[center][url=https://fontmeme.com/cursive-fonts/][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/181015/5ceecc7538164d6fcf8526b3db450793.png[/img][/url] [img]https://i.imgur.com/r0kQiuz.png?1[/img][/center][hr][hr] Breakfast with Danny was... nice. Really nice, actually. Aya'd forgotten what it was like to eat with someone, chatting away about nothing at all, laughing, joking... she hadn't realized how much she'd missed it. Aya had spent her last year of high school in self-imposed isolation. Between her dad, work, Kainoa... her [i]mutation[/i]... Aya had withdrawn. She'd had no one to eat meals with, no one to talk to. [i]Lonely[/i]. Aya was lonely. The sudden realization nearly took her breath away, drowning out Danny's chatter. The reality of where she was settled into her; she was at school, eating with a classmate, dreading her first class of the day... and everyone around her knew she was a mutant. But it felt almost like normal. An emotion she couldn't understand built in her stomach. It was something resembling guilt -- or relief, or fear, or [i]grief[/i] -- Aya stood up with a start, the legs of her chair scraping against the ground. She blinked at her own sudden movement. She looked down at Danny with startled eyes. [color=aquamarine]"I-"[/color] Aya swallowed, and opened here mouth to try again. [color=aquamarine]"I'm sorry, I think my class might've actually been earlier than I thought. I need to go get my schedule."[/color] The words came out in a rush as she gathered up her bag and her dishes. [color=aquamarine]"Thank you so much for talking to me."[/color] Despite her frantic state, Aya's words rang with sincerity. She opened her mouth again to say that she'd talk to him again later. The words caught in her throat. Instead, all Aya could do was offer an apologetic smile. With that, Aya turned and left the table before Danny could so much as say anything. Dropping her dishes off at the counter, she left the cafeteria for the girls' dorm. Aya paid little attention to her surroundings as she made for her room, heart thundering for reasons unknown. When she finally found her door, her vision had tunneled, leaving only the wooden frame visible. She fumbled for her keys jamming them in the doorknob. In a few moments the door was open. Aya crossed the threshold, pulling the door shut with a loud [i]thud[/i], and pressed her back against it. A shuddering breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding escaped her. Aya sank to the floor, letting her eyes fall closed. Her heart knocked against her rib cage and she could feel her pulse in her throat. Another breath. Something burned behind her eyes. Gritting her teeth, Aya pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. They came away damp. There was too much. Faces swirled in her mind: her father, bright and charming; her father, dying and grey; Kainoa, angry and terrified; Christina, the friend she'd left behind; her weeping classmates; [i]Kainoa[/i]. Always Kainoa. The harsh ring of her cell phone tore through the air. Aya gasped at it, her pulse spiking again. After a moment she realized what it was. With heavy hands, she fumbled through her bag until she pulled out the blaring device. Aya blinked at the name shining on the screen. [i]Mama[/i]. Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion. She did the math in her head, trying to figure out why her mother would be calling from Japan at this hour. Aya reluctantly hit accept and raised the phone to her ear. [color=aquamarine]""[/color] she answered in Japanese. [color=aquamarine]""[/color] "" came her mother's filtered voice, "" Aya jolted upright. [color=aquamarine]"<[i]What?![/i]>"[/color] "" [color=aquamarine]""[/color] Panic was quickly setting in. "" she snapped back. Aya's lips pressed together. There was silence on the line for a long moment. Then her mother sighed. "" Anger sparked in Aya's chest. She hadn't even come to the [i]funeral[/i]. "...Aya?" Her grip tightened around her phone, turning her knuckles white. She could hear the vague sound of airport announcements from her mother's side. "" Aya's heart stopped. [color=aquamarine]""[/color] "" [color=aquamarine]""[/color] "" So many responses sprung to mind: that she didn't want to, that her mother had [i]no right[/i] to ask, that she was just fine on her own... instead, what came out was: [color=aquamarine]""[/color] The silence was long and deafening. "" Aya squeezed her eyes shut, her head falling back against the door. She hadn't ever intended for her mother to find out. [color=aquamarine]""[/color] "<...I see. Why didn't you tell me?>" The hurt in her mother's voice burrowed its way under Aya's skin. Guilt seeped into her, despite herself. "" [color=aquamarine]""[/color] "[i]Aya[/i]--" [color=aquamarine]""[/color] A false promise. Aya terminated the call, cutting off her mother's response. The phone fell to the ground with a clatter. Aya was suddenly [i]exhausted[/i]. She closed her eyes again and a sigh heaved her shoulders. [color=aquamarine]"Shit..."[/color] Her phone rang again, but Aya didn't move. Eventually it stopped. Her text tone sounded, no doubt her mother demanding answers. Aya didn't know how long she sat against the door, wishing the world could just stop spinning for a [i]moment[/i]. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes. She knew she had to get up eventually, and deal with life. Class. [color=aquamarine][i]I don't want to go to class.[/i][/color] And just like that, it was decided. Knowing it was the wrong decision, but unable to bring herself to make any others, Aya pushed herself up. She'd try again tomorrow, she told herself. She picked her phone up from the ground, ignoring the many notifications from her mother. She grabbed her bag and dropped her phone inside. Aya looked longingly at her bed. Curling up under the covers and hiding from the world would be ideal. But the thought of her roommate finding her and asking questions quickly eliminated that option. She supposed finding a corner of the library would be the next best thing. [color=aquamarine][i]Look busy. No one questions you if you look busy.[/i][/color] Her eyes fell on Professor Everose's wooden butterfly resting on her bedside table and Aya paused. She chewed her lip for a moment, looking at it. Then Aya crossed the room and grabbed it before making for the door. The weight of it was smooth and heavy in her hand as she made her way towards the library.