Alice found herself fighting the nervous and childish urge to peak through the window that opened to the gym in front of her. She was dressed in her standard issue PT uniform, opting for the sleeveless tank allowed for combatives classes. Her head was held high, ebony hair swept up in a regulatory bun that would put the illustrations in the cadet handbook to shame. Her posture was rigid and commanding, an epitome to control over oneself that nearly challenged even the Vulcan standards. But that was just the exterior, a front to hide how truly terrified she was of entering the room.
Inside, she could see the shuffling figures that stood around, aimlessly wandering from one social group to the other as they waited patiently for the instructor of their combatives class to enter and begin instruction. They were waiting for her.
For Advanced Combatives III, it was necessary that the cadets in the course could show their mastery of hand-to-hand techniques by teaching what they knew two days out of the week while the third day assigned for ACIII was spent on training simulations held either in the field or in the simulators. Alice was at the point in her instruction where the instructors were no longer teaching her what to do but demanding that she apply what she knew how to do.
But she would not be instructing the course alone. There was an actual instructor, Commander Vance, who would not only gauge the performance of the cadets in Combatives I, but also her own. So, the cadets in the gym were not waiting impatiently for just her; but for her and the instructor that had yet to show up.
Alice had spent all of her winter break between the semesters memorizing the basic lesson plan structure for the course. It was her responsibility to know it better than the actual instructor, to be able to teach it as if he weren't there. And studying the material, memorizing it, had been about as exciting as it sounded. Not that she had much else to do. After finals, Leonard had gone back to Georgia to visit his parents, which rained all kinds of hell from Jim in the form of jokes and teasing; and Jim himself was busy with an optional leadership course that was recommended for those on the command track.
The only person Alice had really seen during the holiday break was her father at his insisting that she at least spend December 25th with him. The date really had no emotional tie to her; she had never really had a day of celebration for anything, holiday or memorial. Christmas held meaning for her father though, so she hadn't minded allowing him to force her to participate in the ancient ritual of giving gifts with brightly colored wrapping paper. And for some reason, she had wondered if Jim and Leonard celebrated Christmas, but then thought better of it since neither Leonard nor Jim had mentioned it; and even more, Jim hadn't even mentioned his birthday.
A birthday like that, though… Alice could understand intimately why Jim would choose not to celebrate it, to not even mention it, really. In fact, that day, the U.S.S. Kelvin Memorial Day hosted by the Academy, had been the only day during break she had seen Jim; and she had supervised as he drank himself into oblivion at Joe's for a reason he would not speak about, letting him sleep it off on her couch.
"Assistant Instructor Khan," came a veiled greeting, drawing Alice from her thoughts
"Instructor Vance," she acknowledged.
"I would like for you to hang back while I lay down the rules," Vance informed her, coming to stand beside her, "afterwards, we begin instruction."
Alice looked over to him. "Any advice?"
Vance studied her for a moment. "You are one of their own, Ms. Khan. In the same graduating class, roughly the same age class, and you are a just a first year cadet like them. You need to establish your authority and gain their respect today, or else you won't have it at all." He waited a beat. "My job is to evaluate you in addition to teaching these cadets, however, that doesn't mean I am out to sabotage you. As long as it isn't a stupid, I'll back your play."
"Thank you, sir," Alice breathed, trying to steady her heart as she actively worked on not tapping her fingers together in nervousness. It was something she and Commander Spock had been focusing in on correcting behaviorally, and today was making it difficult for her remain in control of it.
Alice held the door open for Vance as the man who exuberated confidence strode in, following him in at a distance. Some of the cadets turned to see who had entered, but the rest were shocked into compliance.
"Fall into extended formation! Move!" Vance boomed commandingly, his voice reverberating loudly in the high vaulted ceiling of the gym.
There was a heart sinking feeling of dread that clung to her spine as Alice scanned the room, her eyes recognizing the two figures she had been all but praying would not be in the class she had to instruct. Yet here they were, proving once more that her luck really was that bad.
Alice could feel her cheeks start to flush red when Jim gave her this obnoxious, shit-eating grin when he spotted her, and it made Alice almost reconsider being his friend; and Leonard was standing a little way away from him in an alphabetized, extended distance, but she couldn't read what he was thinking as his eyes followed her, though. He certainly wasn't finding the situation nearly as entertaining as Jim was, for which she was thankful.
