-Reina-

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzz-Thud!

The ugly cacophony produced by the dutiful, bright red alarm clock was abruptly cut short by the swift swat of a hand. However, an unmeasurable amount of force was placed behind that hand to slap either the snooze or off button, Reina was too exhausted to care or tell, and sent the poor alarm clock, which had been precariously sitting on the edge of the bleak, wooden nightstand, tumbling down to the carpeted floor with a soft thud. Flinching slightly, Reina grimaced and retracted her right arm as she rolled over, away from the nightstand and the fallen clock. Still having not opened her eyes, the drowsy, young girl begged for sleep to take her once more, to whisk her away to the lovely land of dreams for at least another hour...hour and a half. Sleep did not answer her beck and call, though. The poor girl lay awake for several more minutes before she finally gave up on the hope of rejoining her fading fantasies.

Letting out an extended groan, she rolled back over to the side of the bed facing her nightstand. Reina lethargically reached out with her right hand and groped around the now barren nightstand until her fingertips fell upon a cool wire frame. Grasping the frame in her fingers, Reina their sleek wire arms and slid them onto her face with ease. The world came into focus instantly, yet the languid, young lass still could not shake the feeling of exhaustion. She wobbled and stumbled her way over to the small washroom that was connected to her room, and her room alone.

After about 30 minutes of morning preparations, Reina finally managed to wash away the remnants of sleep that had plagued her body, and she returned to packing her remaining necessities. Shoving clothes and items into bags with no clear system of organization, Reina zipped up her 7th bag with a huff. 5 Suitcases and 2 bags lay strewn across her white carpet in no particular arrangement on either side of her queen-sized bed. The room was a ghastly sight. The early morning sun had not managed to sneak in through her tightly drawn curtains, so the room was thrown into a hazy, dull light. The walls, normally a lovely, light sky blue were now a haunting faded bluish-grey hue, and her carpet, once a pristine white, now reflected a drab grey color. The poor lighting only contributed to the depressing atmosphere that radiated from the room. Most of Reina’s belongings had been packed away in her various bags, leaving only her barren desk, desk lamp, and chair in the back left-hand corner of the room; her messy queen-sized bed in the center of the room along the back wall; the two old, wooden nightstands that rested on either side of the bed;  2 dressers along the right- hand wall, next to the door leading to the conjoining bathroom; a distinct pile of various dolls and stuffed animals that Reina had sewn over the past few years in the front left-hand corner; and countless other items left precariously across her floor. Gazing around her now mostly barren room, Reina felt her gut twist. She had lived since she was little. This room had been her sanctuary, but now it looked so different...so sad.... 

Dragging her bags out to the foyer area, Reina huffed and puffed as she dropped the last of her luggage down to the side of her front door. She took a moment to catch her breath before she straightened herself and waltzed over to her front door. Peering through the thin, translucent glass found to both the left and right of her front door, Reina waited for the arrival of a dark gray shadow to appear in the street. The small, self-driven moving truck was to be there any minute, courtesy of her father. It was going to be a long journey from West Virginia to Illinois, so a moving truck was necessary, especially since her family only owned two small cars that would be unable to house 7 bags and two people. 

This was to be Reina’s big trip, the first time that she would be away from her parents for a long while. Reina was on her way to Skyline Institute. It had been several weeks since the new school year had begun; however, Reina’s parents insisted that she give her home high school at least one week, just to make sure that she was really comfortable in challenging herself again. The young girl felt confident, so she packed up her things, replied to her acceptance letter, and made all of the necessary arrangements and inquiries for her new journey. It was time for her to move on to bigger, better things and places. It was finally time for her to challenge herself once more, and what better place for that other than Skyline Institute.