Lightning walks around the group of sitting adolescents, glaring each one of them in the eye as she walks past them. She pauses at the one which seems to be acknowledged as their leader. The sudden halt in her stride makes the blonde shift his eyes vertically, forced to meet Lightning's menacing glare.
"What were you thinking? Interfering with the Guardian Corps, especially on a mission?"
The blonde readies to defend his position in the argument, "All we were doing-"
Briskly, Lightning kneels down to eye level of the boy, she cuts in, "Let me answer that question for you, you weren't thinking."
The blonde youth was surprised by the speed the soldier movements, but he regained his composer quickly, mustering the courage to keep eye contact with her pale blue eyes.
The sun begins to rise, illuminating the streets of Bodhum. Sunlight begins to flood into the mouth of the alley where this excursion is occurring.
Lightning walks to the entrance of the alley and gazes at the morning sun. Damn, she thinks, time to wrap this up.
"What's your name, kid?" Lightning scowls.
"Snow, Snow Villiers. This is my group, NORA." He states, still keeping eye contact with lightning.
"Well Snow Villiers, next time there is a known criminal who is notorious for kidnapping and murdering after dark," she pauses to turn to the tied up man who in unconscious by a dumpster, "be a good civilian and leave it to the professionals. Now get lost and don't let me see you again, for your own safety."
The group of adolescents stands up and runs. As Snow begins to run after them, he mutters, "Sanctum dog," Under his breath, but just loud enough for Lightning to hear.
If I see that punk again… Lightning thinks as she grabs the unconscious man, slings him over her shoulder, and runs back to headquarters. She hopes she can make it back before the populous begin their morning commute.
6:45 am. Lightning burst through the doors of the Guardian Corps Bodhum Branch. She walks to Lieutenant Amodar.
"Here take this." She flings the unconscious criminal into Amodar's arms and begins pacing for the door.
"Geez Farron. It's not even my birthday. What took your mission so long? I assigned it to you yesterday." He asks while holding the fugitive bridal style in the middle of the lobby.
Lightning stops and ponders how to answer the question. She gazes up at the clock. 6:50!She thinks.
"I'm sorry, lieutenant, but I really need to get home." She mumbles to her superior as she begins striding for the door.
"No matter," Amodar say, "I'll ask you when you come in for work today. Remember Farron, I want to hear your report first thing when you come in, in…" Amodar counts "three hours."
Lightning runs home.
Who knows? Maybe Serah will wake up by herself today.Lightning thinks.
She runs past stores beginning to open for business. Narrowly avoids a car that didn't stop far enough back for a stop sign, and slides around a myriad of pedestrians. She turns the corner onto her street.
6:58. I can still make it.Lightning sprints for the last 100 meters. Jump up the stone path to her house and nearly breaks down her front door, but she remembered she has keys this time.
She lethargically removes her army issue boots before stepping on her wood floor. Fatigue is beginning to hit Lightning. She walks down the hallway and gently opens Serah's door. Lightning peers her head around the door to see Serah's light pink painted room. Her desk by her bed is littered with books, pencils and paper. Lightning looks to her bed to see a Serah shaped lumps interrupting the flatness of the mattress.
"Serah, its 7:00, time to get up." Lightning speaks softly as she flicks the light switch to the on position, illuminating her room.
Serah squints painfully at the suddenly lit room. She gives a grunt of acknowledgment to her sister and rolls over on her back, pulling her pillow with her to cover her face in a desperate attempt to protect her eyes from the light.
"Remember, you have your finals in 55 minutes, don't be late." Lightning advises as she retreats her head from Serah's doorway.
Lightning walks across the hallway to her room. Lightning's room is much simpler in comparison to Serah's room. Her walls and furniture are white; the only sources of color in the room are from the dark red drapes that hang in front of her windows, giving everything in her room a crimson tint during the daytime, and the blankets on her bed, which match the color of her drapes.
Lightning sighs and removes the satchel from around her leg, followed by her gloves, arm sleeves and shoulder pad. She places each piece of her uniform neatly on the dresser across from her bed. She unbuckles the holster to her gunblade and hangs it on her bed frame. Lastly she removes her overcoat and hangs it over her gunblade. Lightning slithers into bed and sets her alarm for 9:30.
26 hours awake, two hours of sleep… seems fair.Lightning sarcastically thinks as she nods of to sleep.
Serah watches Lightning shut the door to her room. "Ok, just ten more minutes, and then I'll get up."
Serah closes her eyes for what feels like no longer then a blink, and then opens them to read the dreadful time on her clock on the nightstand.
"WHAT! 7:35!"
Serah flops out of bed, allowing the left side of her body to meet the floor. She quickly recovers from her morning stumble and dashes for the bathroom. She multitasks her morning routine. Brushing her teeth while washing her face, and then brushing her hair while putting on what little make-up she wears. She gathers the all the books and lose paper on her desk, and find the pencils with the least bite marks in it and tosses them in her bag. She looks back at the time.
"7:40. Wow, even Lightning might be impressed," Serah chuckled.
She sprinted out of her room, down the flight of stairs and set her targets on the front door. She reaches for the door knob when she looks down and notices that she has her slipper socks on, along with her red and pink, plaid pajama bottoms on and her undershirt.
"I knew I was making too good of time." Serah pouts as she heads back to her room and dresses in her usual black leggings, plaid skirt, white blouse and light pink cardigan.
"Round Two!" She yells as she successfully completes her second attempt at exiting her home.
Serah half walks, half runs down the street, turning her jog into an awkward trot. She checks the clock on her phone. 7:50.
"Ahh! There is no way I'm gonna make it on time!" She turns her amateurish amble into an all-out sprint. She does well for two blocks, but soon runs out of breath. She degrades down to walking. Her vision locked forward, she completely ignores the man riding up to her on a motorcycle.
"Hey their young Miss, can I interest you in a ride?" a voice asks her in a somewhat what arrogant, unnatural tone.
Of all days. Serah thinks. Still looking forward, she replies, "No thank you sir, I am doing fine."
"Geez Serah, you don't even look at your boyfriend or take up his offer on giving you a ride to school." The voice returns to normal sound and assumes a somewhat naggy-wife, pouting-child tone.
Serah looks over and sees her high school sweetheart. "Snow!" She exclaims.
"Yeah, it's just me- hey, what the-."
Serah begins mounting his motorcycle and wraps her arms around his waist. "Hurry Snow! We only have five minutes today!"
"Geez!" Snow gives his motorcycle full throttle and they speed off towards Serah's school. "I hope you slept well at least." Snow looks behind and gives Serah a small, teasing wink.
"Just hurry," Serah says blushing. "Oh ya," Serah's blush disappears, "you're gonna meet my sister today, right?"
"Of course," Snow says with his head slightly turned at Serah, but with his eyes still on the road. He begins to slow down as they reach the school. "I'll pick you up after school, and we will head over to your house together."
"Sounds good," Serah says as she slides off of Snows bike. She begins running for school, "I'll see you later Snow." She yells while waving her arms. Snow lets out a big yawn, while waving returning Serah's wave.