"Welcome to Combatives I, cadets," Vance said, his voice echoing loudly with years of issuing orders. "The course that all of you are required to take after your first semester of physical training." Alice stood behind Vance, off to the side so that she could still read the room.
"Let me be the first to tell you that this course will not be nearly as easy as PT was. You will not be running in circles with little speed bumps in your way." He paused for effect. "This course is all about the practical application of skill. Skill that myself and Ms. Khan will be teaching you." Alice stepped forward at the mention of her name.
"Now, some of you might recognize Ms. Khan as a member your graduating class," Vance continued. "As of now, however," he boomed, "she outranks each and every single one of you. As of now, she is Assistant Instructor Khan and will be addressed as such. She is not Alice Khan; she is not Cadet Khan. It is Assistant Instructor Khan or AI Khan. Am I clear, cadets?"
"Yes, sir!" came the resounding, unhesitating, unanimous answer.
"You will follow her instruction and commands as if I were the one giving it. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"You will respect her authority, because she has authority, over you as an instructor of this course. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good," Vance finished, turning towards Alice. "Assistant Instructor Khan, if you would begin today's lesson?"
It was one hell of an introduction that lead to the moment she had been dreading, when she had to begin instructing her peers. Her heart raced for an instant as she surveyed the crowd.
And then…it stilled.
It was just like a fight. Survey your options, study the threats, take account of your surroundings, acknowledge areas of difficulty, and then attack.
"Thank you, Instructor Vance," Alice said confidently as she strode forward towards the extended formation. She made a point to be obvious in her observations of them before addressing you. Then for added effect she paced in front of them.
"If I were to ask you the question who here knows how to fight, and if some of you would actually answer, I would probably get a few admittances of some having no experience, some having gotten into a fight or two, and then a couple of you would say that yes, you do know how to fight." She stopped. "Cadet Sims," she sounded off loudly, her voice ringing in the gym. "Do you know how to fight?"
There was a self-satisfactory chuckle to accompany the smug look he wore. "You should ask Kirk that question," he boasted, getting a few laughs from his friends that were also amongst the group.
Jim still had the bruises that marred his face from that aforementioned fight. Sims and the other roommates had gotten drunk and stumbled into the dorm room their first night back from break and had gotten belligerent; and rather than just take the insults they threw his way quietly, Jim had undoubtedly egged them on, that obnoxious smirk and crystal blue eyes having a way of melting resolves. Whether or not it melted the resolve of a woman who weakly refused to sleep with him or the resolve of three large men who were barely containing their anger and fight response was another matter entirely.
"But I wasn't asking Cadet Kirk, now was I?" she responded, steely voice accompanying her perfect posture as she stood rigid and relaxed, challenging him. Her friendship with Jim was something Sims was well aware of, and while she was adamant with herself about not playing favorites with Jim or Leonard, she certainly wasn't about to let Sims disrespect her fledgling authority just because of their friendship either.
"Yes, ma'am," Sims backed down. "I do know how to fight."
Perfect. "Step forward, please," Alice commanded him, waving for him to stand next to her. The large cadet towered over her, even when he was slouching in a relaxed position of attention. It was the second reason she chose him. He was easily over a foot taller than her and close to double her weight.
"Now tell me, how do stand when you fight?"
"How do I stand?" he asked, voice equal parts disbelieving and confused.
"Is the question too difficult for you, Cadet Sims?" she asked, her voice and expression as passive as a Vulcan's while several of the cadets snickered in formation.
"No, ma'am."
"Then how do you stand when you fight?" she repeated, not bothering to hide the amusement in her voice that didn't show in her demeanor. "Show me."
Cadet Sims looked as if he were about to protest, thinking that this was some kind of joke. His gaze flickered over to Instructor Vance in question, but Alice's superior backed her play by saying nothing. Sighing in frustration, Sims took up a meager defensive stance.
And Alice realized that she could have some fun with this assignment.
The stance Sims took was, in a word, pathetic. His feet were too close together, his body was turned too much, and his hands were clenched into fists already. It was standard barroom brawl procedure, making yourself look big and menacing and feigning like you actually had a clue about what you were doing, but it certainly was ineffective when it came to a real fight. It would work in order to give a good example, though.
Sims shrugged expectantly, signaling that this was how he stood.
