Normal Days
Summary: Another normal day for Cleo. OneShot.
Warning: -
Set: In the middle of Season 3, beware of spoilers (though some details might stem from my own overactive imagination). Please note, too, that I haven't seen season 3 yet.
Disclaimer: Standards apply.
"Cleo! I refuse to be used as your personal alarm clock! Get your ass out of your bed right now - I won't tell you again!"
"Kim, I told you to go upstairs and wake your sister, not to wake the entire neighborhood through your screaming!"
"I don't care! If Cleo can't get up when her alarm clock rings I'm not going to spend energy going upstairs to wake her!"
Cleo opened her eyes rather abruptly at the loud conversation going on in front of her bedroom door. Alarmed, she checked her clock: 7am. "Shit!" She cursed, throwing back the blanket and jumping from her bed. "I'm late!" Quickly dressing and washing herself, she grabbed her school bag and stormed downstairs. Her father was still sitting at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper – he had obviously already returned from throwing out the nets early in the morning. Kim was nowhere to be seen. Orange juice, cornflakes and warm toast made a pretty picture on the kitchen counter.
"Good Morning, dear daughter. I see you're short on time again. It will be a wonderful day today, don't you think?"
"Good Morning, Dad," Cleo called at him, already pouring herself juice. She risked a short glance out of the window and saw the sun shining brightly. It really promised to be a beautiful day. "I'm with Rikki and Bella this afternoon, okay?" She said and started to spoon her cornflakes carefully. Milk was a mixture of water and fat, after all. "We're working on a school project."
For once, it wasn't an excuse to go and see her best friends. Their school had started a school-wide project week and Cleo, Rikki and Bella had chosen a topic together.
"What kind of project will it be, may I ask?" Her father questioned rather absent-mindedly, still absorbed in the news.
"A project on the evolution of sea life," Cleo munched, her mouth full of cornflakes, and smiled at the irony of it. Her father nodded. "Biology. That's good."
He folded his newspaper and looked at her. "And when, pray tell, will you be back?"
"Around nine?" Cleo cocked her head pleadingly.
"You don't want to have dinner with your old Dad and your little sister?"
"I'll be back for dinner!" Hurriedly finishing her breakfast, Cleo grabbed her bag again and threw her father a kiss. "See you later, Dad! Have a good day!" And out of the door she went. A second later, she was back.
She stormed up the stairs and was out of the door again a few seconds later. "I forgot my mobile!" The door slammed shut behind her. Her father shook his head and smiled after her.
Bella and Rikki were already waiting.
"Cleo, you're late again!" Rikki sighed. Huffing, Cleo came to a halt beside her two best friends.
"I'm so sorry," she panted. "That devil Kim manipulated my alarm clock – again!" Angrily, she shook her hair and pulled it up hastily in a pony-tail. "Let's go, quickly, before Miss Fink dies from high blood pressure!"
"I swear, one day I'm gonna kill that girl!" Rikki whispered as they made their way through the already deserted corridors. "What does she think?"
Cleo shrugged unhappily. "What can I do? If I shout at her, she runs to Dad. It's always the same."
"She probably doesn't think at all," Bella concluded. "She only wants your attention as the elder sister, I guess. Have you tried being nice to her?"
"Being nice?" Cleo repeated. "I try every day! She just hates me!"
They were standing in front of Miss Fink's classroom now.
"God, I have no love for English Literature at eight in the morning," Rikki moaned. Bella grinned. "Let's go." She opened the door.
"Cleo, Isabella, Ricarda – the three of you again!" Miss Fink greeted them with a frown. "Sit down and start your assignment for this week, will you?"
They sat. Cleo tried to concentrate – they were supposed to read a book of choice and keep a reading diary – and she had chosen one of her favorite children's classics, Grimm's Fairy Tales. Other than Rikki, who thought reading a waste of time, she liked it. Bella wasn't enthusiastic about it but did it nevertheless. The good thing was: If she finished the diary entry during class she wouldn't need to finish it at home. There would be more time to spend with her friends.
"I won't set a foot into that place," Rikki declared, referring to the once Juice Net Café, now called Rikki's. But it wasn't really their place to hang out and learn or chat anymore. Since Sophie had somehow wormed her way in, not only Rikki but Bella and Cleo refused to visit it as well.
"Agreed," Cleo said without needing to ask for a reason. Rikki gave her a thankful glance and Bella was already searching for alternatives.
"Where can we go where we have a computer with internet access for our research, enough place to work and a nice atmosphere? We could go to my place."
"We can't push ourselves on your mother again," Rikki contradicted as Cleo nodded. "How about the library?"
