As the Sun sank in the afternoon, the sky turned a deep pink color with a hint of orange. The sky was so beautiful that it almost looked like a painting.
Although the Sun had already dipped below the horizon, there was still a lot of brightness left in the sky.
It was probably the summer effect, which means the sun had extended their stay a little longer up there.
Either way, it doesn't matter, as it wouldn't stop the people of Graves Field from being occupied with their daily schedules.
That included the Noceda Family who were in their little kitchen and at the moment, something delicious was in the making.
The Latina woman took out the milk and began to pour it into a pot. While she was preparing the dish, her daughter Luz was sitting at the dining table with her Azura book, the camp brochure, and a look of sadness on her face.
"Say, what do you think about making some Leche Frita for the camp?" The mother questioned with a smile while she slipped the cinnamon stick and lemon rind into the milk. "Or would you prefer to surprise the people there with some Buñuelo instead?" She spun around to get the reply properly, but the moment she saw Luz's state, the gloom wiped the grin off of her face.
Her hands stop working for a moment, then Camila soughed deeply.
'I knew it. . .' The mother thought to herself as she glanced at the pamphlet of the 'Reality Check Camp' guiltily.
She knew at some point something like this would happen, but even so she was still not prepared for it. . .
But. . .
She also wanted to do what's best for her only child. . .
"Oh, my baby. . ." Camila reached out softly as she embraced her precious daughter tight who just kept on being rigid with her focus glued on the table's surface.
"Don't worry mija, I'm sure you will be alright there." The adult attempted to reassure the teen gir. "Summer camp is only going to be for about one or two months, and you'll be so busy balancing checkbooks and learning to uh. . . appreciate public radio that the time will fly by. You won't even notice it."
Unfortunately, though, her efforts were in vain as nothing seemed to get any reaction out of the young girl, let alone a positive one.
Before Camila could try again, Luz chipped in with her thoughts.
"But I don't like any of that stuff." The younger Latina stated as her hands automatically advanced for her fantasy book. "I like editing anime clips to music and... and reading fantasy books with convoluted backstories."
At that, the mother sighed again.
"I know that Mija, but. . ." Hesitation made her take a breather for a moment before she was able to gain her bravery for the next statement she was about to say to her kid.
"Maybe it's finally time to do something different for once."
Her daughter's fingers went a little tight around the book's edge at that very idea.
"As I said, I love your creativity Mi Amor, but your fantasy world is holding you back." Camila continued with a stern tone as her gentle hand was placed on Luz's shoulder. "Do you have any friends? Real ones, not imagined or drawn or reptilian?" Each question was met with stillness from the young teen whose frown went deeper and deeper.
The Latina woman took another breath before she reached for her daughter's hair and caressed it delicately.
"I know it won't be easy after. . . everything, but maybe summer camp is your chance to finally find yourself, or make some friends." Luz let out a small sigh as her hands set her book on the dinner table. "You know, find people around your age who you can talk to and spend time with. Who knows, maybe you can find a special someone who understands and shares the same interests as you." Camila's free hand picked up the camp flier before turning back to her daughter.
"Can you at least give it a try maybe?" The mother asked softly as she placed that piece of paper in front of the book cover.
"Can you do that?"
Another moment later, the young brunette surrendered to the sentiment. . .
"Yes, mom. . ." Luz replied in a small murmur before she got up from her seat and exited the kitchen.
As she placed one foot in front of the other, her eyes remained on the items in her hands, which felt so heavy, like she was carrying bricks.
The book that contained everything she loves and sparked up her light. . .
And then there was that pamphlet to remind her of the existence of the actual reality that she lives in.
A reality that doesn't accept her. . .
Camila's eyes softened at the teen's frame before she closed them and inhaled deeply. When she reopened them again she turned to a small picture frame of an old family photo. . .
Back from the time when they were once a family of three. . .
'Oh, Manny. . .' Camila mentally called out to the image of her loving husband while she felt her heart swell in great agony. 'I wish you were here with us. . .'