It was very difficult for her not to smile in amusement for what was about to come next. Walking around him, Alice made it look as if she were studying his stance very carefully before she finally came back to stand in front of him. There was a moment of hesitation before she finally lashed out.
With a well-executed kick, Alice easily threw Cadet Sims off balance, knocking his feet from underneath him, his legs following suit as they were swept to the side. He crashed loudly against the mats, his body making a satisfactory smack as he made flat contact with the ground beneath him.
And several of the cadets in the formation clearly found it funny that someone who had a good foot height-wise and twice the weight on her had been so easily knocked to the ground with one blow. Jim was certainly the loudest in showing his amusement and it triggered more barely contained laughter from the cadets around him.
Alice remained on her feet, ignoring Sims as he groaned in both shock and pain. "In this class we will start by teaching you how to stand, then move on to how to throw a punch, how to kick, how to block, how to counter, and then we will begin by teaching you series of combinations on how to take down a threat."
"Cadet Sims," Alice addressed him as he finally managed to return to his feet. "I would like to thank you for providing us with an excellent example of how not to stand. Please fall back into the formation."
Instructor Vance strode up to stand beside his assistant. "As I have said before, this course will not be as easy as Physical Training in your first semester was," he warned. "On Tuesdays, you will be learning the basic forms of either defensive positions, offensive and defensive counters, and various forms of attacks. On Thursdays, you will be practicing these same movements with the addition of other combinations as AI Khan and I see fit. Then the following Tuesday you will all be tested on your proficiency with what you were taught the prior week before we move on in our instruction." Vance looked over to Alice, signaling for her to continue.
"Your final examination will consist of a full combat simulation between you and a partner in which each of you will be required to use one technique learned from each week of this course." Alice saw the nervous glances from several of the cadets as they looked at one another. "Which is why it is extremely important that you pick a good partner. They will either make or break your grade. This class is all about proficiency." She paused. "If your partner pulls punches for you, you will fail. If you pull punches for your partner, you will fail. If you refuse to do as instructed, you will fail."
"And if you do not take this class seriously, behave recklessly, or attempt to use what you are taught in class in any way to instigate a fight inside or outside of this gym, you will fail. I'm looking at you Cadet Kirk and Sims. I don't want to see bruises on either you again starting this week." Vance paused for dramatic effect. "Do we have an understanding here, cadets?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good," he nodded. "Choose your partner and stand next to them while maintaining a loose formation. AI Khan and I reserve the right to change up pairings as necessary." A pause to let the instruction set in. "Fall out!"
Cadets began shuffling around, slowly at first, but when they moved to their friends, the ones they chose to be partners, the initial nervous chatter became louder as they became more comfortable. And not to her surprise at all, Alice saw the overly excited Jim Kirk race to stand next Leonard McCoy. Jim was literally jumping up and down while Leonard looked as if he was about to murder someone. If she didn't have to maintain a professional appearance, Alice would have probably laughed at the sight of them.
As they began to settle down, Vance turned to her. "You take that half," he motioned to his left. "I'm assuming you're aware of how to ensure that they have adequate partners?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded.
"Good," he nodded. "And remember, this is much a learning process for them as it is for you. You need to be fully capable of instructing and teaching crew members on how to handle threats both on a Starship and on field ops."
"I am aware, sir," Alice replied sternly. She didn't need the warning. She was fully aware of what was expected of her. A good tactical officer could advise the crew of how to get through a difficult situation. An excellent tactical officer could instruct them how to get through a difficult situation.
"Then get to it."
"Yes, sir."
Alice began to make her way through the loose ranks of cadets, asking for their names as she recorded the pairings in her PADD. On a couple of instances, she did have to switch up partners on account of drastic height or weight differences, but unlike Instructor Vance, she observed, Alice was kind enough to at least ensure that they knew each other even if they hadn't been the first choice in partner.
About halfway through, she finally had no choice but to interact with the pairing she had wanted to avoid the most; because just as of course they were in the class she was Assistant Instructor in, of course they were part of the cadets that Alice had to record when Vance and divided the group in half.
Jim's smile was absolutely ridiculous. "Assistant Instructor Khan," he said overenthusiastically. "It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think Bones?"
"Yeah, sure," Leonard shrugged grumpily, his voice indicating he wasn't really paying attention to what Jim said. "Please tell me you have to switch one of us to another group, I don't think I can handle being partnered with him."
