Notes: Hi! Hope you enjoy this intro to my new series

Early morning in the spring of 2021, the sun rising early and birds rising with it to fill the air with their chatter. Catra slipped on her joggers and a t-shirt and plugged an earbud into her ear, blasting some screamo to drown out her thoughts as she ran. Nothing but loud drums and a gravely voice roaring in her ear to keep her company while her feet pounded against the ground. Her heart kept time with the beat and her breathing came labored but even, she was running away from her life just to run back to it. She was escaping so that she could come back a little more sane.

Her life was so mundane but she took pride in it. She worked at a restaurant as a waitress, earned thirteen an hour and worked sixty hours a week. Paid a thousand a month on her apartment, another couple hundred on her electric and water bills, plus gas and food and clothes and paying off her car- she had enough to add to her life savings and have some wiggle room in the budget. Not fancy by any stretch but it was a life, filled with some fun and plenty of the same old. Her labored breathing came a bit harder as she neared the end of her recently-lengthened run, sweaty palms trying to push her earbud back in, ponytail bouncing against her shoulders. With the last few strides she walked the couple steps to her driveway and up it, unlocking and throwing open the door.

A glance at the clock proved she was just in time for a shower and some breakfast; stripping as she walked, Catra thrust the hot water on- not too hot but just enough that steam rose up- and stepped in, sighing happily as the water rushed over her dark skin, easing her tense and overworked muscles. Five twelve hour shifts does that to you. Cacao and shea body wash lathered soothingly over her body, the water quickly rinsing away the sweet smelling suds which were soon replaced by the washed-out lavender shampoo she ran through her hair. Some lavender and rosemary conditioner later, she stepped out of the steamy shower, the perfume following her to her towel where she dried her body and wrapped up her hair to towel-dry. Her work outfit was a simple advertising t-shirt, some nice jeans, and an apron with those pockets in the front, name tag attached delicately to the front of it.

She threw the towel off her head, dabbing her face with some concealer to hide her recent acne break-out and lining her eyes with eye shadow and liner. Some mascara and she was done, nothing fancy but it didn't have to be, Catra was one of those classic beauties. You could catch her mid marathon, sweaty and gross and panting, and you'd still say she looked stunning. Maybe it was just her aura, the bold confidence she exuded, the charm she easily flashed in her smile to sway those around her. Not that she could do that much with COVID-19.

Last but not least, breakfast time. A peek in her fridge told her she needed to take a trip to her local grocery store, but she found a yogurt that she can dump some granola and berries into to make a parfait. Shoving spoonfuls into her mouth, Catra juggled her her keys and a cup of starbucks she got yesterday morning.

Once in the car she double-checked to make sure her mask was where she left it; it was, good. The drive was quick, her mind preoccupied with bills and that grocery list she really needs to sit down and compile. Her weekend was spent on her couch and in the woods, hiking over jutting roots and rocks, it was also spent finally washing the clothes that had been building up in her hamper. She forgot what it felt like to wear clean jeans and a shirt that wasn't sticky with her previous day's work. Pulling up to Olive Garden, She parked her car in the back and walked quickly inside, her feet already making their displeasure known. It was chilly that morning, so the warmth of the building when she entered was a relief.

"Hey, Catra!" Lonnie, a cook, greeted.

"Hey, Lon, how's it goin'?"

"Not bad, you?"

Catra smiled and shrugged, "same old, same old." She walked into the break room, placing her phone and keys into her locker. Walking back out, she helped prepare the restaurant for the day; sweeping, mopping, cleaning tables, and making sweet tea.

The first customer of the day came in, and soon a slow but steady pace was set for the start of the day with early lunchers sporadically filling the tables. A Karen gave her a hard time about how she filled her cup but other than that her morning was going just as expected. Taking a sip of her drink when retrieving another customer's meal, she caught sight of the hostess leading a blonde and a purple haired girl to one of her tables. With a sigh, she took the plate of pasta and shrimp to the customer then went to where the two women sat.

"Hi, my name is Catra. I'll be your server today, what drinks can I get for you?"

The blonde, tall with an undercut, smiled at her. "I'll take a coke, please."

"Of course, and you?" She turned to the shorter girl who was anxiously fiddling with her napkin.

"I'll take a sweet tea."

"Would you like a lemon with that?"

The girl paused, thinking for a moment. "Actually, yes, I'd love that, thank you."

Catra nodded, giving them each a smile through her mask and walked away. As she filled their glasses she thought about the blonde - who was very pretty both at first glance and when you got a closer look. But a closer look showed the small stud earrings and rings lined up the cartilage of her ears.

Bringing the drinks out, she set them in front of them with a couple of straws before tending to the people a few tables away, getting appetizer orders and running her rounds to make sure no one needed bread stick refills.

She made her way back to the blonde's table, taking their orders. A steak for the tall one and a pasta for the shorter one. They seemed to be having a serious conversation at first glance but the more she observed the more she realized it was just awkward, like they hadn't talked in a while. By the end of their meal they warmed up to each other and were laughing. Catra smiled behind her mask, nothing like good vibes to make the day feel warmer.

She took the bill to them and saw the blonde's name was Adora. Cute.