AN: Late chapter is late. Sorry author has no excuses ;_; but is planning a double-update to make up for it, so look out for another chapter in the next 24-hours! ... If I can manage to finish writing it -_-
~!~
Chell sighed as she squinted at the curved edge of the rising sun. Dark-orange, slowly turning gold, it was one of the two most beautiful things she had ever seen. The other, of course, was sunset. Watching the sky turn from light blue to dark blue, then to various shades of pink, a different orange, to scarlet and then rich purples that slowly gave way to deepest dark blue and finally midnight-black. She had a unique perch to watch from, too. The auditorium roof gave her an uninterrupted view for almost 360 degrees, she was stunned not to have thought of this before. But there was an explination for that which made sense.
Even as she stuck her legs out straight and examined the Long Fall Boots, she sighed disappointedly. Her friends would never believe her story, even with the boots as evidence. That her body was really thousands of years old, and had survived the Long Winter underground in cryo-stasis? How could she expect them to believe something like that? It was like science-fiction, it was the whole reason she'd never opened her mouth when questioned as to where she'd come from.
Aware that the coming daylight brought the risk of being seen, Chell reluctantly agreed with her common-sense and stood up, jumping down from the auditorium roof -a five story drop- and landing with ease. She then made her way back to the res house at a relaxed lope, still thoroughly enjoying the springing step and the effortless, fluid movement.
Two houses away, though, she paused to take the boots off. Just in case her roommates were awake already. She then walked the rest of the way, but when she came to putting her key in the wire door she found it was already unlocked. Nervously, Chell opened it. The main door was wide open too, she saw Lexi in the kitchenette, making coffee.
"H-hey, Lexi." Chell attempted a smile. She was pretty sure she failed, but the other girl's eyes snapped up to hers and Lexi gave a heavy sigh. Then she quickly closed the distance between them even as Chell was edging in and shutting the door, and Lexi wrapped her arms around Chell's waist, her fingertips barely missing the Long Fall Boots hidden in one hand behind Chell's back.
"Chell, I'm so sorry about last night." Lexi rushed out, hugging her tightly and then stepping back to look right at her. Her hands clamped firmly on Chell's shoulders. "Chell, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? Anything at all."
"I-I know, Lexi, it's okay." Chell tried to reassure her. "My head just got away from me last night, I was thinking about all these things at once and it overwhelmed me. It's okay. I got a bit of sleep, and I went for a walk this morning. I feel a lot better now." She insisted. Lexi's grip remained firm for several moments more, before she let out a breath and squeezed Chell into another hug.
"Alright, just don't forget that. We care about you." She said again.
Then abruptly, Lexi backed off and bustled to the kitchenette.
"Exam results are being posted today, are you excited?" Lexi asked brightly, busying herself with coffee.
"Yeah." Chell perked up, happy to get off the subject of her mental wellbeing. "Oh, are you making me one?" She teased. "Just let me get changed, I had a bit of a workout." Chell added, edging towards the hallway.
"Sure, sure." Lexi waved her off, not even glancing in her direction. "One diabetic-coma-in-a-cup coming up!"
"Sweet." Chell grinned and escaped to her bedroom. She hid the Long Fall Boots -carefully, this time- then quickly switched her sweaty workout clothes for something more comfortable. Shorts and a tee, a pair of sneakers, and she made her bed and tidied the room. Chell was still brushing her hair on the way back to the living room, where Lexi sat with three cups on the coffee table, and one in her hands.
"Blue one." Lexi nodded at the mugs. Chell picked it up, inhaled deeply, then gulped at the scalding liquid.
"Mmm, perfect." She smiled. She set it down again and chose a seat, determinedly working at her hair. Less than two minutes later, Sarah and Emma wandered in, in various states of consciousness. Presumably, the smell of coffee had been what roused them.
"Oh, you didn't..." Emma mumbled, aparrently sniffing out the cups more than seeing them. She groped blindly for one as she sat, and Lexi pushed Emma's mug into her grasp.
"I did." She smiled. She still seemed on-edge, Chell noted. Maybe she was really upset about the previous night? "Results today. I can't believe we're finally here, to be honest. And in less than a month, we'll be moving out and going places." Lexi said brightly. Chell sighed, letting the conversation distract her.
"Four years, and it's all come down to a minute spent staring at a bit of paper to find your name." Sarah yawned. "We should celebrate. Ideas?"
"Box-head." Emma grinned sleepily. Lexi groaned, rolling her eyes.
"No. Way."
"Aw."
