[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][i]It had been a cold, wintery night. The ground was blanketed by soft snow, which still fell from the sky at an easy pace. Streetlights reflected off the pearly white color, brightening the neighborhood street from out of the darkness. Across one, specific house, a car came to a slow and parked against the curb.

Stepping out of the car, Adelyn Crawford leaned against the side of the vehicle. Her hands were stuffed in her coat pockets, and the icy cold froze her cheeks. Nonetheless, Adelyn deliberately chose to ignore the freezing weather; the only thought in her head was that of the people, in their house, across the street. 

They were safe and sound. They were warm. They were [b]her family[/b].

Adelyn wanted nothing more than to walk right inside the front door. She wanted to tell Jonathan, her husband, that she had been held up at work. She wanted to watch little Haleigh, her daughter, stumble-walk in excitement that her mother was home. But Adelyn couldn't. Not now, nor likely ever again. Things were different now despite how much it had pained her to come to terms with that. She couldn't put her family at risk and in harm's way by staying here. 

Maybe she was a fool for falling in love whilst undercover. Perhaps she should've ignored Jonathan and continued on like nothing happened. But each time Adelyn beat herself up over it, the happy faces of her family pushed their way to the forefront. Each little memory replayed in her head, and Adelyn had to fight the urge to not breakdown where she stood; her heart hanging heavy at all the memories she would miss in the future. 

Adelyn took a deep breath to compose herself. She needed to get going before someone noticed her.

Forcing her feet to move, Adelyn climbed back into the car. She paused, staring out into the dark street whilst her hands sat unsteady as they held the steering wheel. She didn't want to leave, but she had to.

[color=white]We'll see each other again someday.[/color] Adelyn thought, shedding a tear as she shifted the car into gear.[/i][/indent][/indent][/color][color=gray][hr][center][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1070792705547980842/1116338227444461697/Haleigh_3.png[/img][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=SILVER][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [i]Mess Hall (outside)[/i] - [i]Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=SILVER][b]First Class #2.84[/b][/COLOR] [I]Chef Haleigh?[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][color=SILVER][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]Efraim [@Theyra][/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=SILVER][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Fresh Start[/I][/right][/SUP]
[INDENT]Haleigh looked up from her phone to the person speaking to her.

[color=d94a3f]"Sure, I don't mind."[/color]

The person in question had been one of Firebird's—Efraim Tenorio, one of her three new dorm mates. There hadn't been much that Haleigh actually knew about him, to be honest. They had chosen the same house and had met over the weekend, but being on different teams left much to be discovered. Still, from the little they talked, Efraim seemed nice enough, and she didn't mind passing time with him while they waited for everyone else to gather outside the mess hall.

Closing her phone, Haleigh slid it back in her pocket and turned to Efraim. 

[color=d94a3f]"So, how did you like breakfast? I hope it turned out right. I don't usually cook on a stove. I mean, at least not an electric stove like the ones in our dorms. I was always been out and about helping to teach outdoor classes or acting as a trail guide, so I had grown used to cooking directly over fire, or if I had it, a portable butane stove."[/color]

Oh no, Haleigh, there you went again, rambling on about camping and the outdoors. Any time the opportunity came up she just couldn't help herself. It had happened at the campsite, when she tried showing her know-how to everyone... only to nearly have a meltdown when she realized that the school had taken out all the fun and hard-earned effort that came with setting up your own tent and campground. What was the point in going camping if you were going to not put the work in?

At least the school couldn't ruin her family's camping recipes on top of everything. Or so Haleigh hoped. The meal seemed fine to her, but she hadn't heard from the boys as to whether or not they liked it or not.

[color=d94a3f]"If you guys want, I can always handle the meal plan while you guys help cover the other chores that need doing. I'd have to check in with Rory first, though. Given that he is certainly all into sports and exercise, I'm not entirely sure if he keeps to a special diet or limits his intake of certain things."[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT][/color]