Her sentimental moment however came to an abrupt pause though when she heard something boiling hard.
Right after that, came a sharp beeping sound, which made the adult finally whip her head around to see that the milk had over-boiled.
Camila cussed to herself as she struggled to do damage control . . .
In the depths of the Supermarket, a sweet old man was just trying to reach for a jar of blueberry jam that was placed on the highest part of the shelf. Unfortunately for him though, his height did not let him reach his goal.
He tried getting it a few times, but sadly, he had no success.
A sigh of defeat escaped from his lips while his small eyes hopelessly stared up at his chosen jam jar which was named 'Girl Power', a very popular jam that many people would purchase due to its unique and explosive flavors.
The old man was one of those fans of this popular treat, but from the looks of it, he wouldn't get any taste of bliss for the day.
'Such a shame.' He thought to himself before he bent down to pick up his small shopping basket. The short elderly man was ready to leave the area with the help of his walking stick.
However, he stopped when a soft voice spoke behind him.
"Excuse me, sir!" A kind and tender voice called out.
"Why yes?" The man turned back around with a small smile.
"Oh!" That smile grew even bigger the moment he noticed the little jar that he desired seconds ago.
"H-here." Said the young teen with a warm smile as she offered the elder the famous 'Girl Power' jam that held the same color as her hair.
"Thank you, young lady." He took the item from the fourteen-year-old girl, and he expressed his gratitude with a smile.
"Y-you're very welcome sir." Hira gave a small wave to him with her free hand as the elder went on his merry way. But once he was gone, she went for one of the many colorful 'Girl Power' Jam choices and continued with her own shopping trip.
In a matter of hours, the girl with long braided hair hopped off her ride and soon she was walking on the streets with a medium-sized plastic bag full of many items. Although, as she went to grab her phone though, her camp brochure flew out of her pocket.
"O-oh!" She murmured out loud as soon as she caught the item with her eyes.
Hira bent down and picked up The Reality Check Camp's pamphlet. When she held it up though, it felt like she was holding the source of her anxiety.
'It's your call Hira.' In an instant, the Vice Principal's words began to ring inside the teen's head like a little alarm clock. . .
Or more like a ticking time-bomb. . .
'You may get other times to come to camps, but remember, you only live once. '
You only live once. . .
Words that she had heard a lot, yet never responded to them. . .
But that was before. . . but now. . .
"Ugh, I can't believe I actually agreed to this. . ." With that soft groan, the fourteen-year-old drilled the pamphlet back into her pocket before she walked forward with her head hung low in remorse.
Even now hours or so later, she still couldn't believe how she was able to say 'yes' to something as absurd as a two-month-long vacation where not only would she be away from the only unassailable place that was familiar to her, but would be forced to interact with a lot of new people around her age who could potentially make fun of her or worse. . . make history repeat itself. . .
But then again, Mrs. Parsons had a point.
The thought of said Vice Principal caused Hira to feel guilty, mainly because she felt like she had loaded the actual helpful adults with her constant inconvenience. . .
'No!' The teen girl shook her head firmly. 'Don't think about it!'
Yes, this experience is scary, but like before, she told herself that her journey to change for the better is unavoidable. Maybe this is the universe's doing, and this is their way to tell her that it's time to ultimately start it with actual advancement. . .
With a heavy sigh, Hira dragged her feet to her destination.
The dark covers eventually settled in the sky, but thankfully the girl was able to arrive at a big building where she lived, just in time.
The pair of chestnut eyes examined the flat building's window and balcony collection.
"HIRA!" A loud but cheery voice called her name which caught said teen's attention from the bright windows to the building's entrance close to her.
There, she saw a little girl who was around the age of seven.
She had dark skin, crystal blue eyes, and big bushy hair overwhelmed with beautiful black curls and kept back by a green headband with a fake pink butterfly to the side.
She carried a backpack on her that matched the butterfly's color scheme, and as for her outfit set up, she wore a green t-shirt and overall shorts that had a pink lotus flower embroidered in the middle of the chest area.