"The library?" Cleo echoed, looking at her old friend like she had suddenly grown wings instead of a fish tail. "When did you learn of the existence of a place like that?"
Rikki grinned. "I stumbled upon it last week. I never knew there was one in town."
"Of course there is," Cleo answered indignantly. "Even Bella knew, didn't you, Bella?"
"Yeah, but I've never been there before," Bella answered, grinning. Cleo sighed in exasperation. "Okay, we're going to the library. It's settled, then."
A phone rang. All three girls looked and finally Bella started searching for her phone. "Can't you two get another ring tones!" She said, half accusing, half amused. "Hello?
"Oh, hi Will!"
Willy-boy, Rikki mouthed at Cleo soundlessly who giggled softly. Bella threw them a threatening look and turned away. Of course, her friends rounded her so she was facing them again.
"Really? Wow, that sounds great! But Will, today I'm working on a project with Cleo and Rikki, I'm sorry, I can't… No, really, we're going to the library… I know… We want to take this seriously, if we get good grades we don't have to take the next test… Yeah, I do, too. See you."
She pocketed her phone, definitely red around the ears. Cleo grinned. Rikki rolled her eyes. "Bella and William, sitting on a tree…"
"Oh, shut up!" In Bella's voice was no anger. She swatted at Rikki playfully. "Okay, so now show us the magical place named library that miraculously appeared in your hometown last week."
"I need a break."
"I need a drink."
"I need a swim."
The three girls stared at each other and started laughing. An old man on the other side of their table threw them an angry look but they ignored him. He had pestered them the entire afternoon. In front of them, their project was slowly taking on forms: a cardboard sheet had been decorated with shells, dried algae and sea sand. Little pieces of paper showed either pictures of historical sea creatures or little texts with information. Three or four books were open before them, and almost as many notebooks and pens littered the table. Cleo checked her watch.
"It's almost six."
"I have to be home at seven," Bella said, checking her mobile. Rikki shrugged. "I have to be home before ten. Let's call it a day, should we? We can get a juice to go and make a race towards Maco." She looked at her friends with raised brows. "What about you?"
"As long as we're back at seven," Cleo said, already packing her stuff and shoving it into her bag unceremoniously. She checked her mobile. Bella and Rikki exchanged glances she didn't notice.
"So… Are we ready?" She said brightly and pocketed her phone. Rikki jumped up and grabbed her bag. "Let's go!"
About twenty minutes later, they were gliding through the water, leaving behind streams of clear bubbles of air. Rikki swam a happy looping and sped around a few boulders. Cleo laughed and stopped to hover in the water, looking at a few corals and colored fish. Bella followed her and gazed at the world around her in wonder. She still was overwhelmed by what she saw, sometimes, although she now knew the ocean around Maco as well as the other girls.
They surfaced in the little volcano lake in the grotto on Maco Island and floated on their backs, staring up at the sparkling ceiling. Bella sighed sadly.
"I have to go home."
Cleo agreed. "I promised my Dad I'd be back for dinner. Rikki, is your Dad home already?"
"No," Rikki answered. "He's still on this stupid congress." Her face didn't betray her but Cleo could see the disappointment. Rikki would never have admitted she felt lonely sometimes. Cleo knew her well enough, though.
"Would you like to have dinner with us?"
The blonde girl's eyes lit up instantly. "Can I?"
"I'm sure Dad won't mind."
"Thanks, Cleo."
"Cleo, are you ready for bed?"
The stars in front of Cleo's window were clear and beautiful, the moon a silvery crescent in front of a dark-blue sky. Cleo turned around from her sitting position on the window sill and saw her father in her bedroom door. Rikki had left half an hour before and she had already prepared for bed but somehow she didn't want to move away from the display of nightly beauty outside.
"Yeah," she said. "I'll go to bed in a few minutes. Good Night, Dad."
"Did you check your alarm clock?"
"Yes." They smiled at each other, her father slightly crestfallen. "I hope Kim won't change the time tonight."
"I hid it," Cleo answered. "I should have done so much earlier."
"You know, maybe you should change her alarm clock," her father proposed and Cleo laughed out. "Maybe I'll do that."
"Good Night, darling daughter."
"Night, Dad."
Her door closed in front of him softly. Cleo turned again to look out of the window. A few minutes later she got up and packed her bag for the next day. Then she scrambled into bed and closed her eyes. Approximately one minute later she jumped out of it again, grabbed her phone from the desk and put it under her pillow. There was no new message.
She fell asleep holding it.
Another perfectly normal day for Cleo Sertori.
On these days, she missed Lewis most.