"Don't think you'll be able to keep up with me?" Jim teased, his crystal eyes flaring with a warmth that meant he was having way too much fun with this.
"I don't think I'll be able to stop hitting you when I start."
Alice chuckled, glancing over the personnel files she had prompted on the screen. They were nowhere near as in depth as a medical file might be, and she certainly didn't need them for these two; but she was at least going to give the appearance she was trying to look for a reason to split them up on Leonard's behalf.
"It looks like the only thing that could be an issue is the difference in age," she said.
"You hear that Bones," Jim cut in. "I think she's calling you old."
"I am not calling you old," Alice quickly amended. "I'm just saying there's no large difference in height or weight or your physiology that would need for you two to be split up."
"What about his ego or immaturity?" Leonard tried, the hard edge in his voice nearly covering the fact that he was joking. "There's definitely a difference there."
For the sake of playing along, Alice briefly scanned to see their personnel files again. "Hmm… unfortunately, neither of those are listed in actual quantities on your files, so I don't have a real reason to split you two up."
"Looks like you're stuck with me," Jim beamed.
"Fan-fucking-tastic," Leonard growled.
"Look at it this way," Alice offered, "at least you'll be motivated to do well."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, the better you are, the more likely you'll be able to accidentally hurt Jim," she smirked teasingly.
"Hey! That's not nice," Jim whined.
Alice merely chuckled at his outburst in response before she continued making her way through the rank and file once more, taking down names and recording who had whom for a partner. And even though she had stopped for a brief conversation with her friends, Alice still managed to finish with the "paperwork" portion of the day faster than Instructor Vance. It was a small victory that served to boost her confidence.
"Alright, cadets," Vance called out as he made his way back to the front. "Form up in a partner extended formation."
As the cadets began to shuffle into a more rigid formation, staggering themselves properly with perfect equidistance from each other, Vance turned to Alice. "We'll begin with proper stance, followed by right and left handed punches, and then right and left front kicks," he added in an aside. "You will be demonstrating each one first, and then assisting the left side of the formation starting from Cadet Sims over."
"Understood."
"First things first, cadets, you need to have your basic defensive stance." Vance addressed the waiting cadets. "Your stance should be a solid base that no one can move you from when done properly. It is where you can deliver all of your punches kicks, and perform your blocks. And it is the complete opposite of the stance Cadet Sims was kind enough to demonstrate for us." Alice felt a surge of satisfaction as he insulted Sims' overinflated pride.
From there on, Vance droned on, nearly boring Alice with the basic concepts of commands that would be given during this course that they were responsible to know since all other commands for more advanced combinations would stem from a root command. And Alice had to demonstrate all of them.
There was "at ease." A relaxed stance that one would normally assume at any time they weren't in formation or combat. For this, Alice had crossed her arms and placed all her weight heavily on one foot, full tilt diva as Jim called it whenever he saw a woman strike that pose in a bar.
Next came "ready" or "ready position." This was the defensive stance Instructor Vance had touched on. "It is to be taken quickly, not stupidly. I don't want to see any of you jumping to this position like morons!" he had growled before moving to Alice and listing off all of the characteristics that were required, that she demonstrated: straight back, slight bend in the knees with slightly more than shoulder with distance between her feet, her back foot twisted sideways for balance, on arm raised with the other held close to her stomach, hands relaxed but open, and a fluidity to how rigidly she held herself ready for an attack.
And she did her best to ignore that catcalling whistle that came from Cadet Sims as Vance mentioned her form.
"No one should be able to move you from this position unless you let them," Vance continued on. "Cadet Kirk! Fall out to the front of the formation."
"Yes, sir," came the automatic response.
"Try to knock Ms. Khan down," Vance instructed once he had reached them. Alice shot a questioning look at Vance, one that mirrored Jim's own. "Now, cadet," he reaffirmed when Jim hesitated.
"Ma'am?" Jim turned to Alice, asking her for permission.
"Good luck," she teased gently, but instead of approaching her, Jim backed off, walking towards the opposite side of the gym. It was only as the distance continued to increase steadily that Alice realized just what he was planning.
Oh shit… she breathed in deeply before digging in deep.
Jim turned and charged her a full sprint, throwing a shoulder forward as he rushed her. Alice held firm as he finally made contact with her though, catching his arm with her hands and remaining standing. The force was enough to slide her back on the mats, however, the slight screeching of her shoes being scraped against it as she finally managed to stop Jim's momentum.
