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Sakura opened her locker, slipping her plimsoles and books inside, taking out her shoes. Her brown hair was pulled back into her customary pigtails and she was dressed in the black and white sailor-style uniform of Reedington elementary school.

'Hey, Sakura...'

Hearing the voice, Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see Madison walking towards her. Slightly taller than Sakura, she had long black hair and porcelain skin.

'Hey, Madison,' Sakura said. 'Thanks for waiting...'

'It's fine,' Madison said, with a smile. 'I had some work to do in the video lab...'

'What do you want to do, now...?'

'...we could go to Penguin Park, get some ice cream...'

'...sure...'

####################

Sakura and Madison sat on the edge of the pond in Penguin Park, surrounded by the colourful playground equipment that gave the park it's name.

'...you okay?' Madison asked and Sakura looked round from where she had been staring into space with a sigh.

'You okay...?'

'...yeah. It's just...sometimes, I wish something exciting would happen around here...'

Finishing her ice cream, Sakura stood up, smoothing out her skirt.

'I need to head home. I'll call you later...'

##################

'I'm home,' Sakura said, as she closed the door behind her, slipping off her shoes.

'Hello, Sakura,' her Father called as she headed for the kitchen, where he was bent over by the oven.

'Hey, Dad,' Sakura said, pouring herself a glass of milk from the fridge. Her Father had short brown hair and round glasses, dressed in brown trousers and a white shirt with the collar unbuttoned.

'How was your day?' her Father asked.

'Okay...' Sakura said. 'Where's Tori?' she asked, just as her Mother came into the kitchen. Slightly taller than her Father, she had pale skin and dark hair, dressed in a blue blouse and white trousers.

'He's studying with Julian. He'll be back later...' she said, kissing Sakura on the forehead. 'Dinner'll be a few minutes, so you should get changed...'

'Okay,' Sakura said, finishing her milk and heading upstairs to her bedroom. Quickly, she changed out of her uniform into a yellow t-shirt and charcoal skirt, heading back downstairs just as her Father took the Donabe out of the oven, carrying it to the table with his oven gloves.

##################

'So, what did you want to do on the weekend?' Madison asked. Sakura was lying on her bed, her phone pressed to her ear.

'I don't know. We could go shopping...'

'Sure. There's a few things I need to buy...'

'Okay...' Sakura said, just as her mother pushed open the door to her bedroom.

'It's getting late, Sakura,' she said. 'You need to get to bed...'

'... 'kay,' Sakura said. 'I need to go. Night, Madison...'

'Good night, Sakura,' Madison said, Sakura hanging up the phone.

'Night, Mom,' she said, as she tucked her in.

'Night, Sakura,' she said, kissing her on the forehead. 'Sleep tight...'

##################

Sakura woke, rubbing at her eyes as she sat up. For a second, she wondered why she had woken, until she heard the wind.

A storm...

Pushing back the covers, she opened the window above her bed to take a look at the trees whipping in the wind. As she leant out, a gust of wind caught her and she felt herself falling towards the ground. Then, she heard a rush of wings and she twisted her head to see a white bird diving towards her. Her fall started to slow and she felt her body tingling as the bird struck her chest, bursting into a shower of light. White wings erupted from her back, beating to stop her fall. She hovered in the air, feeling the wings carrying her back through her window. Landing on the bed, she was dimly aware of the wings fading as she slumped back, her eyes closing as she fell asleep...

Thank you for reading. I hoped you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.