"Hira!" The young kid cried out again before her yellow sneakers dashed over and hugged the teen's legs with her small arms.
"Woah, easy there, little frog!" Hira greeted back with a tiny smile, as she chuckled at the smaller girl in amusement.
"What are you doing out here Ashley? Don't you have the keys to get in?" As she asked her the question, her hand was patting the thick curls on top of Ashley's head.
"I just came home." The young kid responded with a small shrug. "Extra schoolwork today." From the tone of her voice, the teen could discern something off, but she didn't pester due to the tiredness that was coating Ashley's expression already.
"You must have had a long day." Hira softly stroked Ashley's little curls again while she beamed warmly.
"Come on, let's get some dinner." She drew out her keys and within seconds the gates opened for the two.
Ashley smiled up at her friend who in return gave a small grin.
With that, they stepped inside.
After they climbed up many stair-steps, the girls eventually got to their flat's door.
Once more, Hira utilized her keys, but the moment the door swung open, she and her young friend smacked a hand over their noses and mouths due to the toxic smell that just streamed out.
The smell of smoke and burned cigarettes. . .
"Ugh, not again!" Ashley grunted out through her fingers while Hira tried her best to fan away the smell and not to throw up at the same time. She shook her head in disbelief before she and Ashley walked into the small hall and took their shoes off on the old ratty carpet.
"Man, this smells nastier than usual." The seven-year-old remarked in utter revulsion as her teen friend shut the door.
"You can say that again." Hira coughed out before her hand flipped the entrance hall's light switch which almost blinded the two. "I knew I should have brought those air conditioner fragments." Then she began to remove her black jacket.
"Ash, could you please open the windows in the living room, please? I'll open the ones in the kitchen once I put these away." The teen requested as she secured her jacket around the waist area.
"On it, sis!" The young girl with bushy hair nodded before she raced towards said windows.
A small chuckle of delight escaped from Hira, but then it shifted into a small, drained exhale in the next second.
Without another word, she lifted the heavy plastic bag from the wooden floor and made her way toward the kitchen.
Unfortunately, though, the moment she set foot into it, darkness took over her eyesight, and the odor became, even more, displeasing around the area, if that was possible.
The fourteen-year-old girl didn't do any favors for herself when she flicked the light switch on, only to marvel at the sight of the many. . . many unwashed dishes in the sink and the many empty beer cans, finished or unfinished Chinese fast-food boxes, and the full, dirty, and still somewhat smoking cigarettes on the kitchen counter and the small dining table.
Hira groaned out loud but knowing that it wouldn't assist her in cleaning the mess, she sucked a deep breath in and then rolled her green sleeves upwards.
As she did that though, she uncovered her white spotted arms, with the right lower arm, which had bandages tightly wrapped around it from the elbow to the palm.
A small wave of dizziness took the teen over the moment she saw that.
Like her world started to spin while her emotions got sucked out of her-.
"I am done opening the windows!" Little Ashley's words snapped Hira out of the small fog and turned her attention to her young flatmate.
"Want some help with the fridge?" Once the dark-skinned girl came to view the teen girl's smile returned.
"Uh. . . Sure thing." Hira hastily nodded her head in agreement.
In the next minute, the blue plastic bag landed in front of the now open fridge and kitchen cabinets. Then two pairs of hands began to load in the empty spaces with many appetizing products such as yogurt, cheese, and some other delicious choices.
"Girl Power Jam!" Ashley squealed in pleasure when she held up her favorite treat. "Blueberry and lemon?!" The little girl was even more delighted than ever.
"I knew you would like it." Her older friend laughed weakly while she continued to pack up the fridge. "But we will eat them for breakfast."
"With bacon and fried eggs?" Little Ashley questioned while her eyes glistened like the stars in the night sky.
"And some flapjacks as well." Hira patted the younger kid's head gently with a joyous smile that widened at the little girl's dilated and joy-filled eyes.