Alice shoved Jim away from her, shortening her stance a little since she had widened it a bit when he crashed into her. "Nice try," she smirked as he staggered back a few steps.
"As I said," Vance reiterated. "No one should be able to move you from your defensive stance unless you allow them to. Though I must say, Cadet Kirk, for a moment there, I thought you were going to be the exception."
"So did I," Kirk said amusedly. "She's stronger then she looks," he added as he returned to formation, giving Alice a sly wink as he passed her.
It took all of her control not to roll her eyes at him as Instructor Vance quickly jumped back into the instruction.
"Assistant Instructor Khan," Jim said in an exaggeratedly announcing and mocking voice for what had to be the millionth time as the three of them walked towards the dorms on campus.
"Are you actually going to say something afterward, or are you just going to repeat it again?" Alice groaned, regretting both having him in her class and not bringing a jacket for the cold night.
"How come you get to be an Assistant Instructor?" he asked, voicing the question that was probably on every single cadet's mind in their class.
"Because I'm better than you?" Alice said, avoiding giving an answer.
She had no desire to disclose just how many classes she had managed to test out of, having managed to shorten her required duration at the academy by a year so far. Most people didn't like to hear about that. Sure being a genius was encouraged in Starfleet, but it wasn't the best way to keep or make friends when you skipped the classes they still had to take. And while Jim often talked about his goal of finishing in three years, even he avoided bringing up just how smart he was. It might ruin his reputation.
"Come on, Alice," he pleaded. "There has to be more to it than that."
"Being an Assistant Instructor is a requirement for Advanced Combatives III in addition to field ops and simulations," she finally informed him with a sigh in frustration. "What better way to show your mastery of combat than by applying it practically and teaching it."
"You're in ACIII?" Leonard interjected. For the most part he had been content to just allow Jim to annoy her. He didn't want to get caught in the crossfire, she supposed. "How'd you manage that one?"
"I tested out of the other ones," she shrugged, not particularly comfortable with the questions.
"You tested out of them?" Jim balked.
"Is there an echo out here?" Alice asked, slightly annoyed. "Yes. I tested out of Combatives I and II and Advanced Combatives I. I could have tested out of ACII last semester as well, but the board decided that it would be better for my education to have a 'refresher' course."
"Damn," Jim breathed in astonishment. "Remind me to always have you around when I decide to pick a fight."
Alice rolled her eyes. This was exactly why she didn't tell people about the classes she had been able to test out of. "You're not supposed to get into fights anymore Cadet Kirk." It was difficult for her to keep her frustration out of her voice.
"I know, I know," he laughed, brushing off her rougher tone easily.
"Why don't I believe you?" she asked accusingly.
"Because you're smarter than that, sweetheart," Leonard answered for her. "And all evidence, so far, points to the contrary."
"I can change," Jim argued playfully.
"Yeah, when pigs fly maybe," Leonard scoffed.
"Is that a challenge?" There was no mistaking the terrifyingly mischievous gleam that sparkled within the depths of his crystal blue eyes.
"No, it is not a challenge," he quickly answered, regretting what he had said instantly. "Do not find a way to make a pig fly, Jim.
"I don't know," he continued wryly, sly smirk on his face. "It sounds like a challenge to me."
"It is definitely not a challenge," Leonard shot back.
"It wouldn't be that much of a challenge anyway," Jim teased. "It wouldn't be hard to make a pig fly."
"I can't even begin to imagine what kind of nightmare it would be if you actually tried," Leonard grimaced as if the idea was physically repulsive.
Alice frowned, allowing the old saying Leonard had used continue to detract the conversation from the original topic. "Really? Federation and Commercial starships move livestock all the time. If pigs were on one, technically it would be flying."
"Way to go for the loophole," Jim teased her. "The pig isn't literally flying. It's being flown, in that case anyway. Plus, traveling through space isn't really considered flying," he added. "It's just the movement of matter."
"So, how would you make a pig fly?" Alice challenged.
"Are you seriously going to try to figure it out?" Leonard asked in disbelief. "It was a figure of speech."
"Mechanical prosthetics," Jim answered, ignoring the appalled tone in Leonard's voice. "Something similar to an old jet engine."
