Dione woke up to the sound of the alarm on her watch beeping. "Blast it all. How'd it get to be morning so quickly?" she mumbled. She got up, got dressed, and brushed her hair. She then proceeded to stumble toward the bathroom, trying to avoid her landlady and her landlady's children. 'Phew. Made it,' she thought to herself. After washing up and brushing her teeth, she snuck back to her room and, after re-setting her watch alarm to 6:45, went back to bed.
Before long, as she had dreaded, Dione heard the infernal beeping of her watch and forced herself to a standing position. She grabbed her workbag, trudged down the stairs, slipped on some shoes, then got in the car. Every morning, the same routine played itself out, and Dione was just a participant.
Her landlady took her to the high school, where she was to start the walk to travel the rest of the way to her workplace. She got out and began walking tiredly. Cars zoomed past her, but she paid them no heed. Her mind was wandering. 'I wish life wasn't so routine. Every day I go through the same thing. It's depressing. Of course, so is the tension in the house. It's like there are threads of tension, anger, resentment, whatever spun about the entire house, and they are just waiting to snare me.' She sighed.
Her workplace came into view, and a sense of burden fell upon her. She stepped under a tree and yawned, closing her eyes as she did so. She opened her eyes, blinked twice, then started. "What in the world?!" she exclaimed. She looked around. Yes, there was the office, just as it should be, but it was strange. "This entire place...it's...it's...animated!"
Someone drove by on a motorcycle, her short hair whipping about with an almost fluid property. The person's large, expressive eyes and angled features confirmed Dione's observations. Dione, however, just gawked. All around her, cartooned trees swayed in the breeze; smoothly, rhythmically.
Dione shook her head, as if to clear it, then risked another look. Nope, nothing had changed back to normal. Then, cautiously, she looked at her hand. She let her eyes fall on her fingers and was barely able to suppress a gasp. "I'm animated, too!" She held up her hand. "My fingers...long, slender, and perfect." Her wide eyes gleamed with joy, and she twirled around, arms outstretched. "There is NO way I'm going to work today!" She giggled, "besides, my bosses would look silly as anime characters!"
The slender girl spun on her heel, and raced back the way she had come. She reveled in the feeling of moving so gracefully and effortlessly. She felt stands of her brown hair tug free of the ponytail holder, but she didn't stop. Running like the wind itself, Dione dashed past building after animated building. More of her hair strained to get loose and she pulled the ponytail holder out, letting her hair trail behind her. It whipped about in perfect strands, never getting even the slightest bit frizzy or mussed. 'This is the life,' she thought. There's nothing quite like being totally wrong about something you said to ruin your day.
Before long, as she had dreaded, Dione heard the infernal beeping of her watch and forced herself to a standing position. She grabbed her workbag, trudged down the stairs, slipped on some shoes, then got in the car. Every morning, the same routine played itself out, and Dione was just a participant.
Her landlady took her to the high school, where she was to start the walk to travel the rest of the way to her workplace. She got out and began walking tiredly. Cars zoomed past her, but she paid them no heed. Her mind was wandering. 'I wish life wasn't so routine. Every day I go through the same thing. It's depressing. Of course, so is the tension in the house. It's like there are threads of tension, anger, resentment, whatever spun about the entire house, and they are just waiting to snare me.' She sighed.
Her workplace came into view, and a sense of burden fell upon her. She stepped under a tree and yawned, closing her eyes as she did so. She opened her eyes, blinked twice, then started. "What in the world?!" she exclaimed. She looked around. Yes, there was the office, just as it should be, but it was strange. "This entire place...it's...it's...animated!"
Someone drove by on a motorcycle, her short hair whipping about with an almost fluid property. The person's large, expressive eyes and angled features confirmed Dione's observations. Dione, however, just gawked. All around her, cartooned trees swayed in the breeze; smoothly, rhythmically.
Dione shook her head, as if to clear it, then risked another look. Nope, nothing had changed back to normal. Then, cautiously, she looked at her hand. She let her eyes fall on her fingers and was barely able to suppress a gasp. "I'm animated, too!" She held up her hand. "My fingers...long, slender, and perfect." Her wide eyes gleamed with joy, and she twirled around, arms outstretched. "There is NO way I'm going to work today!" She giggled, "besides, my bosses would look silly as anime characters!"
The slender girl spun on her heel, and raced back the way she had come. She reveled in the feeling of moving so gracefully and effortlessly. She felt stands of her brown hair tug free of the ponytail holder, but she didn't stop. Running like the wind itself, Dione dashed past building after animated building. More of her hair strained to get loose and she pulled the ponytail holder out, letting her hair trail behind her. It whipped about in perfect strands, never getting even the slightest bit frizzy or mussed. 'This is the life,' she thought. There's nothing quite like being totally wrong about something you said to ruin your day.