After they completed their task, Ashley went off to do some cleaning in the other rooms.
This left Hira alone in the kitchen area.
She looked up at the clock. The moment she saw the time, the teen girl pulled out the trash bin, fast, and got to work.
With one motion her arm swiped the garbage from the counter's and the dinner table's surface. Once the pile of house dirt was gone, a wet rag slid by to wipe off those nasty stains. It was a little challenging as certain spots were hard to scrub off, but in the end, it came off some minutes later.
Now, with that out of the way, she was able to empty and dust off the source of the bad smell.
The cigarette bowls.
"Okay," Hira mumbled as she wiped her hands off and placed the small glass bowls back down.
"Now the dishes." She drew out the cigarette box from her pocket, then placed it on the counter.
Now she stood in front of the mountain of dirty plates.
A tiny exhale later, Hira dressed her hands up with yellow washing gloves, then readied the sponge with some soap.
While she was occupied with washing one plate after another, she didn't notice the presence of another young kid who just decided to let themselves walk in.
"Oh, hey there!" The lazy greeting came from a young voice. "What's for dinner?"
Hira hopped into the air at the unexpected call, then she snapped her head around fast to look at who it was.
A sigh of relief was drawn out of her when she recognized that it was just her other flatmate.
Another foster kid.
A boy who, by the looks of it, was around the same age as Ashley, maybe a year older at max.
He had light-brown locks on the top of his head and his complexion was as pale as the white sheets. He was modeling in a blue t-shirt with a pale blue collar and two white stripes positioned horizontally across his chest. He was also wearing tan cargo shorts that go down to his knees. As for footwear, he had white socks.
"Oh, for god's sake Gregory, stop doing that!" The elder girl gasped a little while holding onto her wet plate tight.
"Also, were you home all this time?" Her stammer now turned to a voice of haze. "Why didn't you clean this up then?"
As Hira questioned the boy, she continued to scour the food stain off a bowl's edge.
"Oh, give me a break Ms. Bossy Two Shoes, I just got home like thirty minutes or so." The brunette boy rolled his eyes while he crossed his arms. "Besides, you try to do anything when that old lady is around!"
The words were blunt, but the teen just closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Well, fair enough. . ." Hira eventually gave her agreement with a tiny nod. "Speaking of which, where is Mrs. Petunia anyways?"
"She left not too long ago after I came back from school." Gregory lazily responded as he scratched his cheek with one finger. "She needs to do some 'errands'."
At that, the girl with long braided hair soughed once more.
"Of course, she does." Hira shook her head as she let out a small yawn.
Right on cue, a certain young girl with bushy hair came by the kitchen area with footsteps that were rushing in fast.
"The windows are open, the bathroom is clean, and every small bowl is empty!" Ashley announced with a small hint of pride in her chest. The teen chuckled a little while the brunette boy just scoffed to himself.
"Great job Ash." Hira told her with a small smile before she turned back to the sea of food dirt that consumed the utensils and plates like mold. "After this, I'll try to scrape up something together."
"Why don't we just order pizza?" Gregory asked sarcastically, only to earn a small elbow hit from the girl next to him.
"Dummy, we did that like four days ago." Ashley reminded the brunette kid who was nursing his now sore side. "We can't live off of pizza forever." Then she angled her crystal blue eyes to Hira's frame.
"Besides, it would be unfair to Hira since we use her own money to pay for it."
"It's alright guys." The said plum-haired girl butted in fast with a reassuring smile that she was able to stretch wide on her face. "I can always make more with my part-time job at the animal shelter. Besides, I do it because I want to." Then she turned back to her duty. "Anyways, go back to your room and do your homework. I'll call when dinner is ready."
"Okie!" Little Ash responded enthusiastically.
"Whatever. . .'' Gregory taunted as he and his other flatmate left for their rooms.
'Kids.' Hira just shook her head with a tiny smile before she continued to clean up.