"Well, wouldn't that be subject to your own argument?" she countered. "The person in control of the prosthetics would be flying the pig and not the pig itself."
"Unbelievable," Leonard sighed.
"Unless the pig was in control of the prosthetics."
"What, like in some kind of synthetic cross that allows the pig to manipulate the engines?" Alice shook her head. "How would you even train the pig to use it, much less be able to manipulate it well enough to fly on its own without killing itself."
"Alright, then what's your brilliant idea?" Jim countered, his voice having a slightly offended edge to it as his idea was shot down.
"Single out the genes that code for all things aviation in a large bird and splice them into a pig's genome," Alice answered, holding her head a little higher in pride.
"That's horrifying, haunting, disturbed even," Leonard added, though it was obvious he wasn't expecting anyone to respond to him.
"Now you're subject to your own argument," Jim said satisfactorily. "How would the pig know how to use its wings?"
"I'm sure the pigs would figure it out a few generations down," she shrugged. "And they would at least have that opportunity. With your idea, it's either fly or die for the pig and you'd have to start all over if things went south…fast."
Jim huffed in amusement at her little pun. "Cute."
"That's not what I would call it," Leonard growled passively. "I can't believe I associate myself with you two."
"You're no fun sometimes, you know that Bones?" Jim teased, an obnoxious grin adding to the lightheartedness.
"At least I don't come up with ways to make a figure of speech literal," he countered, and Alice couldn't help but chuckle softly at the comment. Yes, it was a silly now that Leonard put it that way, but it had been fun. And distracting. It was what she needed to get off of the original topic.
But some things have a way of coming back to you when you least expected it.
The three of them had been so enveloped in the conversation—Jim and Alice as active participants and Leonard as the innocent bystander that watched on in horror as if there was a horrific crash playing out before him—that none of them had noticed the figure approaching them.
"Cadet Khan," came the steely rigid voice that finally caught their attention. "If I might have a moment of your time?" They all turned and immediately saluted the commander that stood before them, completely caught off guard to be proper with their formalities.
"Of course, sir," Alice answered, her insides churning as Spock survived them with veiled curiosity yet returning their salute none the less. She turned to her friends. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Both of them nodded in agreement, though neither Leonard nor Jim could mask their own curiosity as to what a Starfleet Commander would want with a cadet this late at night, never mind what a Vulcan Commander might want. But they excused themselves politely, granting Spock the respect his rank entailed and leaving Alice alone with him.
"Is there something I can help you with, Commander?" Alice asked coldly, apprehensively.
"Curiously enough, it is something I can help you with, Ms. Khan," he replied. His features were softened and pleasant, the Vulcan form of a smile. "You had asked me a favor before the incident at the Science Complex. And as you requested, I inquired after Avarak." Spock handed her the holopad he had been carrying. "He asked me to pass on a few methods of contacting him so that you might establish communications with him directly rather than through a third party."
Alice accepted the holopad, scanning the information for only the briefest of moments before returning her attention to Spock. "Thank you, Mr. Spock," she smiled. "I greatly appreciate you doing this for me."
"It was no trouble," he assured her bluntly.
"Will that be all, Commander?" Alice asked, dreading what else he might insist on speak about.
"There is only one more matter that deserves attention," he answered, his voice less contained. "It has come to my attention that I have not acknowledged your involvement in the incident. Namely the fact that you saved my life."
Her smile grew as she couldn't help but tease him lightly. "It was no trouble."
"Perhaps not," he agreed with her, "but it is something I greatly appreciate." Alice huffed in amusement at his own subtle play with words as he continued on. "Have a good night, Ms. Khan," Spock said in pleasant dismissal, leaving just as abruptly as he had arrived.
Alice looked down at the holopad she still held in her hand. Avarak's picture was in one corner, and to her it was like she was stepping backward in time by nearly a year. Vulcan's don't particularly change. A culture built on logic does not have flowing society norms that change with time. But for some reason, Alice felt that Avarak looked especially unchanged with his contact information listed beside his ID.
It only served to throw her back into her memory, into the past, that much easier.
~~.O.~~
Alight, so onwards and upwards. Or actually backwards.
You'll see what I mean next chapter. ;)
As always, I love you guys and appreciate you giving my story the time of day.
Please let me know what you think in the form of unconditional love or critiques, I enjoy both.
Until next time!