"Swimming? It's warm enough for the beach." Chell suggested. The others clearly gave that serious thought.
"Won't everyone be there?" Sarah asked.
"Blargh." Chell made a face. She'd forgotten that, and the idea of a crowd certainly displeased all four of them. Then she met Lexi's gaze and both of them spoke at the same time.
"Movie marathon."
"Epic." Emma sat up, slurping another mouthful before putting her cup on the table. "Should we go rent them or borrow them off the guys?"
"Let's go to their place. Seven of us, a couple slabs, sweet movies. Can't go wrong." Lexi said quickly.
"All in favor, raise your hands?" Sarah said with comic formality, doing so and causing the other three to chime in when she cried 'aye!' They burst into laughter.
"Pity they're not aware of the concept of 'morning'." Emma sighed. "Unless they're still awake from last night, we can't go see them until at least one o'clock."
"That won't happen." Lexi shrugged. "So, who's up for breakfast?" She asked suddenly.
"Have we got any Poptarts left?" Chell asked as Lexi collected their cups for another round of sweet caffine. She followed, rummaging through the cupboards until she found a single packet. "Dang. Two left."
"Splits." Emma called. Chell nodded and put them in the toaster. Even after five years of eating a minimum three times a day, the prospect of food -instead of adrenal vapour packed with molecules of nutrients- still thrilled her. Chell watched intently, only half listening to the others discussing something. Well, she registered their voices at least. The words were a lost cause.
Until something icy-cold trickled down the back of her neck and Chell gave a squeal and jumped, spinning around. Emma and Sarah burst out laughing, while Lexi stood just nearby with an ice-cube in her hand, grinning.
"Her idea!" Lexi cried, pointing at Sarah. Said blonde gaped at her, or at least attempted to gape instead of giggling, but by now Chell was laughing too. She wrestled the ice-cube off Lexi and ran after Sarah, who scrambled unsuccessfully to get out of the way. Emma helped muddle her up and Chell shoved the ice-cube down the front of Sarah's pyjama top, making her shriek in fright at the cold of it.
"Gotcha!"
"We are so immature." Lexi said, sticking her tongue out and high-fiving Chell as the taller girl ventured back into the kitchen to find their breakfast. The chocolate smell was mouthwatering.
"What's the point to life if-"
"If it's not fun?" Lexi finished with her. "All hail that, sister." She winked. "So, were you hearing anything we said?"
"Something about food?" Chell tried.
"We decided to make them come over here instead. This place is cleaner, for one thing, and we've got a better tv." Sarah spoke up. "You up for that?"
"Sure." Chell nodded, cutting the poptarts in half so they each got a piece. "What time?"
"We figure four o'clock. The guys should be awake by then. And if everyone chips in, we can get pizza too."
"Sweet." Chell grinned. She handed the plate around, then Lexi was done with their second round of coffee and several minutes of silence ensued, each of the women's thoughts her own.
"Dibs on the shower." Emma said after a while, leaving the room. Chell got up, taking her cup and Emma's to the sink, and she made short work of the few morning dishes.
"How was your run this morning, anyway?" Lexi asked, getting her attention. "You were a bit red in the face when you got back. You don't usually puff out so easy."
"It was good, I pushed a bit harder than usual." Chell answered.
"That's cool then. I heard some funny noises early this morning, about five-thirty. Banging. Couldn't get back to sleep after that. I noticed you were gone, I was hoping you were alright."
"Banging noises." Chell repeated, suddenly tense. She glanced over her shoulder at Lexi -whose expression was taut once more. "Can't say I remember any banging. I came back by the carpark, I didn't hear anything that way."
"Weird. That's where I heard the noises from." Lexi said. Chell froze up. "I went and had a look around, we must have missed each other by a couple of minutes or something?"
"Probably." Chell tried for a laugh. It came out weaker than she'd hoped for. "But that reminds me, I really should have a shower before we go in. Thanks." She chuckled again, and quickly made her way to her room. "Emma! Save me some water, yeah?" Chell called through the bathroom door as she passed it. There was a muffled acknowlegement and Chell shut herself in her room, making sure that the door was fully closed before she went to the wardrobe and held her clothes aside to see the Long Fall Boots. They were still there, tucked right in the corner, the heelsprings now tied together with an old hairtie to make sure they didn't fall over again. Chell sighed in relief and shuffled around, finding her things for the day. A knock on the door several minutes later signalled the shower was free to use, and she scurried out, eager for the steaming, relaxing water.
~!~
AN: Yay :3 please, please, PLEASE, R&R! Reviews keep mah fingers typin' so please R&R!