"Hey! Be nice Greg!" The teen heard her female roommate hiss at the other kid in a whisper-shout. "She is doing a lot for us, you know."
From the sound of it, she was a little mad, but the girl with midnight hair just shook her head again and tried to focus on her task.
Unfortunately, her curiosity instructed her ears to listen more.
"Oh, come on, she is probably doing it to look good in front of that old lady and get adopted off fast." The boy's retort made the elder girl's hand stop functioning for a moment.
"Gregory!" Again, Ashley came to defend her big sister figure. "Hira is not like that!"
Her words bounced off the walls and into the tiny kitchen area. For a moment, the smallest hint of an appreciative smile made its way to Hira's lips.
Sadly, it didn't last long as the stubborn elementary-schooler still stood on his grounds.
"Well now maybe, but for all we know, she will leave too and forget about us!" Gregory's words shattered the teen's heart a bit. "Let's be real, once we are sent away or taken by new families, or whatever, we will never see each other again."
A door slammed shut, and from then on, stillness took over.
Hira felt a small lump in her throat, which hurt her a little, but with great force, she sniffed a little bit of air and ordered her mind to just focus on her hands that were scratching the leftovers off.
Gregory's words were hurtful for sure, but the teen girl knew better than to blame the young boy for feeling the way he has, let alone be furious at him in general.
After all, for someone so young, he had a grim life before he became a member of the foster care system and Mrs. Petunia's small group home.
He was just like her and Ashley, a troubled kid with a rough past. . .
With a small sigh, the teen shook her head and finished up her last plate before she went to make dinner.
It was a little more time consuming and complicated due to the teen girl's lack of experience and her need for perfection. Even though the recipe was fairly easy to follow, still she wanted to make sure it was done well for the kids, and the caretaker, as usual.
After some finishing touches later, dinner was served.
On the clean diner table, there it was, each plate carrying steaming hot rice with well-cooked ground beef, colorful, spicy seasoning, and healthy vegetables.
Hira nodded to herself with a small hint of satisfaction, but her small moment of triumph got interrupted when she heard someone unlocking the front door in a very noisy fashion.
"I'm home!" A high-pitched and sour ragged voice of an elderly person announced her arrival as her high heels were bashing on the wooden floor till they got thrown off.
Hira froze in terror, but she forced herself out of it.
"G-g-good evening Mrs. Petunia." The teen girl stammered out a greeting as she straightened her back, lifted her chin, and placed her hands on the front.
Eventually, the adult herself came in, creating a small yet hefty pause that seized the moment.
An old lady at the peak of her forties.
She had a tall and slender figure that was as thin as a twig. She held a bright complexion with dark -brown hair that was twisted in big, elegant curls.
Her black eyes narrowed at the young teen while her lips with rose-red paint morphed into a scowl.
"I see you cooked something." The old woman observed, her long face remained as hard as a stone which matched her cold attitude.
Hira swallowed hard before she was able to muster up the courage to speak up.
"Y-yes ma'am." The teen girl nodded her head rapidly as her brown eyes were shot down. "I-I brought everything you asked for. The kitchen has been cleaned up, the bathroom and the other rooms are done, I bought food, a-and I also got you the box of cigarettes you asked for." Hira at the latter pointed her hand at the said tiny pack on the counter.
Mrs. Petunia scoffed before she stomped over, snatched up that box of cigarettes, and pulled out a pair of 5$ bills from her pocket.
"Here is your money back." Hira flinched as the money was tossed right into her face. Then came a frown of dissatisfaction the moment the elder girl saw it was only a small bite from the actual amount she was owed. "Now get those brats out, and once you're done eating, fill up the camp's paperwork and send them online or whatever."
"Huh?" Hira raised an eyebrow as she placed the small cash of money into her pocket.
"Don't get on my nerves, pipsqueak!" The woman snapped as she got right into the girl's face. Hira jerked backward while she closed her eyes in fear. "Be grateful for this Camp thing, will you?!" She added before she turned on her heels sharply and opened the cigarette package with full force.
