no idea this part would have as many attractive men as it does, or I would have come more prepared."

My eyes widened in shock at her callous remark. Jim leaned over to whisper into Naira's ear before grabbing his drink from the bar and sauntering off. Naira gripped my forearm lightly, whispering in my ear. "See you in the morning. Don't wait up." Giggles erupted from her mouth once again before she pushed herself away from the bar and teetered after him, unsteady on her feet.

"Naira, wait!" I yelled at her, trying to follow her into the crowd but she had already disappeared. My gut clenched at the thought of her going off drunk with a stranger, and I went outside, hoping to catch them before they left. Unfortunately, I couldn't find them outside and was left wandering hopelessly. "I guess I'll have to find my own way back to the dorms then…"

"Excuse me, miss," came a gruff voice from behind me. I glanced over my shoulders and was sucked into the chocolate gaze of the man who had snuck up behind me. "Would you happen to have seen my roommate? Blond, blue eyes, loves the ladies?"

"Your roommate's name wouldn't happen to be Jim, would it?"

His eyes widened a bit before he chuckled. "Yeah. That would be him. Did you see him recently? I'm lookin' forward to gettin' back to my bed, but I don't wanna just leave without tellin' him."

I grimaced a bit. "I saw him just as he and my roommate took off together. I was too late to stop them though."

"Ahh. Well," he scratched the back of his neck for a second. "I could walk you back to the dorms? You were one of the new arrivals today, right? I think I spotted you on the shuttle from Iowa."

"You were on the shuttle, too? I didn't really notice anyone," I laughed nervously.

"I was too terrified to notice much of anything, but I do remember seeing a flash of red hair that stuck out even in the sea of red uniforms. I can walk you back to your dorm if you like." He held his arm out to me, and I glanced at it nervously, unsure if I should trust this man I had literally just met. "I don't mean it like that, dammit," he growled, retracting his offered arm. "No woman should walk home alone. I only wanted to make sure you got there safely."

My heart lightened a bit at his words, and a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "That actually sounds wonderful. Thank you for offering." He put his arm out once more, and I did not hesitate this time. As I wrapped my arm around his own, a spark traveled up from where we touched.

We walked in silence for a little while before I decided to break it. "So… Why were you afraid on the shuttle?" He glanced at me quickly, curiosity filling his eyes. "You mentioned that you didn't notice a lot when you got on the shuttle either because you were scared."

"Oh. I have aviophobia," he said with a slight grimace, turning his head away from me. "It's the fear of dyin' in somethin' that flies."

"That's understandable." But why would he try to work in Starfleet if he's afraid of flying? I opened my mouth to ask him before changing my mind and deciding to respect his privacy. "Where are you from?"

"Georgia. Born and raised. You?" he questioned, finally looking at me again while we talked.

"Here and there. Never really stopped moving long enough to call anywhere home."

"Is that why you chose Starfleet? So you don't have to worry about keeping your feet on the ground anymore?" He lightly bumped his shoulder into mine, a joking grin on his face.

I looked away quickly though, grimacing as I thought of why Starfleet was now my career of choice. "Sure. Something like that."

He seemed to sense that our conversation had come to an abrupt end, and we continued walking to the dorms in silence. As we arrived, I turned to thank him. "Thank you again for walking me back to the dorms. What are you going to do since it seems your dorm is occupied for the night?"

"I'll just head to Medbay and sleep in one of the resting rooms. I have an extra uniform in my locker for emergencies anyways."

"Ahhh! So you're in the medical track? I'm in engineering. Maybe I'll see you around then."

He raised an eyebrow. "I… guess so? Are you planning on being sent to the Medbay often?"

I nervously twirled a strand of my hair. "I can be… pretty clumsy sometimes. Hopefully, I won't need to go to the Medbay often though!"

"Hopefully." His voice had a hint of something that I couldn't place in it. "Maybe I'll see you around some time then," he muttered before he quickly turned around and set off down the pathway.

I watched him for a moment before heading inside, thinking of the day to come.