Period 1: Homeroom
Theme 6: Hallways
Words: 282
Author: Lillie Bell
Sometimes she didn't mean to be late. Two a.m. battles kept her filled with adrenaline till the morning hours and she finally fell asleep just as Mama was waking up. Sometimes she was too sore from training to get comfortable and couldn't sleep because everything hurt. And though she was exhausted, her body was in too much pain to do more than snooze.
Sometimes Luna had strange nightmares. She mumbled about queens and some chick named Artemis. The noise wasn't so bad, but she would unfurl her claws and use Usagi as a pin cushion.
But there were other times. When the battles were a little too close and one of them nearly died. Or she caught a glimpse of someone who looked like a classmate in the aftermath of the youma attack. When Naru would somehow get involved without even trying. Those were the times she was intentionally late.
She was slow to walk to school, listening to the happy people on the street enjoying their day, planning their lives. She stepped out of the way of hurrying businessmen who were trying to feed their families. She strolled onto the school grounds. She did not hustle to change her shoes or gather her bags. Her feet barely moved as she stepped through the hallways.
Here was where she might even pause.
She'd take a long time soaking in all the sounds. The teachers rapping at the board to get the students' attention. The students who had not quieted just yet. The smell of books and chalk, futures and dreams. Her fingers traced the cold lockers that lined the hallway.
And she would remember in that moment what she was fighting for.