"Consider it as a nice farewell gift from me before I send you to another group home this September." With that, she placed one cigarette into her lips and placed her box into her pocket.
As she grabbed one plate of food from the table Hira's eyes widened while her jaw slacked a bit.
"Wha-?" The teen girl almost exclaimed, but the moment she saw her caretaker's glare she stopped and just shot her gaze down to her feet.
"You three better be quiet while I'm in my room." Mrs. Petunia began to take a few steps towards the kitchen's exit but stopped for a moment and turned back to Hira who jumped at her sudden gaze.
"Oh, and make sure this place is spotless by Monday. Ashley's new parents will come by to pick her up." With that, the woman finally left.
The young teen let out another breath as she felt her chest getting tighter with all that air that was held back. Sadly, the feeling didn't go away, and the moment the caregiver was out of sight, she felt her eyes sting by the salty tears that were welling up in the corner.
This was all too much for her.
First the school panic attack, then the unexpected Summer Camp she agreed to, and now the announcement of her being sent away. . . again. . .
But despite all these things, Hira just sucked it up and kept her calm front to not cause more trouble.
It's useless to dwell on it now. It's not like she can have a say in any of it since she is still a minor.
A powerless young teen. . . well, for the next four or three years till she would be a legal adult. . .
Hira rubbed her eyes and just went out to get to the others. She eventually arrived at the end of the small hall and knocked on one of the doors.
"Hey, Gregory! Dinner is ready!" She informed politely.
"Finally." The mentioned brunette boy opened the door and left without even giving the slightest glance to Hira.
The teen girl shook her head with disapproval before she fled to the other door that guides her to the girls' bedroom.
Hira's and Ashley's room.
"Hey Ash, dinner is ready!" The girl with braided hair called the younger girl while she was knocking on the door.
There was no answer, something which was a little unusual.
"Ash?" Again, her calls got nothing in return.
With worry, Hira opened the door.
The fourteen-year-old opened the door carefully, and to her shock, she saw the seven-year-old girl on top of her bed. She was on her side all curled up with her back facing the door.
From the position, Hira got concerned immediately.
"Ash? Is everything okay?" She asked Ashley as she cautiously approached the side of the bed.
However, her voice and question were still able to jerk a few drops of tears out of Ash's blue eyes while she held her little green frog plush closer to her chest.
"I . . ." The little girl squeaked out with a cracked voice before she sniffed back her tears, or at least tried to. In the end she couldn't say anything, but even so, Hira might have an idea about what this is about.
The elder girl's shoulders fell in a bit of despair, but she had to hold that feeling back.
Her roommate was upset, and she had to do something about it.
With a deep breath, Hira got the courage to get closer.
"Can I sit here?" The teen requested politely, and Ashley after some uncertainty gave a tiny nod of consent.
With that permission, Hira took a seat on the edge of the bed.
"Ash, if this is about what Gregory says, don't listen to him." She voiced it out as she leaned her body a little closer to her younger roommate, but not too close to make her feel uncomfortable. "You know I would never leave you or forget about you." She gave a tiny smile which Ashley eventually caught on with her head turned to peek over Hira's direction.
A small and uncertain pause later, the dark-skinned girl turned around, so she was meeting the elder girl's gaze.
"But what about my new adoptive parents?" Ashley questioned with her eyes that were still all moisty. "They will take me away and I won't see you again. . ."
As she declared that, her she showed those puppy eyes that pleaded for the teen to stay.
Stay by her side.
Hira shook her head at that, but even so, she still offered a small but comforting smile to her friend.
"Hey, it's not like this is a 'goodbye forever'." The elder girl tried to cheer up her little roommate with some hopeful suggestions. "We still have phones to communicate with and such."
"It's not the same though. . ." Ashley pouted with a heartache in her voice.
"I mean yeah, I will have the parents, but. . . I want you to be there too. . ." That brought fresh tears out of the corner of those blue and innocent eyes, but she quickly wiped her nose.
