Time moves freely when you don't think about it. That was something that Serah had never quite realized. Only a few years ago, she was getting her car for the first time. She was turning 18 for the first time, her parents throwing her a huge graduation party seeing as her birthday fell on the same day. She'd never once thought about how quickly time moved when you weren't paying attention. Today, she'd finally figured that out. Last week she'd had her 21st birthday. And what a joyous day it had been.
She'd decided to take and go out drinking with some of her friends from high school that graduated with her. They ended up just going to a few bars, and singing karaoke till the dawn hours. Serah was moving away next week – and wanted as much time with her friends as she could have. She'd been spending every day with them trying to make memories that would last forever. They'd taken lots of pictures, sung songs that would be remembered for years, danced like no one's danced before, and just talked about everything they could think of. They'd been her closest friends for almost 7 years, and it was a sad thing to be leaving them. She couldn't help but feel like maybe something should keep her there, with their laughter and their warmth. But her heart told her it was time to move on, someplace that she could start anew – build herself a life for herself and her future.
What else was a girl supposed to do? You were supposed to grow up, move out, and start your life. You needed to be dependent on yourself and not expect help from everyone around you. That was how Serah viewed life anyway. She'd always tried to do things on her own. Lightning had joined the military when Serah was 18 – she had been 21 at the time and wanted to do something more than just be normal. But Serah's heart broke when her sister left. Lightning had always been there for her, taken care of her when their parents went out of town, showed Serah much more than her friends could ever show her. She'd shown her how to love, and how to be a family. All of Serah's friends were the only child, they didn't understand what it was like to have an older sibling; to have any siblings at all, younger or older. She'd always looked up to Lightning, wanted to be just like her. Sure, they kept in touch. They called each other, and texted when Lightning was in the states and able to. But it was never the same after she left.
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Serah had been packing the last of her things into her suitcase. Most of her stuff was already boxed up and already on it's way to her new apartment. Her parents had sent for a moving truck, and paid the driver to take it to her new place. It had left a few days ago. Sure, it was going to be a long drive. Serah was moving farther away than her parents would've liked – and she was flying to her new life. All that was left to take was a few clothes and herself. Her clothes would be her carry on baggage, and then she'd be gone.
- Ping! -
Serah stopped packing her clothes at the small sound, it was her phone. Walking across the room to her dresser where she'd sat the phone, she looked at the screen. It was a text from Lightning. Picking up the phone and opening the text, a smile graced her features.
To: Serah
From: Light
Message: Hey, I hear today's the day. Are you excited? I know it's a lot to take it, but I know that you'll be alright. Who knows, maybe I'll come crash at your place sometime instead of Mom & Dad's. But really, you'll do fine. Let me know when you get there, so I know you got there safely.
Oh Lightning. She stared at the message a few seconds longer before closing the phone. Despite being hundreds of miles away, she still remembered that today was the day. She'd always keep that text message, safe in her phone. She kept a few of the ones from Lightning. Mostly the ones that felt the most warm. Lightning hadn't always been a warm person. Most of the time she was fairly cold, probably due to her raising herself. Their parents loved to go on constant trips, and after Serah was born they took even more. So Lightning had raised her as well. But when Serah started getting older, Lightning started becoming warmer towards her. Maybe it was out of love, or respect, but it made Serah feel more at home. She was more comfortable with Lightning half the time than she was with her parents. But then again, who's really comfortable with their parents?
Serah went back to her bed and finished packing the few clothes that she had left and closed her suitcase. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. Today was the day. She'd finally be her own person, living in her own world. Turning her attention to the clock beside her bed, she noticed that she had about an hour or so before her flight. She grabbed the suitcase from her bed and walked downstairs, setting the suitcase by the door. Her car had also been taken to her new home. It went with the moving truck on a trailer. Hopefully there wouldn't be any scratches or dents in it, or they'd be paying for the damages. She called to her parents. "Mom, Dad, I've got about an hour till my flight!" She could hear scuffling noises and low murmuring coming from the kitchen. Serah let out a big sigh. "Come on! I can't be late!" She grabbed her Dad's car keys from beside the front door and opened it, grabbing her luggage and walking out – closing the door behind her. Using her Dad's keys, she opened the trunk of his car and put her suitcase in, slamming the top shut. Almost immediately after she had closed the trunk, she heard the front door slam and her parents walked out.
"Well it's your fault we're going to be late!" Of course, Mom was blaming Dad once again.
"My fault? How is it my fault? You're the one who had to get your hair done!" Dad always blamed their lateness on Mom getting her hair done. He didn't understand why she had to get it done every time they walked out of the house, like it was going to be some big event. As they continued to argue back and forth, Serah checked her pocket for her phone. When it wasn't there, she remembered leaving it on her dresser in her room.
"Mom, Dad, I'll be right back. I forgot something." Without waiting for an answer, she took off inside, running up the steps to her room. Opening her door, she saw the little aqua phone sitting on her dresser. She quickly grabbed it up and ran back outside, locking the front door on her way out. Hearing that her parents were still bickering, she groaned and climbed into the back seat of his Honda Civic. "Guys, can't you stop fighting for one day?" It was a rhetorical question. She knew that no matter what, they'd always argue. There was nothing she or Lightning could do about it.
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After they finally got on the road, it took about 15 minutes for them to reach the airport. Serah lived in Chofu, Japan – quite a small distance from Tokyo. They arrived at the Chofu airport with a half hour until Serah's flight. When she got out of the car, she had her dad pop the trunk so she could get her luggage. Her heart was racing inside her chest, nervous that her new life was about to start. Her parents got out as well, and she gave each of them hugs – saying their goodbyes, that they'd keep in touch. The normal parent stuff. Setting her luggage on the ground, she pulled out the lever used to pull it behind her and started to walk towards the airport.
Her eyes widened at the amount of people, and reminded herself that she couldn't get lost. Finding her flight, she made her way towards the area where she would board. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. Within 15 minutes, they called her flight to board. She handed her passport and ticket to the voucher, and they handed them back. She boarded the plane and took her seat, her luggage stuffed above her. This was it...she was finally leaving.