"I want you to be a family. . . with me. . . It's so unfair. . ." Hira's eyes softened at those words while her hand caressed her friend's little arm in consolation. While doing so though, she also tried to restrain her own emotions to not upset Ashley any further with her own reaction.
But as she did that though, that was when Hira knew that she was hurting too, just as much as her young companion, meaning she was still not ready for what was about to come within the next days or so.
She felt lost .
Confused .
Big changes tackled her from left to right, and with each one, the cracks in her world had grown larger, and nearer to the breaking point.
As always, she wished that everything would just stay still the way they were. . .
Keep themselves on the routes they learned and got used to. . .
Keep close to everything familiar to them. . .
But sadly, it was just wishful thinking, because change happens no matter what. . .
Hira took a deep breath as she looked at the young girl with sorrow, but she couldn't afford to make Ashley's grief go deeper.
So, she did what she could best.
Force a smile upon herself and try to offer emotional comfort to her roommate in need.
"Hey. . . " She started with a bit of sadness as her hand went to stroke Ashley's head gently. "I might not have a family, but I still got you, and Mr. Grumpy pants in the other room. Even though he doesn't admit it, I'm sure deep down he cares about us." She paused for a moment to let her little friend get comfortable.
"You don't have to worry about me, little frog." Hira tried to convince her friend. "I'll be okay, I promise." The teen continued to soothe her little friend. "And besides. . . Even if we by any chance get. . . separated. . . still, it won't alter what we have or had between us."
Hira smiled while the little girl sat up from her position.
"Nothing will ever make me forget, or change how much you mean to me. Even if we can't contact each other physically, we will never be apart. . . not really. . ." She continued while a hand went to wipe the small pearl of tears from Ashley's face.
"No matter how much time passes by. . . or even when we are worlds apart. . . you will always have a place in my heart. . ." Hira smiled more as her own tears began to form also.
Fresh ones came out of little Ash's damp eyes, but the words from her elder sister figure brought her little smile back.
"You . . . you swear sis. . . ?" Hira chuckled slightly at that.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, take my voice for broken lies." The teen replied with confidence as her index finger drew an 'X' over her heart and then curled the hand into a fist that she held up for Ashley.
The little girl returned a bitter sweet grin as she bumped her own fist against Hira's and they made an explosion sound effect once they made contact.
This caused the both of them to giggle a little.
The bushy-haired girl nodded her head, then she wiped her face again before she gave a warm and sweet hug to her roomie.
Hira returned it without hesitation, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a bit choked up by the gesture this time.
"Uh-!" The midnight-haired girl sniffed a little, but she eventually pulled herself together.
"Now go along little frog, our food is probably getting cold." With that, the girls pulled away, then Ashley jumped off of the bed, but her tracks came to a halt when she realized Hira wasn't coming.
"You're coming?" The younger roommate tilted her head to the side.
"Yeah, I'll catch up, no worries." Hira reassured her little friend. "I've just got to change in the bathroom first."
Ashley nodded her head before she finally left.
The moment she was gone the teen girl's smile fell with a silent exhale from her lips.
As she mentioned, Hira made her way to the bathroom, but not without her little makeup kit.
She closed the door and then locked it up. Now that she made the place secure for her privacy she turned to the mirror, only to be startled again by her own reflection. It took her a while to recollect herself, but once she did, she pulled out her makeup remover and her little sponge for the cleaning.
However, she placed them to the side and pulled out a small eye contact case.
Now with everything she started the cleaning by the removal of her colored eye-contact lens from her right eye. The brown lense was pulled off, and now she saw her sky-blue eye instead of the hazel-brown eye that many outside of the flat would usually see.
After that, she started to finally wash off her concealers.
As she was doing it, her mind drifted to her little conversation with Ash from earlier.
Despite their fear for the future, and how bittersweet this period may become later down the line, whatever will happen at least they knew one thing for sure. . .
They got to share these moments with each other. . .
Just like in the past. . . one more happy moment before her world turned upside down. . .